A Very Swiss and Very “Glutenfreie” Kitchen

Switzerland isn’t exactly a mecca of gluten free cuisine, but there are definitely still options including completely gluten free bakeries! Glutenfreie Köstlichkeiten is a gluten free bakery in Basel that features a homemade baked goods, a small grocery section, and a large cafe space with a variety of mismatched antique-style seating options that make you feel like you’re enjoying a snack in a modern version of a Victorian sitting room. It’s in somewhat of a sleepy neighborhood and we visited in the afternoon when it was pretty quiet. The folks working the counter didn’t speak great English, but we were able to communicate and sample some of their treats of both the sweet and savory variety. We enjoyed our baked goods with a cup of coffee in the cafe, which was adorned with lots of signs strictly prohibiting customers from bringing any gluten of any kind into the environment (see photos below).

Where is this place? There are two locations and we visited the one in Basel.

When did we go? December 2023

What’s good? For our savory item, we tried one of the pretzels. It was pretty tasty and had the general texture of a gluten-containing pretzel, but was maybe a bit on the dry side. We tried two sweet items: a berry streusel and a festive lebkuchen (i.e., gingerbread). Both were delicious although we think the lebkuchen would have been better without the decorative paper.

How are the croissants (bakeries)? Sadly they didn’t seem to have croissants, but their Instagram seems to imply they have them so we will have to return soon!

Toast’s opinion? Unlike gluten-containing baby food, Toast was welcome in the building.

Verdict: Despite the dreary location and subdued setting, this was a worthwhile visit. We’d like to come by again earlier in the day and sample the croissants.