My Gluten-Free Kitchen

If you’re at all familiar with Gibraltar, you’ll know Ocean Village as a prime destination for drinks, dinner, or coffee—catching up with friends, celebrating with family, or simply relaxing. This is the social hub of Gibraltar, with a vast array of bars and restaurants where there’s something for everyone.

Not all kitchens are created equally, however, and from my own experience, some places are reliably safer than others. Please note that although I am very careful with my diet, I do not have coeliac disease. I’m extremely careful to avoid cross-contamination at home, but I cannot guarantee that these restaurants are as scrupulous as I am..

This is by no means a definitive list of gluten-friendly spots in the area. Once I find a ‘safe’ place, I tend to stick with it. I’d also recommend checking out the Find Me Gluten Free app for more reviews and inspiration.

Important note: While the staff at the restaurants listed below are attentive and knowledgeable, the busy nature of the kitchens means there’s a risk of cross-contamination, particularly for those with severe gluten allergies.

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Wagamama – Happy to Adapt to Your Needs

In the UK, Wagamama offers a completely separate gluten-free menu. Unfortunately, this isn’t available in Gibraltar, but they can cater to various dietary requirements as long as you clearly communicate your needs.

Previously, if you requested a gluten-free meal, the staff would immediately pass your order to a manager. Although this practice seems to have stopped, every member of the waiting staff that I’ve spoken to has taken my request seriously, repeated it back to me, and I’ve never had a bad experience over several visits.

Once you’ve placed your order, your gluten-free request is handled by a separate cook using dedicated tools, showing they take allergies and intolerances seriously. While there’s always a risk of airborne contamination, I find them to be quite safe compared to most kitchens.

The only downside is that without a dedicated allergy-friendly menu, the waiting staff are sometimes unsure of which dishes can be adapted. A simple solution to this is to find the Wagamama UK allergens menu online and make your request based on that. Keep in mind that the Gibraltar menu is a more limited version of the UK menu, so you’ll need to cross-reference the two to find dishes that are both safe and available. It’s also a good idea to have one or two backup options!

Options for Gluten-Free Diners Include:

• Wok-fried greens
• Raw salad
• Prawn kushiyaki
• Chicken ramen
• Chicken teriyaki donburi
• Grilled duck donburi
• Yaki soba
• Pad thai

Not all of these options are automatically made gluten-free. Always emphasize your need for the dish to be gluten-free, and they will be happy to accommodate!

Recommended for:

• Lunch
• Dinner

Pizza Express: A Classic Choice

There are plenty of places to order pizza in Gibraltar, but if it’s a sit-down meal you’re looking to enjoy, then Pizza Express in Ocean Village is my go-to pizza joint. Similar to Wagamama, the UK restaurant chain has a dedicated list of gluten-free pizzas and mains, which is not the case here in Gibraltar.

However, the menu is clearly marked in terms of gluten-free and veggie/vegan options—and all classic or Romana pizzas, as well as most pasta dishes, can be made gluten-free upon request.

The gluten-free pizza base is smaller than the standard, but it is consistently delicious and, most importantly, safe. My go-to pizza of choice is the ‘hot honey’—a spicy-sweet combination of Calabrese sausage and roquito peppers, finished with a drizzle of honey. It is perfect with a glass of their blush rosé pinot grigio.

Pizza Express also offers gluten-free beer, and there is a gluten-free brownie on the menu, so you’re covered for a full three courses!

As with any other kitchen dealing with gluten-containing foods, there is a risk of cross-contamination, but I have always felt that my dietary requests are taken seriously, and I’ve never been “glutened” here.

Pizza Express is one of my favourite spots for lunch or a casual date night—my husband and I both love pizza, and this is somewhere we can both eat exactly what we want (safely gluten-free in my case)!

Recommended for:

• Lunch
• Dinner

Little Bay: A Lovely Spot for a Special Occasion

Little Bay is more upmarket than the other two restaurants on this list, so if you’re looking for somewhere for a special meal or celebration, this might be the place to go. The lady running front of house is a brilliant professional, so if you let her or any of her team know you’re navigating the menu with an allergy or intolerance in mind, they’ll do their best to take care of you.

Little Bay’s menu is quite informative when it comes to ingredients and allergens, and the staff are well-versed—but this is a busy restaurant with a hectic kitchen, so while every effort may be made to avoid cross-contamination, there is still a risk.

The food at Little Bay is outrageously good—some of the best and most authentic-tasting Indian food I’ve had outside of India. I say that having spent a short week travelling around the Golden Triangle, but still, trust me—it’s GOOD.

The menu offers a mix of little plates to share (great for a catch-up with friends over lunch) and bigger main dishes (suited to a more substantial meal), with a huge array of sides to go with them.

If you’re gluten-free, the breads are obviously to be avoided, and the last time I went, I was told that the chapattis are cooked in the same oil as other breads. Even though the chapattis themselves are gluten-free, there’s a high risk of cross-contamination.

It’s good to know this kind of information (I stuck to rice as a side), and it made me feel safer and more confident in our waiter’s recommendations.

A good number of the chicken dishes can be made gluten-free, and there is a good selection of lamb, seafood, and vegetarian options to choose from, too. A couple of items on the menu have a note saying ‘gluten-free on request’ – my recommendation would be to play it safe and confirm that everything you’re ordering is going to be safely gluten-free.

Little Bay is one of my favourite restaurants in Gibraltar, after Rendezvous, so it’s a high recommendation from me. Enjoy your favourite Indian food washed down with a Masala Mule (their signature cocktail, a twist on the classic Moscow Mule), and you’ll feel like you’ve had a real treat of a meal.

Recommended for:

• Lunch
• Dinner
• Special Occasions