Below is a list of my favorite restaurants in Boulder Colorado. I am asked by readers daily about good restaurants here in Boulder that will cater to special dietary needs and work for those eating gluten free.
Keep in mind, these restaurants for the most part do not have dedicated gluten free kitchens, or even gluten free menus. They are simply restaurants that I go to that have great, fresh, wholesome food (well, at least the restaurants listed in the first box) and that take the time and make the effort to provide a gluten free meal when it is requested.
3303 30th Street
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 443-3479
Boulder’s first Paleo restaurant. Everything on the menu is gluten-free (celiacs can eat here very safely).
Frasca
1738 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 442-6966
Extremely expensive fine Italian food. Winner of James Beard award; one of the best restaurants in the country, if not the world.
Fresh Thymes Eatery
2500 30th Street #101
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 955-7988
Fresh Thymes is the only 100% gluten-free restaurant on this list. If you have celiac disease you can safely eat this incredible locally sourced food with true peace of mind.
The Kitchen
1039 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 544-5973
Expensive seasonal food, (mostly) local. Nationally renowned restaurant.
The Kitchen Next Door
1035 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 542-8159
Quick healthy food at a reasonable price.
Oak
1400 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 444-3622
Our new favorite spot; fantastic food, interesting drinks, somewhat expensive.
Salt
1047 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 444-SALT
Bradford Heap’s classic restaurant in downtown Boulder; pricey but worth it.
Shine
2027 13th Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 449-0120
Health food and good green juice, moderately expensive.
Wonder Press
2595 Canyon Blvd. Suite 110
Boulder, CO 80302
970-618-7632
Cold-pressed juice made fresh daily, in the best flavors you can think of. My boys go gaga for the freshly made coconut milk as well as the nut milks.
Zeal
1710 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 708-6309
If you didn’t think you could get cauliflower rice in a restaurant, you’re wrong. Enough said.
Zolo Grill
2525 Arapahoe Ave.
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 449-0444
Super tasty Southwestern food with fresh local ingredients. They have a secret Paleo menu, provided upon request.
I have not eaten at the restaurants below, though I do take my children (who are gluten free) to them. These restaurants have gluten free pizza (the first two) and gluten free noodles (the third). All have child friendly food that is quick and reasonably priced.
2690 Baseline Rd
Boulder, CO 80305
(303) 554-5312
Dedicated gluten free menu, along with “regular” food for glutenoids. Sit down service or take out.
Noodles and Company
1245 Alpine Ave
Boulder, CO 80304
(303) 440-4340
Offers some gluten free dishes using rice noodles, be careful and make sure to ask what is currently GF as dishes can change.
I hope this list provides you with a general guide to gluten free friendly restaurants whether you live in Boulder or are just passing through town.
Either way, this list is in no way a guarantee of gluten free service in any restaurant. Dishes can change and so can restaurants. Be kind to your servers and ask them what is easiest for the kitchen to make gluten free. If you treat them well, they’ll partner with you in getting you the best food possible. Be kind to the hand that feeds you!
jill says
remember pizzaria locale (frascas)…had a great pizza there even tho i eat them seldom
Summer Pramer says
P.F.Chang’s is always reliable!
Julie McGinnis says
I just wanted to send you a link to our restaurant list, that includes all places from Boulder to Vail to the Midwest for our gf pizza and pasta. http://www.theglutenfreebistro.com/find-us/ Thank you from The Gluten Free Bistro!
Susan says
Hey a Gluten Free Restaurant Guide sounds like a great idea!
Anita Burock Stotts says
I am recommending Elana’s cookbooks and blog to the patients in my Functional Medicine practice as well as to friends and family. Would be so happy to have a copy of the GF restaurant or grocery guide to leave in the waiting room!
Mike says
Thanks much I am visiting Boulder from San Diego – next week!
Indian Restaurants London says
Awesome offers and it is good know about like these restaurants and well some posts are so informative that we get a feeling that we missed this information when we actually wanted it,
but this post is something i am looking for, thank you.
KMG says
In Boulder, Tonic Herban Lounge, primarily known for being an oxygen bar, has lovely raw desserts in their cooler. They are also totally gluten-free and very, very tasty. This is coming from someone who is not a raw foodist, too!
rachel says
elana, we asked about the ingredients for 0! gluten free pizza and it included hydrogenated oils. we were so disappointed as going out to pizza is one of our family’s measures for living a “normal” life. :( you might reconsider your recommendation……
Adriane says
I LOVE Hapa Sushi in Boulder, they have a GLUTEN-FREE Menu and are very conscientious of all dietary needs.
