Montreal is a gluten-free paradise - here's exactly where to eat

Montreal has long been one of North America's best food cities, but for celiacs it could feel like poutine, bagels and smoked meat were all off the table. Travel and food writer Luke Pyenson has spent the past two years eating his way through the city gluten-free since his wife's celiac diagnosis, and his verdict is clear: Montreal is a gluten-free paradise.

The bakeries that crack croissants without gluten

Croissants are the hardest pastry to pull off without gluten, but Boulangerie Le Marquis, near Jean-Talon Market, has perfected the flaky laminated kind. Alongside its Old Montreal sister shop Le Marquis Signature Santé, it turns out plain, almond and chocolate-almond croissants plus pains au chocolat, hot from the oven all morning.

For something you won't find anywhere else, head to La Bolo à Lolo, a gluten-free market in the Plateau. Chef Gordy Moufarrej, who emigrated from Lebanon as a boy, bakes manouché flatbreads using his mother's homemade za'atar and a proprietary gluten-free flour blend. Pyenson says his family went three days in a row on their last visit: "We've never gotten past the manouché."

At Crêperie du Marché, a stall inside Jean-Talon Market, cooks make 100% buckwheat Breton galettes on a dedicated gluten-free menu, both savory and sweet. Nearby, Cantine Panella bakes with quinoa, cassava and sweet potato flours for a distinctly Peruvian chew.

Rotisserie chicken worth crossing the border for

Rotisserie chicken is one of Montreal's classic foods, but traditional spots like Chalet Bar-B-Q and Ma Poule Mouillée use wheat flour in their sauces. Pyenson's picks: Rôtisserie Coco Rico, a Plateau institution open since 1970 serving spit-roasted chicken with gluten-free piri-piri and fries from a dedicated fryer, and Little Italy's Rôtisserie La Lune from the team behind Mon Lapin. There, the must-order is the Croqu'Ailes Farcies XL - deboned chicken wings stuffed with more chicken and deep-fried.

La Lune also handles seasonal salads and veggie sides with an equally deft hand, almost always gluten-free - "an essential counterweight on the table," Pyenson writes. He also flags dedicated-gluten-free wine bars and neo-bistros down the street as part of a dependable roster that doesn't feel like a compromise.