Destination Guide: Gluten-Free Sacramento, California
- Alina
- Jan 27
- 9 min read
Updated: Mar 13
A common day trip or weekend destination for those in the Bay Area (and a convenient stop on the way to Lake Tahoe), Sacramento has always reminded me of home.
The city is lined with beautiful Victorian homes along tree-lined streets, and right outside are a number of farms that get extra popular during apple picking and pumpkin patch season. We also love visiting during the holidays, when the Old Sacramento Waterfront comes alive with gorgeous Christmas lights, decorated Christmas trees, and its own Polar Express. For basketball fans, an NBA game is a can’t miss activity, thanks to the Kings’ reasonably priced tickets.
The cherry on top? This small city has both a dedicated gluten-free restaurant and a bakery! Read on for our tips, tricks, and recommendations for planning a celiac-safe, gluten-free trip to Sacramento.
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Restaurants
Recommended Eats
Safety: ★★★★★
Dedicated, 100% gluten-free restaurant
Vegetarian, dairy-free, and vegan options available, including a vegan menu on the back of the main menu
Oatly (certified gluten-free) is used here, so you’re safe ordering drinks with oat milk
Taste: ★★★★☆
Brunch options range from sandwiches, burgers and bowls to waffles, pancakes, parfaits, avocado toast, baked goods and more. There’s something for everyone, and it’s all yummy! Fun fact: all of the bread comes fresh from their dedicated gluten-free sister bakery, so you know it’s scrumptious! We haven’t had a chance to visit for dinner yet, but that also looks exciting, with highlights including fried calamari, fried pickles, and gnocchi. They also have an extensive drink menu, featuring fresh-squeezed juices, mimosas, espressos and more.
Must try: Peanut Ramen Steak Salad (recommend getting the sauce on the side, as we’ve found they go a bit heavier than most on that front)
Overall Experience: ★★★★★
Sibling — a sister restaurant to Pushkin’s, Sacramento’s local gluten free bakery, and Babes, a local gluten-free ice cream & donut shop (see more details on both later in this guide) — has been busy and bustling every time we’ve visited; it’s definitely a favorite in the community! We’ve always had a great experience at brunch/lunch, and we can’t wait to try out their dinner menu sometime.
Safety: ★★★★★
Dedicated, 100% gluten-free bakery and sandwich shop
Vegetarian, dairy-free, and vegan options available for baked goods and sandwiches
Taste: ★★★★☆
Our favorite offering here is the bread — it’s a staple for gluten-free options at numerous restaurants around town, including Revolution Winery & Kitchen (see more info later in this guide). They also have a few baked goods and desserts available for purchase (cupcakes, scones, muffins, etc.), as well as a robust sandwich menu. Personally, we tend to gravitate towards the breads and sandwiches here.
Overall Experience: ★★★★☆
A tiny but mighty bakery, we’re so glad they’re here serving the Sacramento gluten-free community, and super successfully too, judging by their expansion to a second location (Roseville, a nearby suburb) and the opening of two sister eateries in Sacramento (Sibling and Babes)! I love that they sell sandwiches now too — you know how happy I always am to find a safe and convenient “fast” food option for the days when you’re in a hurry or simply feeling low in energy. Heads up that they don’t have seating, so plan for a grab-and-go situation.
Safety: ★★★★★
Dedicated, 100% gluten-free ice cream, donut, and panini shop
Vegetarian, dairy-free, and vegan options available
Alternative milks: almond and oat (their sister restaurant uses Oatly, which is certified gluten-free, so most likely Babes does too — but verify to be sure)
Taste: ★★★★☆
I LOVE their ice cream. Plus, they have gluten-free waffle cones, sprinkles, strawberry sauce, and hot fudge (though I personally would consider it a warm chocolate sauce, not hot fudge)! They have lots of fun donut flavors too — one of their November seasonals (I think it may have been a maple cronut?) was next-level amazing, but the others I tried were more average. Clearly, all that means is that I need to sample more! ;) Ice cream and donut flavors rotate monthly, so be sure to check in regularly to try their newest seasonal specials! They also offer a number of hot drink options, with alternative milks available, as well as paninis.
