Best restaurants for gluten and dairy free

While it’s pretty common to browse the web and find lots of eateries labelled as gluten free in Los Angeles, it’s not as easy to find gluten free Guides that are ALSO dairy free and that prioritize food cooked in dedicated gluten free facilities or where the staff is at least aware of what gluten is and can take preventative measures to avoid contamination.

In this post I am listing my favorite places where you can eat dairy and gluten free in Los Angeles, those where I feel safe eating and where I had good experiences that did not make me sick. Some of them are 100% gluten free, some are paleo, and some other ones, while also handling gluten products, do a great job in trying to avoid contamination as much as possible.

Leave a comment and let me know which one is your favorite or if you tried other places that you think should be included in this list!

Here for your convenience, I attached my map to eat Dairy and Gluten Free in Los Angeles. Download it and keep it in your phone when you are in the city so that you always know where to hop in where you are hungry!

NOTE: To make it in this list, the places I tried needed to:

• be both dairy and gluten free at the same time (at least for their gluten free items)
• be focused on healthy and great quality food, possibly organic
• make me feel safe when I ate there, showing that they know how to take care of guests with special food restrictions
• make good food that I actually enjoyed eating 🙂

Wild Living Foods

DOWNTOWN LA – 760 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

This is by far my favorite place to eat gluten free in Los Angeles, as it combines eating healthy (pretty much all their dishes are made with raw vegetables, seeds and nuts and everything is organic) with feeling totally safe (everything here is gluten, dairy and soy free).

I have been to Wild Living Foods many times, but I never get tired of eating there because it’s just the best! It’s not very often that I go crazy for a “kale salad”, but the one at Wild Living Foods, made with kale, avocado, wild croutons (made out of a “raw” seed brad) and brazil nut crumbles, is truly unforgettable!!

Other highlights are the “Earth Pasta“, creamy kelp and zucchini noodles tossed with garlic and jalapeño, served with marinated kale and fresh herbs, and the warm Quinoa Salad, topped with purple cabbage, “raw” falafel balls, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and tahini.

And did I mention they have amazing raw sushi, coconut milk ice cream and delicious “raw” desserts?  This place is the bomb and even though I love to add some fish or quality proteins to my meals, when I eat here I feel that I am not missing anything!

JOi Cafe

WESTLAKE VILLAGE – 2855 Agoura Rd, Westlake Village, CA 91361

You will absolutely love this fully dairy and gluten free place in Westlake Village, Los Angeles. JOi is the living proof that the love for wellness and for tasty, indulgent dishes can absolutely coexist in the same plate!

My gluten free sandwich stuffed with plant based chickpea “tuna” salad was absolutely delicious and the “Alfredo penne”: with quinoa penne, creamy cashew cheese, olives, mushrooms and broccoli, topped with kale pesto, cashew crema & vegan parmesan cheese was pretty incredibile as well!

They also offer a great selection of gluten free pizzas, and great gluten free desserts, just like the dairy and gluten cinnamon roll you see in the photo below. Definitely stop here for lunch if you are in the area or if you are driving north from Los Angeles.

Bullet Proof Coffee

VENICE – 3110 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405

For anybody who’s not only looking for dairy and gluten free places in Los Angeles, but also for an eatery where they can indulge in their favorite paleo and Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) foods, Bulletroof is the place to go!!

All the products served in this facility are grain and soy free as well. Just make sure to tell them if you also intolerant to ghee as sometimes they use it to cook their sliders.

What I LOVE to get here is the Avocado & Salmon Toast (which is Paleo and AIP) made with a crispy piece of cassava bread, as well as the Sweet Potato Sliders, two mini grass fed burgers sandwiched in between two pieces of delicious sweet potato rösti. And they have really good bone broth too!

Honey Hi

ECHO PARK – 1620 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Before you even start reading the menu at Honey Hi, you are informed that everything here is gluten free and refined sugar free, that the meat is free range, the eggs are local and no vegetable oils are used in the kitchen.

When I learn that they even make their own gluten free sourdough bread I am totally sold. I tried their signature toast with guacamole, turmeric poached egg, pickled onion and lots of herbs and it was absolutely delicious!!

Honey Hi uses dairy in some of their dishes, like the grain free chocolate chip cookies and the gluten free mochi pancakes that I really wanted to try… But I managed to get some toasted gluten free bread with berry jam and a chocolate smoothie to satisfy my sweet cravings, ad it was a great dessert!

