Getting a gluten free pizza in New Zealand is quite easy, as HELL is a pizza chain with over 60 stores in both the north and south islands! HELL is Coeliac New Zealand accredited and you can watch a short video about the dining out program and the procedures in place to avoid cross contamination.
The menu
You can have a look at the menu in advance online. I thought the menu could be better labelled, as there are some things marked as GF (eg GF garlic bread and the carnivora section) but it isn’t clear that all the pizza toppings are gluten free and that all the salads are gluten free – I was told this when I asked what was gluten free. It is possibly done this way to not put off ‘normal’ people, but it felt inconsistent to me and I like to see it in writing what is gluten free.
Gluten free pizza
The takeaway pizza box is clearly labelled with the gluten free sticker, so it is great to be sure you have the right pizza. The base was good – thin and quite crispy and the toppings were delicious.
The size pictured above is the ‘snack’ size (to serve 1) or you can also order a ‘double’ size. My husband had a normal pizza base and thought it was great. For gluten free bases there is a $2 surcharge on the snack size and $3.50 on the double size.
Gluten free pizza alternatives
If you don’t want pizza, there are a number of other alternatives. I had to try the gluten free (and dairy free) garlic bread as it something that is not readily available to coeliacs when eating out. I enjoyed this and polished off the rather large roll by myself. My only concern was the presentation on a board as I always worry about how clean these boards are (I brushed off the bread and put it onto the serviette). I also had to double check it was gluten free as it was served, just to be sure I had the GF option as normal garlic bread is also on the menu.
The rest of my meal was chicken wings and the camembert slaw salad (one of seven salad options). The chicken wings were very tasty and you have a choice of bastings. The salad was very fresh and a good size. The dressing for the salad didn’t have gluten listed as an allergen (contained soy and sulphites).
Dessert
If you are still hungry or just want something sweet, there are two gluten free dessert options – a warm brownie and gelato.
In summary, I really enjoyed the food from HELL and was reasonably comfortable ordering a gluten free meal. We visited the Queenstown restaurant, which is both eat in and takeaway, but note that many stores are takeaway only or have limited seating. You can also order online for home delivery.
Check online for locations and opening hours, but you will find them in all major cities, such as Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown etc.
The Queenstown and Dunedin stores were open on Easter public holidays, so it is likely that many other stores are also open on public holidays.
For more ideas on eating out gluten free, please check the following links:
- London 100% gluten free
- Queenstown, New Zealand – Taco Medic 100% gluten free
- Victoria – Mornington Peninsula 100% gluten free
- Wellington, NZ – Charley Noble
- Brisbane – Gluten free bakery
- Melbourne’s top 10 gluten free venues in the suburbs
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