We got to enjoy Scotland for two weeks in June 2024. We started in Edinburgh, then took a road trip around the country before ending in Glasgow. I have separate posts outlining where we ate gluten free in Edinburgh and Glasgow, so be sure to click those links if you’d like to read about the cities. This post will focus on the locations we ate during our road trip, including Dundee, up to Inverness, west to the Isle of Skye, and south through Oban and the Highlands.
As usual, I did a ton of research ahead of time on where to eat safely 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 Scotland. 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.
Here is where we have some food options for, so feel free to skip ahead if you’re looking for a specific town or area:
- Dundee
- Inverness and area
- Isle of Skye and nearby
- Highlands (Oban, Fort William, Glencoe, Inveraray)
- Grocery store options
Dundee
Shax
A local fast food burger joint with gluten free options. The paper menus are labelled with options. I had the OG burger, Ahmed had brisket burger (not gluten free), and we shared large fries. Only the classic fries are gluten free. If there’s only one person eating them, get the mini size. The burgers were decent, but mine was a bit dry. We totally forgot to take pictures of the food, as we were so hungry. Oops!
Hotel Indigo Dundee
They have gluten free options at their restaurant, including for breakfast. They made me gluten free avocado toast with poached eggs and bacon. They asked if I was celiac and prepared everything separately (even though the buffet had gluten free items, they couldn’t guarantee cross contamination). They took it very seriously, and I would highly recommend.
Inverness
Mangrove
An Indian restaurant with a well-marked menu and tons of gluten-free options. We had the mixed tikka appetizer, which had chicken tikka, lamb tikka, kebab, and a vegetable bhaji. The vegetable bhaji was fantastic! We had a vegetable jalfrazi (the “side” size), and a chicken tikka dish that was mango, coconut, and cream. We also ordered plain rice. Everything was very good, but it was a little bit expensive. There is a minimum of 15 GBP per person. Also, they don’t serve alcohol, but you can bring your own for a 2-pound corkage fee.
Comfort Fish & Chips (Previously The New McGintys)
A takeout only fish and chip spot about 20 minutes outside of Inverness (in Fortrose). They have a separate prep area and fryer for gluten free. Gluten free options include fish & chips, chicken, sausages, and pizza. We had fish and chips. The large supper is massive! Even the small had quite a large amount of chips. You could probably do with one “supper” and one “single” for two people and share the chips. We had way too much food, but it was delicious. A note that ownership has changed since we went (hence the name change too), so I would double check on protocols before ordering.
*Note: we tried going to Redshank in Inverness twice. However, the first time they were closed despite both Google and their own website saying they were open. The second time, the marina location couldn’t do gluten free, and they said the Victoria market location had the flour but only if it was a slight intolerance due a shared fryer. Reviews had stated otherwise, so if you decide to try it, make sure to ask questions if cross-contamination is an issue.
Isle of Skye & nearby
Birch Coffee (Portree)
This is a modern cafe with minimalist aesthetic. Their coffee was great! We didn’t eat here, so I am unsure if there are any gluten free options. FindMeGlutenFree has a few reviews saying that they do have options and were safe (but as always, do your research and ask questions). We would recommend for their coffee for sure!
Eileen Donan Castle Cafe (Dornie)
We only had coffee here but they had a few gluten free options including cake. Not sure what the protocols are like, but the cake was stored separately. We forgot to take photos of the cafe entirely (inside, the GF items, drinks – you name it).
Highlands
Cuan Mor (Oban)
They do have a separate gluten free menu, just ask for it. They don’t take reservations except for large groups and at certain times. However, during peak season and busy nights, expect a wait! They have deals on Mon, Wed, Fri, & Sat, so these are busier days. We had the brisket and fish and chips – both were really good! This was easily the best fish and chips we had in all of Scotland. If you’re at all in the area, this is a must stop.
Oban Chocolate Company (Oban)
Almost all their truffles are gluten free, as well as their hot chocolates and coffees, and they will have one or two gluten free cakes. We had mochas and shared the orange fudge brownie. The mochas were very big, but very good! The brownie was quite rich, and I didn’t love how large the orange rind pieces inside were. Overall, a cute location with nice view of the water and good coffee. Would recommend.
The Real Food Cafe (Tyndrum)
This café has a separate gluten free menu and celiac association accreditation. We went for the fish and chips. It was good, but the batter was a little thick and the fries needed more salt. Given the lack of gluten free options in the area, it is a decent choice.
Highland Soap Co (Fort William)
We didn’t eat here and just had coffee. However, they had gluten free options on their menu for breakfast and lunch. No gluten free options in the loaves/cakes case when we were there, however.
Glencoe Visitor Center (Glencoe)
The cafe at Glencoe Visitor Center was a pleasant surprise (besides the fact that it’s actually called the Highland Coo Cafe). While we only had coffee, they did have some gluten free options at the cafe. Some were pre-packaged items such as protein bars or power bars, but they also had cakes or loaves with the fresh items and salads with ingredients listed.
Campbell Coffee (Inveraray)
A small coffee shop, which is the sister location to Brambles across the street, which is a full café. Campbell Coffee has a gluten free brownie available. Their sister cafe, Brambles, had gluten free lunch options for sit in. We just wanted coffee, so we chose Campbell Coffee, which was decent and probably one of the better choices in this small town.
Gluten Free Grocery options
Morrisons
A grocery store with an entire gluten free aisle with tons of options. They have a “free from” (aka gluten free) chicken sandwich as part of their meal deal. The meal deal is 4 pounds for a main, snack, and drink. Snacks are things like yogurt, fruit, sushi, veggie sticks, salads, etc. Overall, we liked Morrisons the best due to their competitive prices and extensive gluten free selection. We went to the Inverness location.
M&S Foodhall
A grocery store common throughout Scotland with “free from” (aka gluten free) products. I had a chicken fajita wrap for lunch from their premade section. If you have a kitchen, they have tons of ready to cook meals! They also have breads, crackers, cookies, etc. We went to the location in Dundee, but there are locations everywhere including Inverness and Oban.
Tesco
Common grocery store which has gluten free options for meal deals as well as a large “free from” (aka gluten free) section. We were able to find ready-made meals that could be microwaved that were gluten free. We went to the location in Oban and found many options, but there are locations in many towns. More reasonably priced than M&S.
Coop Market
A smaller grocery store with some gluten free options. We didn’t see a ton of specially market products, but reading the labels of ready-made meals, many seemed safe. They also have usual naturally gluten free options such as dairy, eggs, produce, meat. We went to the location in Kyle of Lochlash, just outside of Isle of Skye.
Map of Gluten Free Scotland
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.
