Gluten Free Vienna
Ristorante Pizzeria Scarabocchio
Florianigasse 3, 1080 Wien, Austria
A charming Italian restaurant in the center of the city, Ristorante Pizzera Scarabocchio is a real gemstone. Step into an Italian bistro style pizzeria where the staff who wait on you are full blown Italian. Of course there are non-gluten free pizza and pastas on the menu, but nearly everything can be made gluten free. They claim to make their own gluten free pizza crust, which we were really excited to try.
We ordered the gluten free focaccia bread to share as a starter and the gluten free penne pasta and pizza as our mains. We thought that the focaccia bread would be fluffier like a traditional focaccia bread, but they actually use the same crust that they use for the gluten free pizza and top it with rosemary and olive oil. We enjoyed it but we likely would not have ordered it had we known that it was going to be made from the same crust as the pizza.
The gluten free pizza was the same size as the regular pizza and there was no surcharge for gluten free. We ordered the fresh buffalo mozzarella pizza with garlic. The pasta was a gluten free penne with fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella and ricotta cheese. We were so full by the end of the meal, but we had to save room for the gluten free tiramisu! The tiramisu was really delicious and beautifully presented on the plate. You would never known that you were eating a gluten free dessert. We sat next to a couple from Ireland who came to the restaurant because the husband had celiac and he was so excited to have a piece of gluten free tiramisu! They told us that Ireland has one of the highest rates of celiac in the world and is a very gluten free conscience country. I guess we'll have to plan a trip to Ireland to check out the gluten free restaurant scene!
Allergiker Café
Wiedner Hauptstraße 35, 1040 Wien, Austria
Here is a little cafe in Vienna that is 100% gluten free. Open for breakfast and lunch, they serve coffee and tea and a variety of gluten free cakes and cookies. Some of the cakes are signature to Vienna, including the famous Sachertorte. The cake consists of a dense and slightly dry chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam on top, coated in a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache on the top and sides. It is traditionally served with whipped cream. Earlier in the day, we sought out the most famous place to get Sachertorte for me at the Hotel Sacher. To be honest, I could not tell the difference between that slice of cake and this gluten free version. That is to say that the Sachertorte is meant to have a dry consistency and we all know that gluten free is too often infamous for being dry and slightly crumbly.
As you can note on the menu in the photo below, many of the cafes and restaurants in Vienna have symbols to indicate the allergens in their menu offerings. The most common allergens noted are gluten free, lactose free and nut free. We very quickly learned that Vienna is a very easy place for individuals with food allergies to navigate because restaurants are legally obliged to note the major allergens on their menus.
Blue Orange
Margaretenstraße 9, 1040 Wien, Austria
Blue Orange is a cafe that is open for lunch and offers all different types of bagel sandwiches. With it's origins in NYC and eventual growth across the US, the bagel trend is growing internationally, especially in major cities. We've discovered at least one trendy bagel shop in every city throughout Europe, and Australia that we've traveled to. Blue Orange can make any of the bagel sandwiches on the menu gluten free. They don't make their own bagels in house and purchase them from a gluten free wholesale bakery. We ordered the caprese style sandwich with fresh mozzarella, tomato, pesto and basil. The gluten free bagel tasted more like white bread in the shape of a bagel. It definitely didn't possess the chewy texture and crunchy exterior that you would expect from a traditional bagel I guess you could say it tasted more like a lender's bagel. There was a slight surcharge for the gluten free bagel. The sandwich itself was tasty and it was fun to be able to stop for an afternoon gluten free bagel snack in Vienna! The cafe is also a cute place to sit with lots of space and tables. Many customers were sitting and working with their computers and a cup of coffee.
