Spain – Gluten Free Me

Picos de Europa: A Gluten-Free Guide

September 18, 2023December 17, 2023Posted in Europe, Spain, TravelTagged national park, picos de europa, Spain, spanish food, TravelLeave a comment

The final stop on our trip exploring the north of Spain was Picos de Europa National Park. During our time here we stayed in the small village of Las Arenas which was close to the Ruta del Cares trail. This was the most rural part of our trip so I expected this to be the most challenging when it came to finding gluten-free options, but I was delighted by the amount of choice available.

Sidreria Calluenga

You’ll find plenty of sidrerias (cider houses) in the area, with natural cider being a popular local drink – and naturally gluten-free too! We dined at Sidreria Calluenga in Las Arenas on a few occasions since the food was so good and it was within walking distance from our accommodation. The menu has plenty of clearly marked gluten-free options and the staff assured me that food was prepared and cooked separately to avoid cross-contamination.

They offered a great selection of local dishes such as fabada (a hearty butter bean stew with bacon, chorizo and black pudding), alongside an array of meat, fish and vegetarian options as well. During our visits we sampled the fabada, filled onions, chorizo in cider, stuffed mushrooms, scrambled eggs with asparagus, and cheese flan. All the food was fresh, hearty and homemade – just what you need after a day’s hiking in the national park. I’d recommend booking in advance here since the restaurant was full every night.

Restaurante El Repelao

After a walk at Covodonga Lakes we went for a spot of lunch at Restaurante El Repelao . The restaurant was positively reviewed by coeliacs and as soon as I told the staff that I was coeliac they assured me that separate preparation areas and fryers etc were used for gluten-free foods. On a mission to indulge in the local cuisine as much as possible, I opted for another fabada – super filling comfort food, and well-earned after a hike around the Covodonga Lakes.

Other restaurants

Whilst we didn’t eat here, Sidreria Ribeles and La Plazuela both offered menus were clearly marked with gluten-free options and have positive reviews from other coeliacs. Both are in Las Arenas. Another well-reviewed restaurant which offers a completely gluten-free menu is Casa Niembro in the nearby village of Asiego. I would have loved to have eaten here as it has fantastic reviews, but time simply didn’t allow.

Gluten-free beers

Gluten-free beer seemed to be fairly commonplace in the area. In Las Arenas we found gluten-free beers – Mahou and Estrella Galicia at Cideres bakery and Chigre El Orbayu a cozy little bar with plenty of outdoor seating. If you aren’t in the mood for beer, the local natural cider is certainly worth a try.

Gluten-free supermarket options

Staying in Las Arenas we had a local supermarket called BM Shop. At the back of the store they had a range of gluten-free breads, pastas, cereal and biscuits. This was perfect to make a packed lunch when hiking in the area!

Overall verdict

Overall rating

I was spoilt for choice in Las Arenas and was able to indulge in lots of hearty gluten-free dishes. Having plenty of gluten-free options in the supermarket was really important for me on this part of our trip, since I was preparing packed lunches for days out hiking in the national park. For somewhere fairly rural, Las Arenas certainly exceeded expectations.

Coeliac friendly

Plenty of options at most restaurants, coeliac disease was well understood and I didn’t feel like I was missing out at any point.

Safety

Everywhere I went, staff assured me that they were using separate fryers, boards, utensils etc. I didn’t have any issues whilst eating out here.

Santillana del Mar: A Gluten-Free Guide

September 17, 2023December 17, 2023Posted in Europe, Spain, TravelTagged gluten-free, restaurants, Santillana del Mar, Spain, TravelLeave a comment

On our road trip from Bilbao to Picos de Europa National Park, we made a pitstop at Santillana del Mar, a beautiful medieval town in Cantabria, Spain. Since the town is so small I wasn’t expecting too much by the way of gluten-free options, but Santillana del Mar had some fantastic hidden gems.

La Villa

La Villa has been receiving training and guidance from ACECAN, the Cantabrian coeliac association since 2018, and in 2019 they were nominated for best gluten-free restauarant in the ACECAN group. So it goes without saying that the staff are clued up when it comes to coeliac disease, and the whole menu is gluten-free.

