Cake, cake and more cake – hello gluten free Vienna! It turns out Vienna has some excellent coeliac friendly choices, as after two days we had sampled enough gluten free cake to last me a lifetime. Although I am certainly not complaining.
Coeliac visitors to the beautiful city of Vienna will have no problem finding safe places to eat and lots of gluten free treat options in cafes as you explore the sights.
Allergens regulations in Austria mean many menus are marked up to show potential allergens, which makes choosing safe gluten free options much easier for coeliac or gluten intolerant visitors.
From excellent, coeliac-safe pizza at Vapiano, to bagels at Blue Orange and an extensive cake selection at Kurkonditorei Oberlaa, below I have listed some of the best eats we sampled in gluten free Vienna.
This guide was last updated in March 2022, using information available online. I have tried to ensure all information in this guide is as accurate as possible, but please always enquire locally before eating. Thank you.
Gluten Free Vienna
Bakeries
The owner of this gluten free bakery got in touch with me, to tell me they make 6 types of fresh gluten free breads, 20 different pastries and desserts! Sounds wonderful and one I’ll be checking out when I next go to Vienna. You can find the bakery at 43 Nußdorfer Str.
Restaurants
This is a brilliant 100% gluten free and lactose free restaurant in Vienna, a must visit on your gluten free Vienna tour. We had a fantastic meal here, with gluten free bread and no worries about cross-contamination. What’s more, they brew their own gluten free beer and their rhubarb radler beer was my favourite.
We tried to go but it was full, so if you are in the mood for pizza make sure you book ahead. Apparently they do excellent gluten free pizza that is very coeliac friendly. They also serve gluten free pasta, gluten free dessert (including gluten free tiramisu) and gluten free beer.
This restaurant focuses on traditional Austrian cuisine and nearly everything on the menu can be made gluten free upon request. They also cater for vegan customers.
For traditional gluten free Austrian fare, visit Gasthaus Nestroy. You can try gluten free schnitzel and wash it down with a glass of gluten free beer! Best to book in advance.
Good gluten free options with coeliac friendly cooking processes. Choices include gluten free pizza and pasta, the pizzas being baked on a foil tray to avoid surface cross contamination.
(note may no longer be suitable for coeliacs as processes may have changed – please enquire) We had such good gluten free pizza at Vapiano in Vienna. This chain of restaurants offers gluten free pizza and pasta and they have special procedures in place to avoid cross-contamination. For pizzas, this means they are cooked in a separate aluminum foil trays and made by a dedicated chef in a separate preparation area. The pizza itself was delicious – I had a very cheese-centric one (three types of cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, figs and rocket) called the “delle alpe” and loved it. We ate at the Wien Mitte branch.
Gluten Free Vienna – Lunch Spots
A fully gluten free cafe, with great reviews. Their breakfast menu looks especially delicious, with a good range of brunchy items. Note not everything is wheat free (one type of bread contains codex wheat starch), so while it’s all okay for coeliacs if you have a wheat allergy be sure to ask staff about bread ingredients.
I scoffed the best gluten free bagel at Blue Orange in Vienna for lunch one day. This little cafe is quite central too so is an ideal gluten free Vienna lunch stopping point. Why do I rate them? Well, they take great care to avoid cross-contamination while preparing the gluten free options and after the waitress talked me through their processes they seemed pretty coeliac safe to me. I chose the Italian – mozzarella, a mystery cheese, rocket, tomato and pesto.
A fully gluten, lactose, nut and soy free cafe. They also cater for other diets, making it perfect if you have additional allergies – gluten free, lactose free, nut free, egg free, etc, there’s something for everyone. Cakes and other sweet treats, plus they serve breakfast and lunch. All the allergens are marked clearly with symbols on the menu, making it easy for you to find what meets your dietary requirements.
A fully gluten free and vegan cafe. New since I visited, it looks like a lovely spot online and a place to grab lunch or to pick up some treats for sightseeing.
A taco place, making its own tortillas using corn flour only. It’s not a fully gluten free spot (some of the toppings contain beer), but is largely a gluten free menu. Let staff know you are gluten free and they are careful with allergens.
