Detailed Gluten-Free Restaurant Card — Catalonia (Spain)

Strong awareness, and a card in Catalan says you noticed

Catalonia pairs some of Spain’s strongest celiac awareness with a cuisine full of naturally gluten-free dishes — escalivada, esqueixada, grilled fish, calçots. Barcelona has dedicated gluten-free restaurants and bakeries, and the Associació Celíacs de Catalunya is an active patient association with useful listings. Pa amb tomàquet is iconic but always wheat unless a dedicated gluten-free bakery makes it — and fideuà is wheat noodles, full stop.

What’s on the card

• A clear explanation of malaltia celíaca in Catalan, so the kitchen treats it as medical
• What I can’t eat and where gluten hides: fideuà made with wheat noodles, allioli and romesco that are sometimes thickened with bread, botifarra sausages that can contain wheat, anything fried in shared oil
• What’s usually workable: escalivada (roasted vegetables) and fish or meat a la planxa
• The kitchen questions — including “Is this dish thickened with bread or flour?” and whether anything is fried in oil shared with breaded items

What’s in the travel companion (page 2)

• How I pick restaurants: the Associació Celíacs de Catalunya listings, the Spanish federation’s FACEmovil app (it covers Catalonia), and the phrase “Teniu opcions sense gluten?”
• Six dishes worth ordering (calçots without the bread, arròs negre with a confirmed broth), shopping notes (Schär plus the Spanish brands Proceli and Adpan; free-from sections at Bonpreu, Caprabo, and Mercadona), and where options cluster — Barcelona’s Gràcia, Eixample, and El Born, plus Girona, Tarragona, and Sitges
• If you get glutened: the farmàcia phrase “sóc celíac/celíaca i he menjat gluten,” and 112 as the EU-wide emergency number

The honest certification picture

Catalonia has real infrastructure: the Associació Celíacs de Catalunya publishes listings of gluten-free-aware establishments, and on packaged foods you’ll find the Espiga Barrada crossed-grain mark, “Controlado por FACE,” and the EU-regulated “sense gluten” / “sin gluten” claim (max 20 ppm). Those marks live on packaging, not on restaurant plates — the card handles the table-side conversation.

Format

Instant download: a 2-page PDF, printable or phone-ready.

This card helps communicate your dietary needs. It does not guarantee a gluten-free meal or eliminate cross-contact risk. Always use your judgment, and when in doubt, do not eat. Not medical advice.