Gluten Free Berlin Guide: Where to Find the 10 Best Gluten Free Hotspots

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This June, Wessel and I took the ICE train from Amsterdam to Berlin to celebrate my twenty-fifth birthday and our four-year anniversary in style. A city known for its vibrant nightlife seemed like the perfect place to do so, especially during the hotter days of spring when the Biergarten’s would be open, and we could soak up the sun. Lucky for us, we were blessed with sunshine and warm temperatures, and I could not wait to start exploring the gluten free Berlin I had read so much about.

Besides doing great activities, lounging around on terraces, and exploring the cities different neighborhoods, we had some amazing gluten free food as well. Having visited Berlin a couple of times before, I already had a taste of some of the gluten free bakeries around, but never really made a priority of discovering new places. This trip, however, really set the tone for all future trips to the city.

Before getting my gluten intolerance diagnosis and whilst living close to the Dutch border with Germany, I loved eating fresh bread from bakeries all over the country whenever we would go there on weekends. This time, I finally got to experience that feeling again. And, because I want you to taste all this goodness as well, I have contrived this gluten free Berlin guide for you so you can fill up your suitcases and bellies with the best gluten free bakeries, lunchrooms, restaurants and food markets in Berlin.

Getting There

It is important to first get to the city before you can try all its delicious goodies. As mentioned above, we got there via train, which is one of my favorite ways to travel. From Amsterdam you can take a direct train a couple of times per day which will take you to the heart of Berlin in only six hours. From there you could take the train to any city in Germany, or across the border to Prague. Check out my blog on Interrailing if you are planning on a grand European tour, or check out Trainline to get your train tickets for the best possible price. If you are too far away to take the train, then many flights arrive in Berlin from all over the world. I always love to use Skyscanner to get the best deal, so check your dates here. Transportation booked? Let’s get back to this gluten free Berlin guide.

Gluten Free Bakeries and Breakfast

Napoljonska: Vegetarian Café

After a not so great night at our not so great hotel, we were craving a full breakfast and coffee. Through Google Maps, we found Napoljonska in Prenzlauerberg, the neighborhood we were aiming to explore that day. Besides gluten free bread, this vegetarian café had homemade gluten free tomato basil pie, apricot pie, banana bread and carrot cake as well, making it the perfect first contender in this gluten free Berlin guide. Excited about the wide array of options, and sad too as I could not try everything on the menu, we sat down on their gorgeous terrace with white bistro chairs, wildflowers and, most importantly, the sun in our faces.

We started out with two cappuccino’s and, what the owner said was their bestseller, some delicious gluten free banana bread. Two fresh orange juices and full breakfast plates came our way as well, making sure we had enough energy to walk around the city all day. The breakfast platter contained gluten free bread covered with homemade tomato spread, sauteed spinach, two eggs sunny side up and a large salad with lots of apple and ginger. For all of this, we only paid twenty-five euros per person, and had to skip lunch because we were so full. So, if you want a healthy and gluten free breakfast, Napoljonska is the place to go!

Stay in Prenzlauer Berg

Besides serving great breakfast, Prenzlauer Berg is also a good area to stay in. Even though Berlin does not really have a center, this part of the city is centrally located enough for you to explore every neighborhood. Consider staying at Bensimon Apartments, where you have the freedom of having your own kitchen and large balcony, as well as the clean luxury that hotels are usually known for. A little cheaper would be the hotel giant Meininger, which also has dorm rooms for those travelers that prefer to stay at hostels.

Aera: Gluten Free Bakery with Multiple Locations

After checking into our new hotel in Charlottenburg, we stumbled across Aera. I had saved this gluten free bakery beforehand but was not aware they had multiple locations throughout the city. As we got distracted by Aesop’s free dispensers, I recognized the sign and got so excited I basically sprinted to the little square where this piece of heaven was located. After checking out their menu and display of baked goodies, we decided to come back here for lunch and see if it was as good as it looked. (But to be honest, after looking at their incredible selection of pastries, I knew this would be my favorite stop in my to-be-written gluten free Berlin guide.)