Café Landtmann
Universitätsring 4, 1010 Wien, Austria
Cafe Landtmann is an old famous cafe in the heart of Vienna. It is one of Vienna's tourist attractions, as it was opened in 1873. Walk into the cafe and enter a charming old-world European bistro-cafe with elegant finishings and servers dressed in formal attire. Your eyes will be immediately drawn to the bakery counter. Filled with three shelves of beautiful colorful cakes, each is more mouth watering than the next. The most impressive part is that there are about 10 desserts that were labeled with a yellow gluten free sticker. In addition, cakes that are lactose free and nut free are labeled too, each allergen with a different color code.
The cakes were reasonably priced too. Each cake was about 5.50 euros for take out and 6.50 euros to eat in. I had to stop Josh from buying one of each cake to try. We bought three cakes to try- the chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake, and chocolate mousse. The cakes looked better than they tasted, but we eat with our eyes so that was most of the fun!
Gasthaus Zum Wohl
Stumpergasse 61, 1060 Wien, Austria
The entire menu is gluten and lactose free. To clarify, this doesn't mean that the restaurant is dairy free. They offer dishes with lactose free cheese and coffees with lactose free milk and almond milk. There is a really pretty courtyard with tables outside, but it was a bit chilly so we sat inside. The entrance of the restaurant has a huge bar with a coffee machine and alcoholic beverages including gluten free beer. The restaurant is really spacious and clean with a modern and sleek design. Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable. He taught us a fun new fact- cheese that has been aged for more than 6 months becomes lactose free. So if you are lactose intolerant and love parmesan cheese, you're in luck!
We started with a vegan yellow lentils curry soup with carrots and coconut cream and enjoyed three spreads with homemade bread. We moved on to a delicious Asparagus quiche with salad and herb dip. The crust had a lemon zest flavoring in it, which was sensational. We also shared spinach dumplings with tomato sauce and nut pesto. The dumplings tasted sort of like gnocchi. The dish was very pretty and the tomato sauce was excellent, but the dumplings were a little too gummy and chewy, a bit slimy in fact. For dessert we had a version of the famous Viennese crepes with powdered sugar. The presentation was very appetizing, but the crepes were also gummy and chewy. I would recommend steering clear from anything that resembles a dumpling or a pancake on the menu, especially since there are so many other options. All in all, I would definitely recommend trying Zum Wohl because its a very pretty place to enjoy a hardy 100% gluten free meal with excellent service.
Mr. and Mrs. Feel Good
Paniglgasse 22, 1040 Wien, Austria
This little cafe has delicious, home-made food every day, with many dishes that are gluten free, vegetarian or vegan. They have an english menus and label all allergens and multiple GF choices. They also have delicious cakes and they serve coffee, tea and smoothies. We loved the curry, especially sweet potato. You can sit inside or outside under large umbrellas. A quick on the go option for lunch.
Waldherr
Naschmarkt
One of my favorite activities in European cities is to explore the food markets and taste the fresh handmade local cuisine. Naschmarkt is Vienna's famous outdoor food market with over 100 food stalls and restaurants. We stumbled upon a small "bio" bakery called Waldherr in the middle of the market. The bakery serves an array of fresh organic and whole wheat breads and pastries. They also have a dedicated selection of gluten free pastries that are wrapped in plastic. We tasted something that looked similar to a croissant. It was very dry and crumbly. The excitement factor of eating gluten free versions of some of Vienna's pastry delicacies was a redeeming quality. Maybe they would have been better fresh out of the oven.
Merkur Market
Hoher Markt 12, 1010 Wien, Austria
Markur Market is a really gorgeous and upscale supermarket in the city center close to the Hilton Hotel where we stayed. There are three floors. The bottom has fresh produce, the middle floor has gourmet groceries and the top floor has a bakery, wine bar, and coffee bar. Near the bakery section, we found a table filled with gluten free baked goods from a company called Weizen Frei, which means Wheat Free in German. The muffins didn't look like anything special, but the breads looked fantastic and there were a few different types. We bought a few different breads to try and enjoy with our canapes at the hotel club lounge that evening. The Hilton Hotel offered GF bread with breakfast from the same company.