The best gluten-free restaurants in Auckland; Kid-approved!
Auckland has a number of fantastic gluten-free restaurants. With this list, it is easy for families to enjoy coeliac-safe food in New Zealand’s largest city.
Although finding gluten-free food is getting easier, some are surprised to learn that finding food that is coeliac-safe is getting harder. With so many people choosing to eat gluten-free for health reasons, there is more demand than ever. Of course, most of these people will not suffer ill effects from consuming a small amount of gluten, but a coeliac will.
While most restaurants supply some gluten-free food, many aren’t actually coeliac safe.
These restaurants use the same cookers between dishes, whereas a coeliac-safe kitchen will use a separate fryer. Other kitchens fail to keep gluten and gluten-free food apart.
Ensuring you stick to a gluten-free diet as a coeliac can be a challenge at the best of times.
If you are lucky enough to find a restaurant that successfully caters for gluten-free diners, you’ll also find that most either serve seafood or are more suited for adults.
In Auckland, we are fortunate to have a growing number of amazing restaurants that successfully cater for coeliac diners.
The following places are perfect places to take your coeliac whānau to have a delicious meal – all without needing to worry about their safety!
As an added bonus, each of them also serves a standard menu to cater for unrestricted diets.
These are the Best Family-Friendly Gluten-Free Restaurants in Auckland
The Chosen Bun – Stonefields
Located in Stonefields, The Chosen Bun offers a range of burgers with appetizing sides and drinks, all of which can be made gluten-free.
With a separate frier and a great understanding of cross-contamination, this small restaurant is an excellent place to eat.
Their kid’s burger, The Little B, is cut down from the bigger ones; it’s the perfect size for smaller diners. Or, if you’ve got a larger appetite, we recommend the Holey One (beef with mushrooms and swiss cheese), the Golden Phoenix (honey sriracha fried chicken) and the Guac-Star (beef with guac and corn chips). Yum!
All of their burgers can be served with a coeliac bun, which is soft and has just the right amount of crunch. It may not be the typical shape for burgers but that doesn’t make it any less amazing.
Their fries are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, and as always, go great with tomato sauce. As they’re cooked in a dedicated fryer, you can enjoy your fries with no concerns of cross-contamination.
Whilst there, you have to try their milkshakes! Most of these come with the option to be gluten-free, including the choc fish shake (my personal favourite). It comes with a tasty chocolate fish and has a generous serving of whipped cream. Whilst it’s sweet, it isn’t overwhelming.
To enjoy your meal, they have a few small booths for your family to sit in and a number of tables (perfect for couples).
They also offer their full menu to takeaway for those who don’t wish to dine in.
This really is one of my favourite gluten-free restaurants in Auckland!
3/40 Stonefields Avenue, Stonefields, Auckland 1072
The Attic – Mission Bay
The Attic Bar and Restaurant, once found in Mission Bay, now in New Lynn, offers amazing meals fit for the entire family. The menu is filled with a range of gluten-free options that will undoubtedly make your mouth water.
One of the original owners was gluten-free and because of this, appreciated how difficult it could be to find great gluten-free food whilst eating out. It’s not surprising then to learn that they went out of their way to ensure coeliacs were well-catered for.
Everything is delicious there but the one meal you have to try is their steak and chips with salad. As you’d expect, the steak is well-cooked and juicy and the portion is always generous so guaranteed to satisfy any hungry belly. It also comes with a tasty salad dressing and crispy chips.
Like The Chosen Bun, they have a separate fryer to ensure the gluten-free amongst your group leave with happy tummies.
3 Totara Avenue, New Lynn, Auckland 1071
Dos Amigos – Mission Bay
This Mexican restaurant in Mission Bay is one of the best gluten-free restaurants in Auckland.
With its bearded dragons and its special way of celebrating birthdays, Dos Amigos is an exciting (and tasty) place to eat. You’ll also be delighted to hear that this restaurant is very coeliac-safe.
They offer gluten-free food from nachos to ice cream and have separate menus for both kids and adults.
You can choose to sit at their bar, outside (on a nice day) or sit inside with the family.
Their guacamole has enough corn chips for the whole family and plenty of avocado goodness to go around too!
My personal recommendations are the kid’s chicken nachos; they are expertly made and delicious. The nacho chips have a great crunch and when combined with chicken, cheese and sauces, it tastes amazing.
For adults, we recommend BBQ pork ribs and carne asada fajitas (marinated steak). Both are gluten-free and absolutely delicious.
When it’s time for dessert, you can’t go past a classic!
For kids, we recommend the ice cream sundae. This comes with a generous helping of whipped cream and gluten-free chocolate sauce. The vanilla ice cream is the perfect thing to cool you down on a hot day; it’s an amazing treat!
For adults, we wholeheartedly recommend the gluten-free Chocolate Chill Brownie. For any diners in your group who can eat gluten, we’ve been told the churros are amazing also!
Dos Amigos is one of our favourites and we’ll sure it will become one of yours too.
93 Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay, Auckland 1071
Keen to save some money? Dos Amigos are listed on First Table so it’s possible to save 50% on your food bill with them!
Wen & Yen – Rosedale
Located on the North Shore, this small bakery has a lot to offer!
Run by two sisters-in-law (one a food scientist, the other with a background in hospitality), Wen & Yen have fast earnt themselves a name for creating amazing gluten-free treats. Their doughnuts are especially worth mentioning, having garnered quite a name for themselves in the coeliac community.
The inside of their bakery is light and bright with a customised wall mural and a line of tables.
Their gluten-free cabinet keeps coeliac-friendly treats separate from their glutenous counterparts.
One of my favourite donuts is their gluten-free adaptation of their original donut, the Boston Cream. It’s the perfect combination of chocolate ganache, fresh custard and a crispy shell.
They offer a full range of gluten-free doughnuts that change periodically. From salted caramel and cream to good ol’ fashioned cinnamon and sugar, it’s impossible to go wrong.
Gluten-free/vegan doughnuts and treats are available Friday-Sunday. They often sell out so be sure to head in early!
6/32 Constellation Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632
Giapo – Auckland CBD
Giapo may seem like an ordinary ice cream store from the outside, but inside you’ll find Auckland’s best, most creative ice cream.
The menu is 100% gluten-free, so there is no risk of cross-contamination – that’s amazing news for the coeliacs amongst us!
The owner, Giapo, is creative and likes to think outside the box. With a focus on delicious fresh ice cream, he creates an imaginative and interactive experience unlike any other ice cream shop in the world!
They offer a range of cones including the colossal squid cone and the selfie cone – both are incredibly memorable and need to be seen (and experienced) to be believed!
These amazing creations are served up in range of flavours. We recommend you try their double cream NZ hokey pokey (Tongan vanilla and honeycomb), the NZ afghan cookies and cream (caramelised white chocolate, cornflakes and homemade cookies) and Cher’s dark chocolate 74% (rich chocolate ice cream with cocoa nibs and mousse).
With ever-changing flavours and creations and the opportunity to sample their menu (because, trust us, deciding won’t be an easy decision), this is ice cream heaven.
It is impossible to go wrong with a visit to Giapo!
12 Gore Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010
We are very fortunate to have so many amazing gluten-free restaurants in Auckland that are safe for the entire family to eat at.
No matter what eatery you choose to visit the whole family is guaranteed to walk away satisfied after an amazing meal.
But best of all, the Coeliac members of your family can rest assured that at these restaurants their health is the number one priority.
Photo credit: Thanks to each of the restaurants
