Livingglutenfree

Livingglutenfree I’m Beth, I’ve been following a strict gluten free diet since 2020. I have hypothyroidism, let’s also throw in a pineapple allergy for good measure

09/09/2026

🇵🇹 Our family holiday to Cascais, Portugal: the gluten-free edition! 🌊☀️

After a week in Cascais with a toddler, here are my honest thoughts, top tips and things I wish I’d known before we went…

☕️ deserves a mention! We visited lots of independent local coffee shops, but Starbucks had lots of individually packaged GF options, which made life very easy when travelling.

⚠️ Don’t get comfortable with the your allergy or intolerance! Just because somewhere has a gluten-free menu or options doesn’t automatically mean it’s safe for coeliacs. Always ask about cross-contamination, especially with shared fryers. ‼️I was so focused on making sure my food was gluten free in an Italian restaurant that I forgot about my pineapple allergy when I ordered what I thought was a mango iced tea 😬

🥖 Gluten-free options were actually pretty good! From pizza and pasta to pancakes, ice cream and pastries, there were some fantastic finds — you just need to do your research.

👶 Cascais with a toddler? Very doable! Beautiful, walkable and plenty of places to stop for food and coffee, although the Portuguese pavements and cobbles definitely put the pram to the test 😂 🍽️ Children’s menus aren’t really a thing, we ordered starters or shared adult meals with our little one.

Check out my posts on my individual food reviews, including the best gluten-free finds, the places I’d go back to, and the ones I wouldn’t! 👀

☕️ Gluten free Starbucks Portugal Portugal 🇵🇹We visited lots of lovely independent coffee shops while we were away, but ...
07/09/2026

☕️ Gluten free Starbucks Portugal Portugal 🇵🇹

We visited lots of lovely independent coffee shops while we were away, but whenever I fancied a reliable gluten free snack with an iced coffee, I found myself heading to Starbucks.

I was actually really impressed with their gluten-free options! 🙌🏻 There was banana bread (10/10), brownie, vanilla muffin, palm bites (8/10), cinnamon pastry bites (7/10) and yoghurt — and the baked options were all individually packaged, which is a big plus for avoiding cross-contamination.

I also spotted a sign for a gluten-free sandwich, although I never actually saw one in the stores we visited.

I visited in Cascais, Sintra, Lisbon and Lisbon Airport, and the gluten-free selection was pretty consistent across them, so much better than the UK, take note Starbucks UK

One of the easiest when you need a safe gluten-free snack! 🤎☕️

Ophelia Cascais, Portugal🥞✨A little hidden treasure within walking distance of our hotel, so we headed here for brunch. ...
06/09/2026

Ophelia Cascais, Portugal🥞✨

A little hidden treasure within walking distance of our hotel, so we headed here for brunch. The decor inside was absolutely beautiful and had such a lovely atmosphere. 🤍

I had the gluten-free & vegan pancakes with chocolate sauce and strawberries. I asked for them without coconut, which they were happy to accommodate.

A really nice option for a gluten-free brunch, although the pancakes themselves were a little on the dense side.

Overall, a lovely little spot! 🥞🍓✨

🍦 gluten free ice cream Gelateria Italiana , Cascais 🇵🇹Possibly the most amazing ice cream shop in Cascais! 🤩 And even b...
06/09/2026

🍦 gluten free ice cream Gelateria Italiana , Cascais 🇵🇹

Possibly the most amazing ice cream shop in Cascais! 🤩 And even better, they genuinely take gluten free seriously. They’re accredited in Portugal for coeliacs, so you really feel like they understand cross-contamination and how important it is.

It’s honestly quicker to say what you can’t have than what you can! 🙌 They even have gluten free ice cream cones. The ice cream is scooped from the back separately — just make sure you tell them you need to avoid cross-contamination.

We visited 3 times across our trips because it was that good! 😂 I tried the stracciatella, coffee and hazelnut flavours, and every single one was delicious.

🍦 GF cones
🍦 Huge choice of GF flavours
🍦 Coeliac-aware
🍦 Safe handling
🍦 Absolutely delicious

9/10 ⭐️

📍 Cascais, Portugal 🇵🇹

🍕 il Siciliano, Cascais 🇵🇹We enjoyed it so much that we visited twice! They can make both pizzas and pastas gluten free,...
06/09/2026

🍕 il Siciliano, Cascais 🇵🇹

We enjoyed it so much that we visited twice! They can make both pizzas and pastas gluten free, which was a huge bonus.

