I did a lot of research into where I could eat safely while travelling to Rome for 3 days. Consistently, bloggers and websites said it would be easy and safe to eat gluten free in Italy – and it was! Restaurants get certified by the AIC (Italian Celiac Association), which basically means they have passed certification and training as a safe place for people with celiac disease to eat. They do have a paid app you can download, but we weren’t in Italy for long, so I didn’t try it. A note to be cautious when visiting gelato shops if you are celiac, as cross-contamination is likely.
You may have the same struggle I had when looking for restaurants. Many people who have created lists of safe restaurants seemed to have visited prior to COVID, so lots of the restaurants had changed. Some no longer existed and didn’t survive the pandemic, some had moved locations, and some had modified their menu and offerings.
Of course, do your own research, ask questions ahead of ordering, and reach out ahead of time when needed. You can find MANY more options (including entirely gluten free options), but we stayed near the Vatican and so ended up eating near here most nights. I have included a map to help. Here is where I ate safely during my July 2022 visit:
Mama Eat Lab
This place is ENTIRELY gluten free! It was delicious! We didn’t know it was entirely GF going in, so it was a pleasant surprise. So good, we ate here twice in our 3 days. We loved the croquette and risotto. Seriously, try the croquette. I’m not kidding. Try it. The pizza was a bit underwhelming when compared to others we had in Italy. It is located near-ish to the Vatican, and there is a second location in Trastevere (that location is not entirely GF, but they have separate prep areas for gluten free dishes).
Le Altre Farine del Mulino
An ENTIRELY GLUTEN FREE bakery located near the Vatican. We had the cannoli and coffee there, and got a few other items, including arancini (essentially a fried ball filled with risotto and cheese), to go. I was so excited as these are items I didn’t think I’d get to try in Italy! I really enjoyed the cannoli.
Celiachiamo Lab
Okay, hear me out…yes, this is technically a grocery store, but… it is a GLUTEN FREE grocery store, with a bakery inside. There are FIVE locations! We went to the one near the Vatican, as that’s where we were staying. We bought bread, croissants, cream puffs, fresh ravioli, and sauce. We used the bread products for breakfasts and snacks, and made dinner with the ravioli one night (mostly because I really wanted to try it!).
La Soffitta Renovatio
Located near the Vatican, they had a good gluten free selection. We didn’t have a reservation, so ended up waiting a bit. There is seating outside (sort of on the sidewalk?) and inside, however since we were dining without a reservation, we were seated outside. Your gluten free dish will be served with a flag. The Cacio e Pepe pasta was delicious, and we liked the pizza enough to go back to get some for take-out on our last night. We were so hungry; we ate before taking a picture of our food…oops! Mama Eat Lab was better in our opinion, and more reasonably priced, but we still liked this place.
Fatamorgana
An entirely gluten free gelato shop, with 3 locations. Many flavour options! A long line, but worth the wait. They label the flavours with allergens so you can easily scan for what you want if you have other dietary restrictions. The flavours also had really cute names! We did feel a little rushed to make our selection when we got to the counter, but this was understandable given how busy they were.
Map of Gluten Free Options
If you want more options, here is the Wanderlog map I made of everywhere I could find that was still open post-COVID and 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.