Antwerp is a very cool city and ideal weekend break territory. Dozens of cool boutiques, bars and coffee shops are scattered across the city. We popped there for a daytrip so I wasn’t able to do as much gluten free Antwerp sampling as I would have liked, plus I got massively distracted by THE BEST GLUTEN FREE BREAD EVERRR. The gluten free bakery in Antwerp is a must visit! Anyway, I did a lot of research before we went and I have listed those places below. Please do check about suitability for coeliacs when you visit these locations – they seem to be coeliac safe but it is always best to double check for yourself.

Gluten Free Antwerp

Eugene Glutenvrije Bakery

Honestly some of the best gluten free bread I have ever had! Eugene gluten free bakery sells tonnes of gluten free products, from racks of fresh-baked gluten free bread and baskets of fresh rolls to fresh gluten free cakes and prepacked gluten free products. I found gluten free caramel stroopwafels here and picked up some Belgian beer to have at home. An absolute must if you are visiting Antwerp and the perfect spot for picking up picnic supplies. Here are a few pics but scroll down to the bottom of this guide for more :).

Charlie’s

Note cross contamination might be a risk here. Please speak to staff and make your own assessment. It could be a good place to stop for lunch as they offer gluten free bread for their sandwiches and most dishes can be made gluten free. They sometimes also have gluten free cake. It’s a very cool cafe space and would be the perfect place to rest your legs after a busy day of sightseeing and shopping.

Exki

A Belgian chain similar to Pret a Manager, they sell gluten free sandwiches and cakes. I personally avoided the cakes as they were sat on the same tray as gluten-containing ones. The sandwiches are individually wrapped and seemed to be a good grab and go lunch option.

22b Restaurant

They specifically state they can cater for people with coeliac disease. Various gluten free menu items plus the kitchen team take extra care to avoid cross-contamination. A brunch/lunch spot. The menu si marked up to show gluten free, lactose free, dairy free and vegan options.

ChickPea

I am not entirely sure about the cross contamination risk here but ChickPea is widely mentioned for its gluten free options. We tried to visit but it was closed so we weren’t able to assess the situation ourselves. They serve hummus, falafel are various other lunch options.

Frites Atelier Amsterdam

If you want chips this is the spot! The frites are all made in dedicated fryers so are safe for coeliacs.

Greenway

One to avoid if you are coeliac. They offer various gluten free options but I observed so much cross contamination in the kitchen that I sent my food back. This was despite me specifically noting I was coeliac and the kitchen not being very busy. There was no way I was going to eat a gluten free bun that had been: 1) heated in the oven sat on top of a gluten roll; 2) sliced on the same board as a gluten roll; 3)prepared using the same utensils as gluten-containing food. The kitchen here also looked quite unhygienic as the surfaces were chaotic and the chef was really haphazard with her food prep. This was our personal experience. Hopefully they were having an off day.

Some additional gluten free Antwerp recommendations shared with me by a follower in my Facebook travel group include:

  • Falafel Tof (Hoogstraat) is best cheap eat in the city just ask for falafel in a bowl rather than a pita, and share a portion of chips! 
  • De Bomma (Suikerrui) is great Flemish cuisine, the staff are lovely and speak brilliant English, they used to have an allergen menu, but if not will talk you through options. 
  • L’entrepôt du Congo (vlaamsekaai) has allergens listed on their menu.
  • Hard Rock Cafe on Groenplaats 
  • Brasserie Flo (part of the Hilton) is good but a bit pricey
  • She also mentioned that she has eaten at Mission Masala (troonplaats, indian), Satay (wijngaardbrug, s.e. asian) and Orymaz (godefriduskaai, Japanese) without issue

If you found this guide to be useful why not check out some of my other European gluten free travel guides:

Happy travels! x