MJP says
Some other important restaurants haven’t been mentioned yet:
-Jax is very aware of gf requirements and has several on staff with celiac.
-Murphys in South Boulder has a gf menu
-The Tea House has a gf menu
marie says
Thanks Elana for the restuarants in Boulder. My writer friend and I are frequenting Coffee Shops these days for writing meetings and have found a few that have gluten free items that are yummy with coffee or tea: OZO’s on Baseline has the largest variety that I can tell, The Cup on Pearl (had a great zucchini pumpkin muffin that I’m trying to duplicate), and Pekoe on Broadway (for tea lovers). There are others I’m sure, but these have been the ones that make it really obvious that they have gluten free.
I am so excited about your success on the book. Congratulations again. Marie
Heather says
Seeing Beau Joe’s on that list reminds me of the old days, before the Beau Joe’s down here in the Springs closed. Which is a shame since I am just starting a gf diet and I know pizza is going to be my biggest issue.
Alanna says
Can’t find your e-mail address anywhere on the site, will you please e-mail asap so we can start conversations re BlogHer Food? Thanks!
Marie says
Funny! We were just in Boulder a week ago, visiting my husband’s family and would have loved this list.
We did eat at BeauJo’s and found their attentiveness to gluten free to be excellent.
Heather Luttrell says
Aji and Sunflower are both great Gluten-free options.
Al Malekovic says
Hi Elena: I could not find you email address. Country Bobs All Purpose Sauce is Gluten Free, and I thought you would like to know. My name is Al Malekovic (al@countrybobs.com) and I represent a very, very small company called Country Bob’s, Inc. We are making a great sauce called, “Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce” and we would like to get the word out about our product.
I know that review blogs are a great way to get information to the general public. I conducted a google search for food blogs and your name came and after looking at your blog, I was wondering if you would be interested in trying my sauce and perhaps reviewing it for me.
If you send me your name and address via e-mail, I would gladly send you a recipe brochure along with two bottles of Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce in hopes that you would write a review.
If you would like more information, I would be glad to respond to any questions you might have. In fact, if you are interested in interviewing me after you’ve sampled the product, I would gladly make myself available!
Thank you for your consideration. http://www.countrybobs.com We also have two two bottle give a ways for your blog.
Kalyn says
Hi there,
Sorry to leave a comment that’s off topic for this post, but I can’t seem to find your e-mail address! Just wanted to say that I’m very excited to be speaking on the panel with you at BlogHer Food and look forward to meeting you!
veggievixen says
wow, you are really lucky! dc is so not hip to food trends, veganism or food allergies. we have restaurants which have options but never entire restaurants dedicated to a specific food lifestyle, besides a few vegetarian only ones.
Etai Bar-on says
Udi’s just opened a new restaurant in Louisville, CO (185 south 104th street) that has an extensive gluten free salad and sandwich menu all made on our own gluten free breads. Udi’s Louisville is adjacent to our artisan bread bakery and you can see the baking action taking place next door to the dining room. However, our gluten free bread is actually baked in a separate dedicated gluten free facility in Denver (which is also open for customers).
I just wanted to also point out that two of the restaurants listed above, The Kitchen and Frasca, both serve Udi’s Artisan bread (not gluten free).
Gary Hubiak says
I have really enjoyed “4580 “, at 4580 North Broadway and consider it the most gluten sensitive restaurant in Boulder with the most extensine menu of gluten free entrees. All items gluten free are marked on the menu, more than half the items. They are very willing to make changes to suit gluten, and in my case dairy free, requests. And they have delicious gluten free bread as an appetizer! Cant remember when I’ve had delicious warm bread while waiting for the entrees! Elana, I am really surprised you don’t mentioned “4580” in your review of restaurants.
They also have periodic special meals with themes of currently farm fresh produce and they always have gluten free options for every course.
Emily says
What a handy little list for your local readers! We haven’t been out to eat in about 2 years and sometimes we really wish we could. It’s just too hard with so many variables that could go wrong when you have so many restrictions. It’s nice to have reccommendations from someone you trust and know has safely eaten there though! I do agree that smiling and being very kind helps a lot too :)
I think you should open up Boulder’s first GF restaurant and your boys can show off their famous chef skills!!
john says
just curious – you took your GF kids to restaurants but didn’t eat there? how does that work?