We enjoyed a generous portion of homemade gluten-free croquettes, hake with potato écrasé and seaweed salad and the sirloin steak with foie and mushroom sauce.

Pasaje de los Nobles

Whilst we didn’t eat here (it was a tough choice between here and La Villa restaurant), I read lots of positive reviews from coeliacs and Pasaje de los Nobles, like La Villa, receives advice from local coeliac association, ACECAN. The restaurant offers a mix of gluten-free tapas and dessert options.

Confiteria Las Quintas

Whilst meandering around the cobbled streets of Santillana del Mar we came across Confiteria Las Quintas, a small local bakery which offers a mix of gluten and gluten-free items. Whilst unfortunately their bread and pastries contain gluten, they offered a mix of gluten-free biscuits and gluten-free artisan chocolate bars.

Overall verdict

Overall rating

It was great to visit such a small town with so many gluten-free options. With extensive gluten-free menus, plus the seal of approval from the local coeliac association ACECAN, Santillana del Mar felt like a safe haven for any coeliac visitor.

Coeliac friendly

With multiple restaurants with donning ACECAN and FACE Restauración (the federation of coeliac associations in Spain) badges of approval, it felt like the small town was very aware of coeliac disease and ready to accommodate.

Safety

Whilst I only ate the one meal in the town, I didn’t have any complaints with the safety of the food.

Bilbao: A Gluten-Free Guide

September 17, 2023December 17, 2023Posted in Europe, Spain, TravelTagged Bakery, Basque food, bilbao, Spain, spanish food, TravelLeave a comment

After spending a few days in San Sebastián I headed over to the city of Bilbao. Bilbao is much bigger than San Sebastián so my expectations of finding gluten-free eateries was high. In this post I’ll share the details of where I ate and what to expect in the Basque city.

Gluten-free tapas

We kicked off eating our way through Bilbao at Los Fueros, a Michelin Guide restaurant in the Casco Viejo (the old town) area of the city. We went at lunchtime and had a few tapas bites to eat, although bigger mains were available. I had the Russian salad and the tomato salad accompanied with toasted gluten-free bread (admittedly not the best gluten-free bread I’ve had in Spain) – both salads were delicious and there were plenty of other gluten-free options available.

Gluten-free bakery

Whilst I didn’t eat here, I stumbled across a gluten-free bakery called Magora Bakery in the famous La Ribera market. They mainly offered biscuits and cakes but they also offered bread too. They are both gluten-free and milk-free.

Dedicated gluten-free restaurants

Naked and Sated

Next up we went to Naked and Sated. They have a few restaurants across the country and are a dedicated gluten-free and health food restaurant. We ordered the poke bowl, the cheeseburger and a cheesecake for dessert. All of the food was good here, but not particular highlights of the trip for us. That said, it was relaxing to eat in a completely gluten-free restaurant and this place was perfectly en-route for us walking from the old town (Casco Viejo) to the Guggenheim.

Urregin

Our final meal in Bilbao was at Urregin and boy was it worth the wait. The entire menu is gluten-free and was happily devoured by myself and my gluten-eating husband, who also thoroughly enjoyed the gluten-free experience. Our only regret is only finding this on our last night in Bilbao.

We enjoyed the cow tail smoked with foie gras, hake in ali-oli, Idizabal cheesecake and chocolate brownie. I thoroughly recommend this place and would advise booking ahead. The restaurant is only very small and is also very popular, so booking in advance is a must.

Gluten-free Spanish vocabulary

Speaking Spanish was definitely useful on this trip as not everyone spoke English. Below are a few key phrases which you may find helpful:

English:

I am coeliac

I cannot eat gluten

Is there cross-contamination in the kitchen?

Does it contain gluten?

Without gluten

Wheat

Barley

Rye

Spanish:

Soy celiaco/a

No puedo comer gluten

¿Hay contaminación cruzada en la cocina?

¿Contiene gluten?

Sin gluten

Trigo

Cebada

Centeno

Overall verdict

Overall rating

Since I arrived in Bilbao after spending two days in San Sebastián, where eating gluten-free was super easy, I found Bilbao much more difficult to navigate on a gluten-free diet, and the options available were much more limited. That said, this can certainly be worked around with some planning ahead of your visit.