Amara Kitchen

HIGHLAND PARK – 519 N Avenue 64, Los Angeles, CA

I love browsing though the gluten free, dairy free and grain free options at Amara Kitchen, whose menu clearly labels allergens and even specifies whether an item is paleo, nut free etc. I tried their signature “Green Eggs”: a paleo bowl that features poached eggs, mixed greens, sweet potato and avocado, seasoned with dairy free pesto, beet puree, pickled fennel and purple slaw, and served with toasted paleo bread.

I enjoyed an iced matcha latte with their homemade nut milk and one of their delicious paleo chocolate chip cookies sitting in the outdoor patio and enjoying the quite vibes of Highland Park. Loved it!!

Sqirl

SILVERLAKE – 720 N Virgil Ave #4, Los Angeles, CA

If you can handle the 40 minute long wait in line on the curb to get to place your order, Sqirl is a great casual spot, that offers lots of dairy and gluten free options! The reason why Sqirl is so popular for breakfast and brunch is because of their eclectic menu: from gluten free “Brown Rice Porridge” to “Buckwheat Pancakes” and “Garbanzo Bean & Poached Egg Toast”.

I went for lunch and tried the “Sorrel Pest Rice Bowl” that’s completely dairy and gluten free and consist of rice with nut free pesto, a poached egg and a green pepper sauce that was crazy spicy (I forgot to say “no spicy”). The add ons are all extras, so avocado, kale and bacon made my bowl quite pricey at $20, but it was a good amount of food for two people!

Source Cafe

509 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

If you crave a real sandwich, “Source Cafe” is the place to go to. They offer an amazing “Paleo Chicken Panini”: homemade paleo bread that’s stuffed with chicken salad, pesto aioli and arugula salad. It’s so good you’ll think you are eating a regular sandwich!

They also have the option to sub the bread on some of their other sandwiches for their gluten free sourdough, and they have an a amazing gluten free avocado toast on the menu.

Another thing I like about “Source Café” is their commitment to only using simple, organic, non GMO ingredients. And the fact that their bakery display is packed with delicious gluten free treats (like pumpkin bread, chocolate muffin and paleo banana bread) is no small thing either 😉

Impasta

BEVERLY HILLS – 459 N Roxbury Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Impasta is a fully grain and gluten free food joint in Los Angeles, where you can find all sorts of pasta dishes redesigned in their healthier version.

The menu offers classic pasta dishes mad with alternative ingredients such as: spaghetti squash, zoodles, shirataki, kelp, hearts of palm and kelp noodles, and gluten free pizza crusts that (unfortunately for me) contain dairy.

They also offer cashew burrata and cashew ricotta to top your pasta dish with and I absolutely loved that!

Hugo's

WEST HOLLYWOOD – 8401 Santa Monica Blvd, CA 90069

Hugo’s is the place to go when you feel like indulging while staying dairy and gluten free in Los Angeles. The menu is huge, and you can chose amongst pretty much any traditional dish in the world that here is made in its gluten free version!

We started off ordering the Risotto Croquettes, saffron rice balls stuffed with sautéed mushrooms, onions, green olives and sun-dried tomatoes. While I was not expecting to be served a deep fried dish, they were totally worth it!! Their crispy crust was fried to perfection and was truly delicious and not greasy at all!

I also tried their Vegan Mac & Cheese, kelp noodles tossed in a creamy cashew and sunflower seed cheese sauce, sliced mushrooms and sweet peas and topped with crispy onions. And Alec tried the burger served over the house gluten free flatbread that’s lentil based, spongy and delicious.

For dessert, we ordered another unexpected deep fried dish (seriously, two in one night!?). When we read “Sticky Buns” on the menu we envisioned something similar to a cinnamon roll… Nope, it was some sort of deep fried donut that, once again, surprised me for how well done and not greasy it was! If you do order it too, ask for the vanilla sugar icing and pecan sauce on the side. You definitely don’t need the extra sweetness (nor calories!) 😉

Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop

Multiple Locations in Los Angeles

What I keep going back for at Greenleaf is definitely their sweet potato fries with avocado pesto. They are baked, and if you specify you are allergic to gluten when you order, they take extra acre in avoiding cross contamination. 

They also make a pretty good gluten free pizza (I like the one with truffle oil, cashew cheese, roasted mushrooms & arugula), but the crust is quite far from being as good as the one from Prova. It’s totally worth it of you are in the area and craving a pizza!

Best Pizzas That Are Dairy & Gluten Free in Los Angeles:

Double Zero

VENICE – 1700 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

After dining several times at their New York City location, I had the pleasure to visit their second joint in Venice and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that their gluten free pizza crust has improved even more and tastes just pretty much like a regular pizza!! They make fantastic plant-based cheeses, such as macadamia ricotta, cashew parmesan and rice mozzarella, that make a great dairy free pizza. I loved their “Truffle” pie with cashew cream, mushrooms, baby Tuscan kale, truffle oil and lemon vinaigrette.

