If you’ve been looking for the perfect hike, thrift shop or gluten-free restaurant in your area — and you want as much relevant information as possible about the location in question before you get there — then Israeli startup Atly has you in mind.

The company, founded in 2018, is developing a platform which creates community-curated digital maps based on specific interests.

These maps, cobbled together from interested community members and Atly’s own in-house curators, are available globally and highlight various points of interest centered around a common theme. 

Whether it’s hidden springs and water hikes in Israel to a ghost-themed geocaching scavenger hunt in England, Atly and its long-standing community of users have constructed a pretty serious array of digital maps to peruse.

But one map in particular stands out for the amount of effort that the company is putting into its careful curation and moderation: Atly’s worldwide map of gluten-free and celiac-friendly restaurants.

I recently had the opportunity to join Atly on a restaurant tour showcasing this feature; the experience provided a detailed look at how the map functions, insight into the meticulous care taken to ensure its reliability, and a tasty lunch.

How Atly’s gluten-free map works

The gluten-free/celiac-friendly restaurant map is a tool designed to help those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities find safe dining options.

The map displays restaurants in your vicinity, and selecting a location brings up a comprehensive page of details about the restaurant. This includes all of the old standby information you’d expect to find, like phone numbers, websites, photos and Google reviews.

What sets it apart is the exhaustive list of celiac-specific information for every listed location.

Each restaurant page also reveals potentially critical data like whether the staff is trained to handle celiac needs, if the kitchen has separate gluten-free equipment or whether a dedicated gluten-free menu is available, easing as much worry as possible.

Michal Ben-Ari, the head of Atly’s gluten-free map project, elaborated: “When people with celiac find a place that has gluten-free options, they still have to make sure that there’s no cross contamination. They have to make sure the staff actually knows what celiac means.”

All of this translates into a lot of research for people with celiac – or parents of kids with celiac — before leaving the house.

“When you have a kid with celiac, or if you have other dietary restrictions, it gets even more complicated because now you’re not just looking for a place that’s celiac-friendly. You’re looking for a place that’s celiac-friendly, that’s also kid-friendly, or that also has vegan options, or that also has dairy-free options,” she said.

To solve this issue, Atly’s restaurant pages have tags informing users about other aspects such as what type of cuisine it offers, whether the place offers vegan or vegetarian options, or whether or not it’s “kid-friendly.” 

Ben-Ari told me more about the benefit of allowing the app’s community to supply as much detailed information as possible.

“We started out being only community based, which is amazing because you’re asking for recommendations from people that are just like you. Then, over the last six months, we started to help populate our maps with more information as well. The celiac map is the best example of that,” she said.

Although restaurant recommendations for the map mostly come from community members, she said Atly takes its vetting process seriously given the grave health implications for those with celiac disease.

The company’s team of moderators verify each location’s information, sometimes even visiting the restaurants to ensure that the establishments meet the necessary gluten-free standards. Based on their findings, restaurants are graded on a safety scale, from “100% celiac-friendly” to “not safe for celiacs.”

While Atly boasts a variety of themed maps, the gluten-free map is the only one with a dedicated moderation team, and is by extension the only map that isn’t available for free. A subscription costs about $7 per month. 

Atly currently has 28,000 places around the world on the gluten-free map, with another 300,000 being vetted in the United States, so if you’re in the right place that may be a worthwhile investment. 

The tour experience

During my tour, we visited three diverse eateries: a café, a falafel place and an Ethiopian restaurant. 

At each stop, Atly representatives conducted thorough checks, politely questioning staff and verifying their gluten-free claims. It was heartening to see how seriously the restaurant staff took these inquiries, reflecting a genuine concern for their customers’ health.

It was also heartening to know that the knee-jerk reflex for Tel Aviv restaurant staff when they see a group of journalists approaching is to hand out free falafel balls and complimentary tea.

Ben-Ari expressed a sincere commitment to supporting the celiac community, a group often overlooked in discussions about dietary needs and disabilities.

“What we’re really trying to do at the end of the day is make people with celiac feel as safe and as comfortable as they can be because the mental load is huge,” she said.

Through my tour, I witnessed the care behind Atly’s operations — and the beautiful fusion of savory flavors present on a gluten-free injera platter — and went home with a full tummy and the confidence that this startup may just be worth checking out.

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