Best Gluten-Free Restaurants Near Me: Fast Food [2025]

Despite having a McDonald’s on almost every corner, have you seen McDonald’s gluten-free menu? Technically, no, because they don’t have one. However, they recognize that many people today suffer from celiac disease and cannot eat foods that are contaminated with wheat flour. Therefore, they and other fast-food restaurants in the United States have begun promoting or producing gluten-free diet alternatives. This post will rate 35 fast-food chains on how well they serve gluten-free meals. 

Robin and Cos travel a lot, essentially as half-time digital nomads. When traveling, they like to eat at quality sit-down restaurants. So, why are they writing a post about the Best Gluten-Free Restaurants near me? Good question. However, like many of us, they often find that when on the road or waiting in an airport, they look for someplace to get a gluten-free meal quickly, and fast food restaurants are the only choice. 

So, this post is primarily about fast-food restaurants. However, if you are looking for information about fine dining restaurants, please take a look at their Bib Gourmand vs Michelin Star Restaurants Post for more details about their 50 favorite restaurants, or their post The Ultimate Guide to Getting Restaurant Reservations. Also, please visit their posts about Restaurants near Houston Street in NYC, 19 Best Restaurants, Mid-Coast Maine,and The Ten Most Romantic Restaurants in Los Cabos, Mexico. 

Otherwise just read on and learn about the research they did on the Best Gluten-Free Restaurants Near Me.   

 

Survey of 35 Fast-Food Restaurant Chains

Cos and Robin, who has a gluten allergy, surveyed and ranked 35 fast-food restaurants on how well they are attempting to offer gluten-free alternatives. However, every one of the 35 restaurants warns that despite their attempts to offer gluten-free menu items, they can’t guarantee that the food will be entirely gluten-free. In fact, one of our #1 recommended restaurants, Chipotle, with practically 100% gluten-free ingredients, has this warning on their website:

“If you avoid gluten, don’t eat our flour tortillas. If you are highly sensitive to gluten and would like us to change our gloves, just let us know at the start of your order. You should be aware that items containing corn, including corn tortillas (chips and crispy corn tortillas) and corn salsa, may have trace amounts of gluten from potentially co-mingling with gluten-containing grains in the field”.

Ranking System

Here is our ranking system from low to high:

• 1 – Worst:  None or very few gluten-free items.
• 2 – Improving:   Some gluten-free options and customer information.
• 3 – Better: Clearly working to have a gluten-free menu with many items.
• 4 – Best: Broadly advertising a gluten-free menu and highlighting that the products are gluten-free.

A key factor in determining the rankings is if the company is offering a gluten-free option with their core products. Having salad options is good, but having a gluten-free alternative for the core burger, chicken or cold-cut sandwich is more important.

Restaurant Categories

We recognize that certain types of restaurants will have an easier time offering gluten-free menu items. Therefore, we have grouped the 35 fast food chains from the kind of food they are known for.  Specifically, our categories are:

• Burgers (11 Restaurants)
• Chicken (5 Restaurants)
• Subs/Sandwiches (5 Restaurants)
• Mexican (3 Restaurants)
• Casual, Sit-Down (5 Restaurants)
• Coffee/Donuts (3 Restaurants)
• Other (2 Restaurants)

#1 Gluten-Free Burger Near-Me Competitor: Five Guys Gluten-Free

We have chosen Five Guys Gluten-Free as the #1 Gluten-Free Burger Near-Me Competitor.  Their burgers are very delicious even without the bun, although they do offer a gluten-free bun.  If you request a Five Guys gluten-free burger they cook in on the grill in an area where there are no buns. However, what got them the #1 ranking is that most importantly they cook their French fries in a separate fryer.  

Other Strong Gluten-Free Burger Near-Me Competitors

Restaurants that primarily serve burgers and fries are usually categorized as fast-food or casual-dining establishments. They offer quick and convenient meals that are often high in calories, fat, and sodium. Some of these local restaurants are trying to be more gluten-free friendly by offering a gluten-free burger near me. Options such as lettuce-wrapped burgers, gluten-free buns, and fries cooked in a dedicated fryer are available. However, not all of them can guarantee that their food is free from cross-contamination or gluten ingredients, so people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should always check with the restaurant staff before ordering.

