We got to enjoy Edinburgh for three full days in June 2024. We stayed in the Haymarket area, as we were able to find affordable accommodation here that was a decent walking distance from the main attractions. Our accommodation included breakfast with gluten free options, so we didn’t eat breakfast out while in Edinburgh. As usual, I did a ton of research ahead of time on where to safely eat gluten free. This included reading other bloggers’ posts, looking at Google reviews, using the FindMeGlutenFree app, and looking up menus online. There were many restaurants we didn’t make it to, so at the end of this post I have a map of everywhere I found that I considered to be options.
Very few of the restaurants/bakeries we found were 100% gluten free in Edinburgh. As always, make sure to do your own research, ask questions ahead of ordering, and reach out to restaurants ahead of time regarding options and protocols if you need to.
Sugar Daddy’s Bakery
This is a 100% GLUTEN FREE bakery! They have mostly sweet treats, but also carry bread, naan, sandwiches, and pizza. We got a bunch of sweet things. The raspberry fudge cupcake was super sweet, but we really enjoyed the tiramisu cake, and the brookie. I really enjoyed the variety and unique options they carried and wished we had been able to find another option like this elsewhere in Scotland.
Bread Meats Bread
This is a chain that had burgers and plain fries available gluten free. This was also the first place in Europe we were offered free water! The burgers were decent, and the fries were good but needed more salt. A note that this was not an inexpensive spot for a simple burger. Overall, we would go back. We had good service, and there are multiple locations to choose from.
L’Etoile Salon de Tea
This is a French cafe with lunch and breakfast options. Their gluten free isn’t indicated on the menu – you need to ask the staff. They are super knowledgeable! They can make almost everything gluten free, except the haggis and sausage. The day we went, there was also no quiche. Their fryer only does gluten free things, so even the fries are safe. They have a whole shelf of baked goods in their pastry case too. Their coffee was great! We had sandwiches and macarons, which were both delicious.
Rustom Restaurant
This is an Indian restaurant near Haymarket station, which we chose due to the proximity to our hotel and the availability of gluten free according to their online menu. We tried the chicken biryani and chicken korma with pulao rice. The korma was so good! The biryani we ordered mild, and it was SO spicy, so be careful. They have things with gluten indicated with a ‘G’, rather than what is gluten free. They also have a weekday lunch special with 3 courses for a reasonable price.
Uplands Roast
A super popular coffee cart in The Meadows, Uplands Roast is known for their hot chocolate. But, it was warm out, so I had iced Vietnamese coffee and Ahmed had a cortado. They have only a couple food offerings, one of which was a GF brownie. They also had vegan choices. Good coffee, but we didn’t have anything to eat so I’m not sure how good the brownie is.
Buck’s Bar
This is a chain, with a separate GF menu and separate fryer. They call themselves an “American Bar”, so take from that what you will. We shared the “Mothership” fried chicken burger and fries, and it was MASSIVE! We also got the popcorn chicken which was delicious and a good size for the price. We shared a chocolate milkshake for dessert. I’m not sure how anyone eats a dish to themselves as the portions are very American sized. We had too much food! We could have probably just shared the burger and fries and gone without the appy and shake.
Hula Grassmarket
There are two Hula locations, and they have NGCI marked on menu (non-gluten containing ingredients). We went for smoothies, which were overpriced for what they were, and we waited over 30 minutes for them. They also have smoothie bowls, as well as breakfast and lunch options. Overall, I would only recommend if you’re in a pinch, but they do have options.
Tesco Express
We had to come here to try the “meal deals” that we had read about before our trip. You get a main, snack, and drink for 3.90gbp! The location we tried didn’t have gluten free sandwiches but had the onion bahji rice salad which was gluten free. Many sides were gluten free, including cut fruit, boiled eggs, chips, sushi, and more. They had many drink choices too. A note that not all Tesco and Tesco Express locations had gluten free options for the meal deals, so your mileage may vary. We were also able to find gluten free cookies, crackers, and snacks in a special section called the “Free From” section, with purple labels. Most Tesco and Tesco Express locations had this section.
Note:
Meal deals are super popular in Scotland! Apparently, Marks & Spencer has the best sandwich choices for gluten free (no meal deals at Foodhalls, only at Simply Food locations). We enjoyed the chicken fajita wrap from M&S Foodhall, which we found at the location off Princes Street. Sainsbury’s also carries meal deals (we tried one location though, and it had no gluten free options).
Map of Gluten Free Options
If you want more options, here is the Wanderlog map I made of everywhere I could find that had good gluten free reviews, labelled menus, and/or indications that gluten free was safe at their restaurants. Please note that I did not personally eat at all these restaurants, so do your own due diligence and reach out or check their websites/menus ahead of your visit.
HOW TO USE THE MAP: Click on the Wanderlog logo in the bottom right corner to open the full-size map up in a new tab. There, you can choose to just look at one category at a time or see all the categories on the map at once (click the 3 squares in the top right to choose). You can also export the map to Google Maps, share the map with others, or save the map.