What’s gluten-free at Salem, MA, and also celiac-safe? In this travel and dining guide, I will walk you through:
- The top-rated celiac-friendly gluten-free restaurants
- The best places to visit
- What to be prepared for
- What we would do differently when we visit again
Overall, you need to visit Salem, MA at least once in your lifetime. No place is quite like it. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t fit everything in one day; it’s a great trip to take annually or make a family tradition.9
About Salem, MA and this Guide
Our family visited Salem in October 2026 for the first time, and we didn’t know what to expect. Now, we are going to make this an annual tradition, and I hope my son brings his kids to Salem each year when he is older.
Overall, we loved Real Pirates Salem, and of course, walking through downtown, seeing people in costumes, taking pictures with characters at the Essex Pedestrian Mall, exploring historical spots, and visiting the vendors at Salem Common. Also, the food was fantastic at the Flying Saucer Pizza Company.
Salem has a rich storytelling atmosphere with legends and mysteries. However, you should be prepared for long lines, crowds, and lots of walking. Give yourself extra time for traffic and navigating. All the celiac-safe gluten-free restaurants have a long waiting list. Inevitably, you cannot do everything in one day; there’s way too much to do. That’s why you should visit next year.
How to Make This Family-Friendly?
Make your trip to Salem, MA family-friendly by visiting attractions and museums the whole family can enjoy together. Dress up and make this trip an annual tradition your children can pass to their kids. Before the trip, plan out what everyone wants to do, vote on the lunch restaurant, dessert spot, and a couple of attractions to visit. Designate one person as the Navigator (the Compass); this was my son’s job because he was learning about compasses in school. Designate another person as the timekeeper; this was my duty. Find other fun roles for each family member. Then, on the ride home, spend time talking about what you loved and what you would do differently next time.
Friendship Tours
Our journey to Salem, MA, started in Manchester, Connecticut, with a Tour Guide Company called Friendship Tours, and fortunately, we did not have to do any of the driving. At the Manchester commuter bus lot, a Greyhound bus took us to Salem in about 2.5 hours. We also made a 20-30 minute stop at a rest stop along the way, and they dropped us off right in front of the Real Pirates Museum for a guided tour by the museum owner.
I highly recommend booking with a tour company, like Friendship Tours. Then you don’t have to worry about driving, directions, parking, gas, and they even picked us up in front of the Hawthorne Hotel at the end of the day.
The Real Pirates Museum
Our first stop was the highly recommended Real Pirates Salem Museum, which is fairly new. It used to be underwater and sits near the old harbor. The museum is so cool; there are so many artifacts and insights into Salem culture, rich in witches’ tales, legends, mysteries, and history. It takes about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to go through the whole museum. We had a dedicated tour guide, the museum owner, and she was very knowledgeable and fantastic.
If you are visiting Salem, I recommend a designated starting point, like this museum or something central to multiple locations.
How to Find Celiac-Friendly Gluten-Free Restaurants in Salem, MA
You can start with Gluten-Free Restaurants and Bakeries in Salem, Massachusetts on Find Me Gluten Free. There’s a lot of options, or use the Gluten-Free Salem Dining Guide for The Nomadic Fitzpatricks. Also, you can search Tripadvisor for Gluten-Free Friendly Restaurants in Salem.
Overall, I found that the best gluten-free, celiac-friendly restaurants in Salem, MA are the following.
Flying Saucer Pizza Company
We went to Flying Saucer Pizza Company on Washington Street, nestled right inside Lappin Park directly behind the famous Bewitched Statue. If you are walking from the Real Pirates Museum, it’s about a 10-minute walk. They have 4.5 stars on Find Me Gluten Free. The best part is their dedicated fryer and gluten-free menu with a variety of options. Overall, they are known for their pizza, but they also have gluten-free garlic bread, chicken tenders, chicken wings, meatballs, salad, and more.
We ordered the gluten-free chicken tenders with 2 dipping sauces. You can pick up to 2 sauces, and they have over a whopping 15 to choose from. The hostess Laura was super friendly and accommodating. She asked me how everything was, and I said, “This is amazing.” She said, “Where can you find gluten-free chicken tenders?” I said, “I know, right!”
