Detailed Gluten-Free Restaurant Card — Philippines

Rice country with a soy-sauce catch

Filipino food is rice-based and English is spoken everywhere — a real advantage when you need to ask detailed questions. The two big hazards are soy sauce (toyo), which contains wheat and anchors adobo and most marinades, and shared fryers, which rule out favorites like lechon kawali. The good news: adobo works beautifully with tamari or coconut aminos.

What’s on the card

• An explanation of celiac disease in Tagalog, alongside the English
• What I can’t eat and where gluten hides: toyo in adobo and sawsawan (dipping sauces), wheat-based lumpia wrappers, halo-halo toppings that can include barley or wafer
• What’s usually workable: plain kanin, and sinigang once you’ve checked the seasoning mix
• The kitchen questions — including the swap that changes everything: “Can you use tamari or coconut aminos instead of toyo?”

What’s in the travel companion (page 2)

• Where the odds are best: international restaurants in BGC and Makati, hotel kitchens, and asking directly about shared fryers — frying is everywhere in Filipino cooking
• Six dishes to order, shopping notes (Healthy Options for gluten-free groceries, tamari at S&R and Rustan’s, coconut aminos locally available), and where options cluster — Manila, Cebu, Boracay, El Nido
• If you get glutened: Mercury Drug botika branches are everywhere and English is spoken; the nationwide emergency number is 911

The honest certification picture

The Philippines has no local celiac association and no gluten-free certification. Ingredient labels are your tool — English labeling is common, and GFCO or EU marks appear on imports at stores like S&R, Rustan’s, and Healthy Options. In restaurants, there’s no badge to look for, so the card does the explaining.

Format

Instant digital download — a 2-page PDF for printing or showing on your phone.

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.