Though it may be difficult to find a 100% gluten-free spots in Jordan (apart from 1 which I know of), there are some pretty cool cafes where you can enjoy a young vibrant ambiance and find good food options.
Primal
Cuisine: Paleo/ 100% gluten-free
What I like about it: Fully gluten-free, modern cuisine, tasty
My favorites: Primal plantbased burger, tiramisu
Plantbased burger
Tiramisu
Wild Jordan
Cuisine: International
What I like about it: Special setting, nice ambiance, smoothies
My favorites: Falafel
Baked falafel
Blue fig
Cuisine: Bar food
What I like about it: Nice ambiance
My favorites: Quinoa salad
Quinoa saladSweet potato fries
Shams El Balad
Cuisine: Modern Arabic cuisine
What I like about it: Great menu, nice setting and ambiance
There are so many great options for celiacs in Kuwait! Here are my favorites:
vterra
Cuisine: Plantbased wholefoods
What I like about it: 100% gluten-free, wholesome/ nourishing, nicely presented.
The only potential downside is probably the location as it is part of a food court in a mall – I feel it deserves to have a nicer standalone cafe with outdoor seating!
My favorites: Almond butter toast, chocolate smoothie bowl
Almond butter toast with chia jam and coconut yogurtChocolate smoothie bowlHot chocolate
Willow
Cuisine: Plantbased/ 100% gluten-free
What I like about it: Interesting/ unconvenional progressive plantbased cuisine, everything prepared in-house
My favorites: Vegan blue cheese toasts (raw dehydrated toast)
Blue cheese toastGuacamole and crackers
Ovo Kuwait
Cuisine: “Flexitarian” cuisine
What I like about it: Nice outdoor seatings, options which suit different dietary/ culinary preferences
My favorites: Chickpea “fries”
Chickpea “fries” made of chickpea flourSuperfoods kale salad
My last trip to Bahrain was in March 2020 right before the complete border closure! If you are traveling to Bahrain, you can find both Eastern and Western options to choose from.
Beyond all the classic gluten-free meals which you can find in any restaurant (quinoa salads, grilled salmon etc.), the highlights for me were Plant Cafe which is 100% gluten-free and plantbased and Lumee Street where you can find many options. You can also head to Market Place, an organic store, where you will find a large variety of products.
Plant Cafe
Vegan cheese platterBeet hummus and creamy broccoli wrap with hummusBlueberry crumble muffins
Lumee Street
Flaxseed crackers with grilled veggiesHummus with caramelized onions
Dressings thickened with flour – Bechamel, balsamic, teriyaki etc.
Soy sauce – It is very frequently used in various cuisines and contains wheat whereas Tamari which tastes similar is wheat free.
“Crispy”/ “tempura” – Often not very visible/ Can be inside maki rolls, be sure to check.
Certain types of oats – If they are highly cross-contaminated, you are likely to feel unwell if you suffer from celiac.
Granola – Often mixed with gluten containing ingredients.
Plantbased burger patties – Whether they are made of beans/ quinoa or pea protein, wheat flour can be used as binding ingredient.
Plantbased “chicken” – Vital wheat gluten is often the main ingredient.
Seitan – It is not only made of soy like tofu and does contain gluten. For tempeh, be sure to read the ingredients.
Falafels – Traditionally gluten-free however some restaurants add wheat flour. Be sure to ask.
Soups and stews – Vegetable/ chicken stock generally contain gluten.
Pie crusts which contain a mixture of flours.
Ice cream containing bits of chocolate or cookies.
Couscous looks like quinoa – Always be sure to ask.
Mexican taco shells – Though it should be made 100% of corn, it is often mixed with wheat flour.
Mexican tortillas – “Flour tortillas” are made of wheat flour. You should ask for 100% corn tortillas and double check that it hasn’t been mixed with wheat.
Burghul – Pure wheat added to salads like Tabbouleh or used as vine leaves stuffing.
Dosa – Traditionally made of fermented rice and lentils, some restaurants use wheat flour.
Syrups added to drinks – It is better to avoid altogether.
Fried fish or other fried food – Wheat flour used for dusting or coating.