Ligea says
Carelli’s also has a fantastic gluten free menu which was very well thought out – it’s a wonderful italian restaurant on Baseline and 30th. Restaurant 4580 in North Boulder has excellent gluten free options, including a gluten free table bread from a local GF baker (their eggs benedict with GF muffin is excellent for brunch on Sunday). There’s another place I love to go, but it’s slipping my mind at the moment. I’ll post again if I think of it.
Cook 4 Seasons says
Perfect timing – we head to Boulder this Saturday and will be dining at Frasca. It will be our splurge for the entire trip!
Andrea says
The Celiac Chicks (www.celiacchicks.com) have been putting together a GF world map for some time now. It’s a great tool for those that love to travel and it would be nice to see these listings included on their map if they’ve not already been listed. Though I’ve yet to get around to it, it is my intention to take care of my little corner of the world: Montréal!
Emily says
Good to know! Thanks for sharing this :)
Kelly says
Andrea!
Thanks for mentioning the map! Here’s the link to make it easier for everyone:
http://www.mapme.com/map/Celiac_Chicks_Gluten-Free_Map_Of_The_World
Yes, I read Elana’s Pantry and love it!
Heather @CeliacFamily says
Oh, I wish I’d had this list when I was there last month. Next time. Thanks for posting!
Dena says
My folks sent me this article a few months back. http://www.philly.com/philly/restaurants/20090423_Free_to_eat_out.html
Philadelphia is being used as a model for other cities on how to become GF-friendly.
“To that end, NFCA [National Foundation for Celiac Awareness] offers a Gluten-Free Resource Education Awareness Training (GREAT) program, free of charge. During the course, restaurant workers are taught what ingredients contain gluten, and what substitutes can be used instead. They learn that even a hint of flour in the air can be dangerous to some people, and that reusing utensils or pans that once touched gluten is a no-no.”
Really an amazing program! Hopefully it’ll be working it’s way around the country quickly!
Linda says
ZOLO GRILL on Arapahoe has a great gluten free menu!
Amy says
I also really enjoy Pasta Jays in Boulder, they have several gluten free pastas and sauces.
gfe-gluten free easily says
This list will be very helpful to folks in your area, Elana. It’s wonderful that there are restaurants with gluten-free menus who belong to programs, but others should be considered, too. The reality is that those restaurants can sometimes give us a false sense of security (e.g., it only takes one employee who hasn’t been trained properly or a chef who assumes he knows everything about gluten and doesn’t). More than anything it’s attitude and willingness to serve a gluten-free customer safely I think. Talking to the staff and asking questions, getting recommendations from friends and gf bloggers like yourself, etc. can also serve us well.
Shirley
John says
Have a list for Austin, Texas?
Anne says
For restaurants in Austin, go to http://www.alamoceliac.org and click on Defensive Dining. The Austin area restaurant suggestions are waiting for you there.
VeggieGirl says
Awesome list!! My mom will be heading out to Boulder in October.
Katrina (gluten free gidget) says
I traveled constantly for a year and a half maintaining a gluten free diet the entire time. No matter where you go, there is always a chance of cross contamination. W just need to remain vigilant and enter every situation with our eyes open. Thanks for the info on these restaurants. If I am ever in the Boulder area I will be sure to check them out.
Heather says
I’m so much enjoying looking through your food blog – when I have a chance I am going to park by my printer and print off several recipes! Thanks for making them available.
I have a nutrition question relating to almond flour, if you have a chance to respond.
Normally I soak my nuts to release enzyme inhibitors and increase digestibility (prepared as outlined in Nourishing Traditions). Obviously your almond flour recipes are not soaked. This must not be a concern?
(If you’re ever able to do a print feature which includes a photo, like 101cookbooks does, that would be so great!)
Kristin says
I normally soak my nuts too, but I was told that most of the phytates in almonds are in the skins. Since the almonds are blanched and skinned before they are made into flour, my thinking is that the phytates might not be as big a deal in the almond flour as they are in eating plain nuts. That’s what I have told myself anyway, and I hope it’s true. I’d love to hear Elana’s take on this too.
Stephanie says
We just ate at Tamayo in Larimer Square in Denver this past weekend. Their gluten free menu was (what I would consider) extensive. Sadly, they do not post it online but it is available at the restaurant. We had a wonderful gluten and dairy free meal. The server was very knowledgeable and the kitchen was really accommodating. Food was fresh, simply prepared and quite tasty. It also passed the test of my 2 young children :)
Lisa says
For families – Turley’s has a complete Gluten free menu, including hamburgers!
Thanks for the above – it is great to know these options are so bountiful.