The only downside is that you have to get there before they open to be seated right away. They suggest coming about 20-30 minutes before they open at noon. The first 20 people are seated as soon as they open; after that, there is a wait. We arrived about 10 minutes before they opened and waited for about 30-40 minutes, but it was totally worth the wait. They have outdoor and indoor seating. Once we were seated, it took about 10 minutes for the waitress to order for drinks and food, but then the food arrived in like 10 minutes. The people in line behind us and in front of us were also gluten-free.
Dire Wolf Tavern
Unfortunately, our family did not make it to Dire Wolf Tavern on Washington street because they were booked solid. You need to make reservations with OpenTable. I tried to make reservations on Friday for Saturday, but they only had open tables on Monday. The host suggested refreshing the app and checking back to see if there were any openings. They have 4.5 stars on Find Me Gluten Free. They offer an extensive gluten-free menu, like burgers, sushi, tacos, fried calamari, fried pickles, chicken bites, yucca fries, and some other interesting gluten-free options.
From the Real Pirates Salem they are about a 10-minute walk. Book your table several days before your trip.
Crave
We also didn’t make it to Crave on Lafayette Street in time before they closed at 2 p.m. So if we had to do it over, we would immediately stop there after lunch and grab some dessert.
They have 5 stars on Find Me Gluten Free with build-your-own sandwiches, scones, breakfast, buns, desserts, cosmic brownies, carrot cake, and coffee drinks. They are only open from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m., so plan accordingly.
From the Real Pirates Salem they are about a 10 minute walk, but expect delays due to crowds.
Other places to visit in Salem
Essex Pedestrian Mall
There’s a brick promenade, and here you will find a bunch of stores, performers, and people dressed in costumes. This strip is very crowded, but probably the best part of the experience because you feel the energy of Salem.
The vendors at Salem Common
They have tons of really cool vendors and crafters on the green. I bought a pink hooded sweatshirt with the words, “Salem, they forgot one.” Some people sit on the green and chill. I bought a pink Sweatshirt that says, “Salem, MA. They forgot one.”
Salem Harbor
We made a quick stop here to use the restrooms, but I also noticed they were rebuilding the Friendship of Salem, a 178-foot replica of a 1797 three-masted East India merchant ship. Visitors typically rest here because it’s very scenic and there’s places to sit down. Across the street is the Custom House, which was originally used as a tax collecting building near the ship trade.
Restrooms
There are porta potties throughout Salem, every few blocks or so. The visitors center and mall also have restrooms. They are not the cleanest things in the world, so your best bet is to use the restrooms at restaurants.
Ye Olde Pepper Company
You also want to stop at Ye Olde Pepper Company on Derby Street; they are the oldest operating candy store, established in 1806. While their candy is not labeled gluten-free, the ingredients are made with natural ingredients, like sugar and molasses, which are naturally gluten-free. However, there’s a possibility they may share equipment and other products, so there’s a chance of cross-contamination. Also, expect a long line for this candy store that wraps around the block.
What’s Next?
If we had to do it over again, what would we be prepared for? Well, we will still visit in October, even though it’s crowded. It’s totally worth it and is a great family tradition. However, we will plan better. We knew we were visiting the Real Pirates Salem and a restaurant, but as I mentioned, we didn’t make it to Crave in time before they closed, and the rest of the afternoon was pretty open. We spent much of the time walking around and trying to find places.
So next year, we will map out our excursions, make restaurant reservations, and plan extra time for lines. Also, I would definitely take the trolley ride. The line was pretty long, but it does give you a tour of Salem and some history. Also, there’s a lot of hidden gems. The Bewitched Statue of Liberty Montgomery was located right near Flying Saucer Pizza Company. I had no clue what the statue was until I figured it out. There’s also a wait to take pictures in front of the statue.
More Gluten-Free Guides
- Gluten-free Airline Traveling
- Gluten-free at the Movies
- ADA Pass at Six Flags
- What’s Gluten-Free at Six Flags
- 5 Ways to Spend Less on Gluten-Free
Have you visited Salem? What were your favorite restaurants and places to visit? What would you recommend? Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtags #familyfriendly #glutenfree @gfdalesio.
