Celia Lager’s Gluten Free Pop Up Restaurant

When I heard there was a pop up restaurant opening that served only gluten free food I was incredibly excited as this would be a first for me.  So I couldn’t wait to head down to Brixton last night to see it for myself and it did not disappoint. Celia Lager are the brains (and chef!) behind this excellent pop up at WAG Free bakery, nestled inside the buzzing Brixton Market.

Celia Lager Pop-up Restaurant @ WAG Free Brixton

They have Martin, the gluten free chef, cooking up some delights in the kitchen and Nick making sure you have plenty of Celia Lager to wash it down with! They have launched this pop up restaurant to run every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6.30pm until 11.00pm until further notice so make sure you don’t miss out.

All dishes on the menu are gluten free

What impressed me the most about the menu was that they have created the dishes that fellow GF’s / coeliacs could only dream of like breaded chicken schnitzel, savoury tarts, home baked bruschetta and deep fried cauliflower to name but a few! These are a far cry from the usual risottos or often mundane GF pastas at some other restaurants. Even the gluten free bread on the table was irresistible and I was told it was baked fresh on site along with everything else.

Gluten Free Bruschetta with home-made pesto

To start, we ordered the ‘Tomato Bruschetta with home-made basil pesto’ and the ‘Roast vegetable and chickpea dip with a toasted WAG Free bun’. Both were generous portions made with lovely fresh ingredients, the vegetable dip in particular was very tasty. My boyfriend Anthony (usually a wheat eater) was converted and said he could have eaten that dip all day it was so moreish especially with the warm, garlicky GF bun to dip into it.

Roasted Vegetable and Chickpea dip with WAG Free toasted bun

For mains Anthony ordered the special ‘Celia Lager Beef Goulash with rice and minted peas’ and I had the ‘Chicken schnitzel stuffed with garlic butter’. I haven’t been able to enjoy a chicken schnitzel or a chicken kiev since I was diagnosed with a gluten allergy over 4 years ago but this was definitely worth the 4 year wait. Anything deep fried with breadcrumbs and an oozy garlic centre has to be one of the best forms of indulgent food!

Chicken Schnitzel and Celia Lager Beef Goulash

If you would like a dessert you can choose from any of the WAG free bakery cakes. I have tried several of their cakes in the past as they are also on sale in Selfridge’s Food Hall . It was good value at around £20 each for 2 (huge) courses and lots of bottles of Celia Lager!! They picked a perfect location in the busy Brixton Market which has is a good vibe, as the evening progressed there was a live band at the bar next door which filled the whole market with music.

Celia Lager

I was never really a lager or beer fan, even before I had to cut out gluten but I have found a new love of lager after trying Celia! I find it easy to drink and much lighter than normal gluten containing ones I tried many years ago, its light enough to enjoy with food or on a night out. Celia uses traditional open fermentation making it the only pilsner in the world that is gluten-free with all natural carbonation meaning it doesn’t give you the ‘bloated’ feeling, If you would like to try Celia Lager yourself they are selling you can through this link

Rating /5
Gluten free knowledge: GGGGG
Amount of gluten free options: GGGGG
Food: GGGGG
Value: GGGGG
Service: GGGGG