My 2024 Favorites
Great gluten-free spots abound
Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you’ve been enjoying time with family and friends — and, if you’ve been traveling, you haven’t been badly impacted by the cold, snowy weather that’s taken over a sizable chunk of North America. (I’m in Toronto right now and, baby, it’s cold outside.)
I love this time of year for plenty of reasons, including all the Best of the Year lists that pop up in December. It’s also the perfect time to take stock of what was great about the past 12 months. Here’s my personal list of favorite gluten-free spots that I visited in 2024. (If you you’re looking for great spots in Barcelona, Athens, and Montreal, check out last year’s list. I stand by all of those recommendations!)
Favorite Meal of the Year: Niche, London. Located near Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the restaurant’s tagline is “gluten-free but you wouldn't know it.” No false advertising here! Niche was the first restaurant in London to be certified a 100% gluten-free restaurant by Coeliac UK. It is also nut-free and sesame-free, and many of the dishes are dairy-free or vegan. My meal started with the bread selection, which included a toasted sourdough, a garlic-and-rosemary focaccia, and a red onion and chili flatbread, all served with a sun-dried tomato spread, plus olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Next up was my appetizer: parmesan-and-cheddar doughnuts served with a tomato sauce. Plus a side of beer-battered onion rings. My main course was duck breast in a rich Madeira sauce with a creamy celeriac mash and steamed bok choy. It was decadent and delicious and the service was lovely.
Favorite Patisserie: Sucré Coeur, Paris. The Montmartre neighborhood is famous for Sacré-Coeur, a spectacular 19th-century basilica filled with beautiful mosaics and other works of art. In its shadow lies Sucré Coeur at 19 rue Custine. (The name is a play on words: Sacré-Coeur means sacred heart, while Sucré Coeur is sugar heart.) This tiny spot has only a few seats, but it’s 100% gluten-free and offers an impressive array of cakes, tarts, brownies, and cookies. My taste test included the Julienne (creamy lemon), the Arthur (poached pear and cardamom), and the Dominique (caramelized apple); each one deserves a gold medal.
Favorite Vegan Meal: Bar Verde, New York City. I’m a carnivore myself, but I have plenty of family and friends who follow plant-based diets, so it’s a joy to find a delicious spot that caters to us all. Every year, Bar Verde lands on everyone’s list of best vegetarian restaurants in New York City. It’s 100% gluten-free and 100% vegan, and the thoughtful staff is also very careful about food allergies. The dishes inspire “I can’t believe this doesn’t have [cheese/bacon/other ingredients]” wonder. For me, the empanadas are a particular standout — I know they’re dairy-free, but the rich, savory cheese substitute has perfect flavor and texture. The maple syrup caramel flan is also a stunner.
Favorite Brunch: Almond Butterfly, Toronto. With a full-service restaurant on Dundas Street West and a bakery and cafe in Toronto’s Annex neighborhood, this dedicated 100% gluten-free spot offers something for everyone. I’m partial to the location on Dundas, because I love being spoiled for choice. The brunch menu includes classic steak & eggs, apple pancakes, french toast (with lemon-lavender ricotta), and smoked salmon toast. Honestly, you can’t go wrong. Save space for dessert if you can: the baked goods are divine, from the strawberry-topped cupcakes to the apple-caramel crumble cheesecake.
Favorite Fish & Chips: Hobson’s, London. Hobson’s is a family business with three London locations: Soho, Charing Cross, and Porchester. While not a dedicated gluten-free restaurant, Hobson’s handles prep with great care, making their own GF batter in-house and using a dedicated fryer. They source their cod, haddock, and other fresh fish from the Grimsby and Billingsgate fish markets, all from sustainable sources. I ordered the haddock, which was perfectly fried in a crispy, dark golden batter. Equally delicious? The sides of onion rings and the grilled Halloumi cheese; even the coleslaw was terrific. I didn’t really have room for dessert, but I had to try the hot sticky toffee pudding, which was a satisfying finale for a great meal.
Favorite Mexican Restaurant: Taquiza, Miami Beach. This casual, inexpensive restaurant served up one of the best meals of my trip. Starting with the totopos (thick-pressed organic masa corn chips, hand-torn and fried to order, then served with salsa and guacamole), I was hooked. The tacos were incredible: I had the Asada (grilled prime skirt steak, marinated in citrus pasilla negro & chile de arbol) and the Huitlacoche (corn truffle, sweet corn, fresno chile, and green onion). The passionfruit margarita was a delight.
Favorite Wine Bar: Chleo, Kingston NY. Chleo calls itself a wine bar, but it’s so much more, with a sophisticated dinner menu, staff that are well-educated in celiac disease and food allergies, and a picture-perfect setting. The menu isn’t entirely vegetarian, but it is veggie-forward, with meat being more of a supporting player than a star. The restaurant can easily accommodate vegan guests, and much of the menu is naturally gluten-free or can be altered to be gluten-free. The offerings change frequently and depend on the season, but the quality is consistently excellent.
Favorite takeout: TLK, New York City. I’m more than a little bit heartbroken that TLK (also known as Tigerlily Kitchen) lost its East Village base because of a condo development project. While it doesn’t have a permanent home right now (there are occasional pop-up locations), TLK is still 100% gluten-free and offers its incredible meals via delivery. I’m used to takeout food being mashed into containers, but TLK’s are always thoughtfully designed and constructed, and the name of each dish is invariably noted on its cardboard box. My go-to delivery order is the peanut street noodles, but I also love starters like the green mango and papaya salad; the main-dish spicy ho fun noddles and the red curry chicken are also stellar.
Favorite Asian Fusion: Riz, Toronto. Not only is this kitchen 100% dedicated gluten-free, but the restaurant went to the additional effort of getting itself certified by the GFFP (Gluten-Free Food Program). You don’t need to wonder if you’re in good hands there; it’s celiac paradise. The food is absolutely top-notch. For starters, I love the deep-fried shrimp tempura, but also recommend the Vietnamese spring rolls with chicken and the vegan taro rolls. On the main-dish front, I’m obsessed with the Citrus Chicken — it’s a perfect balance of savory and sweet with crispy breaded chicken, onions, and peppers in a sweetened lemon sauce.
Favorite hotel: IHG’s Hotel Indigo Kensington, London. Located at the edge of Barkston Gardens, a private park that hosts a variety of events for the local community. The hotel occupies a series of interconnected townhouses from numbers 34 through 44, making the rooms feel less corporate hotel and more like a stay in a stately home. That said, it still has all the convenience you’d want in a hotel, including a terrific breakfast that includes both a hot prepared plate and buffet stations. The staff is prepped for gluten-free guests, with easy modifications to the hot plates, gluten-free bread on request, and a gluten-free buffet station that is separate from the others. The staff was thoughtful and helpful, which made my whole stay such a joy.
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PS For those who’ve joined the Gluten-Free Guidebook recently, you may not know that my day job is actually as a crime writer. My first four novels are all on sale right now. That includes the three novels of the award-winning Lily Moore series — The Damage Done, The Next One to Fall, and Evil in All Its Disguises — and my standalone Blood Always Tells. Each book is $2.99 on Kindle. If you enjoy mysteries, I hope you’ll check them out!