If you have been following me on my social media channels, you might know that I have recently been on a trip to Edinburgh for a pre-valentines day break with James. We first went to Edinburgh two years ago now, and it has been a city we both fell in love with. There’s so much to do there, and so much to see. Most importantly, there’s so much to EAT there, especially if you’re gluten free (I mean, why would you be reading this if you didn’t want to know?).
Since being gluten free, destinations for holidays and breaks have been centred around what I can eat, and research is important before going anywhere for me. Edinburgh is my favourite city in the UK for two things, gluten free places to go, and things to do. Carry on reading to see where I ate and what I enjoyed during our 3 day stay to this wonderful city!
1.Loudon’s Cafe and Bakery
This place is near Haymarket, on Fountainbridge, and across the road from the Mercure hotel we stayed at. Loudon’s has an extensive menu for gluten free breakfast, brunch and even afternoon tea. As well as gluten free options, they also offer plenty of choice for vegan options, too! We came here on our last visit to Edinburgh, and we really enjoyed the experience, so we came here every day for a fab gluten free breakfast. Their classic ‘Loudons Benny’ is even on a gluten free muffin by default, and it is to die for! I definitely wouldn’t go anywhere else for breakfast if I go to Edinburgh again. They are currently in the process of getting ready to openin another branch near New Waverly. Exciting!
2. Hula Juice Bar
Chic, bright and modern cafe serves the most instagrammable food and drinks ever. Just at the bottom of ‘Diagon Alley’, A.K.A. West Bow, this small independent cafe offers gluten free breakfast, poke bowls and wraps.
3. Tupiniquim Brasil Crepes
Just on Lauriston Place towards the Meadows, this quirky little place offers 100% gluten free Brasil crepes, sold out of a little green police box. It has a great atmosphere, with upbeat music playing and the people who run it are so friendly! Made fresh to order, on the go, they have sweet and savoury options for fillings, and they come served in paper plates, ready for you to tear as you go along. We tried the ‘save the bees’ crepe, which had cinnamon spiced apple, honey, pecans and dark chocolate, and it was amazing!
4. Sugar Daddy’s Bakery.
There are two of these in Edinburgh, one on Roseneath Street, where you can sit in in , and one on Rodney Street, which is just a takeaway. Every item is 100% gluten free and allergens are clearly labelled on each one, and some of them are also vegan. It’s the holy grail of gluten free cake! They offer cupcakes, cookie sandwiches, doughnuts and blondies and brownies. They’re soooo heavenly and well worth the stroll to get to.
5. Berties Fish and Chips.
Situated just near Hula on West Bow, Berties fish and chips, which has recently opened is the biggest fish and chip restaurant in Scotland! It’s got such a great retro vibe to it inside, and it serves gluten free fish and chips every day. You can choose from breaded or battered fish and chips too. The gluten free items have their own dedicated fryer, and the menu is clearly marked with allergens making it easy to choose. They even sold gluten free beer (Bellfield Bohemian Pilsner) The staff were friendly and attentive to my dietary requirements.
6. Monkey Barrel Comedy Club
Okay, so this is only here for one real gluten free reason, it sells BrewDog Vagabond gluten free beer! I just wanted to recommend it to you guys because I enjoyed going here so much! But visiting this place was definitely a highlight of my trip! We watched some side splitting live comedy from up and coming comedians, and it was brilliant! I definitely recommend visiting here if you love your comedy, and of course, gluten free beer. It’s the first time I’ve ever gone to a bar and been able to order a gluten free beer. This place is just on Blair Street and I would 1000% recommend going here if you love a laugh.
7. Mamma’s pizza
This was our first stop when we got here, and it didn’t disappoint. Mamma’s Pizza in Grassmarket was founded in the 1980’s by Angus McInnes, a Canadian actor who was in a couple of Star Wars movies. It’s a traditional American pizzeria, with homemade gluten free pizza bases available in 9” or 11”. They also offer gluten free beer in the form of Bellfield Brewery’s Bohemian Pilsner.
8. Maison De Moggy
This is Edinburgh’s cat cafe, and the first one to have a sphinx cat (one of those hairless cats). It’s £8 per head to visit and play with some feline friends for an hour. They serve gluten free cake (just keep it away from the cats, they love trying to steal it!). Just make sure you pack a lint roller for the all of the fur you will inevitably get covered in, if like me, you adore rag doll cats such as their toasted marshmallow floof, Amelie. I didn’t get a chance to try their gluten free options because I love cats so much and was busy petting them all, so here’s a photo of Amelie instead.
9. GF Edinburgh
We didn’t get a chance to visit here this time around, but the hype is real about this place folks. This place opened up in January 2017 near Haymarket and lives up to it’s tagline ‘Good food, gluten free’. Although this is a cafe, it’s more like a takeaway, like a gluten free Greggs, with two seats in the window. Everything is 100% gluten free, low priced, and they make food such as cakes and sweet treats, freshly made hot lasagne, paninis and they even had some wheat free bakery goodies when we came here on our first ever trip to Edinburgh. GF also have veggie and vegan options available too and the owners are super friendly.
Some other local places I saw advertise gluten free options but didn’t get a chance to check out are below:
- Letoile salon de tea
- The Elephant House (The ‘birthplace’ of Harry Potter)
- Honeycomb tearoom
- Alexander’s sandwich bar
- Urban Angel
- Peppers
- Mum’s
- Amarone
- High Street Number 1
So that’s it for my gluten free guide to Edinburgh. Do you have any favourite gluten free places to eat? Drop a comment down below and let me know!
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Thanks for reading,
Georgina x
The Coeliac Sloth 