Coming on holiday with a coeliac or gluten intolerant member of the family and worried about gluten free food in Spain?

In the Southern Costa Blanca, you really do not need to worry. In this particular area, La Zenia, Villamartin, Cabo Roig, there are a lot of places to both shop and eat out for those intolerant to gluten.

The holy grail of stores is Mercadona, a supermaket you can find in various areas. The owner apparently has a child who is coeliac and thus they have clearly labelled all products so it is very easy to identify what is gluten free and what is not with the standard sign. There isn’t a aisle of gluten free products, they are spreadout throughout the whole store.

In the frozen section they have unusual items such as gluten free churros (like long doughnuts), chicken nuggets, faijita fillings (they have gluten free tortillas too) and some of the best frozen pizza bases to be found. The fresh gluten free pizzas are good but a little crumbly, the frozen ones are better. You will find bread, cereals, biscuits, crackers, even chocolate tarts, all clearly labelled. Oddly, they seem to have no gluten free chips, only “patatas bravas”.

They even have many Spanish products such as sausages, chorizo, pate, tins of Spanish bean stews, tortilla (like a thick egg omlette), also marked “Sin gluten”.

The meat products are also very clearly identified, with the ones that do not contain the symbol, not completely safe from the risk of contamination in the factory. So maybe stick to those clearly marked. Not much of the chicken appears to be safe, but they have a great bag of cooked roast chicken pieces, just perfect for one member of the family who is gluten intolerant as in individual sealed portions and only need reheating.

Alcampo hypermarket at La Zenia is another good store for those with sensitivity to gluten. They have one huge aisle containing a huge variety of gluten free brands such as Schar, Gullón, Gallo (pasta), at a variety of prices. Their own make gluten free bread is particularly good. Even many brands of gluten free beer.

Carrefour (another large French retailer) too has a huge variety of gluten free products on one or two aisles. The writer considers they are a little more expensive than Mercadona and Alcampo, but that is purely opinion. They do have a very large range though.

Of course, if you stick to fresh products such as vegetables, fruits, fish and seafood, then Spain has a wonderful variety and choice to offer you.

How about Eating Out?

It is best to always speak directly to the chef in a restaurant rather than the staff. Regardless of whether international or Spanish in this area, there seems to be a big difference between where is informed and safe to eat, and those that don’t really care.

We can recommend for Italian and pizza in the Orihuela Costa area, Dolce Vita at Villamartin,La Piazza at La Fuente, and Rioja Gastrobar at La Rioja Centre. For American, Tommy Mels in the Zenia Boulevard and of course do not forget MacDonalds in Spain have gluten free burgers, wheras oddly they do not in the UK or Ireland.

International; try Crystals at La Fuente, and the wonderful Fishbowl at Campoamor.  Also Paddy’s Point La Zenia, Makai Cafe La Zenia close to the beach, and for Spanish food, The Hen’s Teeth at Villamartin. There are many Indian and Chinese restaurants that can accomodate you and just check when asking. Gong at Playa Flamenca is something special. There are of course many more and maybe you can add suggestions below for us.

We hope you and your guests enjoy your holiday and if we can help with any issues to do with your holiday home, such as non resident tax or sorting anything out for you, then please contact us. Equally if you need any assistance with buying a house in the area, sorting out a rental or something as simple as a Spanish Will.