Gluten Free Lofoten: The Complete Guide for Celiacs

Are you gluten free and planning a trip to the Lofoten Islands in Norway? This gluten free Lofoten guide has everything you need to know!

I have celiac disease and recently road tripped through Lofoten. Thanks to plenty of planning (and a strategic gluten free cinnamon bun stop in Oslo) I was able to have an incredible trip to Lofoten, and not miss out on too many of the classic Norwegian foodie experiences.

Here’s everything you need to know to plan your own gluten free trip to Lofoten!

Seafood platter with shrimp, bread, and dipping sauces near a waterfront. — Gluten free bread with fresh Norwegian prawns? Yes, please! This was one of my favorite GF meals in Lofoten.

Gluten Free Lofoten: Set Your Expectations

It’s possible to visit Lofoten with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, but it pays off to set some expectations first. The main one: You should plan to cook most of your meals in Lofoten, and only eat out a few times. Let me explain.

In my experience, Norway isn’t quite the gluten free heaven that some people make it out to be. Yes, it’s mandatory for menus to label allergens (including gluten). And yes, most grocery stores (even ones on the remote Lofoten Islands) have at least a small gluten free section.

However, this doesn’t translate to an awareness of celiac disease and cross contact at restaurants.

Delicious bowl of tomato-based soup with herbs and seafood garnishes. — Traditional Norwegian fish soup at a restaurant on the Lofoten Islands… I’m sharing my selected celiac-safe restaurants below.

I found that most restaurants—even ones that offered gluten free bread, advertised gluten free options, or had good reviews on Find Me Gluten Free—could not make food in a celiac safe way. As soon as I mentioned cross contact, there was a lot of umming and ahhing and disclaimers.

Close-up of a shrimp canapé with a seafood platter in the background. — One of my favorite restaurants in Lofoten, which I recommend below!

Delicious salmon sandwich with lettuce and lemon on a wooden table. — Gluten free fish burger in Lofoten… you bet I asked a lot of cross contact questions!

As someone with celiac disease, I’m really grateful that I foresaw this issue, and planned to cook most of my meals myself. I recommend that you do, too! After all, the best way to travel Lofoten is by campervan and this will give you a built-in kitchen… AKA a traveling celiac’s dream.

To make this even easier, I packed my favorite gluten free camping meals (more on that below).

And yes, I did eat out at a few restaurants on the Lofoten Islands, and I share a list of all those restaurants below.

Let’s get to it!

Woman enjoying a bowl of food outdoors with mountains and sky in background. — Safe gluten free dinner with a 5 star beach view? YES PLEASE!

Hand holding a gluten-free sandwich with fresh vegetables in front of a blue van. — Traveling by campervan meant I could whip up a gluten free sandwich whenever I wished!

Gluten Free Norwegian Translation Card

Do you need a gluten free translation card for Norway? In my experience, it isn’t strictly necessary because many Norwegians speak English.

However, it doesn’t hurt to have one on hand, especially somewhere as remote as the Lofoten Islands.

I recommend this gluten free Norwegian translation card. It’s short and to-the-point, but still includes a cross contact disclaimer. It’s also professionally translated so you know it’s legit (I’ve been burned by bizarre mistranslations in the free cards before).

Buy your gluten free Norwegian translation card here.

This is the English version of the gluten free Norwegian translation card I recommend.

4 Tips for Road Tripping Lofoten with Celiac Disease

I am a HUGE gluten free foodie and most of the time my travels center around food, but in Lofoten I wanted to focus on the hiking, small towns, and landscape rather than hunting down my next safe meal.

Here are some tips to make it easier.

1. Rent a Campervan (With Kitchen Facilities)

Like many people who visit Lofoten, we chose to rent a campervan and this made it so easy to prepare gluten free food! Honestly, this ended up being one of my most relaxing trips to date with celiac disease because of this.

Most campervan rentals will come with a cool box and cooking essentials, such as a portable gas stove and electric kettle. It should go without saying, but just be sure to clean any plates, cutlery, and pans thoroughly before use, and buy new sponges.

Some campsites also have full kitchen facilities, but honestly I’d avoid these and cook in your own van. I once walked into a kitchen and a Norwegian man was literally baking bread from scratch and there was flour everywhere!!

We rented our campervan through Lofoten Van Life—I’ll share a full review soon!

Two people standing on a light blue van with open doors outdoors under cloudy sky. — Our campervan, Jakob!

Man enjoying a meal outdoors on a wooden table near the coast with a bowl of food and condiments. — A typical breakfast during our road trip through Lofoten!

2. Pack Gluten Free Dehydrated Meals

My #1 tip for being gluten free in Lofoten is to buy plenty of gluten free dehydrated meals at home, and bring them with you. (You can’t buy these once you arrive in Lofoten).

