12 of the best places for gluten-free in Rome

You can find this fantastic small gluten-free restaurant in Prati, near the Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica. This restaurant should be on your must-to-do list. This is like Mama Eat’s sister restaurant in Trastevere. Both restaurants have the same amazing gluten-free menu, this one is just a smaller restaurant without outdoor seating. This restaurant only has a gluten-free kitchen so there is no regular menu besides the gluten-free menu. I promise you wouldn’t ever guess the food here is gluten-free, it’s just too good to be true. Please try their fresh homemade pasta. I had a cacio e pepe, and I was in heaven.

This restaurant is perfect for having lunch and escaping from the sun for the afternoon. They only have seating inside, but you can enjoy a nice air conditioner while eating and watching busy Rome traffic through the big windows. They have a separate kitchen for gluten-free food; you can see the kitchen while waiting for your food. This is definitely a pasta restaurant, as the name indicates. You can have all the classics, such as pasta carbonara, cacio e pepe, and bolognese. They have many different types of pasta also: spaghetti, fettuccine, maccheroni, casareccia, gnocchi and fusilli. This is the place to go if you want to try a variety of pasta! The portion sizes are generous, so you won’t leave here hungry. Try it with appetizers such as caprese salad and Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo Crodino.

If you want a perfect and delightful gluten-free tiramisu experience, please visit Pompi. You can have the classic tiramisu and strawberry-flavored tiramisu gluten-free. It’s also great that the gluten-free options are also lactose-free. The tiramisu are in single packages made to have them on the go. They will bring the gluten-free ones from the back (normal ones are in Vitrine) and ask if you want to have dark gluten-free chocolate on top. I enjoyed my tiramisu at the piazza in Spagna, where Spanish steps are located, near the Pompi.

This small restaurant is one of the busiest places in Rome, just around the corner from the famous Trevi Fountain. So please be aware that the restaurant is quite busy and you may need to queue to get a table. I recommend visiting here outside the regular eating times. They have a special gluten-free menu with so many options to choose from. They specialize in making pizza, so I recommend trying their gluten-free pizza base. The pizza base is made with, e.g., buckwheat and brown rice flour. The pizza base was really tasty, a bit thicker than some other pizza I ate during my trip.

“Welcome! Do you have any allergies?” “Yes, I have a gluten-free diet.” “You have come to the right restaurant.” This was the first conversation I had when I visited here. The staff is exceptionally lovely (well, all the staff in restaurants in Rome have been amazing!). The waitress talked about the exciting way of their menu and about how everything can be made gluten-free (-1 dish, if I remember correctly, was Ravioli). They have delicious fresh homemade pasta here. I chose to have vegetarian carbonara, which was delicious. Of course, they also have pizza and Italian-style appetizers such as bruschetta and zucchini flowers. One of the people who arrived at the restaurant said he had to return to Rome just because of this restaurant. I can totally understand why :) This restaurant is right beside Pantheon in a small corridor, which you may not find at a glance. Please be careful that you don’t walk past.

This gelato shop can be found in multiple different locations around Rome. This is your go-to gelato if you also need dairy-free gelato besides gluten-free options. They have also indicated all common allergies, such as eggs and nuts, in the gelato tickets, where you see the flavor of each gelato. They are also known for their untypical gelato flavors, so this place is worth visiting if you want something different. I had matcha (of course) and basil-lemon in a gluten-free cone. They were too good, yum!

You can find GROM gelato shops in 10 different locations in Rome. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about finding gluten-free gelato in Rome. GROM is also one of the gelato shops that are totally gluten-free. All gelato flavors and cones. You can even have your cone dipped in chocolate and topped with crushed almonds. You can choose your gelato with many different cone sizes, from tiny to generous cones. GROM gelato was delicious and familiar to me, as I had been to other Italian cities before.

This gluten-free bakery is a gluten-free gem near the central train station in Rome. It’s only a 5-minute walk from there. The bakery is tiny but has some fantastic gluten-free goodies to take on the go. There is no seating area. You will find Italian cornettos, sausage rolls, cinnamon buns, brownies, pizza slices, cookies, cannolis with ricotta filling, and so much more. You should at least try cornettos here. They are divine! You can get them plain or with jam or chocolate filling.

