We’ve recently come back from our first visit to PortAventura in Spain. We had a really great time and the gluten free food I was able to find was a big part of the positive experience for sure!

I was a little nervous ahead of our trip as I wasn’t quite sure what gluten free, coeliac safe food I would be able to find. There wasn’t much detailed information online.

This was the first theme park we’d visited outside of the UK since I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in May 2023, so I was preparing myself to be going hungry on occasion and not eating much exciting food.

I like to do my research and be prepared, and although the park’s website mentioned they catered for coeliacs and listed the places that gluten free food was available, there wasn’t any information about the specific foods available.

Hopefully this post will give you peace of mind if you’re looking to travel to PortAventura and need to eat gluten free. We discovered there was a large range of choices and we didn’t manage to try them all, so there’s more to discover than what’s covered here!

Hotel Gold River

We stayed at Hotel Gold River, which was really lovely and we were well-placed to access the park in the mornings. On their website, the hotel asks that if you have an allergy you complete a form and send it to them before your stay. I did this, but didn’t hear back via email and when we got to check-in I had to complete a new form. This was supposed to be passed on to the breakfast team, but I had to complete a new version at breakfast too as they didn’t have a copy of my form.

I also found it really funny that they only had a form that was designed for children, intended to be completed by their guardian. There was no version for adults so I had to put my own age down (I’m 26!).

Despite needing to complete multiple forms, I was glad they were taking things seriously and was more than happy to make sure they had what they needed.

I was apprehensive about eating at the hotel buffet as I wasn’t sure whether they would be able to bring me some food that was prepared in the kitchen separately or not.

Breakfast buffet

Eating at the breakfast buffet was a dream. I let the team know that I had a gluten allergy as we were being seated each time and they made sure they had my allergy form, then gave me a little sheet of paper with a list of breakfast items that I could choose from. This was in Spanish but I guessed what things were and chose a selection!

You could have as much as you liked and they were generous with portions. I chose some cooked breakfast items (the Spanish tortilla was especially good) and also went for a croissant with Nutella. On the second day they even warmed up the croissant in the packet which was amazing.

There was lots to choose from and I didn’t try everything. You could also opt for things like cereals or fruit.

Everyone eating at the buffet has to book a time slot, so we were worried we wouldn’t have much time to eat if my food took a while to come out. But they were very efficient and only took around 5 minutes to bring mine out and it was all fresh and hot - perfect!

Evening buffet

Unfortunately, the evening buffet was a different story. I would say this was the most disappointing meal of the trip for me, but saying that, I still had more than enough food and safe choices!

Again, they made sure that they had my allergy form before presenting me with a list of options to choose from. This list had an English translation which was helpful for me. I was also served by the manager who told me that there would be a chef in the kitchen preparing my food - this phrase might have raised my expectations higher than they should have been!

The list of options included starters, mains and deserts, and you could choose as much as you liked. I went for ravioli to start and then opted for chicken and Spanish potatoes, plus vegan ‘chicken’ with rice for mains. I finished with vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

Other items on the list included gazpacho, beef, mixed vegetables, fruit and yogurt.

I was expecting the chef to be preparing fresh meals, but it turned out to be ready meals. I was a little disappointed but was glad to be sure that the food was safe from cross-contamination.

My favourite was the Schär ravioli which was really nice!

For the price I paid (€26) I wouldn’t recommend eating at the buffet if you can help it, but if you’re with others who want to eat there or don’t have another option you will be able to eat safely and won’t go hungry!

There was another restaurant next door that we wanted to try for an evening meal, but we ended up finding more gluten free food in the parks the next days so opted for that instead.

PortAventura Park

Smoothies

One of my favourite finds in the parks were the fresh fruit smoothies. These could be found at kiosks all over the park and were really refreshing to drink in the sun (while Harry enjoyed a lovely beer!)

I asked the team member when I ordered my first one to check if there were any allergies in them, she went out the back to check with her manager and confirmed there was no gluten. They were prepared in a blender and most of the times I ordered one I saw the team member prepare it so was happy that the process was safe.

During the trip I tried three of the flavours and loved them all.

La Cantina

This was the first place we ate at PortAventura World, not long after we arrived on park at around 2pm. Our experience was a little chaotic as it was very busy and we weren’t expecting such a large dining area!

As we entered we saw that they were using an IKEA-style system where everyone queued and picked up their meal along the way. But when I informed the team member that I had a gluten allergy we were asked to wait by the tills rather than queuing up. We were served by the tills and given a buzzer to collect the meal when it was ready.

There was no written menu, but the team member listed all the options for us. We went for one meal to share, starting with nachos, then ‘beef’ and chips, and ending with tiramisu. The beef was cold so a little disappointing, but the tiramisu was lovely!

Other options that were listed were pasta, salad, chicken and fruit salad - so it sounds like there are lots more great options on the menu.

A lot of the food outlets on park offer a three course meal for a set price, but as our trip went on we realised that you could order just a main if you wanted to instead of the full three courses.

Bora Bora

I’m really glad we tried Bora Bora as this place had the most interesting options we tried on park. As we went in I let the team member know I had a gluten allergy and she took me to a counter at the side to place my order. I was given a buzzer again to collect my order when it was ready.

There was a gluten free menu but I opted to just go for the chicken poke bowl on its own instead of a three course meal. It was delicious and had so many different elements - I loved it. At the bottom there was lots of rice and it was all covered in (I’m assuming GF) soy sauce.

I would happily have eaten there again to try something else if we had the chance.

Café Saula

Another great find with smaller, lighter options if you’re looking for something to grab and go. We went for a bacon pizza which was really nice and not too small (around 20-25cm) so we shared.

There was a written menu with lots of options - including sandwiches and even pastries!

Ferrari Land

Pit Lane

Options in Ferrari Land seemed limited from looking at the online information, but we stopped by Pit Lane for a self-service dinner and there were lots of choices! Other than Pit Lane, you can also find gluten free food at Ristorante Cavallino but we didn’t eat there.

The team member was really helpful and although there was no written menu, she told me that most of the menu could be adapted for gluten free.

I went for a beef burger which was really nice. The burger seemed to be of a high quality and the GF bun was really decent. I was also given individual sauce packets (to avoid cross-contamination) as everyone else was able to use sauce dispensers.

Turns out, I didn’t need to worry! Overall, my gluten free food experience at PortAventura World was great. I was able to eat safely and have lots of choices, something I don’t take for granted.

Theme park food can be hit and miss anyway, so I was pleasantly surprised to eat so well!

If you’re planning a trip to PortAventura soon and need to eat gluten free, you can look forward to a great selection of safe food to choose from.

Eating gluten free in PortAventura World, Spain