Here are three other restaurants that offer gluten-free French fries and burgers, similar to Five Guys’ Gluten-Free offerings. As such, they get our three ranking as being better than the other Gluten-Free Burger Near-Me competitors:

• In-N-Out Burger: This popular West Coast chain offers gluten-free French fries cooked in a dedicated fryer using sunflower oil. They also have protein-style burgers wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun.
• Red Robin: This chain will cook their famous steak fries upon request in a dedicated gluten-free fryer. They also have gluten-free buns available for their burgers.
• Smashburger: This chain offers Udi’s gluten-free buns for its burgers and sandwiches at select locations. Most of their toppings are gluten-free. They also have smash fries flavored with rosemary and garlic.

McDonald’s Gluten Free Menu

McDonald’s, which is the largest of the fast-food restaurant chains by revenue, is improving its gluten-free standing (#2 ranking), but still has some work to do to meet the gluten-free standards of the previously mentioned first four Gluten-Free Burger Near Me competitors. McDonald’s Gluten-Free menu, is not a menu, but some of its products are free from ingredients containing gluten.

• French Fries (Questionable- see below), Hash Browns, and Fruit Bags
• Shaker Side Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Carrot Sticks
• Some McFlurry desserts, such as the Crunchie and Dairy Milk McFlurry
• Any burger without the bun and no Big Mac Sauce (the beef patty is gluten-free)
• Hot Fudge or Caramel Sundaes Ice Cream
• Caramel, Chocolate Chip, or Mocha Frappe
• Coffee and Smoothies
• Salads without croutons or crispy chicken

We used to love McDonald’s breakfast items served on an English muffin.  But if they can’t offer a gluten-free muffin, how can they expect anyone who has a gluten allergy to buy their breakfast sandwiches?

McDonald’s French Fry Controversy

Also, there is a controversy around McDonald’s fries and hash browns. While McDonald’s claims that they are gluten-free, not all of McDonald’s locations will necessarily fry them in a dedicated fryer.  Thus, it is hard to trust that they will be gluten-free.  This is a problem faced by many of the Fast food chains.

On the other hand, McDonald’s burgers use no wheat ingredients. And they will offer you a bun-less quarter pounder in a lettuce wrap that should be gluten-free.  However, don’t get the Big Mac as it contains a Big Mac sauce with wheat ingredients. 

Also, all fast food restaurants will tell you that because they work with so many gluten foods, they can’t guarantee that anything will be gluten-free.  Certainly this means a legal disclosure. But in the fast food world given the relative speed at which everyone is working, a gluten-free meal simply cannot be guaranteed. 

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Main Competitor: Burger King Gluten-Free Food

 

Yes, Burger King has a gluten-free menu that includes the following items:

• BK Veggie Burger
• BK Veggie Sandwich
• BK Veggie Tenders
• Whopper Jr. without a bun
• Burgers without buns
• Salads with no croutons
• Hash browns
• Apple slices
• Fries
• Soft vanilla ice cream
• Drinks, sauce, and condiments

Unlike McDonald’s, they have started to offer a gluten-free bun.   Thus, they could be ranked at the same level (#3- Better) as the first four chains.  However, please note that Burger King does not guarantee that their food is completely gluten-free, as there may be some cross-contamination or traces of gluten in their kitchen. Therefore, we will only rank them at the #2 level, like McDonald’s.

Wendy’s offers a variety of options for those looking for gluten-free choices such as salads, baked potatoes, chili, and more.  Although Wendy’s does not have gluten-free buns, you can order a “no bun” or lettuce wrap for their sandwiches. We rank Wendy’s 2- Improving, similar to their main competitors, McDonald’s and Burger King. 

Shake Shack does not have an “official” gluten-free menu, but many of its items are free of gluten ingredients.  You can enjoy their burgers with a gluten-free bun. However, please note that their fries are not gluten-free due to cross-contamination. Shake Shack has Gluten-free buns and some good alternatives, so we will give them a 3-better ranking.

Jack in the Box does not have an official gluten-free menu, but it does offer some gluten-free options. They publish an allergen menu highlighting items that contain wheat. They don’t have a dedicated fryer, so beware of cross-contamination when ordering fries. Therefore, with minimal options, mainly salads, we rank them a 1- worst gluten-free menu.

