Crystal Palace: The Gluten Free Suitcase Guide
Recently voted the best place to live in London, Crystal Palace is buzzy, green and full of good places to eat. I went to school just down the road, so I have many a memory here from my childhood, but food options were few and far between (for gluten free people at least). My husband to be and I moved back here earlier in 2022 so I’ve had the chance to rediscover the area and have put together this handy guide for anyone visiting/living locally. From cannoli to gluten free onion bhajis, Crystal Palace has a lot to offer the gluten free community!
Crystal Palace’s perfect brunch spot luckily has more than one branch! Here at Brown & Green you can get your hands on gluten free breakfast sandwiches! Pick from several flavours and the lovely team will toast and prep your bread separately. I always have the bacon, halloumi, rocket and avocado sandwich and wash it down with an Americano. A number of egg dishes can also be adapted to be gluten free if you’re eating in. These guys sometimes have a gluten free cake on display in the cake counter, so keep your eyes peeled.
Where?
99 Church Road
London SE19 2PR
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace Park
Thicket Road
London SE20 8DS
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace Station Road
London SE19 2AZ
Crystal Palace
This local Vietnamese restaurant has been a family favourite for many years. Most of the pho soups are gluten free while others can often be adapted to be coeliac safe so please ask the lovely team upon arrival. I always start with the summer rolls here, which are made freshly on the premises and never disappoint. This place is very budget friendly and the service is speedy and friendly. Booking advised, especially on weekends.
Where?
74 Westow Street
London SE19 3AE
Crystal Palace
This cafe is my go-to coffee spot in Crystal Palace. To prevent cross contamination, the team here will thoroughly wipe down the coffee machine upon request and wash jugs in the dishwasher before serving me my flat white. I am always impressed by how friendly the team are and by the fact that there are always gluten free cannoli on display! While we can’t enjoy most of the other cakes, who needs more than cannoli anyway?!
Where?
23 Westow Street
London SE19 3RY
Crystal Palace
The ONLY Indian restaurant I have EVER been to that serves gluten free onion bhajis – surely that’s enough to convince you to book a table?! The lovely team here serve up Indian and Nepalese cuisine – a lot of which is street food inspired. If you’re coeliac, you can ask the kitchen to fry you up a fresh batch of poppadums to avoid cross contamination and then choose from an array of gluten free curries and sides. Timur serves up some of the best Indian food I’ve had in ages – couldn’t recommend it enough!
Where?
17 Westow Street
London SE19 3RY
Crystal Palace
This gluten free fried chicken stand will absolutely blow your mind at the weekly Sunday Crystal Palace Farmers Market. You can find these guys serving up insane gluten free fried chicken in an array of sauces and fries most Sundays. They don’t shout about the fact that all their chicken and fries are GF so it’s incredibly satisfying to just be able to swan up to the stand and order without issues. Obviously we can’t have the buns on offer, but everything else is fine and the team are very allergy-aware.
Where?
Crystal Palace Farmers Market
Bottom of Haynes Lane/Top of Bedwardine Road
London SE19 3AP
Crystal Palace
This local craft beer shop and bar has several gluten free beers available to either drink in or take away. The selection can vary depending on when you choose to pop in but it’s so great to have this spot nearby! Their garden is also lovely when the weather is nice and makes a great pre-dinner drinking spot.
Where?
28 Westow Hill
London SE19 1RX
Crystal Palace
Ever miss ordering an actual pint of beer? Well, at Westow House you can usually do that as they often have local Gipsy Hill Brewery’s Bandit gluten free pale ale on tap! I’ve only eaten here once and it was tricky to find many GF options so would advise just sticking to beer for now, but it’ll soon be time for me to enquire about the menu again so watch this space!
Where?
79 Westow Hill
London SE19 1TX
Crystal Palace
The Gluten Free Suitcase 