Coeliac friendly

Coeliac disease and the importance of avoiding cross-contamination did seem to be well-understood, however I also found to be restaurant options and gluten-free options on the menu to be somewhat limited.

Safety

I didn’t have any issues with any of the food I ate whilst in Bilbao and staff did seem to take cross-contamination seriously.

San Sebastián: A Gluten-Free Guide

September 17, 2023December 17, 2023Posted in Europe, Spain, TravelTagged gluten-free food, Spain, spanish food, spanish restaurants, tapas, TravelLeave a comment

San Sebastián was my first stop on a road trip around the north of Spain. This was my first time visiting Spain since my coeliac diagnosis so I wasn’t sure how coeliac-friendly Spain would be. Thankfully, Spain was an absolute delight to visit as a coeliac, with most restaurants and cafes having a good understanding of the disease.

Here’s what I found…

Gluten-free Pintxos

Pintxos are a traditional Basque bar snack, a bit like tapas.

Before visiting San Sebastián I was keen to get involved in the local pintxos scene, but figured that with many pintxos being largely bread-based, I may have to give it a miss. How wrong I was! Pintxos bar and restaurant Gandarias offers tonnes of gluten-free pintxos options, including gluten-free croquettes. The staff are very knowledgeable about coeliac disease and assured me that the gluten-free pintxos are prepared separately and in separate fryers etc. The food was so good here (the gluten options too, my husband assured me), that we visited a few times during our time in San Sebastián.

Gluten-free ice cream

Who doesn’t love an ice cream in the sunshine!? Since being diagnosed as coeliac I’ve grown wary of eating ice cream due to cross-contamination, but I had a fantastic experience at Carlos Arribas. Not only can you get gluten-free ice cream here, but you can also get a gluten-free cone – and most importantly, both taste incredible! As soon as I mentioned I was coeliac when making my order the staff member serving me washed his hands, and served my ice cream with a clean ice cream scoop.

Chocolate and white chocolate ice cream in a gluten-free cone from Carlos Arribas

Gluten-free restaurants

During our stay we ate at Bodegón Alejandro which offers gorgeous local cuisine. The food was beautiful and staff were very helpful. Due to multiple staff serving our table I did have to keep reminding them that I was coeliac, but the food was delicious and I ate there without any problems. We ordered the twice acorn fed Iberian pork loin with mashed potatoes and the cod fillet confited with pil pil sauce and spider crab in Donostia style – both gluten-free.

cod fillet confited with pil pil sauce and spider crab in Donostia style at Bodegon Alejandro — Cod fillet confited with pil pil sauce and spider crab

Gluten-free supermarket

During our stay we visited the supermarket Supercor which offered plenty of Schar gluten-free products in a dedicated gluten-free section of the store, including cornflakes, bread, biscuits and chocolate. They also sold gluten-free Mahou beer.

Gluten-free Spanish vocabulary

Speaking Spanish was definitely useful on this trip as not everyone spoke English. Below are a few key phrases which you may find helpful:

English:

I am coeliac

I cannot eat gluten

Is there cross-contamination in the kitchen?

Does it contain gluten?

Without gluten

Wheat

Barley

Rye

Spanish:

Soy celiaco/a

No puedo comer gluten

¿Hay contaminación cruzada en la cocina?

¿Contiene gluten?

Sin gluten

Trigo

Cebada

Centeno

Overall verdict

Overall rating

I felt really safe and at ease when dining out in San Sebastián. Staff at all the restaurants I visited were really knowledgeable and demonstrated that they took coeliac disease seriously in the lengths they went to to avoid cross contamination – even at the ice cream shop. There were also plenty of delicious gluten-free options available at every turn, so I never felt like I was missing out.

Coeliac friendly

It was clear that coeliac disease was well-known and understood in San Sebastián – it certainly wasn’t their first rodeo!

Safety

I wasn’t unwell from any of the food I ate during my time here and staff were really good at avoiding cross-contaminations, using separate gloves, fryers, and utensils as needed.