Ten of the Best Gluten-Free Eateries in Wellington
A gluten-free baking wizard, adaptable Italian and a menu entirely free of meat.
Wellington is a great place to fill your belly: whatever kind of food you fancy, you can find the best of it here. But what if what you fancy is gluten-free? Can that still be a good time? The answer is yes, my gluten-avoiding friend. Many of Wellington's best eateries go out of their way to give gluten-free eaters a good time, and best of all, make us feel welcome and like we're no trouble at all. Here are ten of the best Wellington eateries for the footloose and gluten-free.
CICIO CACIO
When I first heard that Italy is actually a great place for gluten-free travellers, I thought that can't be right: all of that pasta, bruschetta and pizza. But don't forget polenta, risotto, seafood, and slow-cooked meat and seasonal vegetables. Much of Cicio Cacio's regularly changing authentic Italian menu is free of gluten or can be adapted. On recent visits there I have feasted on saffron and bone marrow risotto (the forks were out fighting over the last bite of that one), slow-cooked pork and prunes with crispy crackling and a meltingly good eggplant parmigiana.
167 Riddiford Street
DRAGONFLY
70 Courtenay Place, Te Aro
SHEPHERD
The newest resident in the Hannahs Laneway, Shepherd's has a farm-to-plate ethos with a focus on seasonal produce. Shepherd's clued-up flock are happy to adapt your meal to make it gluten-free and can serve any glutenous components on the side to make dishes shareable with the gluten-avoider and the gluten-seeker alike. Gluten-free menu highlights include the pumpkin and smoked yoghurt, sweet corn ice cream (hold the miso cookie crumb), and kimchi fried rice topped with a fried egg.
1/5 Eva Street, Te Aro
WBC
107 Victoria Street, Te Aro
CHARLEY NOBLE
1 Post Office Square
FIELD & GREEN
262 Wakefield Street
NIKAU
101 Wakefield Street
MILK CRATE
35 Ghuznee Street
LITTLE PENANG
40 Dixon Street, Te Aro
THE BOTANIST
Serving up a menu entirely free of meat, The Botanist also does a great job on providing gluten-free eats. Most items on the menu are gluten-free just the way they are, including some damn tasty buckwheat pancakes and a kumara potato hash with sautéed seasonal greens and toasted almonds. The Botanist are also open for dinner menu and boasts a beer garden that'd be just as good for drinking wine or cider in.
119 Onepu Road, Lyall Bay