Gluten Free Barcelona Guide
- Megan
- Jun 13
- 10 min read
Updated: Jun 16
Ah, Barcelona. What a wonderful city.
Every city has a unique feel to it - New York feels fast paced, Paris is timeless and romantic, Rome is like walking through a history book. But Barcelona has this wonderful relaxed and layed back vibe, and it feels like everyone is happy to be there and enjoying their life. The city is full of wonderful things to do, beautiful sites and architecture, and really great, gluten free food.
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When we started planning our trip to Barcelona I looked into where I could find gluten free meals and was quickly delighted by how many great restaurants and bakeries I discovered! There were so many more dedicated gluten free restaurants than I am used to seeing in US cities, plus dozens of other restaurants that had great reviews for being safe spots for those with Celiac Disease.
We were only in Barcelona for a few days so we did not get to try everything on my list, but all of the restaurants we ended up eating at were excellent. My husband and I were traveling with his parents and all three of them can eat gluten, so when they all say a meal is good and that most of the food we ate you couldn't even tell was gluten free you know it really is good.
As always, I did tons of research before our trip to figure out where to eat while in Barcelona. I created a Barcelona Collection on the Find Me Gluten Free app with all of the restuarants that looked like good options. If you open this collection in the app you can see it in both list and map form, plus the notes I added for the restaurants where we ate or wanted to go to. The Celiac Association of Catalunya also has a map on their website of resturants they have accredited as being safe for those with Celiac Disease, which can be a great resource too.
The other good news for gluten free travlers is that Spain has laws in place about labeling products for food allergies so if you go to a grocery store it is easy to figure out which products are gluten free. Look for Sin Gluten, Sense Gluten or Senza Gluten and the symbol of a circle with a grain of wheat being crossed out. We stopped into a grocery store to grab a few things one evening and food was very well labeled so it was easy to figure out what was safe for me to get.
We stayed at the Alexandra Barcelona Hotel in the Eixample neighborhood right beween La Rambla and Passeig de Gracia. This was a great location both for getting to things in the city but also for good restaurants nearby. One of the best gluten free bakeries in the city (which I will tell you all about in the list below!) was just a couple of blocks away from our hotel, and everywhere we went for dinner was only about a 10 minute walk from there as well. Of course there are plenty of good neighborhoods to stay in in Barcelona, but if you are looking for something centrally located we found this to be a great spot.
Before we get into the list of restuarants we ate at I just want to remind you that things change in the restaurant industry all of the time so it is important to do your own research and talk to restaurant staff before eating anywhere. This is an account of my own personal experience but it is up to you to ask the right questions and decide for yourself whether a place is safe for you to eat. Everywhere we ate when we were there in May 2025 was a dedicated gluten free restaurant, but even that can change and it is important to check on the current protocols and guidelines of a restuarant before you visit.
Where to Eat Gluten Free in Barcelona
As I said before, we were only in Barcelona for a few days so we didn't get to try out tons of restaurants, but everywhere we ate was excellent. I would absolutely recommend all of these restaurants as places to try out, especially if they are near where you are staying. All of the restaurants we ate at were dedicated gluten free spots which was a Celiac's dream! Here is a list of the restaurants we tried and my recommendations for what to get at each place.
Jansana is a 100% gluten free bakery and it is absolutely wonderful. You can see from the display case in the window how good everything looks, and it tastes great too! They have probably the best gluten free croissant I have ever tried, and every item I ordered from them was excellent.
Our morning routine in Barcelona was for my husband and I to walk the couple blocks from our hotel over to Jansana where I would grab several things for breakfast as well as any snacks or lunch items I might need for later in the day. Then we would head back to this little cafe across the street from our hotel where we would get fruit, coffee, and my husband could get his gluten-containing breakfast. We would then sit outside at their little tables to eat together, both very happy with our respective breakfast options.
Since we went to Jansana every morning I got to try many of their different items. Two of my favorites were the cream-filled croissant and the tomato quiche, both pictured above. But everything I tried from their sandwiches to seeded bread was good. I usually ordered a pastry or two for breakfast, something with a little protein like a ham and cheese croissant or quiche to have as a snack while we were out exploring, and a couple days I also picked up a sandwich for an easy lunch option. This is a place I would say is a must try spot while you are in Barcelona!
This spot was our first dinner in Barcelona and probably my favorite of the trip! It was another 100% gluten free spot that was close to our hotel so we headed there our first night in town after a day of exploring.
I had seen a recommendation to get the patatas bravas here so we started with those and it was a great appetizer to share. My husband and I then picked a pasta and pizza to split and his parents both got pizzas as well. Everything we had was excellent. The three gluten-eaters with me all said they never would have known the pizza was GF if they hadn't been told. The truffle pasta Carbonara I tried was one of the best GF pastas I've had, and the Madame pizza was also wonderful. I highly recommend this place for great Spanish-Italian gluten free food! They have another restuarant in the La Vila de Gracia neighborhood too that looks like just pizza, and that would be worth checking out if you are near that location.
The patatas bravas, pasta, and pizzas we ordered from Messie Pizza Sin Gluten.
We made a reservation for lunch at En Ville on our second day in Barcelona when we were planning to be on that side of town. It is in the El Raval neighborhood right near the Gothic Quarter, which are both great, old neighborhoods to wander around and explore.
