Gluten free eats in Oulu
Posted: October 8, 2024 Updated: October 13, 2024
Oulu is a city in Northern Finland, the largest city up north and a stop on the way to Finnish Lapland. Finland overall is very good for coeliacs, which is not too surprising given Finland has one of the highest rates of coeliac disease in the population. So, what gluten free food can you find in Oulu?
A few holidays and an extended stay
I’ve been been visiting Finland since 2018 and even lived there for the second half of 2021.
Why? Well my husband is Finnish! We’d only been dating for about five months when we had our first trip to Finland. Just a few days in Helsinki, but it was a great trip. Later that year we came back for Christmas, in freezer temperatures, surrounded by snow in the northern town of Kuusamo.
We lived in Oulu in 2021 while we prepared to relocate our lives from the UK to Australia. Australian visas can take a while, so I made the decision that we spend that time in Finland with friends and family while we waited.
Finnish gluten free groceries
I’ll make a quick point here that supermarkets in Finland are quite good for gluten free. K Group stores tend to have a dedicated gluten free section with lots of products while Prisma stores tend to have their items spread out across the store.
Both have a separate area for gluten free bread and baked goods so you’ll always find that easily. In Finnish gluten free is written as gluteeniton (gluten without).
Maybe one day I’ll do an in-depth guide to gluten free in Finland, let me know if you’re keen. I think there needs to be a bit of demand to do that much work! 😅
Oh and Oulu has a slightly more high-end grocery store called Sokos Herkku. They’ve got some great local products and loads of food ready to go. Including hot food from their deli counter. Very handy for a last minute lunch, the staff are super helpful with what is gluten free.
A mini guide for a quick overview
I’ve chosen to do most of my city guides by compiling previous posts from my Instagram feed. It allows me to build up an article for you all quickly and easily – and update it easily!
McDonalds
Gluten free Maccas in Europe yesssssss! Eating at McDonald’s in Finland is quite easy. Like most stores these days you order through a screen, all you need to do is adjust your bun to gluten free.
Currently the fries at McDonald’s are also listed as GF (no shared fryer) so you’re safe there too. Enjoy!
There’s a Maccas in the centre of Oulu, as well as one on the edge of the city (Limingantulli) and two further out near the Zeppelin shopping centre and Kaakuri shops.
Huovisen Leipomo (Huovinen’s Bakery)
Huovisen Leipomo has two sites in Oulu, one just south of the city centre and out east close to the Oulu Hospital.
In terms of variety and offering, the city store is bigger and hosts a buffet lunch on weekdays. Most days that lunch is gluten free or has a gluten free option.
It’s pretty cheap too, you can get soup, main and a mini dessert for around €12. Trust me, that’s cheap for the Nordics.
While they are a regular bakery they put a lot of effort into their gluten free offering. They do a few types of bread as well as sweet buns and cakes.
Better yet, they make gluten free versions of seasonal treats. Including this laskiaispulla or shrove bun. It’s a cardamon spiced dough that’s filled with jam and fresh cream. This one was heavenly, best I’ve ever had.
ABC Truck Stops
A truck stop? On a gluten free guide? Amazingly, the ABC roadhouses are probably one of your best bets to get a hot, nutritious meal just about anywhere in Finland.
Most ABC roadhouses have a buffet with a rotating menu that is published every week (great for planning ahead, everything with a G after it on the list is gluten free). They also have a permanent bistro menu, most of which is gluten free or has a gluten free option.
Bonus! A lot of the venues also have a Hesburger so you can get yourself a cheeseburger and fries.
Magnolia Bakery
Magnolia Bakery is a 100% gluten free cafe right in the heart of Oulu. The best thing is that they serve savoury and sweet options.
Their signature offer is their mini pancakes, available in sweet and savoury options.
For my Aussie coeliac followers, they do use oats in some of their products, one pancake type has GF oats but the other one is oat free.
Alfred
Alfred is fine dining without the price tag. It’s a new addition to Oulu and it is clearly popular, we had to wait nearly three weeks for a dinner reservation on our last visit!
And don’t get me started on lunch bookings, it was impossible 😂. How come? They only charge about €14 but for that price you get a restaurant quality main, plus the typical salad buffet and dessert you’d get for lunch anywhere in Finland.
I will say though that not every lunch offer at Alfred is GF, so you do need to wait until the weekly menu is released.
I did a more in-depth write up of Alfred, check it out!
Friends and Brgrs
Friends and Brgrs are a small chain in Finland specialising in burgers. Actually, there’s quite a few Finnish burger chains around!
Their fried chicken is gluten free by default so it’s a great option. They of course have gluten free buns!
Koti Pizza
Koti Pizza used to have an absolutely terrible gluten free pizza base. I’m talking so dry it could cut the inside of your cheek (and probably has done to a few Finnish coeliacs).
Lucky for us they upgraded their GF pizza bases around 2023, working closely with a Finnish gluten free bakery to get it just right.
Take a look at them now!
Koti Pizza stores are located all over Finland. They bake their gluten free pizzas on their own disposable metal tray so there’s no contact. Also they will not cut a gluten free pizza, so there’s no chance of the cutter transferring any gluten.
Opetusravintola Hilikku (Student Restaurant Hilikku)
Hilikku is the restaurant of a culinary school training where students learn hospiality and train to be a chef. There’s two sides, a more informal cafeteria and a formal bistro.
I’ve dined at the bistro three or four times over the years and it’s always been great. They offer a lot of gluten free food on the menu and can easily adjust any item that isn’t already gluten free by default.
When I went for a special Christmas luncheon in 2023 they had a GF version of every dessert.
Sokos Herkku
Sokos is a department store in Finland and just two have an adjacent grocery store, Sokos Herkku.
The one in Oulu is located underground at the Valkea shopping centre. It’s such a handy location, particularly if you are staying in the heart of the city.
That’s all I’ve got to say about Oulu, for now :). If you’re keen to know more of what Finland has to offer you can check out my review of a typical Finnish donut the berliinimunkki.
Or if a trip to Finland isn’t in your budget, recreate some Finnish hygge vibes with a bowl of Finnish salmon soup, lohikeitto.