Are you looking for a fast casual chain where you can pick up a gluten free rice bowl? Or maybe you are looking for somewhere where you can pick up some gluten free tacos? Well either way, you are in the right place! In this article, we discuss the best fast casual chains for gluten free foodies. We specifically focus on fast casual chains that provide options for those who are sensitive to cross contamination.
For each fast casual chain we discuss in this article, we provide information on a specific set of characteristics to help you decide which fast casual chain is right for you. We start out by describing these characteristics. After that, we discuss some of our favorite fast casual chains that offer gluten free options.
Note. We will specifically focus on fast casual chains rather than fast food chains in this article. We discuss gluten free fast food chains in a separate article. In particular, we will focus on fast casual chains that have locations in the United States.
Characteristics of gluten free fast casual chains
What characteristics will we use to provide additional information on each of these gluten free fast casual chains? Here are the characteristics we will use to provide information on each of these gluten free fast casual chains.
- Location. First, we will discuss the location of each of these gluten free fast casual chains. Some of these gluten free fast casual chains are nationwide chains with locations all across the county. Others are regional chains that only have locations in certain regions.
- Type of food. Next, we will discuss the type of food that is sold at each chain. We will discuss what type of cuisine is sold at each restaurant. We will also discuss any specialties that each restaurant focuses on.
- Gluten free status. After that, we will describe the gluten free status of each restaurant. This will include information on whether the restaurant is dedicated to gluten free food or not. For restaurants that are not dedicated to gluten free food, we will also provide information that will help you assess the risk of cross contamination.
- Other dietary restrictions. Finally, we will provide information on other food allergies and dietary restrictions that each restaurant caters to.
Gluten free fast casual chains
Now that we have described the characteristics that we will use to provide more information on each of these gluten free fast casual chains, we will discuss some of our favorite fast casual chains that offer gluten free options. We will list these chains roughly in order of preference, with the restaurants that have the best gluten free options appearing higher up in the list.
Asian Box
Asian Box is a popular restaurant that serves rice bowls that are topped with Vietnamese-inspired toppings. Their menu is entirely gluten free, so there is no need to worry about cross contamination. Most of their stores are located in the state of California.
- Location. Asian Box is a regional chain that is located on the west coast. Most of their locations are situated in the state of California.
- Type of food. The menu at Asian Box focuses on Asian food. Their dishes draw inspiration from a variety of different Asian cuisines. In particular, many of their ingredients draw inspiration from Vietnamese cuisine. Asian Box serves rice bowls that have all different kinds of sauces and toppings. You can choose to build your own bowl or choose from a list of pre-selected combinations.
- Gluten free status. Asian Box is a dedicated gluten free facility. All of their locations only serve food that is gluten free.
- Other dietary restrictions. Asian Box uses locally sourced pesticide free produce and hormone free proteins. They also provide a wide array of vegan options. Vegan options are clearly labeled on the menu.
Bibibop
Bibibop is another restaurant that serves Asian-inspired rice bowls. The food that they serve is loosely inspired by Korean-style bibimbap. All of the food that they use is entirely gluten free, so there is no need to worry about cross contamination. Most of their locations are situated in the midwest and the mid atlantic.
- Location. Bibibop has multiple locations across the United States. Many of their locations are concentrated in the midwest and mid atlantic region.
- Type of food. Bibibop has an Asian-inspired menu that takes inspiration from multiple different Asian cuisines. In particular, their menu draws a lot of inspiration from Korean-style bibimbap. Bibibop serves rice bowls that can be customized to your liking or chosen from a set of pre-selected combinations.
- Gluten free status. Bibibop is a dedicated gluten free facility. All of the food they serve at their stores is entirely gluten free.
- Other dietary restrictions. Bibibop has an allergen matrix available that shows which dishes contain common allergens. Specifically, their allergen printout labels items that contain wheat, soy, fish, nuts, dairy, eggs, and sesame. They also label items that contain MSG and allium. Vegan items are also labeled on the menu. There are many vegan options available.
Sweetfin
Sweetfin is a small to medium sized chain that is located in the state of California. In particular, most of their stores are located in Southern California. Sweetfin serves poke bowls that are made with fresh fish (or tofu for vegans and vegetarians). Sweetfin is also a dedicated gluten free facility.
- Location. Sweetfin is a regional chain that is located in Southern California. Most of their locations are in Los Angeles country, Orange county, and San Diego county.
- Type of food. Sweetfin serves elevated poke bowls that are made with fresh, high quality ingredients. They also serve burritos that are filled with similar ingredients to their poke bowls. You can choose from a selection of pre-assembled topping combinations or build your own bowl from scratch.