All you have to do is add boiling water and, voila!, you’ve got a meal.

Good To-Go is my personal favorite camping meal brand because they’re 100% gluten free (they don’t pay for the official certification, but they do test their products to less than 20 ppm of gluten).

It’s a small woman-owned company based in Maine, and their meals are chef-created. They’re SO good (by the way, this isn’t sponsored at all… just a genuine fan of their product).

My favorite meals by Good To-Go are:

Outdoor meal with curry on a wooden table near a beach with mountains in the background. — Good To-Go is my fave gluten free camping meal!!

Woman enjoying gluten-free curry outdoors in Lofoten mountains. — Just a casual dinner at the stunning Haukland Beach in Lofoten!

I’m also a fan of Mountain House backpacking meals, and particularly their breakfast skillet and beef stew.

Unfortunately, Good To-Go and Mountain House only ship within North America. If you’re in the UK, then Expedition Foods is a good choice with gluten free options.

For your reference, for a one-week road trip I packed four breakfasts and six lunch/dinners. Of these, Dan and I ate three breakfasts and four dinners (but it’s always good to bring extras, in my opinion!).

Gluten-free breakfast with oatmeal, coffee, and tea outdoors in Lofoten. — I really like the Mountain House breakfast skillet.

Hand holding a bowl of gluten-free oatmeal with mountain scenery in background. — Talk about breakfast views!!

3. Gluten Free Grocery Shops in Lofoten

You can find gluten free products at many grocery stores on the Lofoten Islands. Personally, I found camping meals easiest to use for a quick meal so I could get back on the road for a midnight sun hike, but we also supplemented with groceries like gluten free cereal, yogurt, fruit, pasta, cookies, and bread.

Based on my experience, the Extra in Svolvaer has the biggest selection of gluten free groceries, by far. I even found gluten free baguettes here… perfect for a mid-hike snack!!

Gluten-free products on store shelves in Oslo, Norway. — Extra in Svolvaer had the biggest gluten free section that I found!

Also, Extra was the only place I found gluten free baguettes, so stock up!

I recommend making this your first stop to pick up provisions, if you fly into Svolvaer like we did. (Note that if you arrive in Svolvaer on a Sunday, Bunnpris is the only grocery store that’s open.)

The Bunnpris Ramberg, by Lofoten Beach Camp, also comes to mind for its extensive gluten free section, although not as big as the Extra in Svolvaer.

To be honest, every grocery store I went into on the Lofoten Islands had at least a small gluten free section (even if that just meant a couple loaves of gluten free bread). So, you will most likely never be completely out of luck.

Person holding a bag of sea salt crackers in a grocery store aisle. — I found lots of Schar products!

4. Bring Gluten Free Cinnamon Buns From Oslo!

I can’t be the only celiac who gets FOMO when it comes to food, and this feels especially heightened during travel when I can’t eat the local delicacies. Well, in the Lofoten Islands, that delicacy is the decidedly gluten-full cinnamon bun.

I knew that I’d be watching Dan eat a cinnamon bun per day in Lofoten, so to offset this FOMO we planned our trip with a one day stopover in Oslo. We had an amazing day exploring Oslo, but my ulterior motive was to buy a few gluten free cinnamon buns to take up to the Lofoten Islands with me!

You can buy these at Glutenfrihuset (100% gluten free) or Baker Hansen (separate gluten free kitchen; multiple locations). Check out my gluten free Oslo guide for more details!

Also, I always recommend traveling with these collapsible tupperwares. I just stuck my cinnamon buns (and a very yummy sandwich from Glutenfrihuset) into my tupperwares and kept them fresh for a few days that way.

Hand holding a cinnamon roll outdoors with a scenic background. — Eating my Glutenfrihuset cinnamon bun at Lofoten Beach Camp!

Woman enjoying a cinnamon roll at the beach during sunset. — Yeah, they weren’t as good as the fresh buns in Oslo, but I loved getting to eat GF cinnamon buns in Lofoten! It made me feel more included, and I think most celiacs can relate!

Gluten Free Lofoten Restaurants

There are no dedicated gluten free restaurants in the Lofoten Islands. However, there are a few restaurants that can offer celiac safe meals.

The restaurants I’m sharing below are ones that I personally ate at as a sensitive celiac after speaking to the staff about their preparation methods. However, you should always ask your own questions in case protocols change.

Anita’s Sjømat

Anita’s Sjømat is a must-visit restaurant on the small island of Sakisrøy near Reine. They have gluten free buns and can make their famous Norwegian fish burgers gluten free (yes, I double checked and the patty itself is also GF)!!! I recommend the one with smoked salmon. They also have sushi and can provide gluten free soy sauce.

