90% of chef Andrew Richardson’s classic Italian dishes are accessible to gluten-challenged diners. Warm gluten-free bread is baked fresh daily to start your meal, and housemade rigatoni and pappardelle is available with your sauce of choice. Thin-crust gluten-free pizza is wood-fired to order: try the artichoke and caramelized onion with goat cheese and Niçoise olives.

Executive chef/owner Eric Pateman and a number of his kitchen staff have celiac disease, and it goes to follow that the lion’s share of his menu at Edible Canada’s Bistro is gluten free. With a focus on locally sourced ingredients, seasonal summer options include mushroom polenta with Blackburn cheese and Urban Cultivator microgreens, Haida Gwaii halibut with dill pollen and Long Table Gin carrot puree, and heritage Angus steak frites with smoked BC blueberry jus and bone-marrow butter.

Nuba’s Lebanese-based menu at its four locations appeals to guests with a broad spectrum of dietary restrictions, incorporating gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and halal options. Its palette of Middle Eastern flavours is reflected in dishes such as lamb hushwie sautéed with onions and pine nuts, and mjadara, organic green lentils and rice with onions and jalapeño.

Instrumental in spearheading the Canadian sustainable seafood movement, chef/owner Robert Clark continues his progressive approach by being one of the first in Vancouver to feature NextJen Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Blend in his cooking. Developed by chefs Jen Peters and Hamid Salimian, the newly minted wheat-flour substitute is used in gluten-free batter for Clark’s fish and chips as well as crispy cod tacos served on corn tortillas. Rest assured: The Fish Counter has a dedicated deep fryer used exclusively for gluten-free menu items.

The vegetarian menu at Maria Huynh’s casual east-side vegetarian eatery is well labeled with a plethora of choices for those with dietary restrictions: gluten-free and vegan as well as onion and garlic-free. Dishes incorporate Huynh’s family recipes, combining traditional Vietnamese flavours with locally sourced produce. Props for the delicately nuanced soups: Diving For Pearls is a jumble of rice noodles, tofu, and vegetables in a savoury lychee and date broth.

Chef/owner Shelome Bouvette’s modern Peruvian dishes draw upon a diverse slate of gluten-free alternatives to wheat flour. Cangrejo causa is a tower of softly whipped aji amarillo potatoes topped with crab salad, mango, and avocado; veraduras novoandinas are crispy vegetable, quinoa, and corn fritters with passionfruit sauce. Bouvette’s decadent gluten-free chocolate cake with warm chocolate sauce is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free diners get their spice fix at Sula on The Drive; dishes are clearly marked to help negotiate the numerous dining options. Fan the flames with chicken jalfrezi and lamb saagwala, then mop up the extra sauce with chickpea missi roti.

Chef Nathan Lowey began experimenting with wheat-free flour blends to address the rise in gluten intolerance, making pastas that are indiscernible from their gluten-full counterparts. He’s gradually expanded his now-sizeable gluten-free repertoire; seasonal market-fresh favourites include potato gnocchi with lamb ragu, English peas, and pecorino romano as well as rigatoni with Sapo Bravo radicchio, hazelnuts, and fresh goat cheese.

Currywurst, how do I love thee… let me count the ways. Chef Colin Johnson is hugely conscious of offering gluten-intolerant guests the luxury of choice; Johnson’s wife is a diagnosed celiac, and he’s well acquainted with the challenges she faces when dining out. He takes great care to ensure that the handful of Bestie’s wheat-flour menu items are cooked separately, enabling gluten-sensitive meat lovers to get their sausage on.

Pasta making is a delicate art honed by time and practice, and chef/owner Jean-Christophe Poirier’s handmade gluten-free tagliatelle with corn and rice flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum certainly doesn’t disappoint. Pair it with any sauce on the menu, perhaps the rustic simplicity of San Marzano tomato sauce or garlicky duck ragu.

Did someone say gluten-free chicken karaage? Much of The Abbey’s eclectic slate of progressive tavern fare is made sans gluten, including Andrey Durbach’s classic foie gras parfait. Wheat-free comfort-food favourites include roast chicken with fresh herbs, lamb shank Lancashire Hotpot, and salted caramel pot de crème.