Gluten-Free Restaurants in Zurich (or the lack thereof)

As we prepared to head out to Zurich, one thing became abundantly clear to me: I could not find any comprehensive blog posts about gluten-free spots in Zurich. Which meant either (a) no one has written about it or (b) I was about to travel to a very celiac-unfriendly city. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the latter.

I have traveled to Switzerland in the past but I was always in very secluded places where I wouldn’t expect to find gluten-free places anyway. So I thought Zurich would be a more positive experience since it’s such a major city. But truthfully it ended up being the most stressful food situation I’ve experienced in a while.

I’ve gotten used to Italy where there are tons of gluten-free options, food labeling is clear, and most people are very educated about celiac disease. Compared to Switzerland where I had waitresses look at me in total confusion when I mentioned celiac disease and had a restaurant owner tell me they could do gluten-free food but it would probably be contaminated. It was like being in the States all over again.

What pushed it over the edge is the fact that I don’t speak German. I kinda forgot what it was like to be in a country where I really don’t speak the language at all. I couldn't read food packaging and allergen warnings and I didn’t feel confident that restaurants understood me when I explained my needs. That said, I brought my Equal Eats translation card with me which made a world of a difference. If you don’t already have one of their translation cards, I highly recommend grabbing one. It has saved me multiple times!

Let me be clear: I am not trying to steer you away from visiting Zurich. If you want to enjoy the beautifully pristine city, by all means, please do. Is it going to be the most amazing culinary experience of your life? No. Will you go starving? Also no. Below are some of the restaurants I found to be safe and a word of caution about some places that claim to be celiac-safe but really are not.

Places to Avoid

Don Weber

I heard about Don Weber on some celiac forums and when I looked them up they even had a page on their website about how they can do gluten-free food. It seemed really promising and I was really excited because I haven’t had Mexican food in forever. When we got there I told the guy that I have celiac disease and need everything to be gluten-free and he said it was no problem, took us to our table, and brought out a card with a QR code to the gluten-free menu. Then I started to ask him a couple of questions about their cross-contact protocols and his demeanor totally changed. He got really defensive and was almost offended that I would even ask him. He said they don’t have a separate kitchen, don’t have a separate gluten-free prep area in the main kitchen, and don’t use different equipment or utensils. He said they couldn’t guarantee anything but no one has had a problem and I should be fine. Huge red flag!

There is really no reason for restaurant owners to have a negative attitude towards a customer with allergen questions. And if they do, it says a lot about how your food will be handled in the kitchen. We chose to leave and did not eat there. I would NOT recommend trusting this spot to be safe.

Haus Hiltl

Haus Hiltl is recognized as the oldest vegan restaurant in the world and because of that, I was super excited to experience it. But I read on multiple different forums (including Find Me Gluten Free) that celiacs had been told they don’t have any cross-contact procedures and couldn’t guarantee anything would actually be gluten-free. On the one hand, I understand a restaurant wanting to protect themselves from any sort of responsibility if someone gets sick. But on the other, this is no way to instill confidence in your celiac patrons. Either say you’re gluten-free and do it for real, or stop getting yourself involved in the celiac community.

After reading such mixed reviews, I chose to skip this location altogether.

Celiac-Safe Restaurants

Rice Up

To my knowledge, Rice Up is the only 100% gluten-free restaurant in Zurich. They don’t widely publicize the fact that they are gluten-free but I spoke with the manager and looked through their whole allergen booklet…they are totally gluten-free. It is located inside the main train station and is like a Tokyo Joe’s meets Chipotle vibe. They do build-your-own rice bowls that are super delicious. We stopped here multiple times during our 4-day trip and enjoyed it every single time. Highly recommend!

Ristorante Positano

Of course one of the only celiac-safe restaurants in Zurich would be an Italian restaurant. I read great reviews about them and was not disappointed when we visited in person. The hostess (I wish I could remember her name!!) was really great at answering all of my questions (in Italian) and I felt super safe eating there. She told me that they have a dedicated gluten-free prep area in the kitchen and that the chef (her brother) is well aware of how careful they need to be with celiac food prep. Everyone in the restaurant was Italian and she told me they had only moved to Zurich from Puglia two years ago. I am super spoiled with amazing gluten-free Italian food and often find myself feeling disappointed when we eat at Italian restaurants abroad but Ristorante Positano was super authentic and incredibly delicious.

At the end of the day (and I say this with love), I just trust Italians to know what they’re doing more than anyone else.

The Butcher

This is a burger chain inside a wider restaurant collective called Familie Wiesner Gastronomie. They obviously have multiple locations but we went to the one at Stüssihofstatt 15. When we got there I asked the waitress if they could do celiac-safe food and she looked pretty confused but said she would go get the manager. At that point I was already preparing for it to be another gluten-free Zurich fail…but I was really pleasantly surprised. The manager came out and explained that they do not have a 100% gluten-free kitchen but they do have a dedicated gluten-free prep area, a separate toaster for the gluten-free buns, that they change their gloves, and she offered to personally prepare our order start to finish. I was SO relieved to find a place that actually understood my needs! And it was so delicious! I’m still thinking about those fries. Highly recommend!!

After we finished eating the manager told us that every restaurant in the Familie Wiesner Gastronomie should be well-versed in gluten-free requirements and should be able to accommodate celiacs. Unfortunately, it was our last night so I wasn’t able to try any of their other restaurants but I look forward to trying them when we return!

So Zurich wasn’t an altogether flop on the food front…I did end up finding some safe and delicious places and now I have some leads on what to try next time. At the end of the day, it was a learning experience.

If you would like to see all the celiac-safe spots in Zurich on my interactive travel maps created with Thatch you can check out my Gluten-Free Guide to Zurich. It includes an interactive map, descriptions of the restaurants, and links to their menus. This guide will continue to grow as I learn more about the celiac scene in Zurich.

Happy (celiac-safe) travels!