Gluten Free Munich: Where We Ate with Celiac Disease

Finding safe places to eat is one of the most important parts of planning any trip when you’re traveling with celiac disease.

Before arriving in Munich, we spent time researching restaurants, bakeries, and gluten-free options so Julia would have places she could safely eat throughout our stay. Germany isn’t always the first country people think of for gluten-free travel, but Munich ended up surprising us.

From a completely gluten-free bakery to gluten-free schnitzel, traditional German desserts, and even gluten-free beer, we found some great options during our visit. Here are the places that worked for us during our time in Munich, along with a few others that caught our attention while researching the city.

Isabella Glutenfreie Pâtisserie

If you’re looking for something sweet, or just want a break from traditional German food, Isabella Glutenfreie Pâtisserie is a must-visit.

This is a fully gluten-free bakery, which made it a really easy stop for Julia. Everything here is gluten free, so there was no need to worry about navigating a mixed kitchen.

They have a huge selection of options, including fresh breads, pastries, macarons, cakes, and other desserts.

You can either sit down and enjoy something at the bakery or grab items to take with you, which makes it a great option for picking up snacks for later.

Having an entire bakery where everything is gluten free was definitely a highlight for us. It’s one of those places that makes traveling with celiac disease feel a little easier because Julia could actually walk in and choose whatever she wanted instead of having to carefully check every option.

Gasthof Obermaier

Another standout for us was Gasthof Obermaier.

It’s a little outside Munich’s city center, but it was absolutely worth the trip.

This was one of the restaurants where Julia had some of the best options during our time in Munich. They had gluten-free schnitzel, along with several other gluten-free choices.

We also had the opportunity to talk with the chef, which made us much more comfortable ordering. The chef explained the options and told us they could make pretty much anything on the menu gluten free.

That gave Julia a lot more flexibility than we were expecting.

We also tried gluten-free Kaiserschmarrn, a traditional Bavarian and Austrian dessert made from fluffy shredded pancake pieces. It was a really fun way to finish the meal and try something we might not have expected to be available gluten free.

If you’re traveling with celiac disease and don’t mind venturing a little outside the main tourist area, Gasthof Obermaier is definitely one we’d put on the list.

Hofbräuhaus München

One of the places we were most excited to visit was Hofbräuhaus München, one of Munich’s most famous beer halls.

We weren’t sure what to expect when it came to eating there with celiac disease, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that they actually have a small gluten-free menu.

Julia was able to order the sausage platter, which came with three different types of sausage along with potato salad. It was a great way for her to get a traditional German meal while still having something she could safely eat.

They also had roast chicken and a few other gluten-free dishes, so there were more choices than we initially expected.

And for something that’s especially important when you’re visiting a traditional German beer hall, they also had gluten-free beer.

Being able to sit in such a historic and iconic Munich beer hall, enjoy traditional German food, and have a gluten-free beer made this one of our favorite food experiences in the city.

A Gluten-Free Picnic in Munich

One of our favorite meals in Munich was actually one of the simplest.

One day, we stopped at a local grocery store and were excited to find gluten-free baguettes. We picked up some salami, pepperoni, cheese, and a few other things and put together our own little picnic.

It was a nice change from eating at restaurants, and it was also an easy way to make sure Julia had plenty of food she could safely enjoy.

Sometimes when traveling with celiac disease, the grocery store can be just as useful as a restaurant. Having some gluten-free food on hand gave us something easy to grab when we were out exploring and made the day a little less stressful.

Other Gluten-Free Options We Found

We also found a few other places in Munich that looked promising for celiac-friendly dining, but unfortunately, we just didn’t have enough time to try them before we headed off on our river cruise.

A couple that caught our attention were Pizzesco, which offers gluten-free pizza, and Wirtshaus am Bavariapark, which has gluten-free pretzels.

While we can’t personally recommend these restaurants since we didn’t have a chance to try them, they repeatedly came up during our research for gluten-free dining in Munich.

Our biggest problem wasn’t finding options. It was simply having enough time to try them all!

Is Munich Good for Travelers With Celiac Disease?

Based on our experience, yes.

Before visiting, we weren’t sure how difficult it would be to find safe food for Julia. In reality, we found more options than we had time to try.

Between dedicated gluten-free bakeries, restaurants willing to accommodate gluten-free diners, and grocery stores carrying gluten-free products, Munich ended up being much more celiac-friendly than we expected.

As always, it’s important to verify ingredients and preparation procedures directly with restaurants, but we left feeling comfortable that we could return and have plenty of safe options available.

Final Thoughts

Munich ended up being more doable than we expected when it came to traveling with celiac disease. Germany isn’t always the easiest country for gluten-free travel, but with a little research, we were able to find some really great options.

From visiting a completely gluten-free bakery, to having schnitzel and Kaiserschmarrn at Gasthof Obermaier, to eating sausages and gluten-free beer at Hofbräuhaus, we found some excellent places to eat.

And sometimes the simplest option worked just as well. Our grocery store picnic with gluten-free baguettes, salami, pepperoni, and cheese was one of those easy travel meals that made exploring the city a little easier.

These were our personal experiences during our time in Munich, and restaurant menus and procedures can change, so we’d always recommend checking with the restaurant directly before visiting.

But based on our experience, Munich is a city we’d feel comfortable returning to with Julia’s celiac disease.

And honestly, getting to eat gluten-free schnitzel, Kaiserschmarrn, a traditional sausage platter, and a gluten-free pastry or two along the way isn’t a bad way to spend a trip to Munich.