Not a gluten-free option.
A completely gluten-free kitchen.
No cross-contamination. No separate menu. No questions to ask. Just sit down, order anything, and exhale.
Every precaution. Every time.
Dedicated fryers
Oil that has never touched gluten. Completely separate from standard cooking — no exceptions.
Dedicated surfaces
Every prep surface, board, and utensil is GF only. Nothing shared. Nothing crossed.
Full menu safe
Every dish, every time. There are no exceptions and no asterisks. Order anything.
"The difference between an option and a promise."
Sally Hipwell
Founder, Meantime Hamilton
The decision to make our kitchen 100% gluten free was a hard one. I was told by many not to do it — it wouldn't work, it would destroy the business. After many margaritas and my husband telling me to trust myself, I did it anyway.
I did it because I'm a coeliac myself. Every time we went out, I'd remind our server multiple times that my meal had to be gluten free. I'd skip the chips because they were cooked in the same fryer. I'd order the steak and salad and quietly grieve the bread basket. Years and years of disappointment — and at some point you stop expecting anything different.
I wanted to create great gluten free food that even a non-coeliac would enjoy. And I wanted a restaurant I could go to without spending the next week sick.
The day we went fully gluten free, we were flat out. I had never expected such an overwhelming reaction. People were waiting at our front door before we opened. For a month we did not stop — and then we couldn't keep up. Meals took an hour. The quality wasn't there. I spent that month running and apologising. The night before Father's Day, almost our entire kitchen team got COVID. We had over 200 bookings and we couldn't open. I spent Father's Day in a ball, crying. My husband drove up from Victoria that day to help me.
We closed for a week. We regrouped. We hired a full team, made a plan, and started again.
It has taken four years of mistakes and learning. I have struggled many times. Every negative review would break me — because I was trying so hard, and I took every one personally.
But I feel like we've found some footing now.
Recently a little eight year old girl came up to me after her meal to ask if it was definitely gluten free. I told her I was coeliac too, and I promised her it was. She ate every bit of it. She hugged me when she left.
One of my own daughters was diagnosed coeliac at only four years old. I was devastated for her.
Meantime is for her. And for everyone like her. We will never stop trying.
Photo coming soon
What it means to guests
My wife has extreme coeliac sensitivity — this is one of only two places in our city where she hasn't been sick afterwards.
Being a coeliac, it is so good to be able to eat at a 100% gluten-free restaurant knowing that everything on the menu is safe.
Gave me so much peace of mind knowing the whole menu was GF and I couldn't get glutened.
Fully GF kitchen! Fantastic food and no risk of contamination. Staff are also friendly and lovely. We love going to Meantime!
Dedicated gluten free restaurant. Can eat here without worry and the food is delicious.
Great to have somewhere everyone can go without the coeliac of the group doing the 'what can I eat' spiel.
I love getting to go out and have a meal and not worry about cross contamination.
The service was fantastic and the cocktails were great. Not a worry in the world being at a dedicated GF facility.
The menu was the same as any other pub/restaurant — but every dish was GF. I did a double take.
Being a coeliac, it is so good to be able to eat at a 100% gluten-free restaurant knowing that everything on the menu is safe.
Come and eat freely.
Order anything on the menu. Every dish, every time. No questions required.
Visit us at 104 Beaumont St, Hamilton NSW — open Wednesday to Sunday.
Book a table — HamiltonVisit us at The Entrance, Central Coast NSW — open Wednesday to Sunday.
Book a table — The EntranceNo food or cakes from outside.
Meantime was built on one promise: everything served in our restaurant is guaranteed 100% gluten free, because it has all come from our own kitchen. Every dish, every time, with no exceptions. It’s the foundation of who we are, and it’s why so many coeliacs trust us. The moment food comes in from outside, we can no longer stand behind that guarantee, so we don’t make exceptions, even for food we know has been made with care.