Burgerfi is an American fast-casual chain that focuses on quality, trying to create a better burger. They believe that a better burger needs the right bun to complete the flavor. So, unfortunately, they don’t offer a gluten-free bun. You can get a burger and hot dogs wrapped in lettuce. The lack of gluten-free buns leaves them in the #2 improving category. 

Fuddruckers offers a variety of gluten-free options on its menu. They make all their buns fresh every day. For a small $2 surcharge, you can replace any bun with their gluten-free bun. Consequently, we will rank Fuddruckers as a 3-Better ranking.  

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Chicken Competitors

Fast Food Chicken Restaurants have been competing with McDonald’s for a long time.  They forced McDonald’s many years ago to increase its menu to include chicken sandwiches.  Let’s see how they are doing in competing for the gluten intolerant customer. We looked at five fast-food chains in this category:

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)

KFC offers a few gluten-free options, but none of their chicken products are gluten-free. However, you can still enjoy some of their side dishes and salads. Consequently, we are ranking KFC as very weak and giving them a 1 ranking, worst gluten-free menu.

Chick-fil-A Gluten-Free 

Chick-fil-A gluten-free menu is one of the most comprehensive menus of any fast-food restaurant. The chain’s grilled chicken nuggets, many sides, and dipping sauces are all gluten-free. Many of its sandwiches become gluten-free without the bun. They also offer a gluten-free bun, like many gluten-free buns it is not that tasty. Chick-fil-A gluten-free menu is at the top of all 35 fast-food gluten alternative restaurants. Here are some of the Chick-fil-A gluten-free menu options:

• Grilled Chicken Sandwich (order gluten-free bun)
• Grilled Nuggets
• Entree Salads: Market Salad (without toppings), Cobb Salad w/ Grilled Nuggets, Grilled Filet (without toppings), Spicy Southwest Salad w/ Grilled Nuggets, Grilled Fillet (without toppings). Here is a copy of the Chick-fil-A Gluten-free menu.

We have given them a 4-best ranking.

Popeye’s

Popeye’s does not have an official gluten-free menu, but they have some limited gluten-free options available, mostly rice items. They indicate that they have a chicken option, but it is subject to cross-contamination. Given the limited menu and their contamination warning, we are ranking them as a 1-worst gluten-free menu.

Bojangles

Bojangles does not have many gluten-free options, but here are a few:

• Salads: Garden Salad, Grilled Chicken Salad
• Chicken: Roasted Chicken Bites
• Sides: Bo-Tato Rounds, Bojangles Cajun Pintos, Cole Slaw, Grits, Seasoned Fries.

We are not sure about the fries, but it is a similar problem to other companies. Consequently, we are ranking Bojangles as improving giving them a 2 ranking.

Buffalo Wild Wings Gluten-Free

Buffalo Wild Wings gluten-free options are plentiful, including appetizers like chili con queso with chips, chips & salsa, Dirty dubs tots, and ultimate nachos. For entrees, you can enjoy naked tenders with gluten-free condiments. However, please note that Buffalo Wild Wings does not guarantee that any item is free of allergens, including gluten. We rank Buffalo Wild Wings as a 2 – improving, mainly because of the appetizers, none of their wings offerings are gluten-free. 

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu Competitors: Is Mexican Food Gluten-Free?

Here is a question we hear often: “Is Mexican Food Gluten-free?”   Here are the gluten-free options available at some popular Mexican fast-food chains:

Taco Bell offers several gluten-free options, including:

• Power Menu Bowl (Chicken, Steak, or Veggie)
• Black Beans and Rice
• Crunchy Taco
• Crunchy Taco Supreme
• Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos

However, they don’t specifically claim that they are gluten-free. In fact, they don’t recommend their food for people with celiac disease, This may be because they use oats in their ground beef.  Unfortunately, while oats should be gluten-free, sometimes oats can have barley or other gluten ingredients mixed in. However, given their lack of commitment to having a true gluten-free diet, we will only give them a 2 rating-improving.  It would be better if they had more disclosure. 

