De Dutch at 60-1055 Canada Place was the first place I went for breakfast on this trip, and I was not disappointed. The views of the harbour are lovely. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about what is safe for a celiac to eat. Just look at that lovely gluten-free menu!! Now they are not 100% gluten-free, so there is always the chance of cross-contamination, but I did feel they took my concerns seriously. Here is a link to their website. If you click on the top 'Menu Tab' you will see they have a 'Gluten-free section', and this is where you can find a very similiar gluten-free information sheet.

The service was quick and our server took her time answering all my questions and explaining their menu. We decided to share a Pannekoeken with whipped cream and the most wonderful tasting strawberry preserves! Tasted like freshly picked strawberries! I will order one of these again. Very soft and nice chewy texture. I ordered eggs, hashbrowns, gluten-free toast, fruit and debakon which is a pork cottage roll, and the other order in the photo was french toast, with bacon and eggs. All the food was delicious. I really enjoyed the debacon which is similar to back bacon. This is a place we will return to in the future.

Miku Waterfront Restaurant at 70-200 Granville Square is a high-end Japanese restaurant specializing in aburi-style cuisine. Aburi means 'flame seared'. The sushi is lightly seared which gives it a lovely unique slightly smokey flavour. I really liked it. They are not 100% gluten-free, but I let them know when I made my reservation that I was a celiac and they made me feel very comfortable with their knowledge of what was safe for me to eat on their menu. Here is a link to their website if you'd like to check out their menu. All the gluten-free items are marked.

I ordered miso soup which tasted just like the miso soup you'd get in a restaurant in Japan. It had a light, mild miso flavour. Of course, as they specialize in aburi sushi I ordered the two gluten-free choices: salmon Oshi sushi and saba (mackerel) oshi sushi and I wasn't disappointed. They both were outstanding and I highly recommend them. The food is so artfully presented. The sushi's flavour was perfectly balanced. You could enjoy each flavour, the rice was perfect. My favourite was the saba, I really enjoyed the combination of the smokey saba and light miso sauce. I would order this again. I ordered the redwave roll which was good, but after tasting the aburi sushi I was not as impressed. Now one thing that was so good was the eggplant nigiri sushi! If you don't like eggplant I think you would love this. It had a delicate smoky flavour and great texture. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this restaurant. The service was fantastic. They have a view of the harbour, but it is slightly overwhelmed by the Pan Pacific Hotel building. I want to try their lunch menu as it looks like there are more gluten-free items to choose from. All their food was so well presented and very fresh.

Another place I found for breakfast was SMAK at 545 Granville Street. They have three locations in Vancouver. SMAK specializes in fast, healthy, locally-sourced, gluten-free meals. Now they state they are 100% gluten-free, but they are very open about the fact that not everything on their menu is 100% celiac safe. They have a 'celiac warning' indicated by a blue circle with a 'G' in it next to menu items that are not safe for celiacs. As per their website the Celiac Warning means: "All ingredients in our kitchens do not contain gluten, however, not all of our products have assurances that there has been no chance of cross contamination. EG: spices that come from India" At the Granville restaurant I saw only two menu items that celiacs should avoid; the butterless chicken and the downtown dahl curry. Do read the menu very carefully, looking for the warning before you order. Let the cashier know you are a celiac.

I ordered the avobacon bowl with gluten-free toast to go. It comes in a small compostable pot. When I got back to my hotel I transferred the food to a plate. Very tasty. The bacon had the right amount of smoky saltiness, and I loved the hasbrowns with the spicy avocado mash. The toast was the best I have tasted. I need to find out where they get their bread. It is an omega protein multiseed bread, and its taste and texture were delicious. If I lived in Vancouver and worked downtown this would be on my go-to for breakfast and lunch list.

I found TURF in Kitsilano at 2041 West 4th Ave. I had hoped to go to a different place, but it was closed that day. More on that later on. Back to TURF. They are not 100% gluten-free, but have quite a few gluten-free choices. I found the food to be very healthy, and clean tasting. Just look at that veggie packed salad!! And it was huge! Their sweet potato wedges were so yummy especially with the chiptle aioli sauce. I wasn't that impressed with our other two dishes. They just didn't suit our tastebuds, but others might love them. Sorry, I can't remember their names. One was a steamed kale dish with tomato, it was ok. The other was vegetarian patties with hummus and salad. We found the patties to be dry and bland. The food was very filling, this was plenty for three people. Check out their webiste for more information about them. Would I go again? Probably not. The food was ok, but I didn't like the high chairs and sharing tables. They were busy though, lots of people in with their laptops, and they have a fitness/yoga studio attached.

Sorry No Photo

Now back to the place I had wanted to go. I've been trying to get to Iki Japanese Bistro twice now. Each time I haven't planned well, and they are closed, or my plans just don't allow me to get there. But, I'm determined that no matter what, I will visit them on my next time I'm in Vancouver! They are a 100% gluten-free, celiac-safe Japanese restaurant. They have been certified by the Gluten-Free Food Program (GFFP) since 2017. I follow them on instagram #iki_japanese_gluten_free. They appear not to have their own website anymore, but you can find their menu on lazymeal. Here is a link, so you can check out their menu. Lots of celiac's I know have been here, and give it glowing reviews. Even the Vancouver Celiac Association went their for a lunch!

As always, be careful when you eat out. Let the server know that you are a Celiac. Ask about the precautions they take regarding cross-contamination. It is tough having to ask a lot of questions, but restaurants that take allergies and food sensitivities seriously won't mind. If you feel uncomfortable then leave. How do you handle going out to eat?

I would love to hear your favourite gluten-free places to eat in Vancouver, BC.

Note: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Always seek out a medical opinion for medical concerns.