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Raleigh restaurants are advancing their gluten-free game.
Turns out, crispy doesn’t need gluten to be glorious. Over a decade after Ashley Christensen hatched Beasley’s Chicken & Honey, the lauded DTR restaurant made a bold move with its star dish—swapping its famed fried chicken for a gluten-free version.
Born from an experiment with rice flour dredge, the “insanely delicious” upgrade is winning over diners—celiac or not. And while gluten-free fare is hardly new (Cary’s 2021-nee Hank’s Downtown Dive has served GF fried chicken since day one), it’s certainly a sign of the times.
What started as a 1940s celiac medical treatment has since morphed from a fad “weight-loss” diet into a $7 billion market with nearly a quarter of Americans now opting in—expected to double in the next decade. In Raleigh, those tiny “GF” menu symbols have moved from niche to norm across menus and grocery aisles.
For Christensen, though, it wasn’t about chasing a trend—it was about making fried chicken more inclusive without sacrificing flavor. After rave reviews at a pop-up, the James Beard Award-winning chef made the permanent swap.
“It was so exciting to be able to share something like fried chicken with an audience who typically isn’t able to enjoy it,” she says, recalling one diner at the pop-up who hadn’t had fried chicken in almost 10 years. “And it prompted us to look for other opportunities in our menu where we could make similar swaps that would be just as good, if not better, in flavor—but also open more access for folks with dietary restrictions.”
The response? Overwhelmingly positive, with even gluten-loving regulars declaring the new version better than the original. So, as gluten-free dining becomes more mainstream, Raleigh restaurants are proving even the smallest ingredient swap can make a big impact—both for flavor and for community. Now that’s finger-lickin’ good.
No Gluten, No Problem
Gluten-free finds around Raleigh
Beasley’s Chicken + Honey | Moore Square District
Bella Monica | Northwest Raleigh
Bida Manda | Moore Square District
Burger Village | Glenwood South
Cuya | Glenwood South
Drift | West Raleigh
Element Gastropub | Fayetteville Street District
Fiction Kitchen | Gateway Plaza
Happy + Hale | Midtown Raleigh, North Raleigh
Jalwa Indian Bistro | North Raleigh
Irregardless | Warehouse District
LaGana | Glenwood South
Ponysaurus Brewing | Iron District
Press | Capital District
Pure Vegan Cafe | North Raleigh
Raleigh Raw | Fayetteville Street District
Sitti | Moore Square District
Stellar | Five Points
Taverna Agora | Capital District
Tazza Kitchen | Village District
Two Roosters | Multiple locations
Vivace | Midtown Raleigh
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