Chipotle does not have a specific gluten-free menu, but most items at Chipotle are inherently gluten-free.  They have the biggest list of gluten-free menu items of any of the competitors. You can also set your nutrition preferences within the app to easily see which items to avoid. Because Chipotle has the most gluten – free items we rank them as a 4-best.

Chili’s has a gluten-friendly menu that consists of items prepared without gluten-containing ingredients based on information from their approved suppliers. However, Chili’s makes no claim that these items meet the definition of gluten-free, defined as containing less than 20 ppm of gluten per FDA standards. Because they have multiple sources of gluten in their kitchen, there is a risk that gluten cross-contact may occur during the preparation and cooking of these items. We have ranked them as a 2-improving.  

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu: Sub/Sandwich Competitors

We are looking at four companies: Subway, Arby’s, Jimmy John’s, and Firehouse Sub.  Interestingly, Subway has the most stores of any fast-food chain and produces twice the revenue of its competitor Arby’s. However, it only produces one-fifth of the system-wide revenue of McDonald’s. Now, let’s look at how they are doing with Gluten.

Jersey Mike’s Gluten Free

 Jersey Mike’s Gluten-free offerings are the best in this category.  They have partnered with a gluten-free bun maker that provides them the gluten free buns that are kept totally separate from the regular buns. Just don’t select their fries as they are cooked in the same fryer with other gluten products. They have a 3-better rating. 

Subway Gluten-Free

Subway offers a variety of gluten-free options. They offer a range of items, including salads, baked potatoes, chili, and more. Although Subway does not have gluten-free buns, you can order a “no bun” or lettuce wrap for their sandwiches. Based on these offerings, we would put Subway equal to McDonald’s and others at 2-improving.

Arby’s Gluten-Free

Arby’s does not have an official gluten-free menu, but they do offer some gluten-free options, including their meats. They publish an allergen menu highlighting items that contain wheat. However, given that Arby’s is a sandwich shop and they don’t offer a gluten-free menu or bun, we must rank them as a 1- worst gluten-free menu.

Jimmy John’s Gluten-Free

Jimmy John’s offers a variety of gluten-free options, including lettuce wraps called Unwiches. You can also choose from a variety of gluten-free toppings. The idea of an Unwich doesn’t do much for me, but given that they are at least trying to offer a core gluten-free alternative we will rank them 2-improving. 

Firehouse Subs Gluten Free

Firehouse Subs does not have an official gluten-free menu, and they don’t offer a gluten-free bun. But they offer some salads as a gluten-free option. Given the limited choices and the lack of offerings for their core products, Firehouse is ranked the 1-worst gluten-free menu.

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu: Casual/Sit-Down Competitors

While these sit-down restaurant chains are not considered fast food restaurants, they do compete with the fast food giants.  These casual, sit-down restaurants have an advantage over their fast-food competitors, since they can offer more gluten-free options by serving on plates, etc. Let’s see if they take advantage of this benefit:

Applebee’s

Applebee’s offers a gluten-free menu with a variety of options, including appetizers, salads, soups, steaks, chicken, seafood, pasta, and more. Applebee’s has one of the most extensive gluten-free menus, including their pasta products. They do warn that, while these items are made without gluten-containing ingredients, cross-contact and traces of gluten may occur due to shared cooking and preparation areas. They say it’s always a good idea to inform staff of your dietary needs and ask for their specific recommendations. Because Applebee’s has a relatively extensive gluten-free menu, we will give them a 3-better ranking. 

Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse offers several gluten-free menu items, including salads and sides. However, we were surprised that they were not providing anything for their core products. We think this is because they use gluten-containing seasonings on their meats. Since Texas Roadhouse is a sit-down casual restaurant and has several gluten-free options, we will give them a rating of 2-improving. But, we are disappointed as we love a good steak.

Culver’s

Culver’s has a gluten-sensitive menu with various options. Some of the gluten-free items include:

• ButterBurgers: You can order ButterBurgers with gluten-free buns.
• Salads: The Caesar Salad without croutons is gluten-free.
• Sides: Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes without gravy, Applesauce, and Coleslaw are gluten-free.

We have never eaten at Culver’s, but they appear to be expanding rapidly.  Given the fact that they offer a gluten-free bun with their burger, we will give them a 3 3-better rating as they are doing more than most other fast-food restaurants. 

