Gluten-Free Beijing: Where to Go If You're Allergic or Trying to Avoid It

Editor's Note: After talking to someone who is highly allergic to gluten, we realized that although these restaurants serve dishes that are gluten-free, if you are severely allergic we cannot guarantee that there will be no cross-contamination from other foods. Please contact the restaurants directly for specific information.

It doesn't matter what side of the Dr. Oz gluten diet controversy you're on, I think we can all agree that if you've got Celiac Disease it can be pretty tough to dine out in Beijing. Fortunately with Beijing's expanded dining scene, it doesn't mean having to stay home when friends go out to dinner. Here are some Beijing restaurants with plenty of gluten-free options.

4corners
4corners' menu has plenty of gluten-free options, especially their brunch menu. There are gluten-free pancakes, gluten-free waffles, and eggs benedict on gluten-free English muffins. 

Once we got over our wafflewich amazement, another favorite was definitely the Lumbersexual (RMB 65), which is basically two huge gluten-free pancakes served alongside sausages, housecured maple peameal bacon, and scrambled eggs. 

Tribe Organic
The launch of Tribe Lido created an opportunity for a whole new menu, a lot of which is gluten-free. We were pleasantly surprised by plenty of gluten-free items, for example the all-round almond flour pancake with ginger goji syrup (RMB 58), the banana bread (RMB 48), and the dragonfruit mulberry smoothie bowl (RMB 58), all of which are on their breakfast menu (available weekdays 8-11am). 

Their dinner menu also boasts plenty of options: an asparagus and snow pea grain bowl topped off with fennel, pumpkin seeds, a poached egg, and gochujang tofu cream (RMB 58) or pork sausages with cauliflower mash and spring vegetables (RMB 138). 

Glo Kitchen and Fitness
Guanghua Lu Soho's latest addition Glo Kitchen and Fitness is a great place to pop in if you're keen on healthy but tasty food, or have dietary requirements. Although they don't necessarily focus on being gluten-free, offering up a lot of paleo dishes means they also have dishes which naturally qualify. One example is the black garlic tuna hot energy bowl (RMB 58) or the quinoa and beet salad (RMB 32 for a regular, RMB 38 for a large).

Gung Ho!
Gung Ho! have a gluten-free pizza crust on their menu, which you can have with any pizza, whether it's in the restaurant or for delivery.

Moka Bros
Moka Bros has long been known for plenty of healthy options, including gluten-free dishes such as the soba fix power bowl, a mix of soba noodles, green onion, edamame, carrots, broccoli, cilantro, and peanut sauce (RMB 58). The red rice bowl (RMB 58) is also gluten-free, as is Dr Rice (RMB 58), a personal favorite with brown rice, spinach, roasted tomatoes, basil, bacon, topped off with a poached egg. There are plenty more options though, so you'll just have to go and try for yourself.

More stories by this author here.
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 margauxschreurs@truerun.com
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Photos courtesy of Tribe Organic, Margaux Schreurs

Comments

New comments are displayed first.

Gluten-free diet may not be good for healthy kids

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2016/05/13/gluten-free-diet-may-not-good-for-healthy-kids/1WUgKFjP9lSwAHSqfb6ucJ/story.html

Watch this if you have both a VPN and a sense of humor:

How to Become Gluten Intolerant (Funny) - Ultra Spiritual Life episode 12 - with JP Sears
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798

Due to cross-contamination, as mentioned in the note at the top, there's nowhere really that you can go if you suffer from severe celiac disease. These recommendations are more for people trying to avoid gluten or with mild celiac disease. 

Perhaps you could share with us where you can safely eat?

the Beijinger

Cracker wrote:
If you wanted to write a real article about gluten-free options in Beijing, you should have consulted your celiac friend first

We did, and many of the recommendations come from that person.

 

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

http://astore.amazon.com/truerunmedia-20

Indian cuisine are mostly gluten free.

Creating fusion taste with authentic flavors.

Starker wrote:

There is no such thing as Gluten allergy! Pure hipsterism and bullshit article!

Sure there is. I know someone who has it (celiac disease). 

And hipster or not, people in Beijing are looking for this sort of information.

Frankly juice cleanses are a bunch of bullshit too but it doesn't mean that people aren't searching for such info -- not to mention drinking fresh squeezed juice is probably better for you than downing Coke and energy drinks.

 

 

Books by current and former Beijinger staffers

http://astore.amazon.com/truerunmedia-20