In this post I am very excited to share my most favorite Parisian gluten-free place of all, Noglu. There are two locations with different approaches located right across from one another in Paris - Noglu Boutique-Atelier and Noglu Restaurant & Épicerie - and as of this past fall a brand new NYC location on the Upper East Side.

I was able to visit the striking Passage Des Panoramas twice while I was in Paris and I hit Noglu each time I was there. It is a covered mall-like structure that retains beautiful historic character while housing more current shops and restaurants. I would highly recommend walking around to explore before or after eating. On my first trip I went to Noglu Restaurant & Épicerie for lunch, which is the more formal sit-down restaurant. They have three seating areas – a few tables on the outside of the restaurant in the mall walkway, a handful of seats at the open kitchen bar on the main level, and in the dining room upstairs. Since I was alone and reservations are typically necessary for the dining room, I settled into a seat at the bar.

On the wall near the bar the daily menu is written in chalk, offering several options for a lunch formulé. While many of the options sounded perfectly delicious, I was surprised at the number of them that were naturally gluten-free options (such as meat and potatoes). I opted for what I thought would represent their approach to gluten-free best – pizza and beer. I am not at all a beer drinker but I could not resist trying a French beer made from quinoa – it was light, refreshing and really hit the spot on a hot afternoon. At Noglu they proudly serve filtered tap water in glass bottles and the label boasts their pride in being environmentally conscious with this choice. I quite enjoyed sitting at the bar and getting a peak into the preparations and cooking going on in the small, clean, open kitchen.

My pizza arrived on plate slightly larger than a dinner plate and it was topped with cherry tomatoes, chicken, fresh mozzarella and arugula lightly covered in grated Parmesan cheese. The delicious pizza had a symbiotic combination of flavors on a slightly dense and crunchy crust. It came paired with a side salad of lightly dressed mixed greens and herbs. In the formulé I opted for a dessert rather than a starter and it was the absolute right choice as dessert at Noglu is not to be missed. The moist, fluffy clafoutis cake was made with seasonally available berries – full as I was, there was no danger of my leaving a bite behind. I left feeling impressed with their gluten-free cooking chops and thinking I should really skip dinner.

The next visit I made to Passage Des Panoramas was for a late breakfast with my boyfriend. After some consideration we decided to forgo the brunch formulé at the formal sit-down restaurant (which looked completely amazing but like more food than we were hungry for at the time) and have a lighter meal at Noglu Boutique-Atelier right across the way (the store front is pictured at the top). It is a small, bright, sweet-smelling shop that offers a lunch formulé, an assortment of coffee and tea, ample baked goods and pastries, and some dry goods for sale. They only do takeaway but there are a few tables just outside the store in the mall walkway where you can sit if you are lucky enough to nab a spot.

While I was waiting to order in the shop I enjoyed peaking into the small back kitchen and watching the chef send out trays of new delectable treats. I also noticed that they had a copy of their cookbook on display in English and I asked if they had any more for purchase. The girl at the counter was slightly confused and called the chef over from the kitchen. The chef spoke perfect English – I thought I might have even detected some California intonations there – and let me know they did not have any copies to sell and to check on Amazon (which I did and the book became available in the U.S. on October 1, 2015).

We ordered two formulé meals that included a main dish, a pastry and a beverage. The serving sizes were so generous that we had enough leftover for both lunch and snack later in the day for the two of us. We had a nourishing slice of quiche that was filled with cheese, mushrooms and herbs, housed in a flawless buttery crust – it was way more than one person could or should finish in a sitting. We also got a bacon, cheese and lettuce sandwich that came on large slices of soft, light brown sandwich bread. Without a doubt I have not tasted sandwich bread like this since I went gluten-free and my boyfriend was quite impressed and happy to share it.

For dessert we opted for a seasonal rhubarb tart that we downed so quickly I did not even get to take a picture. The tangy sweetness of the rhubarb was perfect atop a layer of light citrusy cream in a firm buttery shell. We also tried a lush chocolate mini-cake that came topped with caramelized pears and toasted shreds of almonds. This too was amazing I nearly didn’t get a photo of it before it was gone. All in all I would say both locations of Noglu were remarkable and it was some of the best food I ate while I was in Paris.

I was very excited to discover once I was back in the U.S. that they would be opening a location in New York City. Noglu opened this past fall on the Upper East Side of NYC in a cozy little space on Madison Avenue. I bee-lined it up there the first week the doors opened and many more times since. While they do not yet have the full offerings of the Paris location, the bakery is constantly adding new delectable treats. Recently they have also opened a small restaurant upstairs that I will be checking out very soon!

Below I have included some photos from my Noglu feasts.

Noglu Boutique-Atelier - 49 Passage Des Panoramas 75002 Paris, 01 42 36 52 50, contact@noglu.fr, http://www.noglu.fr/, Facebook: @noglu, Twitter: @nogluparis, Instagram: @nogluparis, Métro: Line 3 – Bourse, Line 8 – Grands Boulevards, Line 9 – Richelieu Drouot. Everything is gluten-free. Eat-in and takeaway. Meals Served – Late Breakfast, Lunch or Snack.

Noglu Restaurant & Épicerie - 16 Passage Des Panoramas 75002 Paris, 01 40 26 41 24, all other details the same as above. Everything is gluten-free. Eat-in only. Meals Served – Saturday Brunch, Lunch and Dinner.

Noglu NY - 1266 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10128 U.S.A., (646) 895-9798, nogluny@gmail.com, Facebook: @n ogluny, Twitter: @NogluNY, Instagram: @nogluny, Subway - 4/5 at 86th street, 6 at 86th or 96th street. Everything is gluten-free. Eat-in and takeaway. Meals Served - Breakfast, Lunch, Snack or Earlier Dinner.

Stay tuned for my next post as the gluten-free in Paris series continues!

Until then, bon appétit!

Julia xo