I love home cooking, but I also believe we all need to treat ourselves and experience the wonderful world of eating out that our cafes and restaurants offer us! Over the years I have compiled a list of places I have eaten around Melbourne, which I share with you below.
As much as I would love to say this is a low FODMAP, fructose friendly, gluten free restaurant list, I am afraid it’s not quite. It’s not that places like this do not exist, but they are few and far between, and understandably so, because we all know how difficult a diet it can be. Instead, this is a list of places I have eaten at, where I have enjoyed a meal and had my dietary requirements taken care of. It’s purely my experience that I’m sharing. We all have different food sensitivities, so always remember to call ahead to inquire about menu options and notify staff when you arrive. I’ve grouped them into Cafes or Restaurants, though some fit into both categories, and there are also some handy tips at the bottom of the page. Happy eating out!
I’d love to continue to grow and update this list so more and more people can enjoy new places to eat. Leave me a comment below of your favourite cafes and restaurants that have accommodated your FODMAP needs and I’ll add them to the list :)
Cafes
Admiral Cheng Ho – Abbotsford
Adeney Milkbar Cafe – Kew
Apte – Alphington
Allergy Train – Hampton East
Barry Coffee & Food – Northcote
Bluebird Espresso – Collingwood
Boundary Espresso – Preston
Caffe Strada (Gluten Free) – Ivanhoe
Cheshire – Preston
Crate Specialty Coffee – Heidelberg
Dr Morse Bar & Eatery – Abbotsford
Farm Cafe – Abbotsford
Foddies Cafe (low FODMAP) – Albert Park
Foddies Donut Store (low FODMAP) – Moonee Ponds
Fruits of Passion – Kensington
Green Park Dining – Carlton North
Grub Food Van – Fitzroy
Gypsy Hideout – Northcote
Il Fornaio – St Kilda
Lady Bower Kitchen – Reservoir
Lip Cafe – Ivanhoe
Little Big Sugar Salt – Abbotsford
Little Byrd – Ascot Vale
Luncheonette – Kensington
Miss Marie Cafe – Rosanna
Mister Nice Guy’s – Ascot Vale
Mixed Business – Clifton Hill
Penny Farthing Espresso – Northcote
Poke the Bear – Northcote
Pomona Cafe (Gluten Free) – Preston
Proud Mary – Collingwood
Red Door Corner Store – Northcote
Red Robyn (low FODMAP) – Camberwell
Seratonin Eatery – Richmond
Slowpoke Espresso – Fitzroy
Snow Pony – Balwyn
Snow Road Produce – Milawa
The Glass Den – Coburg
Three Bags Full – Abbotsford
Tomboy – Collingwood
Touchwood – Richmond
Restaurants
Bar Idda (Sicilian) – Brunswick
Benjamin’s Kitchen – Alphington
Brother Burger and the Marvellous Brew – Fitzroy
Chew Burgers – Preston
Chin Chin – Melbourne CBD
Coda – Melbourne CBD
E-Lounge Pizzeria – Richmond
Fina’s – Richmond & Fitzroy
Feast Of Merit – Richmond
Fonda Mexican – Multiple locations
Fox in the Box (low FODMAP) – Brighton
Gazi (Greek) – Melbourne CBD
Gingerboy – Melbourne CBD
Hellenic Republic (Greek) – Kew & Brunswick East
Jinda Thai – Richmond
Kao Thai – Brunswick
Ladro (Italian/Pizza) – Fitzroy
Longrain – Melbourne CBD
Maha – Melbourne CBD
Mama’s Buoi – Melbourne CBD
Mamasita (Mexican) – Melbourne CBD
Matsuya (Japanese) – Fairfield
Neko Neko (Japanese) – Fitzroy
Oriental Spoon (Korean) – Melbourne CBD
Patee Thai – Fitzroy
Pizza Farro – Northcote
Red Spice Road – Melbourne CBD
Rita’s Cafeteria (Pizza) – Abbotsford
Saint Crispin – Collingwood
Seoul Soul (Korean) – Northcote & Abbotsford
Shoku Iku (Vegan/Raw) – Northcote
Sister of Soul (Vegetarian/Vegan) – St Kilda
Super Bowl Pho – Richmond
Taggarts – Frankston
Thai Tiki Hut – Northcote
Touche Hombre – Melbourne CBD
Umberto Espresso Bar – Thornbury
Vegie Bar (Vegetarian) – Fitzroy
Wabi Sabi Salon (Japanese) – Collingwood
Warra Warra Kitchen (Korean) – Melbourne CBD
Woodfire Pizzeria – Ivanhoe
Yim Yam Thai Laos – Collingwood
A few tips for when eating out low FODMAP:
- Call ahead to enquire if there would be anything on the menu (or that can be adapted) without onion or garlic, which we all know are the trickiest of FODMAPs to avoid when eating out
- Check Zomato or restaurant websites to view the menu before you venture out
- Rice paper rolls and sushi are great for an on-the-go lunch or snack. Just be sure to check the sauces are OK, and that the sushi rice is made without fructose syrup, as is done in some chain stores.
- Pizza: There are a growing amount of restaurants who make their gluten free spelt pizza dough fresh, so if you can, don’t settle for frozen bases. Check there is no onion or garlic in the tomato sauce. If there is, just ask for fresh tomato instead or go for a pizza bianco.
- Thai: Pad Sew Ew is my go to dish because traditionally it doesn’t contain onion or garlic. Generally, I stay away from curries, and instead ask what stir fries can be made onion and garlic free. There are almost always a few options to choose from.
- Burgers: Check the restaurant has gluten free buns, and that there is no onion or garlic in the patties or sauces.
