Eating Gluten-Free or Vegan in Mexico City

A mini-guide for families who eat wheat free or vegan in CDMX

Disclaimer: While this is meant as a resource for folks who can’t or don’t eat wheat, it is NOT a guide to celiac-friendly Mexico City. I’ll make a note wherever a resource calls or labels its products “gluten-free” or celiac friendly, but since I have gluten sensitivity (not celiac), I’m not qualified to guarantee a product/resource is safe for celiacs. I also eat vegan often but am not 100% vegan, so I recommend double-checking all recommendations according to your specific dietary needs. Also, this is in no way meant to be an exhaustive or definitive list — just an exploration of my experiences.

As I get asked about where to find vegan and/or gluten-free places frequently, I wanted to share some of the tips and tricks my family has learned in our visits to Mexico City as well as our time living here. One of the great things about food in CDMX is that many foods are naturally gluten-free that you can buy at local markets and tianguis (weekly farmer’s markets). And, there are more and more vegan options available every day.

Common gluten-free restaurant/vendor foods in CDMX

While it’s always best to ask about ingredients (wheat is Spanish is “trigo”, flour is “harina”, gluten is just “gluten”), there are many common foods that are (generally) gluten-free:

Tacos, of course! The majority of tacos you can buy from a taco stand or restaurant are made with corn tortillas. There are as many kinds of tacos in Mexico City as there are neighborhoods — but typically, these tacos are made with corn tortillas: huaraches, sopes, tacos guisados, tacos dorados (fried tacos), tlayudas (large “pizza” type taco-ish dish with lots of toppings), tostadas, and tacos de canasta. (Not usually gluten free: burritos, gringos, and gorditas.)
Enchiladas (corn tortillas stuffed with meat, cheese, or mushrooms, often covered in mole, salsa, or cheese sauce.)
Tamales (corn stuffed with meat, cheese, and/or veggies and steamed in either banana leaves or corn.)
Elote and esquites: boiled corn with lots of toppings including mayo, cheese, salt, lime, Tajin, and other spices or sauces.
Caldo or consomme soups, like tortilla soup or caldo de pollo. Ask first if it has wheat, then ask specifically if it has Maggi seasoning, as Maggi has gluten as an ingredient and many people don’t know that.
Many breakfast foods are naturally gluten free, like huevos revueltos, huevos divorceados, huevos a la Mexicana, chilaquiles (chips cooked in salsa with lots of toppings), and tamales. Just tell them no bread, as most breakfasts in a restaurant or cafe are served with bolillos (rolls) or sometimes traditional or French pastries.
Other commonly found foods from the Americas that are typically gluten-free: almojabanas, pan de bono, arepas, and some types of empanadas (specifically Colombian empanadas). Pupusas are gluten-free as well but not common in Mexico City, at least in my explorations!
Commonly found fusion and overseas foods that can often be made gluten-free by request: poke bowls (without soy), Indian curries as well as pakora and poppadum (just confirm that the flour is from legumes, not wheat), sushi (without soy), Israeli or Arabic foods like hummus or grilled chicken with rice (ask for no bread), pho (without soy) and steamed spring/summer rolls.

Image was taken by the author at Postales de Cafe coffee shop in Condesa, CDMX

Common gluten-free treats and snacks:

Obleas (amaranth wafers, sometimes filled with chocolate or caramel, store-bought are often GF but double check. Word is that the ones on the street may be wheat based.)
Amaranth + chocolate bars (“barra de amaranto”)
Chocolate-covered puffed amaranth (get this at a “granel,” a bulk store)
Pasitas (chocolate-covered raisins)
Almendras cubiertos de chocolate (chocolate covered almonds)
Most nuts you can buy on the street (except: cacahuetes Japoneses)
Panque de elote (slightly sweet corn bread) and pastel de elote (sweet corn cake) — always ask to confirm this is gluten-free, as occasionally it does contain wheat
Corn cookies, “galleta de maiz”(slightly sweet cookies you can buy around Zocalo and churches, cooked on a tiny little grill on the street)
Alfajores (cookie sandwiches with caramel) are usually made from wheat, but if you’re lucky, you’ll find a food stall or coffee shop with a gluten-free version.