Zuma’s tofu salad – Corn starch is used to make the tofu crispy along with gluten-free soy sauce
I grew up in Lebanon eating wholesome traditional dishes made of natural local ingredients which definitely shaped by culinary preferences! There is a misconception about Arabic cuisine in general: it is not restricted to grills and offers a very broad range of flavorful nourishing meals which suit different tastes!
Overview: I would split Lebanese cuisine into 3 parts
1) Mezze: small dishes with a high number of vegetarian options that are served as entree (which are actually filling enough to be mains!)
2) Vegetable stews: Vegetables or beans served with meat and rice. The most common main dish in Lebanese homes.
3) Grills: traditionally served in Lebanese restaurant as main course; usually meat and chicken.
What to safely enjoy: If cooked traditionally, Lebanese cuisine offers a high number of gluten-free options especially mezze which generally comprise of certain beans or vegetables cooked with natural tomato sauce and sauteed garlic/ onions! You can also enjoy grills if you consume meat – you have to ask the restaurant to serve the grills in Lebanese bread though.
What to watch out for: Restaurants who cook in large volumes can add gluten-containing vegetable/ chicken stock to certain stews especially to flavor meat-containing dishes that are traditionally served with rice. You should always ask – it is preferable to avoid it. Unfortunately, if you have celiac, you cannot experience traditional Lebanese breakfasts which are usually either manakeesh (baked dough filled with Zaatar or cheese or mince meat) or kunafa. Only one restaurant in Lebanese serves gluten-free options of both. You would also need to watch out when ordering salads – Tabbouleh contains burghul (wheat) and Fattouch is normally served with toasted bread.
My favorite dishes: Vegetarian eggplant mousaka, vegetarian okra/ broad beans/ green beans, hummus and baba ghannouj/ moutabal, spicy potatoes, fish tajin which is fish baked in a rich citrusy tomato sauce.
My favorite restaurants: Kitchen Confidential which is 100% organic and offers healthy gluten-free/ sugar-free alternatives to all classics (manakeesh, pizza, pasta, burgers, pastries, cakes, sandwiches)
Vegetarian mousaka – eggplant, onion/ garlic, tomatoes, fresh tomato sauce and chickpeasSpicy potatoesMoujaddara – Made of lentils, rice, sauteed onionsVegetarian vine leaves – filled with rice and minced parsley, tomatoes and onions with a citrusy dressingGreen beans mezze – served cold Gluten-free manakeesh at Kitchen ConfidentialGluten-free kunafa at Kitchen Confidential
During my trip to Greece (August 2021), I visited 3 different islands: Naxos, Santorini and Milos. Here are my top picks of restaurants:
Naxos – Gyro Gyro
Cuisine: Gyros
What I Like about it: You can choose corn pita which is gluten-free. Vegetarian options are served.
My favorites: Halloumi gyro
Halloumi gyros
Rotonda
Cuisine: Modern Greek
What I like about it: Though there aren’t many special gluten-free meal options as I would have hoped for, the staff is knowledgeable and the view is superb. Worth a visit!
My favorite: Naxos salad, truffle fries
Truffle fries
Santorini
Giorgaros
Cuisine: Traditional Greek
What I like: Family run, beautiful view, housemade wholesome Greek dishes made of traditional local ingredients.
My favorite: Grilled cheese with tomato relish, beet salad with sauteed greens
Grilled cheese served with a delicious tomato relishBeetroot saladVegetarian vine leaves
King Neptune
Cuisine: Traditional Greek cuisine
What I like about it: Located in a highly touristic neighborhood, nice terrasse, generous portions.
My favorites: The best olives in Santorini.
Local olivesGrilled calamari
Argo
Cuisine: Modern Greek/ Seafood
What I like about it: Tasty fresh seafood
My favorites: Eggplant rolls, seafood sharing platter
Eggplant rollsSeafood sharing platter
Falafeland
Cuisine: Falafel
What I like about it: Casual cheap meals on-the-go, good when you need a break from traditional Greek cuisine
My favorites: Falafel-hummus falafels box
Falafels box
Milos
Lydia
Cuisine: Traditional Greek
What I like about it: Family-run, quiet
My favorites: Vegetarian stuffed peppers, herbed fries
Health & Yum by Tatiana 