Must tries: Raspberry vanilla swirl ice cream
Overall Experience: ★★★★★
A great way to round out the Pushkin trio, Babes fully lives up to its sister restaurants’ reputations. This is a great spot for dessert or to kickstart your day! We unfortunately didn’t get to try their paninis yet, as they were sold out pretty early, so consider calling ahead if you’re planning on having a full meal here.
Safety: ★★★★☆
Not dedicated gluten-free, but the majority of the menu is gluten-free, and staff is knowledgeable about cross contact to safely accommodate patrons with celiac disease.
Pros:
Gluten-free and vegan options are clearly labeled on the menu
Majority of the menu is gluten-free
Gluten-free breads are supplied by local gluten-free bakery Pushkin’s (see more details earlier in this guide)
Separate, dedicated gluten-free fryer and a dedicated prep area and pantry for gluten-free ingredients/allergy orders
They’ll typically verbally confirm your dish is gluten-free when they bring it out to you
Cons:
N/A — about as good as you can get for a non-dedicated restaurant!
Taste: ★★★★★
With a focus on quality local and hyper-seasonal ingredients, you know you’re in for a top-notch meal here! Their wine is also made in their own winery, with grapes sourced from local vineyards within a 60-mile radius.
Must tries: Sunnyside Burger, charcuterie
Overall Experience: ★★★★★
We’ve come here a couple of times now, and have always had good experiences. We especially enjoy sitting out on their outdoor patio when the weather’s nice. We can’t wait to go back!
Safety: ★★★★☆
Not dedicated gluten-free, but cross-contact risk is minimal.
Pros:
Safe drinks (not comprehensive*): Classic Milk Tea, Honey Milk Tea
Safe toppings (not comprehensive*): Agar boba, passion fruit popping boba
Haven’t tried it myself yet, but a staff member said the lychee jelly and rainbow jelly are also gluten-free
Alternative milks: Non-dairy creamer
Cons:
Some locations serve gluten-full donuts (don’t be fooled by mochi in the name — they also have wheat flour mixed with the rice flour), but despite that, cross-contamination risk is pretty low at the locations we’ve visited
*Their menu isn’t labeled for gluten, so we have an email out to them to get confirmation on additional safe toppings, drinks to avoid, etc. and will update as soon as we learn more
Taste: ★★★★★
We love the creaminess of their drinks! This is our favorite spot for classic, black milk tea. Pro tip: their creamy milk means you can get away with less sugar in your drinks than you would at other shops.
Must tries: Classic Milk Tea
Overall Experience: ★★★★★
In addition to the yummalicious tea, we totally adore the pink decor of this chain. Each location has a unique take on its design (swings!!, flower walls, hanging loungers, telephone booths, and more), but the one thing every single one has in common (besides the color) is a perfect backdrop for a cute selfie. It's almost worth a tour of every location in Sacramento and beyond!
Others We Tried
Safety: ★★★★☆
Not dedicated gluten-free, but staff is typically knowledgeable about cross contact to safely accommodate patrons with celiac disease.
Pros
Gluten-free rolls and wraps are available (get the roll!)
When ordering online or in person, they’ll ask you to confirm whether it’s a preference or allergy when you request the gluten-free bread
If you tell them it’s an allergy, they’ll automatically take extra cross-contact precautions
The precautions depend on location — some have a separate prep area for gluten-free allergy orders, but they all at a minimum put down a barrier between the counter and your sandwich and use new ingredients and a dedicated gluten-free knife
Most, if not all, of the sandwiches are available gluten-free (just double check on subs like the meatball one), and they also have non-sandwich options too (I haven’t tried those yet, so would recommend additional questions re: prep and cross-contact for those)
Cons
There is an upcharge for gluten-free bread
There’s more cross-contact risk if you toast your bread, so I’d recommend skipping that
Some locations are better than others in their training — we haven’t personally been to the Sacramento locations, so we’d recommend asking them to walk you through their allergy precautions before placing your order, just to make sure that the one you’re at is well trained
Taste: ★★★★★
Seriously my favorite U.S. sandwich shop, even if I compare it to pre-diagnosis sandwiches. They jam-pack these bad boys full of toppings, and their gluten-free roll is actually really good. Sometimes I freak out and think it’s regular bread based on its taste, but thankfully it’s visually very different from their regular bread.