- Gluten free status. Sweetfin is a dedicated gluten free facility. All of the dishes that they serve at all of their stores are entirely gluten free.
- Other dietary restrictions. Sweetfin has an allergen menu that labels common allergens that are found in all of their dishes. They separately label allergens that are used in their dishes and allergens that may be introduced via cross contamination. Sweetfin also has a variety of vegan options available.
Flower Child
Flower Child is a popular chain that serves healthy versions of American-inspired dishes. They are not a dedicated gluten free facility, but a large portion of their menu is naturally gluten free. Flower Child is a national chain that has locations all over the United States.
- Location. Flower Child is a national chain that has locations in multiple states. It is a relatively small chain, so they do not have locations in all states.
- Type of food. Flower Child serves American food. In particular, they serve healthy versions of American dishes that are made with fresh ingredients. They have a large menu that includes items like salads, bowls, wraps, and desserts.
- Gluten free status. Flower Child is not a dedicated gluten free facility. That being said, a large portion of their menu is or can be made gluten free. Items that are gluten free are clearly labeled on the menu. They take precautions to prevent cross contamination if you tell them that they have an allergy.
- Other dietary restrictions. Flower Child also has many vegan and vegetarian options that are clearly labeled on the menu. They also have options that are paleo friendly.
Tocaya Modern Mexican
Tocaya Modern Mexican is a small to medium sized chain that has many locations in the western portion of the United States. Tocaya serves Mexican dishes with a healthy twist. While their stores are not dedicated gluten free facilities, the vast majority of the items they use in their dishes are gluten free.
- Location. Tocaya is a chain that is popular in the western portion of the United States. In particular, most of their locations are situated in the states of California and Arizona.
- Type of food. Tocaya serves Mexican food with a healthy twist. All of the meats that they use are hormone free and antibiotic free. They serve a variety of dishes ranging from quesadillas and burritos to rice bowls and salads.
- Gluten free status. Tocaya is not a dedicated gluten free facility. That being said, the vast majority of the items that they serve are gluten free so the risk of cross contamination is relatively low. Their menu is clearly labeled to show what can and cannot be made gluten free. They also take precautions to prevent cross contamination if you let them know that you have a food allergy. They generally have dedicated gluten free fryers available.
- Other dietary restrictions. Tocaya is a health conscious restaurant with a large range of vegan and vegetarian options.
Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen is a large chain that has many locations across the United States. They serve salad and grain bowls that can be piled high with a large assortment of sauces and toppings. Their locations are not dedicated gluten free facilities, but the vast majority of the ingredients they use in their kitchen are gluten free.
- Location. Sweetgreen is a national chain that has locations in many areas across the United States.
- Type of food. Sweetgreen serves salad bowls that are popular with the health conscious crowd. You can build your own bowl or choose one of their pre-created combinations.
- Gluten free status. Sweetgreen is not a dedicated gluten free restaurant. That being said, the majority of the items that they sell are gluten free. They keep most of the items that contain gluten at the end of their lines so that all of the gluten containing items are contained to a small area. If you let them know that you have a food allergy, they will change their gloves and take precautions to prevent cross contamination. That being said, they generally do make gluten free items on the main line with the same topics as regular items.
- Other dietary restrictions. Sweetgreen has an allergen matrix that shows which items contain common allergens like wheat, soy, daisy, fish, nuts, eggs, and sesame. They have a large assortment of vegan and vegetarian items available as well. Vegan items are clearly labeled on the menu.
Cava
Cava is another large chain that has locations across the United States. They serve Mediterranean-inspired grain bowls and salad bowls. Their locations are not dedicated to gluten free food, but the vast majority of the ingredients that they use in their kitchens are gluten free.
- Location. Cava is a national chain that has locations across the country.
- Type of food. Cava serves rice bowls and salad bowls that are filled with fresh Mediterranean flavors. You can choose from a selection of pre-assembled topping combinations or you can build your own bowl from scratch.
- Gluten free status. Cava is not a dedicated gluten free facility. That being said, a large portion of their menu is gluten free. They generally only have 2 – 3 items that are made with gluten on their menu at any given time, which help to reduce the risk of cross contamination. If you let the person making your food know that you have an allergy, they will change their gloves and ensure that they handle your dish with care. That being said, they usually make allergen bowls on the same line with the same set of toppings as other bowls.
- Other dietary restrictions. Cava has an allergen matrix that labels items that contain common allergens like wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, sesame, and fish. They all label items that are vegan friendly and vegetarian friendly as well.