I am so happy we went back, as their grilled cheese was probably the best I had ever had. With delicious cheese, tomatoes and rosemary on scrumptious gluten free sourdough I gladly paid the fourteen euros. We waited outside in the sun with a good cup of coffee and ordered a cinnamon bun to go as well. At first I thought I would eat it as a dessert, but the grilled cheese was so large, I had to wait until a walk through the Tiergarten to eat it. This was also the best cinnamon roll I have ever had: the dough was airy and moist, without being too sticky or too sweet. Aera defines the gluten free Berlin scene. I wished I could have one of these everyday back in Amsterdam.

Despite Aera being a dedicated gluten free bakery, they do not advertise it anywhere around their café or on their signs. At first this surprised me, as I would think you want gluten free people to be able to find your place. But their baked goodies are so good, you will not taste the difference, making me guess this place is popular among all foodies with and without celiac’s disease or gluten intolerance. This bakery therefore must be at the top of your BBL (bakery bucket list).

Breakfast at the Sir Savigny Hotel

After checking into our first hotel, Smartments Karlhorst in Berlin, we found out the room was meant for one person. Even though the hotel argued it was a double bed, after our first night of elbowing each other, we figured out for us, two tall Dutch humans, it was not. With a lot of going back and forth, we did not even get a second pillow or duvet, and thus decided to get another hotel for the final two nights of our stay.

Through a quick search on Booking.com we found the Sir Savigny Hotel, with a Genius discount. I have been a member of the hotel platform for so long I am now on level two and looking for great discounts wherever I go. This particular hotel is part of the Sircle Collection which has hotels in Amsterdam, Barcelona, London and Ibiza, all being well-designed to the tiniest details. This one had old school flip light-switches, Marshall speakers in every room, brass and glass finishes on the walls and velvet on the beds. We felt liked we walked into a bougie 1920s hotel.

The kitchen, where we had breakfast the first morning, had chrome finishing and its white tiles had blue hand-painted illustrations of various types of meat. The kitchen belonged to the restaurant “The Butcher,” but they also served breakfast to the hotel guests. For twenty euros we could eat from the breakfast buffet and order from the breakfast menu that served everything you would want, like the famous eggs’ benedict. They also had gluten free bread and were very knowledgeable about dietary restrictions and allergies.

I would hundred percent recommend staying at the Sir Savigny Hotel: we received a complementary welcome drink upon arrival and the rooms were besides pretty very comfortable. There are many other hotels in Berlin though in any part of time that will suit any traveler’s needs. If you are traveling solo and would like to meet other travelers, then you will find Berlin to be a great city for backpackers due to the endless amount of great hostels around, which was how I visited the city before this little splurge.

Jute Bäckerei

Another great gluten free bakery, this time in Prenzlauerberg instead of Charlottenburg. We did not visit Jute Bäckerei this time around, but I have visited the place every other time I visited Berlin and remember their pies, cakes and loafs of bread fondly. Which is why they must be named in this gluten free Berlin guide. It is a true German bakery as I remember them from my childhood, with Schwarzwalder kirsch and multi-grain breads. The cappuccinos were large, and I always left with my belly and bag filled to the brim. This is the place to get a classic German Frühstück. Besides a killer breakfast, they also have croissants, but I would leave the croissants to this bakery, and check out their pies instead.

Oshione

On our last day in Berlin, Wessel and I rented bicycles to cycle along the Wall. We left around ten AM and found ourselves at Tempelhof, an airport turned city park, when our stomachs started to rumble. A quick look at my Google Maps list of Berlin must-sees revealed that Oshione was less than five minutes away. Always happy to visit a gluten free bakery, the place turned out to be an organic heaven: with heavy and nutritious loafs of bread lining the walls and the most yummy looking rolls on display.

Oshione was founded by Aureen, who, after her diagnosis, wanted to combine her love for baking with her German, African and Asian heritage and has mastered the array of gluten free ingredients. All the while staying organic. Of course, I instantly fell in love with the place, and wanted to try everything they had. Unfortunately, we were leaving the next day and I only had room to take something for breakfast and as a little snack that afternoon. I opted for a delicious dark chocolate roll, a sourdough cinnamon roll and a slice of banana bread with chocolate, which were all equally good. Get yourself some snacks here too, and eat them in the romantic Viktoriapark, like we did, to make your day complete.