I think there is some risk for cross contact here, but when I asked them to change gloves and prepare my sandwich separately they agreed, and I had no ill effects. Be sure to advocate for yourself!

Smiling woman holding a delicious fish sandwich with scenic mountain view. — My gluten free fish burger at Anita’s Sjømat!

Fresh fish sandwich with lemon on a boat deck with mountain view. — Be sure to ask them to prepare it separately.

Låven

Låven is a stunning chef-driven restaurant that we ate at while staying at Hov Beach Camping (highly recommend). It’s literally steps away from the Hoven hike, Lofoten Links golf course, and the famous Lofoten horse riding trip.

The staff here was SO friendly and probably the most accommodating for celiac that I found anywhere in Norway. Many of the dishes are naturally gluten free, and they’re willing to adjust most things to be GF upon request.

I loved their Norwegian fish soup, and definitely recommend going out of your way for a meal here!

Scenic view of Lofoten islands with a table of gluten-free meal inside a cozy cabin. — Everything we ate at Låven was DELICIOUS and the staff took gluten free very seriously.

Hand holding a can of Roros Drikker Perlande Blåbær soda in a restaurant setting. — I also discovered this blueberry soda at Låven. So good!

Klatrekaféen

Klatrekaféen is another restaurant I loved, located in the cute town of Henningsvaer. Dan and I shared a HUGE bowl of fresh Norwegian shrimp, and they even provided gluten free bread!

The fries were also cooked in a dedicated gluten free fryer, and low-key some of the best fries I’ve had in my whole life!

Seafood platter with fries and dipping sauces near a window with harbor view. — Klatrekaféen is definitely worth a stop!

Smiling woman in pink hat and red jacket enjoying a meal at a cozy restaurant. — I loved this meal!!!

Ryten and Kvalvika Trail Farm Cafe

Ryten and Kvalvika Trail Farm Cafe is an adorable indoor-outdoor cafe and pizzeria, located right at the trailhead for the famous Ryten hike.

This is another spot where cross contact is a risk, but I spoke extensively to the owner who reassured me. I ordered a salad because I felt that was the lowest risk of cross contact, but they did tell me that they can do gluten free pizza, too.

For the pizzas, they prep the gluten free dough in advance, freeze it, cook it on a clean dedicated GF pan, and make sure it’s the only pizza in the oven at the time of cooking.

Still, the oven is not dedicated gluten free, and personally I’ve sworn off gluten free pizzas unless they’re cooked in a separate oven. But I do appreciate they’ve made a good effort here, so that’s something to take into consideration depending on your own risk tolerance.

Fresh salad with greens and sliced meat in a takeout container at a rustic shop. — My salad at Ryten and Kvalvika Trail Farm Cafe.

Scenic view of a beach in Lofoten with mountains and a pink flower in foreground. — And… the gorgeous Ryten hike! We did this for midnight sun and stayed in the parking lot with our van overnight.

Lofoten Restaurants I Avoided as a Celiac

I’ll also make a quick note here of some Lofoten restaurants that have gluten free options on the menu, but told me they couldn’t accommodate celiacs:

Lofoten Beach Camp: I loved staying at this campsite and HIGHLY recommend you do, too, but don’t eat at the cafe. Their cafe serves gluten free brownies and gluten free bread, but the staff told me none of this was celiac safe.
Unstad Arctic Surf: Famous for the best cinnamon buns in the world (Dan agrees!). They have a gluten free brownie on the menu, but again it wasn’t recommended for celiacs.
Furu Cafe and Hostel: Gorgeous accommodation and cafe we stopped at along our drive (this would be a great place to stay). Again, the menu listed some gluten free options but the kitchen here is small so you’d have to ask some questions to see if food could be made suitably on the day. One of the rooms comes with its own kitchen, so this is a good choice if you don’t have a campervan.

Interior view of a seaside cafe with large windows and surfboards on the wall. — Lofoten Beach Camp’s cafe — it’s so cute, but nothing celiac safe. Get a coffee!

Hot dog with relish, mustard, and lettuce outdoors on a sunny day. — We stopped at Furu Cafe and I ate this gluten free sandwich I brought from Glutenfrihuset in Oslo while Dan bought a (gluten) sandwich. Collapsible tupperware FTW!

Gluten Free Lofoten Road Trip: Final Thoughts

You will love your trip to Lofoten, and it’s totally possible to visit with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. This was one of my favorite trips of all time, and with advance planning (like buying my gluten free camping meals and picking up GF cinnamon buns in Oslo) I didn’t feel like I missed out too much.

I hope this gluten free Lofoten guide helps you plan your own trip. You can always comment below or send me a DM on my Instagram if you have any questions or updates.