Gluten-free Finds in the GTA

I don’t know about you, but as a parent of a child with celiac disease, I get overly excited when I find out about restaurants and bakeries that cater to those with allergies.  The locations I’m going to tell you about right now are either dedicated gluten-free or offer gluten-free options and seem knowledgeable about the risks of cross-contamination. 

B’s Truly Couture Cupcakes

We first came across B’s Truly Couture Cupcakes when we were shopping at the Toronto Outlets a couple of years ago.  Back then, they had set up shop in an adorable “Cupcake Chalet” pop-up kiosk.  My daughter made a beeline for the adorable little house and, once inside, we were thrilled to learn that they sold gluten-free macarons and cupcakes.  I loved that the proprietor was concerned about cross-contamination and tried to minimize it as much as possible.  Our family was so excited by our find that we bought several different flavours of cupcakes and macarons to enjoy at home.  The most important thing I have to share is that the macarons and cupcakes were delicious! The cupcakes were moist and flavourful – none of the dryness or crumbliness one often associates with gluten-free cupcakes… or, well, gluten-free anything, really…

We were so impressed that when my Son’s Birthday came around the following year, we ordered a dozen assorted cupcakes.  B’s personalized them with his party colour-scheme and the initial of his first name and delivered them right to our front door.  A couple of the cupcakes had very slight “icing malfunction” during delivery where the icing had slid a little off-centre on the cupcake and we were offered the entire batch free of charge!  I insisted on paying for them, as the rest looked perfect and I knew the care that went into preparing them, but I really appreciated the offer and the excellent customer service all around.

With all this, imagine our excitement when we learned that B’s had opened up a permanent location at T.O. Outlets!!  I even sent them a note to confirm that they still had gluten-free goodies and they confirmed that they did. 

We can’t wait to visit them at The Cupcake Café!

The Bean Sprout

I learned about The Bean Sprout from the Ontario Celiacs Facebook group.  If you don’t follow at least a couple of gluten-free lifestyle focussed Facebook pages, I highly recommend it.  I learn so much from the pages I follow and many of my son’s great restaurant experiences are thanks to recommendations from people who post on Ontario Celiacs.

The Bean Sprout’s origin story is a familiar one for many of the bakeries and restaurants that cater to those with allergies.  They have a son who has multiple allergies, including wheat.  Once we realized that these were “our people” - parents who understood the pain of watching their kids feeling left out of meal experiences other kids took for granted (see their story here) – we knew we had to check out their gluten-free buffet.

The Bean Sprout has been hosting gluten-free buffet weekends since 2017.  The tradition continues in 2019, with a gluten-free Chinese buffet held on the 2^nd and 4^th weekend of every month January through June.  The variety and quality of food offered is incredible and the owners and staff are so friendly and welcoming that we felt at home right away.  My son was thrilled to be able to eat anything he wanted from the buffet without restriction.  Even better was the fact that The Bean Sprout has a wall of freezers offering pre-cooked and frozen “Gluten-free To Go” foods, allowing you to take your favourites home with you.  Trust me, you won’t be able to resist.  We certainly couldn’t!

I hate to admit it, but I don’t have any pics from our dinner – we were all too busy enjoying the food to take any photos!  If you’d like to check out The Bean Sprout for yourself, reservations are recommended for their Gluten-free Buffet weekends. 

Hype Food Co.

Given the fact that my son has celiac disease, my focus is on finding places that offer gluten-free options.  Hype Food Co. goes above and beyond by offering a menu free of all major allergens.  The restaurant is family-friendly with a play area for the kids and dining options to suit even the pickiest eater.  They even have a photo wall displaying photos of kids with drawings they’ve created on the wood-grain marker boards in the play area.

Hype Food Co. operates with a “build your meal” system, whereby diners can select everything from their base (white or brown rice, gluten-free pasta, zucchini noodles or salad greens), to their vegetable and/or protein toppings and sauces/dressings.  The staff was friendly and very efficient - especially considering how customized our meals were.  Our family members’ meals were as varied as our personalities and everyone enjoyed their dinner. 

The meals were so filling that we had to take our dessert to go!  And let me tell you, the dessert offerings were as delicious as they were beautiful.  Cupcakes, cookies and loaves were all on offer – and all free of common allergens, including gluten!  The Hype Food Co. bakery also accepts custom orders.

We will definitely be heading back there for a family dinner in the not to distant future.

More GF Finds in the GTA to come!

If you have any gluten-free finds that you recommend, post a comment.  Our family is always on the hunt for new gluten-free dining options, so your favourite gluten-free restaurant or cafe could be featured in a future blog post!  You can also tag us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags #gfadventureswithkids and #GFfindsGTA