Dinner

Pho Co

Is Berlin the best place in Europe to have Vietnamese food? In my experience, it is. About 40,000 Vietnamese live in Berlin and are the largest Southeast Asian community in the German capital. Even though the Berlin Wall is not more than a remnant of an age past since 1989 and Vietnam has been unified since 1976, still most South Vietnamese continue to live in West Berlin, while North Vietnamese have their homes in East Berlin. Those from the South were mostly boat refugees that survived the horrid crossing and sought asylum in Germany, while the North Vietnamese people were invited by their communist sister state to perform cheap labor. Many shops and restaurants still show these differences through their names and signs.

Currently, many Vietnamese are business owners and have become a part of Berlin’s multi-faceted identity. This cannot be missed as there seems to be a Vietnamese restaurant on every corner, all showcasing different menus and delicacies. Even though it is impossible to pick one, we looked up the one closest to us with the best Google review and that is how ended up at Pho Co.

Nón lá – Vietnamese hats – lined the walls, maggi and hoisin sauce in blue porcelain were carefully placed on each table, and lanterns illuminated the room. The staff was incredibly friendly, and the menu showed all of the allergens present in the food. We started with some fried spring rolls and a papaya salad. Especially the latter one was super yummy with lots of citrus and crunchy peanuts. For the main we both ordered Phò: while mine came as a broth, Wessel had the stir-fry variation. Both were exactly what we had hoped and made sure or stay in Berlin got off to a good start. Besides, not including at least one Vietnamese restaurant in any gluten free Berlin guide would be blasphemous.

Berlin Food Tour

If you are like me, you would also get overwhelmed with all the options in a city. Choosing a restaurant is a task you do not take lightly, as a bad meal is just time wasted. A great way to discover all the best and hidden places in any city is through a food tour. Whether you prefer to book with GetYourGuide or Viator, there are plenty of options for everyone. A culinary tour is definitely on my bucket list for next time, just make sure to call ahead to confirm your dietary requirements will be met.

Alte Turnhalle

On our third night in Berlin, we met up with a good friend I had not seen in ages. She knew the city like the back of her hand and recommended we get drinks in Friedrichshain, a neighborhood in Eastern Berlin popular among students and starters like us. We started the evening at the Alte Turnhalle, an old gym turned into a restaurant and event venue with a large summer terrace. Great for kids, parents and young folk alike, this spacious place offers simple dishes and good cocktails. I opted for a bellini and a bunless burger, of which the latter was so good, I did not even miss the bread. No pictures of this one, but a must visit for a beer in the sun, as well as lunch, snacks or dinner!

Food Markets

Marheineke Markthalle

The best memories are made when you do not expect them to happen. That was the case with this particular indoor market in Kreuzberg. While wandering through a city, I never know what to do in the time between lunch and dinner. At five PM my stomach starts to rumble, but I refuse to eat dinner so early. This daily phenomenon happened as we were exploring Kreuzberg, and as an oasis to an adventurer lost in the desert: the Marheineke Markthalle rose before us.

There were stands selling vegetables, fruits, meat, fish and dairy: everything you would need for your daily groceries. But we also encountered cava, oyster and beer bars, and some of the stands had their goods in the front, and an open kitchen at the back, meaning you could taste the freshest produce on the spot. One fish stand caught our eye, as they sold good-looking oysters. We got a glass of rosé cava as well and had the most splendid hour watching people and eating our favorite delicacies. A perfect place to get your groceries, meet up with friends on its terrace, or have a quick lunchbreak: a gluten free Berlin guide could not be complete without the Marheineke Markthalle.

Eatwith Locals in Berlin

Ever since I started with affiliate marketing through Travelpayouts, and discovered the platform Eatwith, I was intrigued and have wanted to try their experiences badly. Eatwith is a platform that offers locals and travelers to connect through food. With prices ranging from forty to hundred-and-fifty euros, you can book a great variety of dinners and experiences here. Like a Sicilian family dinner at Giovanni’s house in Friedrichshain, a vegan cheese workshop just around the corner or a workshop where you learn to make spiced drinks and how to do Indian dances. All organized by locals looking to make something extra and meet new friends. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?

