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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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:
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.

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.

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.

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.

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