True Food Kitchen

SANTA MONICA and PASADENA

Even though True Food is not specifically a Los Angeles eatery, I had to include it in this list because it really is one of my go to places what I want to enjoy something indulgent and healthy at the same time.

They are super accommodating when it comes to gluten free customers: they have an excellent gluten free pizza (even though I would describe it more like a “flatbread”, something very different that Prova’s pizza, but equally good in a different way) that they can top with a dairy free almond ricotta that’s the end of the world.

They do have amazing salads, curries and a delicious spaghetti squash casserole which you can order dairy free if you want. The best part though is dessert: they have a delicious Gluten Free Apple Crisp which can be served with their coconut milk ice cream, but what I opt for all the time is the Gluten Free Squash Pie, that comes topped with an amazingly fluffy Coconut Whipped Cream that’s just the best I have ever had.

Sage Bistro

4 locations: COLVER CITY, AGOURA HILLS, PASADENA, ECHO PARK

I visited their location in Culver City and ordered their buckwheat gluten free pizza crust topped with zucchini, dill cashew cheese, fresh basil, garlic and their house-made spinach pesto. The crust was thin and crispy, not trying to resemble a regular pizza, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

They also have a great dairy and gluten free dessert selection. I tried both their cheesecake and their cinnamon roll and I really liked them!

Pura Vita:

2 Locations: WEST HOLLYWOOD – REDONDO BEACH

“Pura Vita” is an absolute gem for all those who are looking for a spot in Los Angeles where they can indulge in a creamy plate of pasta that’s both gluten and dairy free!

Since “Pura Vita” is a fully plant based restaurant, you never need to worry about your food not being dairy free and you can freely indulge in melty, cheesy dishes made with their homemade nut-based cheeses.

I got their “Cacio e Pepe” (‘cheese and pepper’, in Italian, and their plant-based, gluten free “Carbonara” and absolutely loved them. The typical “Carbonara” egg sauce was made with a combination of avocado and nut cheese, with crispy mushroom bits that replaced the pancetta. It was amazing!

At “Pura Vita” they also make gluten free and dairy free pizzas and calzones which looked absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, I was recommended not to order them as they would be cooked in the same oven where they bake regular pizza, and with not possibility of placing the gluten free pies on a separate pan.

While I would have loved to try their pizzas, I was happy to know they take gluten allergies and intolerances very seriously and suggest their guests to opt for a gluten free pasta dish, which is always cooked in a dedicated pot of water to avoid cross contamination.

If you are craving dairy and gluten free pasta in LA, this is the place to go!

Best Bakeries That Are Dairy & Gluten Free in Los Angeles:

Breakaway Bakery (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

MID CITY – 5264 W. Pico Blvd. LA, CA 90019

Even though this great gluten free bakery is permanently closed, I decided to leave it on this guide as a proof of what can be done without gluten. I mean, look at the photo below: the gluten free challah bread I am holding was such a masterpiece… Definitely one of the best I have ever head.

Hopefully the previous owners decide to open a new bakery soon?

Breadblock

SANTA MONICA (1511 Montana Ave Santa Monica, CA 90403) – SILVERLAKE (1529 Griffith Park Blvd, Unit 103, Los Angeles, CA 90026)

If you are looking for gluten free bread in Los Angeles that looks and tastes legit, Breadblock is the place to go! This dedicated gluten free facility offers a great selection of baked goods with lots of dairy free options as well (such as their sourdough, caraway bread, challah, herbed focaccia and baguette).

Loaves range from $18 to $22, but in my opinion they are totally worth it, and you can ask them to slice them for you so that you can freeze them and enjoy a piece whenever you carve a nice gluten free toast.

The interior looks like a French bakery and you can find a big selection of gluten free French pastries as well, even though only their muffins and cookies are dairy free as well.

Erin McKenna Bakery

SANTA MONICA (1415 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403) – LARCHMONT (236 North Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004)

Erin Mckenna, with other locations in New York City and Orlando, is definitely one of the best gluten free bakeries in Los Angeles.

They offer an extensive menu of baked goods, such as gluten free donuts, tea cakes, cookie sandwiches and cupcakes… but what I go there for is their savory stuff. The vegan & gluten free cheddar and broccoli biscuit you see in the photo is crazy good (ask them to warm it up the oven if you want to eat it right away, it’s ten times better). And their everything bagel is pretty amazing too!

