My Gluten Free Guide to Rome

I recently visited Rome for a little weekend away and I was amazed by the amount of gluten free options out there. I genuinely thought it was better than the UK for finding gluten free food. I thought I would put together a few tips and recommendations for you all on my blog. I hope you find them helpful and if you are reading this and you have booked or decide to book a holiday in Rome, you will not be disappointed!

I wanted to start with my top tips, so if you are just here for the recommendations scroll down the page for them 😊

My top tips for Rome:

1. If you follow my Instagram you may have noticed from my Rome posts that I have been talking about the Italian Coeliac Association (AIC) that they have there. You will notice on some restaurant windows that they have this brilliant sticker:

The air conditioned part is obviously a bonus with this restaurant!! However if you notice this sticker on the restaurant windows then they have been accredited by their Coeliac association there, just like Coeliac UK do in the UK 🙂 so you know you are in for a treat if you find this!!

2. The translation for 'gluten free' in Italian is 'senza glutine'. This phrase will be really helpful if you are searching for restaurants, or in supermarkets etc. 

3. Rome airport - When we left Rome, I did not have anything to eat prior to getting to the airport so I was on the hunt for food when we got there! I found this cafe which had a fridge full of gluten free sandwiches just like this one which I bought:

It was actually really tasty! I also went to the WH Smiths that they had in the ariport and I bought some lays crisps (cannot remember the exact flavour but they are a green packet and say 'senza glutine' in the top corner!) So I was basically stocked up for the flight with my sandwich and crisps 😊

4. This is not particularly food related however you may find this helpful! In Rome they have an underground and also they have hop on and hop off busses. We honestly did not use any transport (except from Taxi to and from the airport) whilst we were there because literally every corner you walk round there is something to see - whether it be architecture, shops and so on. Everything is just so preserved there, a lot of ruins have just been built around which is so amazing to see! Rome is really not that big, everywhere is pretty walkable if you are mobile so if you can do it, walk everywhere! 😊

Now for the food recommendations which is obviously what you are reading this for! 😆

1. Voglia Di Pizza - Via Dei Giubbonari, 33, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

This place was the first place that we ate for dinner and we loved it that much we went again on our last night! Voglia Di Pizza has a gluten free menu and basically everything in their restaurant can be made to be gluten free. They have an amazing 'gluten free' sign on their window and they also have the Italian Coeliac Association accreditation. 

We sat outside on both occasions and it had such a nice vibe to it! I mean who doesn't like sitting outside on holiday when having your dinner!

On the first night I went for the carbonara as I had to try a carbonara in Italy.. it was a must for me! It was sooo creamy and just amazing! And then on the last night because I had eaten a lot over the holiday I really couldn't eat much on the last day so I just had a light dinner of Caprese and some potato croquettes 😊 this place is a must visit if you go to Rome! It was just a 5 minute walk from our hotel so was in a great location for us!

2. Mama Eat Street Food - Borgo Pio, 28, 00193 Roma RM, Italy

This place is actually a godsend - a 100% gluten free street food restaurant!!

It even has this brilliant 'no problem gluten free' sign outside the front and obviously they are also accredited by the AIC 😊 Their menu was massive, it was extremely hard to pick what to have but I knew that I had to pick something savoury and sweet to try! So this is what I went for....

Gluten free fried chicken strips and fries with nutella and sugar donuts. I know.. my mouth is watering just looking at those pictures! This place is another must visit if you are in Rome.. it is literally just around the corner from St Peter's Basilica so if you are in the area.. do visit!

3. Mama Eat Roma - Via San Cosimato 7/9, Roma, Italy

Mama Eat also have a restaurant in Rome which is in the Trastevere area (what our Receptionist at the hotel described as the 'social area') - this is another must visit place if you are in Rome. They have a huuuge gluten free menu and the best part is they actually have a fully seperate kitchen for gluten free food! So cross contamination is literally a no go here as they are so careful.

Again this place is accredited by the AIC and again I had such plenty of options to choose from! Another thing also, they bring all their gluten free food out on clear plates and the gluten filled food out on ceramic plates - so you know that there is definitely no mix up with the food!

So this is what I went for...

The most delicious pesto, cherry tomato, mozzarella and sausage pizza. It was so tasty and you literally could not tell it was gluten free! It's fair to say this was demolished very quickly! I was really debating on whether to try a dessert, but I just had to! (Even if I had a huge IBS flare up straight after this meal because I ate too much that day!!) I went for the white chocolate and hazelnut sauce crepe and again.. just amazing!

You know exactly what you are getting with this place, the fact they have a fully separate kitchen and separate plates for gluten free... the UK should take a leaf out of their book!! They also have quite a few dairy free options as well so another reason to visit if you are both gluten free and dairy free!

4. Fiocco Di Neve - Via del Pantheon, 51, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Another place that I stumbled upon which is literally 2 seconds from the Pantheon.. a 100% gluten free gelato shop! And I couldn't believe how much of a great location it was in!!

You walk in and there is a huuuge amount of flavours and a few different cones to choose from. I instantly decided on what I wanted because they are literally my favourite flavours to have...

You get 3 scoops with a cone for 5 euros but they literally pile it on so high.. it was actually really difficult to eat! 😆 but honestly this place is a gem and I highly recommend it if you are visiting Rome! The staff are so friendly as well and of course with it being 100% gluten free, again, it is accredited by the AIC 😊

5. La Pasticceria - 43, Via Varese, 00185 Roma RM, Italy

This place is a 100% gluten free bakery located around a 5 minute walk from Termini station in the centre of Rome. What a little gem this is!

You instantly walk in and know you are in for a treat! Unfortunately there is no seating area so you do have to either perch inside or take out. There are sooo many goodies here from savoury to sweet.. they all looked delicious and I was definitely spoiled for choice!

This was the same day that I really didn't feel like eating so I just went for a slice of pizza but I really enjoyed it. My friend went for a pastry filled with pistachio which looked amazing! This is a really convenient place if you are in the termini area!

6. Pandalí - Via di Torre Argentina, 3, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Pandalí is a 100% gluten free bakery located not too far from the Pantheon. This was another place that was just a 5 minute walk from our hotel so was so convenient for us! This place is also a little gem just like the other bakery - they had loads of sweet and savoury options. 

This was such a cute little bakery with a seating area and the seating area also had quite a modern twist to it. They had just brought a pizza out of the oven and someone bought half so me and my friend had to buy the other half...

The pizza was amazing, it was sooo cheesy as well which made it!

Mcdonalds in Rome -

Sadly I did not get to try a gluten free Mcdonald's in Rome, everytime I walked past one I was so full!!

But I know that they do gluten free buns in Rome in their Mcdonald's so you should definitely try one if you never have before!

So that is my gluten free guide to Rome! I hope you all enjoy it and you will definitely not be disappointed food wise when you are there! 😊