Grocery store food and snacks:

Corn tortillas and Veracruz-style sope shells (not the same thing as the large, thin sope tortillas you’ll find on the street, but both are corn.)
Bimbo gluten-free bread (this is the best store-bought GF bread I’ve ever had, but inflation has pushed the price up to $8 USD per loaf.) This product is labeled “gluten-free” but I don’t know if the GF testing standards are different in Mexico vs. the US or Europe.
Totopos (corn chips) and potato chips (check for MSG if that’s an issue for you)
Pre-cooked deli foods like mashed potatoes, red rice, roast chicken, enchiladas, etc.
Some stores have Snyder’s pretzels (labeled gluten-free).
Many large grocery stores have GF, vegan Daiya products (pizza, mac and cheese, shredded cheese, etc.) but they’re very pricey.
City Market grocery store has fresh baked gluten-free items. The baguette is meh, but the blackberry muffins are delicious. They also have blondies (very unusual to find these gluten-free anywhere I’ve lived) and carrot muffins.
Many grocery stores have gluten-free, non-corn tortillas made from amaranth (sometimes adding chia, flax, nopal, or turmeric). Maca in Condesa has oat tortillas, if you can eat regular oat. Pan Gabriel (Condesa, other locations) has delicious “flour” style, GF tortillas (see below.)

Specialty gluten-free bakeries

La Otilia (Condesa): this bakery has tons of gluten-free and vegan options (I think some grain-free, too), but it’s pricey and busy. You can get things to go or sit and have a meal (like GF pizza, which was like pizza on a GF pita pocket.) For us, this is a once-in-a-while treat as it’s just too expensive to keep in our monthly rotation.
Pan Gabriel (Condesa + many other locations): this is by far our favorite GF resource in the city. They say they are 100% GF but they also sell some wheat cookies that (in the store) are very clearly labeled. I suspect they bake these separately, as my sister with celiac ate their GF items without issue. (This is NOT an endorsement or guarantee of this being a celiac-friendly facility, always ask about their cross-contamination practices!)
Pan Filio (San Angel): this dedicated GF bakery is on the pricier side but everything was delicious, I especially liked the orejas (palmiers), besos de nuez (nut cookies), and jam-filled cookies that I couldn’t find the name of on their website.

Specific restaurants with at least one delicious gluten-free option:

La Orchidea (Condesa): a new coffee shop that currently bakes 4–6 daily gluten-free options like sweet breads and brownies. Some options are also vegan.
Volador Cafe (Condesa): the best gluten-free brownies in town (IMHO)
Amor Koketo (Condesa): gluten-free (and keto) ice cream cones, including a charcoal version. They usually have a handful of other GF/keto pastries next to the counter.
Casa Bruna (Condesa + Roma): almojabanas (Columbian cheese bread), they sometimes also have GF cake donuts with interesting flavors
Franco Cocina Honesta (Roma Norte): chicken chimichurri bowl and the roasted baby potatoes are delicious.
Hummisiya (Condesa): delicious Israeli food, with some vegan options. Just specify — no bread.

A quick note if you can’t drink cow’s milk

Goat and sheep milk cheese are available at many grocery stores and some street markets. Always ask to see the ingredients, though, as many hard “goat” or “sheep” cheese include cow’s milk as an ingredient. Pro tip: manchego, which is sheep cheese in Spain, is made from cow milk here, and is everywhere.

