One of the easiest things to find labeled as “Gluten Free” over the past few years is pizza. Many large chains have started offering it as on option, which comes with it’s pluses and minuses.

A major benefit is feeling “normal” when you’re out with family and friends because you can order something off the normal menu with ease.

Just as a precautionary note however, you still need to proceed with caution. Unless the kitchen has a separate work space and is knowledgeable about cross-contamination, eat at your own risk.

In my personal opinion, here are my top choices in the area for taste and hasn’t made me sick either. As a person who was born and raised in NYC with legit pizza, I take my pizza very seriously.

Pizza Rock

When you’re downtown and looking for a place to eat before a concert at Golden 1 or before a ball game, Pizza Rock on K Street is great. Locally, I’d say they have the best pizza. Looking at the pizza, crust is pretty good and size-wise, it’s definitely on the larger side so it can definitely be more of a shareable size than a personal “I’m hungry one our later” size.

If you can get there for happy hour, it’s typically half-off too so that’s a definite benefit as their prices are on the higher end for sure. If you take a look at their menu, they have a lot of items labeled as gluten free so you have options! How exciting!

Taste of Tuscany

A hidden little spot that you don’t know about unless you know someone who knows someone is Taste of Tuscany located off Roseville Road between Sacramento and Roseville. The pizza is great and while more expensive, it easily splits into two meals so the cost evens out.

Not only do they offer GF pizza, but they also have bread sticks… mind you, I’m 99% sure it’s the same base as pizza, but hey, a bread stick is a bread stick. They also can make any  pasta dish on their menu with GF pasta. In the spirit of 100% transparency, I have not personally tried, but people on FMGF say great things about those dishes too. My family (who can eat all the gluten they want) has had their regular pasta dishes and they say they’re great, so swapping out pasta for pasta bodes well.

Chicago Fire

If you’re looking for a place where everyone is going to eat pizza and yours will just happen to be GF, Chicago Fire is a good option. I have personally eaten at the one downtown, in Folsom and in Roseville. There is only one size option and it is your standard thin crust pizza. Nothing out of the norm there, but they do a good job of cooking it so it’s crispy on the edges, but not burnt.

As a note, I am extremely sensitive to cross-contamination and have not gotten sick any of the times I’ve visited. That said, their menu does state that cross-contamination is possible, so just be cautious and when in doubt, ask your server and clearly state it is an allergy.

BJ’s Brewhouse

Hands down, the GF pizza I eat the most locally is at BJ’s in Roseville or Sacramento. Typically, if you’re by a mall, you’re likely around a BJ’s or a CPK, both of which have a pizza for you.  Time and time again, they ask me “is it an allergy?” and when I say yes, they clearly mark it on my receipt so the kitchen is extra careful.

I almost always order a GF pizza with pepperoni, grilled chicken and bacon and the crust is the perfect cookedness–definitely not a real word–crispy and yet not hard. As a bonus, they also offer a GF pizookie so you can have dessert too. If you’re out with friends, they can get more than just pizza here so it’s typically a crowd favorite for all parties involved.

California Pizza Kitchen

Up next for where I grab pizza the most is CPK in with the Roseville Fountains or in Sacramento at Arden Fair. When you’re out of town, chances are there is a CPK in a mall near you too. Previously, I’d always order GF pepperoni and bacon pizza. Recently, they switched to a GF cauliflower crust which in my opinion is pretty good. Now if cauliflower isn’t your jam, you might skip this one.

HOWEVER, be sure you note that you want the “gluten free” pizza (which is cauliflower by default) as they cook it in a different area in the kitchen and are extra careful with it. I have eaten out with people who also ordered the cauliflower pizza, but didn’t state this and theirs came out a different temperature and without the little “GlutenFree” wooden stake.

Old Town Pizza

Another local-only place is Old Town Pizza with locations in Auburn, Lincoln and Roseville. I have eaten at all three before and chose the GF pepperoni pizza each time.  The pizza itself is about 10″ and decent in taste and texture. I’m almost positive, it’s your standard Udi’s crust under all of the sauce, cheese and toppings.

While I have never personally had an issue, the pizza is made in a shared space. I always let the server know of my allergy and they try to be careful, but nothing is 100% safe in this case.

Pieology

Last (for now) but not least, is Pieology… what I’d like to describe as the Chipotle of pizza places. You can come in and choose your toppings and they make the pizza however you want. At the start of the line, ask them for a GF pizza and have them change their gloves. That employee typically will complete your pizza rather than handing it off and will announce the “glove change” so all are aware. They also cook the GF pizzas on a different tray to avoid cross-contamination. Within a few minutes your pizza is out of the oven and you’re ready to go.

I will caution you to watch the employee from beginning to end however. I once got a newer person who did great changing their gloves, grabbing the pizza crust from the separate oven, and getting the oil drizzled on there. THEN they took the same brush they had been spreading sauce with previously (instead of using the separate bottle of sauce) and touched it to my now-notsoGF-pizza. I immediately caught it and they (without problem) restarted from the beginning including changing their gloves.

As I visit these places in the future, I’ll be sure to snap shots of my pizzas and post them on Instagram @GlutenFreeSacramento so you can help pick where you’re going to grab your next slice to eat! Do you have a local spot that you love that’s not on this list, let me know in the comments and I’ll add it to my list to check out!