Markthalle Neun

Another food court, but this time completely catered to street food. Markthalle Neun looks like a neo-classical palace from the outside, but inside it resembles a warehouse from the Industrial Revolution. Perfectly eclectic with mirror balls dangling from the ceiling and colorful seating areas: this place was teeming with life. The popularity of the place did not excite everyone, however, as a “Stop Markthalle Neun” was hanging from the opposite building. This made me guess the crowds we encountered in and around the building, were not just a one-time thing.

We went in anyways, wanting to know what the fuss was about, and started off by circling around the building. There were some gluten free options, but not that many, so we decided to still our initial hunger with some cheese at the cheese stand, which they cut up into little cubes for us. With a natural orange wine, which was a little too funky for our tastebuds, we sat down and nibbled on the cheese. If you know us, you know that did not take longer than five minutes, as we love cheese. This one was delicious too, but unfortunately, I cannot remember what it was. You will have to create your own cheese platter in order to find out.

After finishing our cheese, we walked around on our own a bit. Wessel got a savory Japanese pancake, while I asked a bunch of vendors whether they had gluten free food. Korean, Ukrainian, Italian and Mongolian stands all had to tell me no, even though it seemed to be gluten free. Finally, it came down to two options: tacos or ceviche. I love tacos, but Peruvian food seemed a little more adventurous.

Although the ceviche was absolutely delicious, their advertising cannot be considered safe. Only one of their dishes was gluten free, while the sign in front had a gluten free sign below every single one of them. I was glad asked them, just wanting to be sure, but also told them they should get a marker straightaway and cross of the GF symbol, because they could be putting people’s lives in danger. They were very understanding, and hopefully heeded my advice. Still, I would recommend Markthalle Neun, even if it is just for the vibes.

Italian Street Food Festival

Last but not least: the Italian Street Food Festival in OST Hafen. Wessel had found this little festival a couple of weeks before heading off to Berlin, and we bought tickets straight away. A two-day festival with Italian food, karaoke, Aperol Spritz and Italian pop bangers? Count us in. We went on Saturday, and the weather that day plus the Italian spoken all around us made us feel like we just got transported to Italy. The festival had been organized by True Italian, a network of Italians living in Germany, connecting, empowering and preserving the authenticity of Italian restaurants and other initiatives in the country.

As soon as we entered the festival and saw all the cash being handed over to the vendors, we figured out we should have brought more cash with us. A quick walk around the terrain also made us realize there was barely anything gluten free being sold. We did get some breadless Apulian bombettes and fried risotto balls, but I had to fill the rest of my stomach with the Aperol Spritz and beer we had ordered at the bar. There was gluten free gelato too, but as we ran out of cash, I had to let that one slide unfortunately. The week after, OST Hafen was meant to host a Mexican food festival, meaning I probably would have been luckier there. Still, for the vibes and the drinks, you should visit this festival if you can, or OST Hafen and their other venue, Club OST, so you can dance the night away.

Where to Stay in Friedrichshain

Staying in Friedrichshain is staying in one of the greener parts of the city. Near the Spree and all the lovely, hip biergartens, you will not get bored here. Stay at the bohemian apartments near the East Side Gallery at Arbio I Luxury, or at the gorgeous Emma by Shulz Hotel where you have splendid views of the city and great complimentary breakfast. Prefer to meet other travelers by staying at hostels? Hostelworld has some great options in the neighborhood too, like the Sunflower or Pegasus Hostel.

Final thoughts on Gluten Free Berlin

This brings our gluten free Berlin guide to an end. Looking back on this long list of bakeries, restaurants and food courts, I feel so much joy and gratitude for all the great food we had that weekend. Still, I only dream of one every single night: Aera, the gluten free bakery. Their fluffy cinnamon roll was just so good, I want one every morning as breakfast. Maybe they will open a venue in Amsterdam if I ask nicely?

The coming weeks I will be sharing everything about the nicest neighborhoods to visit in Berlin, what activities to do, and what terraces and bars to hit during the summer. Make sure to follow me on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter to get all the latest updates, and get a gluten free world map, for free.