You don’t need fluent Spanish to eat safely in Valencia — you need about ten phrases said clearly and confidently. Here they are.
Saying you’re coeliac
- “Soy celíaco.” (m.) / “Soy celíaca.” (f.) — “I’m coeliac.”
- “No puedo comer gluten.” — “I can’t eat gluten.”
- “Es por motivos de salud, no por dieta.” — “It’s for medical reasons, not a diet.” (Useful — it signals you need it taken seriously.)
Asking about a dish
- “¿Esto tiene gluten?” — “Does this have gluten?”
- “¿Tienen opciones sin gluten?” — “Do you have gluten-free options?”
- “¿Tienen carta sin gluten?” — “Do you have a gluten-free menu?”
- “Sin gluten, por favor.” — “Gluten-free, please.”
The cross-contamination questions (the important ones)
- “¿Se prepara en una superficie separada?” — “Is it prepared on a separate surface?”
- “¿La freidora es solo para sin gluten?” — “Is the fryer only for gluten-free?” (Shared fryers are a classic hidden risk.)
- “¿Pueden preguntar en la cocina?” — “Can you check with the kitchen?”
Reading labels and menus
If you’re shopping or scanning a menu, these are the words that mean gluten — memorise them:
- trigo — wheat
- cebada — barley
- centeno — rye
- avena — oats (oats are often cross-contaminated; look for certified oats)
- espelta — spelt
- harina — flour
- pan / pan rallado — bread / breadcrumbs
- rebozado / empanado — battered / breaded
And the good words to look for:
- “sin gluten” — gluten-free
- “apto para celíacos” — suitable for coeliacs
- The FACE / Controlled Gluten-Free crossed-grain certification mark.
A tip that works everywhere
Save this page or screenshot it. When in doubt, show the staff the two lines that matter most:
“Soy celíaco/celíaca. ¿Esto tiene gluten? ¿Pueden preguntar en la cocina?”
That’s most of the battle. For the places where we’ve already asked all these questions for you, see our safe spots in Valencia — or come eat with us on a gluten-free food tour.