The Ultimate Guide to Eating Gluten Free in Rome

With pizza, pasta and bread around every corner, you might think that eating gluten free in Rome is impossible—but you’d be wrong!

Although traditional Italian cuisine is largely wheat-based, there are many naturally gluten-free ways to eat in Italy.

For example, secondo dishes (main courses) usually consist of meat or fish cooked simply. But what a shame it would be to miss the great classics of pasta or pizza while in Rome!

Today, many restaurants will offer gluten-free alternatives to pasta and pizza but some actually specialize in gluten-free cuisines, many of them accredited by the Italian Celiac Association. Here are our recommendations for the best gluten-free bakeries, gluten-free pizza and gluten-free pasta in Rome.  

Gluten-free bakeries in Rome

Celiachiamo

Celiachiamo is a portal dedicated to ensuring that those with celiac disease are able to eat well with confidence. They have an online store, a gluten-free grocery and two bakeries: one in Via Carlo Caneva near the Tiburtina train station and the other in the Via della Magliana in southern Rome. Both are easily reachable by public transport.

Napoleoni Gluten Free

Napoleoni is the emperor of Roman gluten-free bakeries. They offer a wide range of sweet and savory gluten-free products including such Italian classics as baba al rum. Located in the south of Rome, right next to Colli Albani metro station, it retains the atmosphere of a Roman bar of the 1950s.

Insider’s Tip: They’re famous for their signature Torta Napoleoni: a sponge base, with wild-strawberry, peach and pineapple topped with gianduia (chocolate and hazelnut spread) and Sicilian pistachios. Don’t miss it!

Gluten-free pizza in Rome

Manforte

Manforte is a little out of the city center but worth the trek. They offer a large range of bruschetta and pizza, all designed to be eaten with your hands (Manforte means “strong hand”).

It’s a place that takes gluten free very seriously, even down to having two mirror kitchens to avoid contamination. Their traditional pizza and bruschetta are served on clearly-marked chopping boards so there can be no mistake.

Very popular with locals and families, they also have a lot of theme evenings.

Voglia di Pizza Gluten Free

Voglia di Pizza means “desire for pizza” and this place’s pizzas are truly desirable.

They also do a very good range of gluten-free antipasti including our favorite, supplì (deep-fried rice croquettes). Almost all of the dishes on the menu are also lactose free, which is great news for those with allergies, and about half are also vegan.

If you are looking for a great gluten-free, lactose-free tiramisu, this is the place you don’t want to miss.

Gluten-free pasta in Rome

Panta rhei

This traditional trattoria is located on a side street next to the Pantheon and has all the atmosphere of central Rome.

Panta Rhei serves the kind of traditional Roman food you’d expect, the only difference being that it’s all gluten free. They have a particularly good range of gluten-free pasta dishes, including the Roman pasta classics, as well as gluten-free pizza to die for.  

Mama Eat

Mama Eat’s catchphrase is “It’s gluten free, but you wouldn’t know!” The implication is that their pasta dishes are as authentic as the Roman Forum, and they really are.

There are also a number of Neapolitan and Sicilian classics on the menu. Located in the heart of Trastevere, the menu is as traditional as it gets with pasta, risotto, and high-quality meat and poultry dishes.

Il Viaggio

Let Il Viaggio take you on a gluten-free culinary journey through some of Rome’s best cooking.

The modern interior is all elegant straight lines and white tablecloths and they offer a truly fine-dining experience. A stone’s throw from the Villa Borghese, this restaurant is close to several of Rome’s most interesting sights.