Yard House Gluten-Free

Yard House offers Gluten-Free options, including gluten-free buns for their sandwiches, gluten-free main entrees, such as Cos’s favorite, Prime Rib, and gluten-free salads. They have a Yard House gluten-free menu that shows all their gluten-free alternatives.  They even offer a gluten free beer, pictured below. However, they admit that their kitchens are not gluten-free, so there is a chance of contamination. 

Zaxby’s

Zaxby’s does not have a specific gluten-free menu, but they offer some options that do not contain wheat or gluten. These include Chicken Wings, Salads, and Sides like Cole Slaw and Celery. We will give Zaxby’s a rating of 2-improving.  However, the menu is limited.

Olive Garden Gluten-Free

Olive Garden Gluten-Free is a gluten-sensitive menu with various options. Some of the gluten-free items include:

• Salads: House Salad without croutons is gluten-free.
• Entrees: Grilled Chicken Parmigiana, Herb-Grilled Salmon, 6 oz Sirloin are gluten-free.
• Sides: Rotini Pasta with Marinara and Rotini Pasta with Meat Sauce are gluten-free.

Glad to see that they are offering some gluten-free pasta options.   However, the number of alternatives are limited, so we can only give them a 2 – improving rating.

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu: Coffee/Donuts Competitors

Here are the gluten-free options available at some popular coffee/donut fast-food chains:

• Krispy Kreme does not have any gluten-free donut options, but they do offer a variety of coffee and other drinks that should be safe for those looking to avoid gluten.
• Dunkin’ Donuts does not have a specific gluten-free menu, but all of its beverages are gluten-free. They also offer almond milk, coconut milk, and soy milk at most locations.
• Starbucks offers a variety of gluten-free beverages, including coffee, espresso, lattes, teas, and more. They also provide a perfect gluten-free oatmeal menu item.

McDonald’s Gluten-Free Menu: Other Fast-Food Competitors

Panda Express

Panda Express does not have a specific gluten-free menu. However, they offer some options that do not contain wheat or gluten. These include Chicken Wings, Salads, Sauces, and Beverages like Coca-Cola and Sprite.  This is a very limited list, so we will place Panda Express at the 1-worst gluten -free menu.

Panera Gluten Free Menu

Panera Gluten Free Menu – We left the most interesting for last.  You would think a bread company would only be ranked 1, what could they offer?  So we checked their website.  They offer a limited gluten-free menu:

• 1 oatmeal meal
• 1 yogurt meal
• 2 Mexican bowls
• 2 Mediterranean bowls
• plus an equal number of smoothies.

We used to love to go there for their bagels, but now that we are worried about gluten intolerance, they have less interest to us. They are very cautious about people with Celiac, similar to Taco Bell.  So, we will give them the same rating 2-improving, but we will need more disclosure and would love to see some gluten-free bread products, particularly bagels,  In the meantime we will shop at Trader Joe’s who has some great gluten-free bread products.  

Summary Rankings:

Here is a complete list of how we ranked each of the companies:

Category	1- Worst Gluten-Free Menu	2- Improving	3- Better	4-Best
Burgers	Jack in the Box	McDonald’s Burger King BurgerFi Wendy’s	Fuddruckers In-Out Burger Red Robin Shake Shack Smashburger	Five Guys
Chicken	KFC Popeye’s	Bojangles Buffalo Wild Wings		Chick-Fil-A
Mexican		Chilis Taco Bell		Chipotle
Sandwiches/ Subs	Arby’s Firehouse Subs	Jimmy John’s Subway	Jersey Mike’s
Sit Down Casual		Olive Garden Texas Roadhouse Zaxby’s	Applebee’s Yard House Culver’s
Coffee Donuts	Dunkin Krispy Kreme	Starbucks
Other	Panda Express	Panera

Other Foodie Posts

If you are interested in checking out our non-gluten free food posts, please follow any of the following links:

• • Bib Gourmand vs Michelin Star Restaurants
  • Best Restaurants On Houston Street, NYC
  • 19 Best Restaurants, Mid-Coast Maine: Rockport, etc.
  • Ten Best Romantic Restaurants in San Jose del Cabo
  • The Ultimate Guide to Getting Restaurant Reservations