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AIBU?

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AIBU to not choose a gluten free cafe for lunch if I’m not gluten free?

104 replies

TenuousTed · 23/03/2026 15:55

This was prompted by a post I saw on social media where someone who has coeliac disease complained about overhearing someone say that they walked into a cafe and when they realised that it was gluten free, they left.

Personally I fail to see the problem with them choosing another cafe, though I appreciate that it’s not so good for the gluten free cafe owners.

I appreciate that I eat plenty of naturally gluten free dishes and some like tempura chicken, work well gluten free but if I’m looking for a sandwich and cake I wouldn’t actively choose gluten free bread and cakes because gluten free bread isn’t nearly so nice.

I am very happy that gluten free cafes exist for people with coeliac disease and gluten intolerance but if you have no such issues, is it really so unreasonable to choose to go elsewhere?

OP posts:
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Sartre · 28/03/2026 17:15

People are free to eat wherever they wish. I’m half Jewish but wasn’t raised Jewish, I’ve eaten at kosher cafes. Manchester Jewish Museum’s is lovely- highly recommend!

Also eaten at many vegan cafes despite being veggie, not vegan. It really doesn’t matter.

DrCoconut · 28/03/2026 17:12

PixelDreamer · 25/03/2026 05:27

I can understand if the cafe owner is annoyed that there's a blanket assumption that GF = crap. Rather than actually looking at the menu.

I know people who've rejected the choice of a chocolate roulade as it's gluten free despite the fact that traditionally there's no flour at all in it. It's just ignorance of how things are made.

In many cases, traditional recipes are gluten free, e.g. macarons, it's only when they're mass producing on the cheap that they stick wheat flour in them.

@DrCoconut - All mine cakes? I'm still mourning the loss of gluten free churros

No not all mine butcthat was within travelling distance. I never got to go though. For GF churros and donuts you need the Jolly fisherman stall in Skegness. And it's just round the corner from the best GF chips out there too.

WasThatACorner · 25/03/2026 14:20

Dobbyismyabsolutefav · 23/03/2026 16:07

YANBU and I say this as a coeliac. Yes, lots of options for gluten free food and things have improved so much over the last couple of decades but to be honest GF bread is fine but it's not always the best.

What irritates me is when a cafe has one GF cake option and they lump it with the vegan and wacky variety. So, no I don't fancy a courgette cake when everyone is tucking into lemon/carrot/raspberry/almond option!

Lots of lovely GF bakeries popping up, whilst expensive, are great for us coeliacs.

100% agree with this. I'm vegan and don't want gluten free bread /wrap / cake / pizza.

I'm sure if you eat them all the time and they have the added bonus of not making you really ill then you get used to GF stuff but for anyone who can and does eat non GF stuff normally they are usually very disappointing. This is no different from knowing that vegan cheese is never going to satisfy a dairy eater, it will just about do if you are choosing it.

RubieChewsDay · 25/03/2026 13:51

dammitohdammit · 24/03/2026 23:17

It’s quite likely I would have walked out too last year unless I was just going in for a coffee. Now, sadly, I’d be pleased to find a GF cafe as I’ve beed diagnosed coeliac. It’s rubbish!
I bought a slice of Victoria sponge from a GF coffee shop yesterday. It tasted weird. Last week I bought two hugely expensive GF (and vegan) donuts last week from a trendy stall. They were quite unpleasant.

Right now, I’m just pissed off at how rubbish some GF treats taste, so damn right I’d like to be be able walk out of that cafe!

The M&S Gluten Free Victoria Sponge is surprisingly good, it doesn't look like much from the outside but when I bought it for a birthday as DS is coeliac and even as a gluten eater I thought it was really tasty and not at all dry.

Thulpelly · 25/03/2026 06:29

I would try it first and not immediately dismiss it. If I didn’t enjoy it I wouldn’t return.

superchick · 25/03/2026 05:54

DD is coeliac and we eat almost completely GF at home. I would love a 100% GF cafe to open up near us and would eat there a lot with DD. But I cant say I would necessarily chose to go there if I wasn't with DD, I prefer my baked good with gluten in given a choice.