Must try: Surfin’ Bird (who knew the addition of cream cheese and pickles would take a sandwich to great new heights?)
Overall Experience: ★★★★★
We love this chain! We don’t have this up in the main recommendations section out of an abundance of caution, as we haven’t visited this particular location yet, but we hope to be able to move it up there soon. All of their shops have a fun surf theme, along with sports games running on numerous TVs in their indoor seating and cornhole at some of their locations’ outdoor seating. It takes a bit longer to get an allergy order, but we find that very reassuring, since it means they’re being careful to keep me safe. They have numerous locations in Sacramento, the surrounding area, and other states, making them an excellent dine in or takeout option for a fun day of exploring.
Safety: ★★★★☆
Not dedicated gluten-free, but staff is knowledgeable about cross contact to safely accommodate patrons with celiac disease.
Pros:
Food is delivered with a wooden allergy flag
Separate gluten-free menu
Separate area of the kitchen for gluten-free items
Cons:
No dedicated fryer
Taste: ★★★★☆
A solid option to get your sushi fix. Plus, you can also get a whole bento box and teriyaki here, which is a very rare treat for gluten-free diners!
Overall Experience: ★★★★☆
We don’t have this up in the main recommendations section out of an abundance of caution, as we haven’t visited this particular location yet, but we hope to be able to move it up there soon. We had a good experience at their Concord, CA location, and many celiacs have successfully dined at their downtown Sacramento location, according to the FMGF app. This California chain has several locations in the Sacramento area and beyond.
Additional Researched Options
You can find our full list of researched restaurants, including some we didn’t get a chance to visit ourselves, on Find Me Gluten Free here (get $5 off FMGF Premium here). **Please note, all places on this list were well-reviewed for celiac safety at the time of our visit. We were only able to visit the above guide restaurants ourselves, though, so if venturing to any places on the larger app list, be sure to read the reviews and do your own due diligence before visiting.
Food Safety Tips
Tourist Attractions and Activities
For easy access to attractions and restaurants, we tend to stay in downtown or midtown Sacramento. Depending on where you stay, a car will likely make it easier to get around. Once you’ve got the food and lodgings sorted, here are a few fun attractions and activities to consider as you’re planning your trip:
Explore the Great Outdoors
Pick some fresh fruit (or pumpkins!) at Apple Hill
Drive up into the hills surrounding Sacramento and take your pick of local, family-owned farms for a fun-filled and delicious afternoon. We like visiting in the fall for apple picking or ahead of Halloween to enjoy all the fun fall-themed activities and pumpkin patches, but they’re open year-round. Boa Vista Orchards, Abel’s Apple Acres, and Delfino Farms are a few we’ve enjoyed, but there are so many more we haven’t gotten to visit yet!
Culture It Up
Take in a Kings basketball game
Any NBA fans in the house? Then you have to time your visit for basketball season, as these are some of the most reasonably priced NBA tickets we’ve ever seen! Besides enjoying the game, the arena is really nice and new, and there are a few restaurants with gluten-free options too. I haven’t tested those options myself, but all the staff were super nice, so I expect they’d at least be kind when talking you through your options.
Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park
Travel back in time to the first permanent European colonial settlement in California’s Central Valley. Built in 1840, Sutter’s Fort didn’t last long — it was in ruins by the late 1850s — but it was rebuilt in the 1890s and became a state park in 1947. Within the park, you can take a self-guided tour through the fort and its various buildings, open daily from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (entry is $5 for adults, $3 for kids).
Embrace Your Inner Child
Old Sacramento Waterfront
This historic promenade along the river is probably my favorite part of Sacramento. Filled with 125 attractions (riverboat tours, ferris wheel, a craft shop where you can make your own art, open green space, etc.), shops, and restaurants, there’s something for everyone. We especially love visiting over the holidays, when it’s filled with Christmas decorations and even a fun retelling of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” atop the stores’ roofs on Friday and Saturday evenings (complete with synced music and lights!). You can also climb aboard the “Polar Express” — but be sure to book early, as it sells out every year.
***Dates of travel: Numerous visits in 2021-2023 and November 2024
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