Cajeta is a delicious caramel made from goat milk, which can be bought at any grocery store and most farmer’s markets.
Grocery stores often have cheese in 3–4 different spots in the stores, so look around and also ask for goat or sheep cheese if you can’t find it. Soft goat cheese is often in a different spot than hard goat cheese.
If lactose is your issue, almost every coffee shop offers “leche deslactosada” for your drink, and most have vegan options (see below)

Vegan food and dining suggestions

There are lots of dedicated vegan restaurants in Mexico City, as well as some common vegan food options. I’ve only been to a handful of dedicated vegan restaurants, so these are my suggestions, but there are dozens more (I’m only including restaurants I’ve visited.) Not everyone at restaurants, cafes, markets or grocery stores will understand if you ask “is this vegan?”, even if you ask in Spanish — sometimes I’ll see “vegan” options with cheese or eggs. I think this is partly that not everyone knows the term “vegan” and partly because people confuse it with “vegetarian.” It’s best to confirm what ingredients there are in a dish first, then confirm “no eggs, no meat, no cheese, no cream” rather than just asking if something is vegan.

Mora Mora (Condesa) is completely vegan, with yummy bowls, soups, and great veggie sides and smoothies. They have a few GF options on their menu and in their shop. You can order shop items on Cornershop (Uber’s delivery app) which can get pricey, but keep an eye out for their 30% off sales which are frequent.
Los Veganos de Canasta (Roma): “basket tacos” are common on street corners in the morning, and they are generally gluten-free, but even the bean and potato versions are often made with lard. LVC makes only vegan versions (though the fillings may not be gluten-free, best to ask.) They’re more expensive than the street version but you can still get 5 small tacos for about $3 USD as of August 2022. They also have nice “liquados” (kind of like a liquidy smoothie that may not be iced) and an “agua del dia” (flavored water drinks in many different flavors.) Everything they make is vegan, including their popsicles (paletas).
Vegamo (Roma): they have some very interesting vegan Mediterranean dishes, as well as milkshakes. It’s a small operation, so don’t plan for this cafe if you’re in a rush.
Vegatto (Reforma): cat cafe with a small vegan grocery store and vegan cafe. Their menu includes vegan shakes and sandwiches, with limited to no gluten-free options.
DeliGATessin (Roma): cat cafe with some vegan ice cream flavors.
Almost every popsicle (paleta) shop will have options “con agua” rather than “con leche”, so this is a great go-to snack for hot days. Just ask which “agua” flavors they have.
Many ice cream shops also have vegan ice cream flavors (see: Amor Koketo, above, for one option). Ask for vegan flavors, or if they don’t understand, ask which are made with water or coconut instead of milk.
You can get at least one vegan milk option (almond, coconut, soy or oat milk) at almost every “coffee shop” but not all restaurants/cafes will have vegan milk options. Usually, you’ll pay an extra 9–15 pesos for vegan milk in your coffee. Note it’s very uncommon to have nut milks that are labeled gluten-free (in my experience — my sister has celiac so when she visits we ask a lot of questions). Postales de Cafe on Mazatlan (Condesa) has my favorite oat milk latte in the city (but their oat milk may not be GF). Unfortunately, it’s a coin toss whether they’ll have oat milk in stock. This is true of most places, so if you want vegan milk you may have to be flexible on which one or switch to an Americano. Note: most chai drinks here are made from powder, so if that’s your drink of choice, ask to see the ingredients.
La Otilia (see above) has many vegan baked goods, all of which are gluten-free.
Volador Cafe (see above) has a vegan, gluten-free brownie that’s near perfect.
Postales de Cafe (Condesa) often has vegan sweet breads.
Orchidea (Condesa) often has vegan sweet breads and scones.
Most large grocery stores have several vegan cheese, yogurt, milk, butter and creamer options. Many will even have vegan meat options, or dried soy in bulk to make soyrizo.
Most granels (bulk food stores) have almond flour, vegan parmesan (made with almond flour), dried beans, a variety of rice, spices, etc. Just be careful if you’re also GF, because many cereals (e.g. puffed rice) sold at bulk stores, that you would assume to be gluten-free, contain wheat.

Tell me in the comments — what did I miss? Am I wrong about something being gluten-free, or did I skip your favorite GF or vegan restaurant? I’m all ears!