This restaurant is little nicer than the others we ate at (meaning also a little pricier) but it is a good option for traditional Spanish food with a bit of a modern twist (and all gluten free!). Much of their menu is tapas style so you can get several plates to share, but for lunch they also have a set menu where you get a starter, main, and dessert. We weren't that hungry so we opted to order tapas style and started with the bread with tomato plate for the table, then my husband and I shared the paella and my in-laws got the Cardinal style macaroni. We asked what they recommended for dessert and our waitress said her favorite was a banana cake which we tried and was also very yummy.
This is definitely a restaurant I would recommend if you want to try tapas in Spain that you know will be a safe gluten free meal, but while we all thought the food was good we were expecting to be a little more wowed based on the price. The paella was good but not the most amzing ever, and since we weren't that hungry going in we didn't get to try as many items on the menu as I would have liked. If I were to go again (which I would if we are ever back in Barcelona) I would order the patatas bravas, jamon, croquettes, and the risotto to try. This is also a place I would always make a reservation for since it got busy even at lunchtime on a Friday. We got there right when it opened and by the time we finished the place was pretty full.
Note- this restaurant is a chain and ONLY the Casanova location is gluten free!
This was one of those meals that seemed kind of random but ended up being surprisingly excellent. I saw this was another fully gluten free restaurant that was a short walk from our hotel, and since it was something we can't always find at home we decided to give it a try.
I'm not usually a big fish-n-chips fan but this was actually so good. The coating on the fish was extra crispy and the fish inside was tender and mild. It was also served with some of the best fires I've had in a while. It comes with two dipping sauces - a tartar sauce and mango chutney - which were both really good also. My favorite combo was to dip the fish in the chutney and the fries in the tartar sauce. We all ended the meal happy and surprised by how good it had been.
If you are looking for something fun and different in Barcelona (or you are a big fish and chips fan) I would definitely recommend giving this place a try. The only downside is the ambience of the outdoor seating is pretty lacking since it is on the corner of a busier street with not a great view, but the food comes quickly so the setting didn't bother us for the amount of time we were there. It is probably not a place you'd want to sit for several hours to enjoy a long, Spanish-style dinner but it's a perfect place to grab a quick meal from. I'd even recommend ordering food to-go and taking it as a picnic somewhere more scenic if you want a better view.
Places we didn't get to
Since we were only in Barcelona for a few days there were a number of restuarants I had on my list that we didn't end up getting to try. These were all ones that have really good ratings on the Find Me Gluten Free app or good reviews from other GF travel bloggers. If you check out my Barcelona Collection on the Find Me Gluten Free app you can see the full list of bakeries and restaurants I saved that looked like safe options across the city. But if we make it back to Barcelona the list below are the places I am heading to first!
This is the place I am the most sad about not getting to try. Based on the pictures their pizza looks amazing and they have a soft, chewy crust that you don't normally find with a GF pizza. Based on the reviews that said you need a reservation to eat here and it might take a while for your food to come we ended up choosing Messie Pizza Sin Gluten instead (which of course we had a great meal at!) but I was still sad we didn't get to try this pizza. The restaurant itself also looks like a cool spot so if you have time to enjoy a longer dinner some evening in Barcelona this seems like a great place to go.
This place looks like a local chain and has several 100% gluten free bakeries across the city. Check their map online to find which locations are GF since some are not. Their pastries and sweets at the gluten free bakeries look amazing, we just didn't end up making it to any of the locations.
Another fully gluten free bakery that has several locations throughout the city, including one a few blocks from the Sagrada Familia. They have a wide assortment of breads and pastries that look yummy.
This place looks like a good 100% gluten free option for lunch or dinner near the Sagrada Familia. They have quick and easy food as well as to-go options. We weren't on that side of town at the right time of day to be able to try out this restaurant since we were only nearby during the afternoon window when they are closed.
This restaurant is both fully gluten free and vegan. Serving tapas and paellas, it has really good reviews on being tasty while also healthier than a lot of other restaurant options. As someone who was craving a lighter meal after eating out everyday, this is a place we probably would have gone if we had had one more day in Barcelona.
This sushi restaurant is another dedicated gluten free spot. If you are in Barcelona for a longer stretch of time this looks like a great place to check out based on the number of rave reviews they have. I love sushi but it is something we can find at home, plus my husband really isn't a big fan of it, so while this place looks great it wasn't at the top of our lists for those reasons. If we had stayed in Barcelona for longer and wanted a lighter meal I would have dragged Zach along to try out this spot.
Gluten Free Barcelona
I think it is safe to say that Barcelona is one of the top gluten free cities in the entire world. We had such a great experience there and it was a Celiac's dream to have so many dedicated gluten free restaurants and bakeries to choose from!
Barcelona is a city that has it all - rich history, stunning architecture, vibrant culture, and a beautiful Meditteranean setting. It is truly a joy to visit. And for those of us eating gluten free, having a city that offers a wide range of safe, delicious options makes traveling a little less stressful. With a little bit of planning you can have an amazing, gluten free trip to Barcelona and get to experience one of the best cities for Celiac safe travel. If you've been to Barcelona leave a comment below with your favorite restaurants to help others planning a trip, too! Happy traveling, friends!
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