Gluten free Lincoln: The best places to eat out

Gluten free blogger David Robson has been living with coeliac disease for over 25 years. Based in Lincoln, he runs the Coeliac Man Blog (as well as Instagram and Facebook) sharing his experiences and recommendations — so he rounded up the best places to eat out gluten free in the city for The Lincolnite.

These days you can walk into any major supermarket and find a large dedicated free from range, meaning eating at home is a piece of (gluten free) cake. 

Eating out gluten free however, can still prove tricky. For people with coeliac disease, cross contamination is a major concern as gluten free food prepared in the same area as gluten containing ingredients has the potential to cause serious illness.

However, if you pick the right restaurants, eating out needn’t be scary. The amount of restaurants offering gluten free in Lincoln has improved rapidly over the last few years, but which are the best?

Here are David’s top ten places to eat gluten free in Lincoln:

Olé Olé

Olé Olé Tapas Bar is an amazing choice if you fancy a taste of Spain in Lincoln. Most of the menu is gluten free friendly (including calamari) and they even serve Daura Damm gluten free lager to wash it all down.

Located in the historic uphill area of Lincoln (Now in Bailgate and in the Lawn from September 20), Olé Olé is always a great option for a sociable meal with friends —just make sure they order gluten free dishes as well so you can try everything. There’s a cosy dining area inside and a surprisingly spacious garden at the back for some al fresco dining.

The vast choice of gluten free food, the friendly staff (with their random shouts of ‘olé!’ throughout the evening) and the lively atmosphere make it an experience not to be missed.

Rating – 5/5

Wig & Mitre

Situated on Lincoln’s famous Steep Hill, the Wig and Mitre is everything you want from a proper English pub. A warm, cosy atmosphere, friendly staff, spectacular food and gluten free options!

Lincoln has so many amazing pubs, but sadly not a lot of them cater for coeliacs. The Wig and Mitre though is excellent and if you chat with the staff they’ll go through your options and make sure you’re well looked after. The pictured steak with parmesan fries was absolutely incredible! 

Hopefully they expand their gluten free offering even further in the future.

Rating – 4/5

ASK

You can always rely on ASK to serve you a decent size gluten free pizza and their base is one of the best I’ve ever had. I recently tried their new ham and egg topping and it was so good! To some people egg on pizza may sound like slanderous nonsense but trust me, those mavericks at ASK know what they’re doing.

The gluten free menu features an extensive range of pizzas and pasta dishes, along with other options such as risotto and fish. Part of Lincoln’s Brayford waterfront development, ASK is often packed out at the weekends with people lining their stomachs for the night ahead.

Rating – 5/5

Burton Road Chippy

Having coeliac disease can mean that some meals are pretty much always off the menu.  Fish and chips is a case in point due to most batters containing gluten. However on the first Tuesday of every month at Burton Road Chippy in Lincoln they have a dedicated gluten free day.

They clean out their fryers then only use gluten free batter for the day, meaning a tasty plate full of fish and chips is most definitely back on the menu! It does not disappoint and always goes down an absolute storm.

They’ve won a number of awards over the years including finishing 2nd in the 2017 Fish and Chip Awards so it really is the fish’s fins when it comes to chippies. My only complaint is that I wish they offered gluten free all the time! Although it’s probably good for my waistline that they don’t.

Rating – 4/5

Bunty’s Tea Room

Despite having lived in Lincoln for most of my life, I’d never visited Bunty’s until recently. Having spotted a small ‘gluten free available’ sign in the window while dragging myself up Steep Hill, I made a mental note to check it out. 

Expecting possibly a token gluten free cake on the menu I was pleasantly surprised to find they served gluten free afternoon tea. Not needing much of an excuse to indulge in afternoon tea, I couldn’t resist. The afternoon tea consisted of sandwiches (all of the filling options were gluten free), a homemade scone and choice of two gluten free cakes (bakewell or carrot cake when I visited). 

All the food was absolutely delicious. The tea room itself is 1940s themed and the staff were excellent, putting me at ease about the gluten free options from the moment I walked in. Great stuff all round.

Rating – 5/5

Pizza Express

Pizza Express has long been a staple favourite of mine. With my love of pizza and Pizza Express’ Coeliac UK accredited menu, it’s been a match made in pizza heaven. I love the fact that they use gluten free flour in the kitchen, even for making gluten-containing pizzas, to minimise the risk of cross-contamination.

There’s a massive choice of toppings, along with other options such as the super food salad (at the back of the picture) meaning you’re always spoiled for choice. The Lincoln branch is located in a great location at the top of the High Street surrounded by other restaurants and bars. 

They also have a gluten free brownie for dessert and a gluten free beer to wash it all down. What more could you possible want?

Rating – 5/5

The Cheese Society

I have successfully found heaven for gluten free cheese lovers! The Cheese Society in Lincoln is the place to go to make all your cheesey dreams come true. 

Basically everything on the menu can be made gluten free with their homemade gluten free bread. From cheese soufflé to baked Camembert and cheese boards, there really is something to satisfy even the most discerning cheese connoisseur.

I was only hungry for a light bite when I visited recently, so I went for their freshly baked gluten free cheese and herb scone with Godminster cheese. It was probably the lightest and fluffiest scone I’ve ever eaten and it was packed full of incredible flavour. I’ll definitely be back to sample more of the menu.

Rating – 5/5

Lincoln Taphouse & Kitchen

The Taphouse has long been one of my favourite pubs. Partly due to the super friendly staff and its stunning setting next to the castle walls, but mainly because they were one of the first pubs in Lincoln to start serving gluten free beer. 

It’s been on my hit list to try food for ages, but it always seems to be booked up whenever I try to eat there. I finally learned my lesson to book in advance for lunch recently and it was definitely worth the wait. 

I was actually going to go against my pizza-loving stereotype and order a gluten free burger. However, it turned out the fries weren’t safe for coeliacs due to being cooked in the same fryer as gluten containing items. This was the only disappointment and the courgette and bacon pizza I ordered more than made up for it. It had a nice crispy base loaded with toppings. We sat outside on the roof terrace in the sun, excellent lunch all round!

Rating – 4/5

Zizzi

Zizzi in Lincoln is located next to the Odeon cinema, which is a great location for wandering around in the summer. Their gluten free, or ‘non gluten’, menu includes a wide range of pasta dishes and pizza, with the obligatory gluten free Peroni to wash it all down with.

They also have some rather dreamy desserts including a chocolate praline torte, which is to die for. The food always comes with a ‘non gluten’ sticker which your friends will have great fun sticking on you and taking a picture. So a good night is always guaranteed.

Rating – 4/5

Handmade Burger Co.

Handmade Burger Co has been a staple for Lincoln’s gluten free community for years. First offering ‘bunless’ burgers, they recently added a gluten free bun to their repertoire. The vast majority of burgers are gluten free including numerous beef, chicken and even veggie options.

A number of sides are also gluten free, including their amazing sweet potato fries, so you’re pretty much guaranteed not to go home hungry. It’s my favourite place to go if I’m ever in the mood for a burger, which let’s face it — is most of the time.

Rating – 4/5 

Know any other places in Lincoln which do good gluten free food? Contact David Robson via Instagram and Facebook to let him know.