Celiac in Ann Arbor? You have real options.
Most “gluten-free” restaurant lists lump together two very different things: a kitchen that keeps a separate fryer and marks every allergen, and a kitchen that will “try” to leave the croutons off. If you have celiac disease, that difference is the whole ballgame.
So this list is sorted by how seriously each place takes cross-contamination, not by cuisine. The strongest programs come first – dedicated fryers, clearly labeled menus, staff who know what “celiac” means at the ticket line. Every spot below has current hours verified this week, because a gluten-free dinner you drove across town for should at least be open when you arrive.
Frita Batidos
Start here if cross-contamination is your top worry. Frita Batidos at 117 W. Washington runs a labeled, dedicated gluten-free fryer plus a separate kit – its own cutting board, chef’s knife, pot, and pan – for gluten-free orders.
The food is Cuban street food built around fritas (spiced burgers) and batidos (tropical milkshakes), and a big share of the menu is already gluten-free or can be made that way: fries, burgers over rice instead of a bun, rice bowls, and the shakes. The paper menu marks it all, and the staff is used to guests saying the word “celiac” and adjusting. It reads like a fast, loud lunch counter, but the allergen handling is genuinely careful.
Regular hours: Sun-Thu 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-midnight. Dedicated gluten-free fryer and prep kit. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
Zingerman’s Roadhouse
Zingerman’s Roadhouse at 2501 Jackson Ave. is the rare place where fried food is back on the table. The kitchen keeps a dedicated gluten-free fryer and turns out gluten-free fried chicken dredged in Anson Mills rice flour, plus gluten-free waffles from a separate iron.
There’s a full gluten-free menu beyond the fryer too – burgers, the pimento mac and cheese, and rotating specials. It’s American comfort food done at a high level, and the servers are practiced with allergy tables. One thing worth a quick phone call: the dedicated gluten-free fryer occasionally goes offline, so if fried chicken is the reason you’re going, confirm it’s running that day.
Regular hours: Mon-Thu 8am-9pm, Fri 8am-10pm, Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 9am-9pm. Dedicated gluten-free fryer; call ahead to confirm it’s running. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
Detroit Street Filling Station
Everything at Detroit Street Filling Station in Kerrytown (300 Detroit St.) is vegan, and every dish carries a signifier for gluten-free, nut, and soy. That labeling, plus a staff that understands cross-contamination, makes ordering low-stress.
If you order online, they’ll even tell you how to flag a celiac order so the cooks change gloves and take extra care. Expect a rotating menu of bowls, tofu dishes, fried rice, and gluten-free desserts. It’s the vegan sister spot to The Lunch Room, and it’s one of the easiest kitchens in town to eat at gluten-free without a long conversation.
Regular hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-8pm, Sat-Sun 12-8pm. All-vegan; every item marked for gluten. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
Seva
Seva has been fully vegetarian since 1973, and its Westgate-area dining room at 2541 Jackson Ave. keeps a large in-house gluten-free menu – just ask the host for it when you sit down. The kitchen takes precautions against cross-contamination, which is not something every meat-free spot bothers to do.
Because the base menu is already vegetarian, the gluten-free versions don’t feel like an afterthought: think enchiladas, stir-fries, and grain bowls rather than a lonely side salad. It’s a comfortable, unfussy place to bring a mixed group where one person eats gluten-free and everyone else just wants a good dinner.
Regular hours: Mon-Sat 11am-9pm, closed Sun. Large in-house gluten-free menu. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
Miss Kim
Miss Kim in Kerrytown (415 N. 5th Ave.) is one of the best gluten-free experiences in town, partly because so much Korean cooking is rice-based to begin with. The kitchen has a dedicated gluten-free menu that includes gluten-free fried chicken, bibimbap, pork ribs, and dessert, and the staff is well versed in what celiac diners need.
Chef Ji Hye Kim’s food is seasonal and built on Korean home-cooking traditions, so the gluten-free options taste like the point of the menu, not a workaround. One scheduling note: Miss Kim is closed Tuesdays.
Regular hours: Mon 11:30am-9pm, closed Tue, Wed-Thu 11:30am-9pm, Fri 11:30am-9:30pm, Sat 11am-9:30pm, Sun 11:30am-9pm. Dedicated gluten-free menu. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
Jerusalem Garden
Mediterranean food is naturally friendly to gluten-free diners, and Jerusalem Garden at 314 E. Liberty leans into it. The family-run kitchen keeps a dedicated fryer for its falafel, fried to order, and clearly marks the menu for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and halal.
Load up on hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh’s gluten-free cousins, grilled meats, and rice plates. The falafel-in-its-own-fryer detail matters – fried chickpea fritters are often a hidden gluten risk when they share oil with breaded items, and here they don’t. It’s fast, cheap, and downtown.