I saw that FB post that the OP is referring to as I follow a lot of GF groups etc. She is a bit obsessed with being GF, I guess as its her business, and she seems to have made it a big part of her personality. Most coeliacs dont think that everyone needs to enjoy GF food if they don't want to. In the post the writers mum overheard a private conversation between two people at the next table and got in a huff about it. Which I think is ridiculous.

I also would probably leave a vegan cafe if I wanted a cup of tea or a breakfast because fake milk and fake meat doesn't do it for me. I also wouldn't make a song and a dance about it.

PixelDreamer · 25/03/2026 05:27

I can understand if the cafe owner is annoyed that there's a blanket assumption that GF = crap. Rather than actually looking at the menu.

I know people who've rejected the choice of a chocolate roulade as it's gluten free despite the fact that traditionally there's no flour at all in it. It's just ignorance of how things are made.

In many cases, traditional recipes are gluten free, e.g. macarons, it's only when they're mass producing on the cheap that they stick wheat flour in them.

@DrCoconut - All mine cakes? I'm still mourning the loss of gluten free churros

dammitohdammit · 25/03/2026 05:12

fx1Dx7 · 23/03/2026 16:40

Missing the point somewhat but I don’t believe you found a cafe/cake shop that was totally gluten free.
There only about three in the country

I think you’ve underestimated both the number of people with coeliac plus the number of people who (wrongly) think gluten is bad for you!

ShetlandishMum · 25/03/2026 00:24

Somersetbaker · 23/03/2026 17:23

An interesting question, why is GF bread universally crap apparently? The GF cakes i make for a GF relative are perfectly ok, and I've had no complaints from anybody, the usual comment is "if I hadn't been told, I wouldn't have known it was GF"

Edited

We have a vegan glutenfree bakery next door.
The bread is wonderful but very expensive. Much higher than supermarked glutenfree bread. I think a lot is about cost.

ShetlandishMum · 25/03/2026 00:21

fx1Dx7 · 23/03/2026 16:40

Missing the point somewhat but I don’t believe you found a cafe/cake shop that was totally gluten free.
There only about three in the country

As a coeliac I think that number is much higher in UK.

JustSawJohnny · 25/03/2026 00:13

As someone who had to eat GF for a few years due to a temporary sensitivity linked to an autoimmune disease, I too would have left the cafe DEPENDENDING on what I wanted.

There are lots of lovely gf options but if you're hankering after a lovely, fat, soft roll or sandwich you are not getting one!

dammitohdammit · 24/03/2026 23:17

It’s quite likely I would have walked out too last year unless I was just going in for a coffee. Now, sadly, I’d be pleased to find a GF cafe as I’ve beed diagnosed coeliac. It’s rubbish!
I bought a slice of Victoria sponge from a GF coffee shop yesterday. It tasted weird. Last week I bought two hugely expensive GF (and vegan) donuts last week from a trendy stall. They were quite unpleasant.

Right now, I’m just pissed off at how rubbish some GF treats taste, so damn right I’d like to be be able walk out of that cafe!

Somersetbaker · 24/03/2026 21:30

GoldbergVariations · 24/03/2026 19:55

I have been diagnosed Coeliac for 46 years now. It has always been a complete and utter mystery to me why so many supermarket ranges, and so many cafes and restaurants, bend over backwards to try and replicate substandard "normal", when there are so many fantastic, delicious foods that are either naturally, or can be easily made, gluten free.

We eat nearly always gf in this household (DH will buy "norm" bread), and we eat wie Gott in Frankreich

The same thing applies to vegetarian food, I don't want fake meat oozing beetroot juice to make it look as though it has blood in it, when their are an infinite number of excellent vegetarian foods available.

Dancinginthebasement91 · 24/03/2026 20:28

Bushmillsbabe · 23/03/2026 21:32

We have the opposite issue - DH is coeliac and dairy intolerant - which is really common in late diagnosed coeliacs
We find gf cakes. And vegan cakes. But rarely both together when out

I'm the same as your DH except I'm also vegan, might as well be really.

I find many vegan people complaining about their cake being gluten free, and many gluten free people complaining about their cake being vegan.

I am yet to find this abundance of easily available cake, and no one ever seems to remember where they were when they were confronted with such offensive baked goods!