This is the place to visit for breakfast or something small to eat with afternoon espresso. This isn't a totally 100 % gluten-free cafe because they have some regular croissants available. However, the croissants are in a different Vitrine, totally separated from the gluten-free goodies, which they have more of. You can even get filled gluten-free sandwiches here! You heard right! The cafe is located next to Vatican City, and more specifically, next to the metro station Ottaviano.

Petite and lovely totally gluten-free bakery near Trastevere along the river Tiber, at Ponte Sisto. Don’t let the size of the bakery hesitate you because they also have too many options to choose from. There are both sweet and savory options such as Italian Maritozzis and pizza. Please be aware that they don’t have a bakery seating area, so it’s more like a take-away bakery. I didn’t mind because you are right next to the Ponte Sisto, where you can enjoy your goodies and the beautiful view of the river Tiber. I had mini bignè filled with lemon custard, an Italian cream puff style. I chose it because they recommended it to me, and it was adorable and delightful.

Seriously, this is a must on your to-do list. Gluten-free heaven in all ways. You will find inside there a generous size gluten-free shop and bakery. Where to even start? The bakery itself is absolutely amazing. There is a lot to choose from: sweet pastries, pizza (they cut that size slice you want), savory-filled cornettos, ciabatta, fresh bread, potato croquettes, and so much more. They have a couple of standing tables where you can enjoy the freshly baked goods, or they pack them for your take-away. The small puff pastries with cream inside were especially light and yummy; do me a favor and taste them. 

The grocery shop has everything you have ever dreamed of being gluten-free. You will find cookies, flour (all kinds), fresh pasta, bread, pasta (all types), frozen products such as pizza, cookie ice cream, and pasta such as lasagna. There is also an enormous assortment of products from my favorite brand, Schär. Everything from cookies to frozen tortellini. This is also a lovely opportunity to taste some new Schär products that may not be (yet) in your country’s assortment. The nearest Celiachimo Lab in Rome City Center is right next to the Vatican City area and is called Prati. The closest metro station is Ottaviano; from there, it’s only a few blocks away.

What would Italy be without gluten-free options in McDonald’s? Yes, you heard it right. Italy also has gluten-free options for us on a gluten-free diet. You can have French fries (fried in different boilers than other food than French fries), a hamburger, and a double cheeseburger with Schär’s delicious hamburger bun. The hamburger is in a plastic package and in a box that makes it 100 % gluten-free, and there is no risk of contamination. Super!

In Rome, there are many different grocery store chains where you will find gluten-free products. Bigger supermarkets such as Coop in Trastevere have a larger assortment of gluten-free products and great signs locating all gluten-free products in the same aisle with the text “senza glutine.” In the city center, the supermarkets will be smaller, where you can find fewer gluten-free products but still some basics such as bread and biscuits. The best place to buy gluten-free souvenirs for yourself or products to use during your stay in Rome is the Celiachiamo Lab. However, you will find Schär products all around Rome. As said, bigger supermarkets a bit farther away from the city center will have a better selection of the products. You should head to these supermarkets if you want to select products from a more extensive assortment. In Rome, you can find Schär’s products in these supermarkets: Supermercato, Conad, Coop, Carrefour Express Supermarket, and, of course, the Celiachiamo Lab.

Many restaurants will change your table’s placemat, cutlery, and glass to a different color to indicate to the staff that you’re having gluten-free food. Usually, they also flag the gluten-free dish with a different-colored plate and put a small flag on top of the food. I think this is amazing, and it made me feel safer, too. I didn’t need to guess if I got the correct dish because all the dishes in Italy were too good to be true. Rome is a gluten-free heaven!

You will also find gluten-free food in other restaurants that don’t specialize in gluten-free menus. However, they won’t most probably have fresh homemade pasta and pizza; instead, they will use dry pasta (spaghetti and penne) and frosted gluten-free pizza bases.

These are all my Rome tips for now. I hope you will find so much travel inspiration from this guide and enjoy amazing and tasty gluten-free Italian food! Buon Appetito!