First visit: I had the Caprese pizza and honestly, the gluten free base was unbelievable. I had to double-check it was gluten free! The toppings were simple but so tasty and full of flavour. My daughter had the gluten free Margherita, which she enjoyed.

Second visit: Of course, I had the Caprese pizza again… I did say it was very good! 😂 My daughter tried the gluten free carbonara, which was okay, but for us, the pizzas are definitely the star of the show.

The staff were great both times, and we’d happily go back again.

9/10 ⭐️

🍽️ Mana Cascais | Restaurant & Bar , Cascais, Portugal 🇵🇹Mana is the sister restaurant of Taberna Clandestina, which I d...
06/09/2026

🍽️ Mana Cascais | Restaurant & Bar , Cascais, Portugal 🇵🇹

Mana is the sister restaurant of Taberna Clandestina, which I didn’t realise when booking. Gluten free options are marked on the menu, but an important reminder to always ask about cross-contamination — they use the same fryer for gluten and gluten-free food.

The waitress was brilliant and really helpful, steering me towards the safest options. That said, if I’d known beforehand that the GF options were more limited because of the shared fryer, I probably wouldn’t have chosen here.

The decor was lovely and the risottos were delicious. I had the shrimp risotto 🍤 and my daughter had the mushroom & asparagus risotto, which I also tried — both were really tasty.

⭐️ Overall: lovely restaurant, great service and atmosphere, but definitely ask about cross-contamination before ordering if you’re gluten free. 8/10

🌮 We ordered gluten free Mexican from Le Senor via Uber Eats as they were able to cater for gluten free whilst in Cascai...
05/09/2026

🌮 We ordered gluten free Mexican from Le Senor via Uber Eats as they were able to cater for gluten free whilst in Cascais, Portugal.

The gluten free side of things was all good and we had no issues, which is always a big plus. The dishes looked really good when they arrived, but unfortunately the flavour just wasn’t there for us. Everything tasted quite bland and we ended up leaving quite a lot of the food.

3/10 😔
glutenfreeportugal

Visited honest greens® in Cascais for a takeaway lunch 🥗 They said pretty much the whole menu is gluten free, just avoid...
05/09/2026

Visited honest greens® in Cascais for a takeaway lunch 🥗 They said pretty much the whole menu is gluten free, just avoid the bread, which made ordering really easy. I also let them know about my pineapple allergy as I’d spotted it on the menu.

I went for the sweet potato fries 🍠 and the ginger & goat’s cheese salad with hot halloumi. Everything was really fresh and tasty. My only note would be that I think the halloumi would be even better grilled or made crispy! Banana bread had great flavour but very dense.

You can eat in or takeaway, it was quick and easy to order, and it’s right by Cascais train station — really handy if you’re grabbing something on the go. 🌿

We visited TABERNA CLANDESTINA in Cascais after seeing some great reviews on the Find Me Gluten Free appIt had a really ...
04/09/2026

We visited TABERNA CLANDESTINA in Cascais after seeing some great reviews on the Find Me Gluten Free app

It had a really lovely vibe and atmosphere, and at first glance the menu seemed to have loads of gluten free options. Unfortunately, after questioning the staff, I found out the fryer is shared, which significantly limited what I could safely order.

I went for the pear with cheese, honey & nuts, as well as the charcuterie board. When the charcuterie arrived, I spotted bread on the board and questioned it straight away, so they took it back to the kitchen to clarify.

About 10 minutes later, a new board arrived with the bread items served separately, which was a little confusing. The first waiter told us everything was gluten free, then another member of staff came over and quickly clarified that the bread wasn’t gluten free and said my husband could have it instead. 😬

The food itself was good quality, but unfortunately the mixed messages around gluten free food left me feeling a little unsure, and overall it wasn’t a particularly memorable meal.

⭐️ Food: 6/10
🌾 Gluten free confidence: 4/10
✨ Atmosphere: 9/10

Address

Lichfield

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Livingglutenfree posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category