BetterBagels – Leiden
“No problem! We take every gluten free order very seriously.” This was the hand-written message on my takeout bag at BetterBagels. It was a response to what I wrote when I ordered online, mentioning the order was for a celiac. The menu in the shop also mentions “All our toppings are always gluten free! For 1,- extra we will swap your bagel for our famous home-made gluten free bagel and we will make sure to avoid any cross contamination”. The toppings that they mention include pickled veggies, baba ganoush, chives cream cheese, and a vegetarian no-tuna salad, but they have more options. Even better is that they offer six different kinds of gluten free bagels to have your toppings on. They have plain, poppy, everything, jalapeño, cinnamon & raisin, and focaccia. So, they have something for everyone to build their own bagel just the way they like it.
You can also just pick one of the gluten free topped bagels from the menu if the many options are too overwhelming. There is, for example, the GF Bagel Lox Deluxe. A gluten free take on the infamous bagel and lox. Here it is an everything bagel with homemade organic chives cream cheese, sustainable salmon, capers, and cucumber (€9,50). Or decide on a sweet option like the GF Bagel Go-Nuts, which is a gluten free plain bagel with vegan hazelnut spread and caramelised hazelnut pieces. One of my favourites is the GF Bagel Veggies on Fire. This is a gluten free everything bagel with sundried tomato spread, jalapeño jam, pickled vegetables, lettuce, and extra hot peppers. There are a few places inside to enjoy your customised bagel, but a better option is honestly to enjoy it outside in the beautiful city of Leiden.
They do really do their best to convince you of their celiac knowledge at BetterBagels and as far as I am concerned, they succeed. Their website explains that their gluten free bagels are made completely separate from their gluten bagels and that great care is taken to avoid cross-contamination. They explicitly mention that their gluten free bagels are even suitable for those with celiac disease, with an explanation that this is a chronic illness in which the intestinal wall is damaged by eating gluten. They state that with BetterBagels everyone can enjoy a carefree meal and this seems certainly the case for celiacs.
Safety: 100% celiac proof!
The Betterbagels store!
Gluten-free bagels are baked one morning each week when the entire kitchen is clean to avoid cross contamination!
Bagels with gluten on display!