1000StrawberryLollies · 24/03/2026 20:07

GoldbergVariations · 24/03/2026 19:55

I have been diagnosed Coeliac for 46 years now. It has always been a complete and utter mystery to me why so many supermarket ranges, and so many cafes and restaurants, bend over backwards to try and replicate substandard "normal", when there are so many fantastic, delicious foods that are either naturally, or can be easily made, gluten free.

We eat nearly always gf in this household (DH will buy "norm" bread), and we eat wie Gott in Frankreich

Because people miss the food they used to enjoy before they were diagnosed! Not just the taste, but the convenience e.g. of making a simple sandwich or fitting in with the eating habits of family. I hate being gluten free. It's a royal pain in the arse and I miss bread!

1000StrawberryLollies · 24/03/2026 20:04

SunnyRedSnail · 24/03/2026 06:59

Because most GF food (except bread) is delicious!!

Delicious? The best gluten-free food is no better than non-gluten-free food. Lots of gluten-free food is not as nice. Quite a lot of gluten-free food is a bit rubbish or actively awful. Lots of it (whether nice or horrible) has a massive long list of unnatural-sounding ingredients.

Badbadbunny · 24/03/2026 19:58

AlexRidersButt · 23/03/2026 16:07

I've gone into cafés, had a look at the menu and left because I didn't fancy it. It might be because it's gluten free, (crap bread and cakes) or vegan when I want cheese, or too meat-heavy for a pescatarian.

There's nothing wrong with not fancying somewhere for lunch.

Same here. I've gone in and then left numerous cafes, shops, restaurants, etc over the decades for many reasons, i.e. too busy, too noisy, too expensive, choice of snacks/meals available etc. Nothing unreasonable about any place not being in accordance with your own preferences.

GoldbergVariations · 24/03/2026 19:55

I have been diagnosed Coeliac for 46 years now. It has always been a complete and utter mystery to me why so many supermarket ranges, and so many cafes and restaurants, bend over backwards to try and replicate substandard "normal", when there are so many fantastic, delicious foods that are either naturally, or can be easily made, gluten free.

We eat nearly always gf in this household (DH will buy "norm" bread), and we eat wie Gott in Frankreich

TowerRavenSeven · 24/03/2026 19:48

I’m gluten intolerant but if I wasn’t you bet your bottom dollar I’d go somewhere else! It would be way cheaper for one thing!

Cordeliasdemonbabies · 24/03/2026 19:30

I wouldn't have an issue. I went to a fried chicken and waffle small indie restaurant recently and didn't realise it was entirely gluten free until having a chat with the chef after we finished. The food was delicious and I'd not have guessed it was gf. Wanted to take my coeliac mate but he is veggie so no joy as the menu is small and very meaty.

LovingLimePeer · 24/03/2026 12:25

Gluten free bread and cakes would put me off going to a cafe if that was what was on offer. I don't like the texture, and would rather just go to a different cafe. If anyone doesn't like that, that's not my problem. It's my money and I can spend it how I like

ElsaMars · 24/03/2026 11:55

I'm gluten free and have been for over 4 years. I'd happily eat there but if I was with my family, we'd probably go somewhere else as gf bread is truly awful and I promise, I've tried many, many types and even making my own. My kids just wouldn't eat it and I can't blame them!

WeWillAllGoTogether · 24/03/2026 11:50

We once wandered into a nice-looking cafe, were shown to our table, perused the menu and only then did we realise (from the blurb inside the menu) that it was a gluten-free cafe. Felt it would be awkward to leave but literally everything was sandwiches or cake. So we stayed, ordered the soup of the day, even ate the horrible GF roll on the side.

Not money well spent, but at least a lesson learnt in looking very carefully at the sort of establishment before sitting down. The soup was quite good, to be fair.

Linenspots · 24/03/2026 11:35

As the 'owner' of a family, two-thirds of whom have coeliac disease, I am quite used to eating GF for most of my meals. For that reason alone, if I am going to eat at a cafe that doesn't need to cater to our GF needs, I would sieze the opportunity to choose 'normal' food.

Because a lot of GF food is utterly crap. And honestly, who would actively choose a sandwich made with sawdust, a pizza with a shoe-leather base, or a cake with budgie grit in it? Nobody, that's who!

Jrisix · 24/03/2026 11:17

If I wanted a sandwich I'd leave. If I wanted salad or something where it doesn't make any difference then I would stay.

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