Eating Gluten Free (and other allergen-free) in the Netherlands
By Bella Sturiale
Bagels and Beans, Den Haag, various other locations - At Bagels and Beans, I had their BLT on a gluten free bagel. If you are a very sensitive celiac, this may not be the safest choice as the gluten free bagels are made in the same oven as the regular ones. As a bonus, all of their cream cheese is plant based. If you are a bagel enthusiast, you will be thrilled to know that there are locations all over the Netherlands. 9/10
Food Hall Mingle Mush, Den Haag Pad Thai - There are a lot of options at the food hall mingle mush including Thai, Kenyan, Japanese, Mexican, and American. It’s a great place to go with friends especially if you do not want to subject them to forced gluten-free eating. I will warn you to not even consider bringing in outside food or drink, including water. They got mad at us for having our water bottles on the tables and asked us to put them away. I went to the Thai restaurant and the employees were extremely nice and willing to make the Pad Thai gluten free upon request. 7/10
The Rijksmuseum Café, Amsterdam - Museum food is the states is not known for its quality but that does not seem to be the case in the Netherlands. I had a fantastic experience here and their menu allows you to filter out allergens. My options were limited but I was extremely happy with the chicken and rice noodle soup I ended up getting. I am not a big soup person, but I can say this was a hit for me. 10/10
Will’s Pancake House, Den Haag - I rarely get to enjoy gluten-free pancakes in the United States unless I make them myself. It does not advertise anywhere on the menu that it has gluten-free options but upon asking, they were happy to tell me that almost everything on the menu could be made with their gluten-free, lactose-free, vegan batter. The pancakes were delicious, and I have not stopped thinking about them. 10/10
Pancakes Amsterdam, Amsterdam - I had to include this other pancake restaurant we went to because it was that good. They have a separate dedicated menu for their lactose-free, gluten-free, vegan batter. There were so many options, and they are careful about making sure the pancakes are made as safely as possible. They have a checklist on the menu so you can make sure your pancake is allergy friendly, and you have not been given the wrong order. Despite the large group of people I was with, the service was super fast, and I did not have to wait for an extended period which can happen at other places. Additionally, they sell their pancake mix at the restaurant in case you want to make them at home. 10/10
