As most people in Japan aren't likely to develop an intolerance to gluten, the need for specific gluten-free restaurants and bakeries in Tokyo and other major cities is fairly low. Most people don't really know much about gluten and the problems it can cause for some people. Many of the country's famous foods such as ramen, takoyaki and tempura all contain gluten and finding gluten-free alternatives can be difficult and sometimes impossible.
Like the rest of the world however, health trends are on the rise in the country and more people are adopting gluten-free diets. That coupled with the large foreign resident population and influx of tourism has seen a number of gluten free restaurants and cafes spring up in Tokyo in recent years. Not all are equal however, so here are some of the best you'll find in Tokyo.
The Top Gluten Free Restaurants and Cafes in Tokyo
Gluten Free T’s Kitchen
As you'd expect from a cafe with gluten free in the name, T's Kitchen offers a variety of different gluten free and Celiac friendly foods. The cafe is particularly known for its delicious gluten free ramen and gyoza but also offer a range of other Japanese foods such as tempura and okonomiyaki along with western dishes. They usually also offer gluten free snacks and cakes that you can take out or eat at the store.
Note the restaurant was previously called Gluten Free 61 Cafe & Bar and may still show up as such if you're trying to look for it online.
Address: 7 Chome-8-5-2F Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo 106-0032, Japan
Phone: 03-6874-7719
Website: https://glutenfree.co.jp/
Opening Hours: 12 – 10PM
Afuri
For gluten-free ramen in Tokyo, there's no better place than Afuri. Japan's favorite noodle dish is usually made with wheat flour, making it almost impossible to find a similar tasting alternative. However Afuri lets diners choose between standard noodles and noodles made from konnyaku or konjac, a native plant with edible tubers that's commonly cut into strands for noodles. Not only is it gluten-free, it's also extremely healthy, containing zero calories.
Apart from their gluten free options Afuri also offers vegan and vegetarian ramen options, another hard to find item in Tokyo.
Address. 1-1-7 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-5795-0750
Opening hours: 11AM - 10PM
Website: https://afuri.com/
Gluten Free Café Little Bird
A rarity in Japan, Little Bird's menu is entirely gluten free, often using rice flour or other wheat-free alternatives to create some of the country's classic dishes. Their gluten free karaage, Japanese fried chicken are particularly delicious, as is their rice bread burgers. You can also get the fried chicken as a topping on their ramen noodles.
Note that as of October 2020, Gluten Free Café Little Bird is currently closed for the near future due COVID-19 and are still unclear when they will reopen next. We'll update this post as soon as we hear that they're open again.
Address: JP Building 3F, 1-1-20 Uehara, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
Phone: 03-3460-8282
Cafe Komaya
Great coffee and a number of different gluten free desserts, Cafe Komaya is a worthy place to stop and recharge while in Tokyo. They also offer a few lunch options too but the desserts are highly recommended, especially their divine gluten free cheesecake.
Address: 1F IDAKI BLDG. 3-4-16 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
TEL: 03-3505-8841
Opening hours: 11:30AM – 8:00PM (Closed on Sunday)
Website: http://www.cafe-komaya.com
Soranoiro NIPPON
Another popular gluten free ramen restaurant, Soranoiro NIPPON is conveniently located in the capital's transport hub of Tokyo Station.
The shop also received a bib gourmand Michelin award for its ramen in 2015 and 2016, while you might not be able to visit the three Michelin-starred ramen restaurants in Tokyo, Soranoiro NIPPON is also incredibly tasty.
Address: Tokyo Station Ichiban-machi B1F 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-3211-7555
Opening hours: 10AM - 9:30PM
Rice Bread Bakery Beicon
While it's not a sit-in style cafe, Beicon uses rice flour instead of wheat-based flours for most of its bread products. There are a large range of rice flour made products, many of which are labeled as gluten free, along with lactose and diary free products. Prices are also fairly cheap compared to most gluten free products around the city and fairly similar to regular bakeries.
Address: 2 Chome-6-３ Togoshi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Opening hours: 9:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Gluten-free Japanese Foods
Although many of Japan's famous dishes contain gluten or soy sauce that contains gluten, it's possible to find foods without gluten at some standard restaurants around the country.
If ordering yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), make sure to order with salt (shio) flavoring instead of soy sauce (tare), it's most likely that the sauce-coated skewers will contain small amounts of gluten. Sushi is another easy food to go for, nowadays some popular chains even provide gluten-free soy sauce if you ask for it. Unlike udon, soba noodles are not made with flour, using buckwheat instead that actually doesn't contain gluten. Just watch out for the sauce it's served with, which again can contain soy sauce made with some wheat products.
Also watch out for 'Chinese soba' or 'Okinawan soba', while it might include soba in the name, these dishes are always made with flour-based ramen noodles.
Mochi are a great gluten-free snack you'll find almost everywhere, made from rice flour and often filled with fruits or red bean paste.