If you’ve been living with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, you know the struggle of finding restaurants where you can actually relax and enjoy a meal without interrogating every ingredient. Well, San Francisco just made things a whole lot easier. Clementina, a new fully celiac-safe Italian restaurant in the Richmond District, is changing the game for folks who thought they’d have to say goodbye to pasta and pizza forever.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Gianluca Legrottaglie and Viviana Devoto, the power couple behind Montesacro Pinseria in SoMa, along with chef Giorgio Brunella. What started as personal motivation, both the owners and Brunella have daughters with celiac disease, has evolved into a full-time commitment to showing that gluten-free Italian food doesn’t have to be a compromise.

Clementina opened on Clement Street in the space formerly occupied by Bettola, and the menu is genuinely impressive. We’re talking tagliatelle made with chickpea and brown rice flour that actually has the elasticity and texture of real pasta, paired with wine and tomato-braised calamari. There’s a layered pesto lasagna that won’t leave you missing gluten, and a saffron risotto topped with bone marrow that’s pure comfort food.

But let’s be real, people are coming for the pizza. The crust gets its signature crispiness from rice flour, a technique refined through their experience with Montesacro’s pinsas. You can keep it simple with a Margherita, go for the “Alice” (a red pie with anchovies and capers, named after the owners’ daughter), or go full-throttle with the Clementina, loaded with broccolini, Calabrian chili, and pork sausage. Each bite proves that gluten-free pizza isn’t just possible; it’s actually delicious.

The starters are equally thoughtful. Butter-poached asparagus with buffalo mozzarella, a classic vitello tonnato with thinly sliced beef and tuna sauce, and baked mussels with gorgonzola cheese round out an appetizer selection that shows real creativity. And yes, they even have gluten-free focaccia and baguette slices from Mariposa bakery for soaking up all those sauces.

For anyone in the Bay Area managing celiac disease or gluten intolerance, Clementina feels like a major win. This isn’t about making do or settling for less, it’s about having a restaurant that takes your dietary needs seriously while delivering food that’s genuinely worth ordering.

Clementina is located at 343 Clement Street. They’re open for lunch Friday through Sunday from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, and for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 5 pm to 9 pm (until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays). You can snag a reservation on OpenTable.