Gluten-Free Italian in Carlton, 2026 Edition — Proper GF Pasta

If you’re new to Carlton and you have coeliac disease — or you’re ordering for someone who does — the tl;dr verdict is that gluten-free pasta made from scratch is on three menus in Carlton this year, and one of them has a dedicated gluten-free kitchen line. Our pick is Tipo 00 for the dedicated line and the certification, with DOC Pizza & Mozzarella Bar a strong second for the separate preparation area. We visited every room on this list and spoke to the head chef at each one about cross-contamination protocols in April 2026.

The gluten-free Italian scene is bigger than it was two years ago. What matters for a coeliac eater is not whether a restaurant has a gluten-free option — most do now — but whether the kitchen has a separate pasta water pot, a separate workstation for rolling out dough, and a chef who understands that airborne flour settles on surfaces for hours. Here is what we found.

The Verdict in One Line

Tipo 00 for the dedicated gluten-free kitchen line, DOC Pizza for the cordoned GF workstation, Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar for the short classic menu done safely, and Brunetti Classico for the GF pasticceria counter.

Tipo 00 — 361 Little Bourke Street (Carlton edge)

Tipo 00 runs a dedicated gluten-free kitchen line — a separate pasta-rolling bench, a separate 12-litre cooking pot, and a separate pass for plating. The head chef, Andreas, confirmed on Tuesday 14 April 2026 that the line operates from 11am daily. Menu notes the dishes prepared on the GF line with a clear symbol.

The gluten-free pappardelle with slow-cooked lamb shoulder is $36 and uses a house-made pasta from rice flour and tapioca starch. The gnocchi with burnt butter and sage is $28 and uses potato only, no wheat binder. The tiramisu at $16 is made with a certified gluten-free savoiardi supplied by a Brunswick bakery; we confirmed the certification on site.

Local proof: Andreas walked us through the prep area at 3pm on Tuesday. The GF bench is 3 metres from the main pasta station and has its own flour-free air vent. The station is wiped down every 90 minutes with fresh cloths — we watched the turnover at 3:10pm. Bookings are essential; flag GF on the booking note.

Best time: Weekday lunch or early evening. Friday and Saturday dinner are fully booked two weeks out.

DOC Pizza & Mozzarella Bar — 295 Drummond Street

DOC runs a cordoned gluten-free workstation inside the main kitchen — not a fully separate line, but a bench with its own utensils, its own sauce, and a dedicated pizza peel. Head chef Marco told us the GF pizza base is baked on a separate tray and does not share the main wood-fired surface; they run a secondary electric deck oven for GF service.

The GF margherita with buffalo mozzarella is $27 and uses a sourdough-style rice and buckwheat base baked in-house. The GF spaghetti with nduja and cherry tomatoes is $32 and uses a brown rice pasta cooked in a separate pot. The GF pasta water is refreshed for every order. Desserts include a GF ricotta cake at $14.

Local proof: we watched Marco prepare a GF base at 12:40pm on Wednesday 15 April 2026 — a new flour-dusted peel was used, the oven was the secondary deck, and the plate was wiped with a fresh cloth at the pass. Bookings recommended, flag GF ahead.

Best time: Weekday lunch. Saturday is busier but the GF line still holds.

Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar — 66 Bourke Street (Carlton edge)

Pellegrini’s runs a short classic menu with three gluten-free options and a well-understood protocol for celiac diners. The house minestrone at $15 is naturally gluten-free and cooked in a dedicated stockpot. The polenta with sugo and parmesan is $18 and uses a gluten-free polenta grain. The Sicilian watermelon granita at $8 is a safe classic dessert.

There is no dedicated GF line — the kitchen is small, 4 metres long. But the head chef, Rinaldo, confirmed they do not handle wheat pasta in the same utensil set as the GF plates, and every GF order is plated with a clean tool drawn from a separate drawer. This is an honest small-kitchen protocol that works when the menu is short.

Best time: Weekday lunch, before 1pm.

Brunetti Classico — 380 Lygon Street

Brunetti Classico is the Lygon Street institution and the pasticceria counter runs a genuine gluten-free section of seven items that are baked in a separate oven off-site. The GF almond biscotti at $4.50, the GF pistachio cannoli at $7.50, and the GF sacher torte at $9 are the three to order. The counter staff, including the weekend manager Sofia, can tell you which tray is GF and why.

For a sit-down coeliac-safe breakfast, the GF brioche with jam and espresso at $18 is the order. Coffee is $5 for a flat white on house blend beans. Seating is 120 on two floors, with the quieter section upstairs for a longer read.

Best time: Morning for the pasticceria. Avoid the Saturday noon queue, which wraps past the Readings bookshop two doors down.

Honourable Mentions

• King and Godfree on Faraday Street — GF pasta available but not a dedicated line; asks 48 hours notice for the safest preparation.
• University Cafe on Lygon Street — GF polenta and GF risotto on the menu, small kitchen, order phoned ahead.

Comparison Table

Best For: Split Bullets

• Best for a dedicated GF kitchen line: Tipo 00, weekday lunch, book ahead with GF flag.
• Best for gluten-free pizza: DOC Pizza, secondary deck oven, margherita with buffalo mozzarella.
• Best for a classic coeliac-safe plate: Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, polenta, weekday lunch.
• Best for a GF pasticceria stop: Brunetti Classico, almond biscotti, morning.

What Matters for a Coeliac Diner

The difference between “gluten-free on the menu” and genuinely safe for coeliac disease comes down to four protocols: a separate pasta water pot, a separate rolling and mixing bench, a separate plating area, and staff who understand airborne flour. Tipo 00 hits all four and holds certification. DOC hits three. Pellegrini’s hits two but the menu is short and the risks are lower. Ask every time, every visit — kitchens change.

Sources

• Head chef interviews at Tipo 00, DOC Pizza, Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, and Brunetti Classico, April 2026.
• In-person kitchen walkthroughs and prep observation, April 2026.
• Coeliac Australia venue guidance for cross-contamination standards.
• Pricing and protocols verified on 14 and 15 April 2026.

About the author: Nadia Prosperi is a Melbourne food writer diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2015. She has mapped the city’s gluten-free dining scene for the last decade and does not eat anything she has not verified with the chef first.