It would be easy to run out of superlatives when describing 401k Food & Wine. Every dish my party of six tried was stunning in presentation, a fabulous culinary experience, and lacking in nothing... except gluten, of course.
Everything served at this Los Angeles area restaurant is gluten-free. There is also a selection of dairy-free and vegan options, which are clearly noted on the menu.
My top recommendation is to go with friends. You will want to try as much of this menu as possible. The dishes are served tapas style and sharing is the best way to enjoy this dedicated gluten-free restaurant.
My husband, who works in the financial 401(k) space, asked if the owners cashed out their 401(k) and poured it all into this business. Yep, the server said this is the owners' retirement savings. We're so glad they took the leap. 401k Food & Wine is a unique culinary experience, an absolute gift for gluten-free foodies, and a place you can proudly bring your gluten-eating friends and family.
Ambiance
Inside, you can enjoy drinks and family-style tapas at the bar, a table, or one of several red couches.
The bar is only available to guests 21 and older, and my kids were with us, so we headed to the lovely patio. It is a cozy space with plenty of greenery, shade, heaters, and even string lights to set the ambiance at night.
The Menu
Let's work our way through the menu, which is subject to change. I have noticed that the dessert menu in particular seems to change seasonally.
Breads
We ordered the gluten-free buttermilk biscuits. The plate came with two biscuits, fresh jam, and butter. Like everything we tried, you could not tell they were gluten-free.
Ever gone out to dinner and watched your friends and family enjoy the before-dinner bread basket? (sob sob) How I miss house-made, warm bread dipped in olive oil! If that's you, too, then you are going to love the gluten-free rosemary focaccia. Somehow it is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and perfectly airy. It comes with sun-dried tomato olive oil for dipping.
Vegetables
Umm... looking through my notes and pictures, it appears we entirely jumped over the vegetable section of the menu. I noticed that the Caesar salad with gluten-free croutons and the avocado carpaccio looked appetizing, but cannot give a firsthand review.
Stuff We Love
My party got a bit carried away with this section of the menu, aptly named "stuff we love."
Never one to skip pasta, I chose gluten-free penne pasta alfredo, which is dairy-free and vegan, including the rich alfredo sauce. I had overlooked the dairy-free note on the menu when ordering and was completely surprised when the server pointed it out. The dish was perfectly executed and you could not tell it was dairy-free.
Sadly, a soul food experience at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, famous in SoCal for... well... chicken and waffles, is off-limits for those of us with celiac disease. So, finding gluten-free waffles and fried chicken on the 401k menu was a treat! They did not disappoint. The plate held two fluffy waffles, three pieces of tender and crispy fried chicken, whipped maple butter, jalapeño sauce, and maple syrup.
Italian chicken sausage meatballs on a bed of fresh tomato sauce come with even more bread. This time, it's thick, grilled, garlic bread. Between the focaccia, biscuits, garlic bread, and waffles, I think I ate a month's worth of delicious bread.
Gluten-free sesame bun beef sliders and gluten-free beer battered rockfish and chips rounded out our feast, and they were just as wonderful as the other dishes.
Truly, everything we tried got rave reviews all around.
Desserts
It seemed impossible for our meal to get better, but dessert was over the top.
We ordered gluten-free mini churros with salted caramel sauce. They were amazing! There were plenty of mini churros to share. The housemade caramel sauce was rich, thick and perfect.
Sidebar on gluten-free churros. For the gluten-free crowd, churros are a rare treat, but they are not impossible to find. My family recently enjoyed gluten-free churros on a Celiac Cruise to Alaska and at the Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown, California, so I felt incredibly spoiled eating gluten-free churros for the third time in one year. Disney World in Florida is one of the most popular places in the country for gluten-free churros. And in greater Los Angeles, 401k Food & Wine and Twice Baked Baking Company are the places to go for this much-loved dessert.
After the churros, choosing another dessert from about half a dozen options was a challenge. We went with gluten-free basil panna cotta topped with lemon curd and fresh blueberries. It was creamy, delicate, and tasted like summer in Italy.
I can't share my first-hand experience with the chocolate caramel affogato with chocolate ice cream, but it looked beautiful. My son, not interested in family-style desserts, ordered his own affogato ice cream and enjoyed every last bite.
Wine & More
The 401k Food & Wine logo reads as "401K Gluten-Free Wine Bar + Eatery". As you would imagine, you'll find a nice selection of curated European and Californian wine to pair with the tapas.
In addition to wine, 401k serves Divine Science gluten-free (not gluten-removed) beer. Divine Science Brewing, located in Orange County, makes small-batch beer starting with gluten-free grains.
Also on the beverage menu are hard cider and creative non-alcoholic drinks, like rose lemonade soda.
Sinners & Saints Bakery (two doors down)
A couple of doors down from 401k, you'll find Sinners & Saints, a popular bakery. We popped in to see why. There was an impressively wide selection of gluten-free desserts.
The most important thing to know about Sinners and Saints is that it is not a dedicated gluten-free bakery. They sell desserts for "sinners" which contain gluten, and for "saints" which are gluten-free.
Sinners & Saints has protocols for cross-contact and the employees reported that they have lots of customers with celiac disease and expressed confidence in their procedures.
The items are kept in shared cases, clearly labeled. In a few cases, there was a sinners/gluten dessert next to or above a saints/gluten-free dessert.
We opted not to eat anything and stuck to the gluten-free desserts at 401k Food & Wine. As a celiac, I am very conservative about gluten-free baked goods from a shared kitchen. However, there are a lot of excellent reviews for Sinners & Saints on Find Me Gluten-Free. If you have celiac disease, I recommend reading the celiac reviews and asking questions of the friendly and knowledgeable staff to make your own informed decision.
Location
401k is located in Venice, California, close to Venice Beach (which you must see once), the Venice canals, Santa Monica, and the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Pay a visit to 40k Food & Wine, and you will be delighted!
