11 gluten-free dedicated restaurants and bakeries to visit in Columbus

Taijuan Moorman, The Columbus Dispatch
·5 min read
The jackfruit taco, lilac ophelia cocktail and the nut mince taco photographed at the Greenhouse Canteen and Bar on Thursday, October 28, 2021.
The jackfruit taco, lilac ophelia cocktail and the nut mince taco photographed at the Greenhouse Canteen and Bar on Thursday, October 28, 2021.

Gluten-free eating continues to rise in popularity, from people realizing their intolerance to the protein found in certain grains, to others who just want to make a change in their diet.

Gluten is troublesome for people with celiac disease, who cannot digest protein found in wheat, barley, or rye, which damages part of the small intestine and can disrupt the absorption of nutrients.

When a product is characterized as gluten-free, it typically means products free of wheat, rye and barley and their derivatives. However, the FDA allows food with gluten-free labels to contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten, the lowest that can be reliably detected in foods.

Most restaurants and bakeries today have gluten-free options or versions of their menu items, including Happy Little Treats, Pattycake Bakery, Marcella's, Bareburger, and more — however, the following are places in and around Columbus dedicated to using gluten-free ingredients.

In honor of National Gluten-Free Day on Friday, start the year off with these gluten-free restaurants and bakeries to visit in Central Ohio:

Bibibop

Assistant manager, Maria Sigala, helps a first time customer at BiBiBop's flagship location inside Easton Town Center, Tuesday, April 7 2015. (Dispatch Photo by Courtney Hergesheimer)
Assistant manager, Maria Sigala, helps a first time customer at BiBiBop's flagship location inside Easton Town Center, Tuesday, April 7 2015. (Dispatch Photo by Courtney Hergesheimer)

As of 2021, Columbus-based Korean fast-casual chain Bibibop's menu is now 100 percent gluten-free. The Gluten-Free Food Service-certified restaurant continues to offer build-your-own bowls, with white or purple rice, sweet potato noodles, and salad as a base, and gluten-free proteins toppings, and sides with vegetarian and vegan options available.

Check individual locations for their hours.

Bake Me Happy

Bake Me Happy, at 500 E. Whittier St. in Schumacher Place and at North Market Bridge Park in Dublin, is known for its gluten-free treats enjoyed by everyone, such as its oatmeal creme clouds, brown butter Rice Krispies, quinoa flake monster cookies, pop tarts, donut muffins, unicorn bars, mini bundt cakes, brownies, blondies, scones, and more.

Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More:Bake Me Happy moves after buying former post office building at Whittier and Parsons

Portia's Cafe

All of the food served at Portia's Café is vegan, gluten and GMO-free and organic, and locally sourced whenever possible. The cafe serves muffins, wraps, oatmeal, granola with yogurt, waffles and home fries for breakfast; salads, soups, wraps, bowls, quesadillas, and "mac 'n cheeze" for lunch and dinner; and mousse, parfait, macaroons, and more as desserts. Coffee, smoothies, tea, and kombucha are also available.

Hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Gluten-Free from The Dipped

Deep-dished pizzas by Gluten-Free from The Dipped.
Deep-dished pizzas by Gluten-Free from The Dipped.

The Dipped Donut in Delaware has opened an all-gluten-free spinoff, Gluten-Free from The Dipped, in the same building as its original bakery at 256 S. Sandusky St. The bakery and certified gluten-free facility offers cinnamon and pecan rolls, crescent rolls, tortellini salad, whoopie pies, mini bundt cakes, pop tarts, deep dished pizza, scones, rolls, bread and more.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

Greenhouse Canteen + Bar

One of a handful of proper restaurants on this list, Greenhouse Canteen + Bar, at 1011 W 5th Ave. in Fifth by Northwest, remains the only American location of the Australian chain. The entirely vegan and gluten-free menu is wide-ranging, with dishes like Korean rice cakes, jackfruit enchiladas, pumpkin alfredo gnocchi, eggplant moussaka, Morrocan chickpea crepes, tacos, salad, desserts, and more.

Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Gluten-free:Lopaus Point Waffles made in Groveport make Oprah's healthy living list

Cherbourg Bakery

S'more bar, double lemon bar and zucchini loaf from Cherbourg Bakery in Bexley. (Tim Johnson/Columbus Monthly)
S'more bar, double lemon bar and zucchini loaf from Cherbourg Bakery in Bexley. (Tim Johnson/Columbus Monthly)

Cherbourg Bakery, at 547 S. Drexel Ave. in Bexley, serves treats and savory items free of gluten, nuts, and dyes, including quiche, bread loaves, strata, donuts, muffins, bars, cookies, madeleines, scones, and petit-choux, filled with vanilla or chocolate cream. The bakery notes the double lemon bars are a best seller.

The bakery also sells its own flour, free of gluten, gum and nuts.

Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Choripan Argentine Grill

Choripan Argentine Grill, at 5927 Karric Square Dr. in the Karric Square Shopping Center in Dublin, is not only gluten-free, but also nut, grain, soy, sugar, and seed oil-free. But there is plenty left to choose from on the menu, including homemade artisanal empanadas with a variety of filling options, wings, pizza, soups, sandwiches and burgers, desserts, and more.

Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

BLT with Batata Fritas from Choripan Argentine Grill in Dublin.
BLT with Batata Fritas from Choripan Argentine Grill in Dublin.

Moonbowls and Honest Bowls

Moonbowls and Honest Bowls are both ghost kitchens in the Columbus Food Hall, at 1282 Essex Ave. The Asian restaurants specialize in healthy, gluten-free bowls, salads, desserts and more.

The menus for both are pretty similar, with Moonbowls including Korean dishes and ingredients. The menus include impossible and sweet potato potstickers, cauliflower wings, purple noodle salad, marinated chicken and impossible beef bowls, build-your-own bowls, plus edible cookie dough and chia pudding as desserts.

Pickup hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.

The Well

The Well, a cafe at 203 S. Broad St. in Lancaster, serves food with non-GMO ingredients that are organic and local when possible. The cafe offers both breakfast and lunch fare, including avocado toast, pumpkin spice buckwheat waffles, and smoothie bowls for breakfast; salads and bowls, millet-flax pita bread, and hummus plates for lunch. The menu also includes house-baked desserts, including caramel crunch apples, maple studded affogato, and a caramel apple pie sundae, plus coffee, juices, smoothies and teas to drink.

Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Coming soon: Biscuits by Daddy-O

Biscuits by Daddy-O, specializing in gluten-free biscuits, is set to open in early February at 821 E. Long St. in Columbus' King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood.
Biscuits by Daddy-O, specializing in gluten-free biscuits, is set to open in early February at 821 E. Long St. in Columbus' King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood.

The not-yet-open Biscuits by Daddy-O is set to debut in early February at 821 E. Long St. in King-Lincoln Bronzeville. The future cafe will serve regular, vegan, cinnamon, cheese and "everything" biscuits with condiments such as butter and jelly, plus coffee and all gluten-free, mostly rice-flour mixes for customers to take home.

tmoorman@dispatch.com

@taijuannichole

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: National Gluten-Free Day: 11 restaurants to visit in Columbus