Eating Gluten Free in Philadelphia

Reading Terminal Market
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Overview

Eating gluten free and coming to visit Philadelphia? Not a problem. You want to try an authentic Philly cheesesteak? Not a problem either! Below are some suggestions for eating gluten free in the City of Brotherly Love.

Gluten Free Cheesesteaks

You’re in Philadelphia, so let’s start with the cheesesteaks. Campo’s Deli, in the heart of the Historic District, offers any of their sandwiches on a gluten free roll. Campo’s has been in the food business since 1947 and everything - bread, the meat and cheese, and even the beer – are locally sourced. They offer cheesesteaks, chicken cheesesteaks and hoagies as well as a variety of vegetarian and vegan options. The gluten free rolls come from Taffets Bakery – more on Taffets later.

Campo's Deli

If you're willing to take a bit of a drive, Jay's Joint in Langhorne is about 20 miles (a half hour drive) outside the city. But they have an extensive gluten free menu including getting your Philly cheesesteak on one of their famous gluten free pretzel rolls!

Reading Terminal Market: Gluten Free Corn Dogs, Funnel Cake & French Fries & GF Snacks Galore

Another unique Philadelphia attraction is Reading Terminal Market. Inside you’ll find a variety of food choices, including the 100% gluten free stand Fox & Son Fancy Corn Dogs. The gluten free menu includes corn dogs, poutine, fried cheese curds funnel cake and fries. Follow them on Instagram (@foxandsonphilly) and you’ll see some other treats like fried oreos!

Fox & Son in Reading Terminal Market

More recently, a new addition to Reading Terminal Market is Sparrow's Snacks. Sparrow's started off making gluten free popcorn and "fairy floss" (cotton candy) both in a ton of flavors. I'm talking pizza popcorn and Buffalo Bleu Cheese popcorn plus sweet flavors as well. But they also carry an array of GF snacks and frozen products, A&A soft pretzels (see below) and GF baked goods and cookies. Sparrow's has a 2nd location in Haddonfield, NJ.

In the Mood for Mexican

Definitely check out Mission Taqueria for a great GF experience. It's all gluten free... yes even the churros!

Gluten Free Healthier Food

Real Food Eatery is kind of an upscale quick service restaurant that is 100% gluten free. The lunch and dinner menus are the same, and the concept is you pick an entrée (protein such as chicken, salmon, tofu, etc.), a base (salad, rice or quinoa) and 2 veggie sides. Add an optional sauce and you’re good to go! Don’t forget to try the gluten free dessert options – cookie, brownie or oat bar.

Real Food Eatery

Gluten Free Bakeries

If you have a sweet tooth, then you’ll definitely want to visit High Fidelity Bakery. In addition to being gluten free, their menu is also vegan. They have a wide array of items – donuts, cookies, biscotti, brownies, chocolate dipped pretzels and more! Don't miss the Jawn - kind of a GF, Vegan version of a twinkie. (See the photo below.) Then there are savory items like breakfast pockets and quiche. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday during certian hours they serve pizza with lots of topping choices.

A "Jawn" from High Fidelity Bakery

Donut lovers rejoice. Do not miss a stop at Okie Dokie Donuts. Handmade fresh donuts made daily with flavors changing monthly. Fritters and savory items too like corndog donuts. Just try it!

And if you're heading out of the city or to Jay's for cheesesteaks (see above) then a stop at the Happy Mixer Gluten Free Bakery is definitely worth your while! They have locations in Chalfont, Langhorne, and Wayne (near King of Prussia) and the most amazing selection of cakes, muffins, breads, donuts, cookies and more!

Gluten Free Breads, Soft Pretzels and More

The owner of Taffets Bakery trained at JNA Culinary Institute, worked at some of the top restaurants in Philadelphia, but was inspired to open this gluten free bakery because of his mother’s sensitivity to gluten! Their main focus is on breads – offering everything from traditional loaves to baguettes, pizza crusts and bagels. And if you’re gluten free and want to try a Philly soft pretzel, this is one option!

A&A soft pretzels is based in South Jersey just over the bridge and has a storefront where they sell their GF (and non GF) pretzels but don't worry the GF pretzels are baked in a dedicated facility. You can't visit Philly without having a soft pretzel! If you don't have time to get to New Jersey, Sparrow's Snacks also carries A&A pretzels (see Reading Terminal Market section above).

Soft Pretzels from A&A

Gluten Free Pizza & Pasta

All of the pizzas and pastas Barra Rossa can be prepared gluten free for a small additional fee. The food is prepared and handled separately to avoid cross contamination. They also have minestrone soup without noodles, and other items on their menu that can be made gluten free (such as salads) are marked “GF.” All of their cured meats, cheeses and olives are gluten free.

If you’re looking for gluten free pizza, there are a few other notable Philly spots. Slice offers a gluten free pizza menu at their location in the Italian Market.

And people rave about the Detroit style pizza at Emmy Squared in the Queen village area of the city.

Giorgio on Pine has an extensive gluten free menu including Schar gluten free pasta, and pizza made on gluten free crusts.

Ice Cream

Let’s not forget the ice cream!

A Philadelphia classic is Franklin Fountain - an adorable old-fashioned ice cream parlor. They also have allergy procedures in place that include hand washing, using a clean scoop and scooping from a new tub of ice cream. Plus every flavor of ice cream is gluten free except hydrox cookie! A stop at Franklin Fountain for ice cream can be the perfect ending to your city adventure!

Jeni's has a few locations in Philadelphia (Fishtown and Rittenhouse Square) and many of their flavors are marked Gluten Free. They have great allergy procedures, they are happy to open a fresh tub of ice cream from the back and use fresh scoopers as well.

Additional Gluten Free Options

P .S. & Co. offers an ever changing menu of plant-based, gluten free options. Stop in and eat your meal, or grab a drink and a pastry to go. Breakfast/brunch options can include breakfast tacos and burritos, waffles, pancakes and more. For lunch there are salads and sandwiches, and dinner can include kale pesto pizza, ramen bowls, lemongrass curry to name a few. There is also an extensive beverage menu with coffee, tea, cold pressed juices, smoothies and more.