Regular hours: Mon-Sat 11am-8:30pm, closed Sun. Dedicated falafel fryer; menu marked for gluten. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
Cardamom
Cardamom at 1739 Plymouth Rd. may be the most gluten-aware kitchen on this list by design: the owner’s son has multiple food allergies, so the menu is built gluten-free unless a dish is specifically noted otherwise, and everything is clearly labeled for allergens.
The cooking is fresh North Indian – dosas, curries, rice dishes – and much of it is naturally free of wheat. The staff is upfront that they take every precaution but can’t promise a zero-risk kitchen, which is exactly the honesty a careful celiac diner wants to hear. It’s dinner-only and closed Monday and Tuesday, so plan around that.
Regular hours: Wed-Thu 5-10pm, Fri-Sat 5-10:30pm, Sun 5-10pm, closed Mon-Tue. Dinner only; menu gluten-free unless noted. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
Earthen Jar
Earthen Jar at 311 S. 5th Ave. is a self-serve North Indian buffet priced by the pound, and it’s fully vegetarian. Most dishes are vegan and gluten-free, and the ones that qualify are clearly marked along the line, so you can build a plate and know what’s on it.
It’s counter-casual and quick – fill a container, weigh it, sit down – which makes it a genuinely easy gluten-free lunch when you don’t want to negotiate with a server. The trade-off is a short week: it’s open Tuesday through Saturday afternoons only.
Regular hours: Tue-Sat 12-7pm, closed Sun-Mon. All-vegetarian buffet; gluten-free items marked. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
Aventura
For a night out, Aventura at 216 E. Washington is a Spanish tapas and paella bar with a dedicated gluten-free menu. All of the paella is gluten-free, and a good number of the tapas are too, so a table can share widely without one person getting stuck.
The room is a proper evening destination – wood-fired cooking, a serious drinks program, opens at 3pm. Tell your server you’re eating gluten-free and they’ll steer you; the paella alone is worth the trip.
Regular hours: Sun-Thu 3-10pm, Fri-Sat 3-11pm. Dedicated gluten-free menu; all paella is gluten-free. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
Sava’s
Sava’s at 216 S. State is a busy all-day spot on campus with a gluten-free menu and, importantly, a dedicated fryer for gluten-free items – which is how they can send out gluten-free fries and sweet potato fries with your gluten-free burger or steak.
It’s a broad, something-for-everyone menu, so it works when you’re feeding a group with mixed diets after a game or a show. Open from 9am to late every day, which makes it one of the more flexible gluten-free options downtown.
Regular hours: Mon-Thu 9am-10pm, Fri-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-10pm. Gluten-free menu with a dedicated fryer. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
Real Seafood Company
A quick note of honesty on this one: Real Seafood Company at 341 S. Main does not print a separate gluten-free menu. But seafood is one of the most naturally gluten-free categories there is, and the kitchen will prepare many dishes gluten-free on request – grilled and roasted fish, raw bar items, and simple preparations that skip the flour and breading.
The move here is to talk to your server, name what you need, and lean toward the grilled-fish and shellfish side of the menu. It’s a polished Main Street room for a nicer dinner, and if you’re comfortable steering your own order, it delivers.
Regular hours: Mon 4-9pm, Tue-Thu 11:45am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11:45am-10pm, Sun 1-9pm. No dedicated gluten-free menu; many dishes made gluten-free on request. Verified 4 Sep 2026.
How to Navigate Gluten-Free Ann Arbor
A few things to keep in your back pocket:
– Strongest for celiac safety (dedicated fryers or dedicated prep): Frita Batidos, Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Sava’s, and Jerusalem Garden’s falafel fryer. Miss Kim, Cardamom, and Detroit Street Filling Station back their menus with careful labeling and staff training.
– Naturally gluten-friendly cuisines: the Indian kitchens (Cardamom, Earthen Jar), Korean at Miss Kim, and seafood at Real Seafood start from a lot of rice and naturally wheat-free dishes.
– Watch the closed days: Seva and Jerusalem Garden close Sunday; Miss Kim closes Tuesday; Cardamom closes Monday and Tuesday; Earthen Jar is open Tuesday through Saturday only. Aventura and Cardamom are dinner-only.
– Always say the word. Even at the best-run kitchens, tell your server you have celiac disease rather than just asking for “the gluten-free option” – it changes how the ticket is handled. And because oil, prep surfaces, and menus all change, call ahead the day you go if a shared fryer would be a problem.
Still deciding? These overlap heavily with our guides to the best vegetarian restaurants in Ann Arbor, the best Indian restaurants in Ann Arbor, and the best restaurants in Ann Arbor overall.