Erin Mckenna also offers a very impressive variety of sweets that are all vegan and gluten free. Here is their Cinnamon Coffee Cake. A little too sweet for my personal preference, but still a treat I really enjoyed.

Modern Bread and Bagel

WOODLAND HILLS – 6256, Topanga Canyon Blvd, Unit #1200

If this is not gluten free heaven, I really don’t know is!! In late 2022, Modern Bread and Bagel added a West Coast store to the other two locations they have in New York City, and I couldn’t be any happier to have another restaurant that’s fully gluten free in Los Angeles!

Their selection of kettle boiled ancient grain bagels is out of this world. And the best part is their taste is indistinguishable from regular gluten bagels.

I got mine stuffed with dairy free cream cheese and house smoked salmon, but they also offer homemade vegan “smoked salmon” which is made with carrots cured with the same process the fish undergoes, and vegan “bacon” as well, which also made in house by seasoning and then smoking rice paper! Unbelievable, right?!

The variety of baked goods they offer is so impressive that it will take you three or four visits to satisfy your cravings. I tried their chocolate zucchini bread, which was rich, fudgy and not overly sweet.

But my absolute favorite thing I tried there was their dairy free and gluten free Challa Bread. I mean, just look at these photos…

Cafe Gratitude:

3 Locations: ARTS DISTRICT – VENICE – LARCHMONT

While Gratitude is not only a bakery, it’s definitely one of the first place that comes to mind if it’s my day day to cheat with desserts that are gluten free in Los Angeles. Their baked good section is unreal: their muffins are huge and so well risen you would never guess they are gluten and dairy free!!

Their cinnamon roll is also great (even though definitely too sweet for my taste); and wait until you try their raw chocolate cake, that’s unusually nut-free and completely coconut based.

My favorite treats here are: the Rustic Apple Cake (see photo below) and the Strawberry Shortcake.

Best Ice Creams That Are Dairy & Gluten Free in Los Angeles:

Yoga-Urt

GLENDALE – ECHO PARK – SANTA MONICA

At Yoga-Urt they make soft serve with their home made almond milk, that’s organic, dairy free and soy free. And the other good news is: the cones are completely dairy and gluten free as well, together with toppings like cookie crumbs and waffle cone chips.

I tried cookies ‘n cream, salted caramel and chocolate served in their handmade gluten free cone and topped with pistachio and cookie crumbs. I loved both texture and flavors. If they can manage su sub cane sugar for a more wholesome alternative and make things a bit less sweet, this place can be a total winner!

Rawberry

WEST HOLLYWOOD – 8582 California State Route

I love Rawberri because they have the healthiest soft serve ever: only made with coconut water and nothing else added!! They also have a matcha flavor which is delicious and a lot of healthy gluten free toppings to choose from.

What I also like about Rawberri is that it’s one of the few stores that’s completely gluten free in Los Angeles.

Another reason to go to Rawberri is for their amazing gluten free baked goods: they have a dairy and gluten free chocolate cake that’s absolutely delicious and dairy and gluten free muffins that are even better than those at Gratitude because they’re less sweet!

Other Places Worth Mentioning that are Dairy & Gluten Free in Los Angeles:

• M Cafe, (Beverly Hills & Melrose) While M Café is not specifically gluten free, this healthy food spot has a number of dairy and gluten free dishes (clearly labelled) and the staff is competent in addressing your allergy concerns, which is very important. I particularly love their sushi rolls with cooked salmon, their gluten free Pad Thai and their veggie bowls.
• Kreation (multiple locations) While their juices are an extortion, they are also the best one I have tried... and it’s pretty hard a juice to be that good. But the creaminess of something simple like a carrot juice blended with coconut meat is just a different level.
• Jewel (Silverlake) The menu has tons of dairy and gluten free options. I tried their gluten free charcoal crust pizza with cashew cheese, garlicky spinach and avocado, and their gluten free carrot cake bread baked without refined sugar. My only concern is that the gluten free desserts are kept in the same display together with the regular ones… and they are served with the same tongs 🙁 So ask them specifically to take appropriate measure to avoid contamination.

Now it’s on you: what are your favorite places to eat dairy and gluten free in Los Angeles? I can’t wait to hear (and to go try them).

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Lots of love!    Ambra

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Born and raised in Italy, Ambra visited over 20 countries and now she divides her time in between Italy and the US, where her husband is from and where she moved in 2011 work as university professor of Italian Literature. She writes about food, travel and things that inspire her! View all posts by ambra more about ambra