If you’re anything like me, your heart aches for decent gluten free pizzas. You know, the loaded, cheesy, thin and crispy ones that leave grease dripping down your chin and a huge smile on your face? Well, your luck is about to change…it is the year of the Rabbit after all…
If you’re visiting Oxford, and you’re looking for a gluten free, nut free and vegan hang out, I urge you to try The White Rabbit on Gloucester Green. It serves authentic, Roman-style pizza, meeting dietary needs with NO compromise.
A much-loved pub, this place is a hive of activity with locals, students and after work drinkers all being looked after by friendly staff amongst weird, wonderful and kind-of-trippy Rabbit paraphernalia. And what’s more, they’ve got a big, covered outdoor garden with heated seats… You heard that right. Heated seats.
But back to the pizza…the menu is BIG and caters for all. From full blown wheat, meat and cheese laden, to gluten, dairy and nut free pizzas. I loved that the menu for free from options was just the menu. Not the usual pinch an inch paragraph we free frommers are used to, or the odd italic GF here and there. Never has an A4 page of text set my heart racing before.
I scoffed down the special ‘Linguistica’. I tried others too, but this one has me in a satisfaction headlock that I didn’t want to get out of. A thin and crispy base topped with gooey goats’ cheese, kale, pepperoni and drizzled with fragrant honey. I truly had love in my tummy. The Vegan Rosa Picante is order-worthy too. If you like things on the spicy side, this one’s a banger. Washed down with gluten free beer, I rediscovered a level of indulgence that I really have missed being gluten free. I was looking for a vegan wine but it’s something they’re working on bringing to the menu soon.
Desserts, not that I made it that far, come from local suppliers and include a gluten free chocolate brownie and Sorbetto from local legends iScream in Oxford’s Covered Market.
I don’t love that it costs an additional £2.80 supplement to turn your magical pizza gluten free. Worth it? Yes, absolutely. Happy about it? No. This “allergy penalty” is an issue we’ll discuss many times over in Free From Living.
These guys know what they’re doing though. They’re the pioneers of gluten free pizza. They know what their customers want and that is a big Italian slap in the face, in a relaxed and vibrant setting that just so happens to cater for everyone.
This place is big news and now I have to move to Oxford…