A fully gluten free grab n go spot (with a couple of sit down tables) serving up tapioca flour crepes with various yummy fillings.
A city-wide chain of cafes, with a few gluten free snack and cake choices available. The gluten free cakes are stored separately to minimise the risk of cross contamination.
A menu of arepas and other Venezuelan street food dishes, with a menu that is mainly gluten free (a couple of dishes contain gluten). Reviewers report a dedicated fryer and processes in place to minimise cross contamination.
Fully gluten free, refined sugar free, soy free and lactose free. A very cutesy little raw vegan cafe – they offer brunch, lunch and cake options.
Gluten Free Vienna – cake time!
A fully gluten free and vegan cafe, with some tasty cake offerings. Perfect for an afternoon sit down with a coffee.
Kurkonditorei Oberlaa (Landstrasse Street)
We sampled some of the delicious gluten free cakes and tortes available at Kurkonditorei Oberlaa in Vienna, they have several varieties. Such as the Hollander cake – a crisp meringue base, which a chocolate mousse centre rolled in flaked almonds, then topped with soft meringue and there’s a delicate orange flavor to it all. They do a rich gluten free chocolate torte and many other choices for coeliacs too. The menu is clearly marked and all cakes come on their own little bases or with plastic on the sides, which lowers the cross-contamination risk. Note they do sell normal cakes here too.
This historic cafe has a literary past, as a popular meeting spot for writers in the 19th century. These days, this institutions offers a few delicious gluten free cake options, including a chocolate mousse cake with an almond flour sponge. The gluten free options are marked on the menu.
After thinking we’d found zero gluten free options at Schonbrun palace, we trekked up the hill to get the full view of the city from the archway. Lo and behold, we discovered a café called Gloriette inside the arch itself, which serves some gluten cake options. There also had some non-carby gluten free options such as ham and eggs on the menu. They use the allergen marking system on menus here.
A little cookwear store with an enormous range of cookie cutters, glasswear and other lovely bits for your kitchen. When we visited they were also selling gluten free and lactose free brownies. Cakes or not, if you are a homeware fan it’s nice for a browse.
Fast Food
McDonalds
In Austria McDonalds offers gluten free buns for certain burgers, prepared safely. Lovely seedy bun and a very easy ordering process, as you can use the in store electronic screens to do it. I found this put less pressure on and meant I could consider my choices easily. Plus, reassuringly my burger arrived with a gluten frei sticker on it.
Accommodation
There are a few gluten free friendly hotels in Vienna that you may wish to consider for your stay in the city, especially if you want accommodation that is able to provide a safe gluten free breakfast option:
The Harmonie Vienna – this hotel has been awarded ECARF safe (a European allergy accreditation) and is able to provide gluten free options upon request. It gets excellent reviews on Tripadvisor and it is only a short walk from the centre.
Boutique Hotel am Stephansplatz – a fancy boutique hotel that caters ably for gluten free guests upon request, please notify them when booking. One of the best-rated hotels in Vienna with a very central location.
Hotel Kaiserhof – another ECARF certified hotel with very good ratings. Both gluten free and lactose free items are available at breakfast, including gluten free bread if ordered in advance. They take care to avoid cross contamination so prepare this separately.
Hotel Speiss & Speiss – also ECARF certified. This boutique hotel can cater for gluten free guests, when notified in advance.
Gluten Free Vienna – the airport
Vienna airport had a lot of gluten free choice in the departures hall BEFORE you go through security. The large Spa had a gluten free section plus gluten free cakes on the bakery counter. It’s in the main hall, on your right when you come out of the train station and before you go through to the departures lounge.
Gluten Free Vienna – supermarkets
DM Drogerie
Lots of Schar goodies available in DM – a reliable spot for stocking up. We visited the DM on Kundmanngasse Street, South of Central Vienna.
A supermarket chain that is usually pretty well-stocked with gluten free products.
I hope you found this gluten free travel guide helpful! For more travel tips have a look at some of the following:
Safe travels! x
