If you’re looking for the perfect hike, the perfect thrift store, or the perfect gluten-free restaurant near you and want to have as much relevant information about the location as possible before you get there, then Israeli startup Atly is for you.
Founded in 2018, the company is developing a platform that creates community-curated digital maps based on specific interests.
These maps, compiled by interested community members and Atly’s own curators, are available worldwide and highlight various points of interest around a common theme.
Whether it’s hiking to hidden springs and waterways in Israel or a ghost-themed geocaching scavenger hunt in England, Atly and his long-standing community of users have put together quite an extensive collection of digital maps to browse through.
But one menu in particular stands out for the effort the company puts into its careful curation and moderation: Atly’s global map of gluten-free and celiac-friendly restaurants.
I recently had the opportunity to take part in a restaurant tour of Atly where this feature was demonstrated. I was given a detailed insight into how the card works, the care that goes into ensuring its reliability and a delicious lunch.
How Atly’s gluten-free menu works
The Gluten Free/Celiac Friendly Restaurant Map is a tool designed to help people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance find safe dining options.
The map shows restaurants near you, and selecting a location brings up a comprehensive page with details about the restaurant, including all the familiar information you’d expect, like phone numbers, websites, photos, and Google reviews.
What sets it apart is the comprehensive list of celiac-specific information for each location listed.
Each restaurant page may also display important information, such as whether the staff is trained to deal with celiac patients, whether the kitchen has separate gluten-free equipment, or whether a special gluten-free menu is available, to help ease your worries as much as possible.
Michal Ben-Ari, head of Atly’s gluten-free map project, explained: “When people with coeliac disease find a place that offers gluten-free options, they still need to make sure there is no cross-contamination. They need to make sure that the staff actually know what coeliac disease means.”
For this reason, people with celiac disease – or parents of children with celiac disease – need to do their homework before leaving the house.
“If you have a child with celiac disease or other dietary restrictions, it gets even more complicated because then 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 problem, Atly’s restaurant pages have tags that inform users about additional aspects, such as what type of cuisine the restaurant offers, whether it has vegan or vegetarian options, or whether it is “kid-friendly” or not.
Ben-Ari told me more about the benefit of allowing the app’s community to provide as much detailed information as possible.
“We started purely community-based, which is great because you’re asking for recommendations from people who are just like you. Then in the last six months, we started to fill our cards with more information as well. The celiac card is the best example of that,” she said.
Although the restaurant recommendations for the menu come largely from community members, Atly takes its review process very seriously given the serious health implications for people with celiac disease, she said.
The company’s team of moderators reviews each location’s information and sometimes even visits the restaurants themselves to ensure that the establishments meet the required gluten-free standards. Based on their findings, the restaurants are rated on a safety scale that ranges from “100% celiac-friendly” to “not safe for celiacs.”
While Atly offers a variety of themed maps, the gluten-free map is the only one with its own moderation team, and is also the only map that is not available for free – a subscription costs around $7 per month.
Atly currently has 28,000 locations on the gluten-free map worldwide, with another 300,000 under review in the U.S. So if you’re in the right place, it can be a worthwhile investment.
The tour experience
During my tour we visited three different places: a cafe, a falafel restaurant and an Ethiopian restaurant.
At each stop, Atly representatives conducted thorough checks, politely questioning staff and verifying the gluten-free product claims. It was encouraging to see how seriously the restaurant staff took these questions, reflecting a genuine concern for their customers’ health.
It was also encouraging that restaurant staff in Tel Aviv reflexively handed out free falafel balls and free tea when a group of journalists arrived.
Ben-Ari expressed his sincere commitment to supporting the celiac community, a group that is often overlooked in discussions about nutritional needs and disabilities.
“Ultimately, what we’re really trying to do is make people with celiac disease feel as safe and comfortable as possible, because the psychological burden is enormous,” she said.
As I walked around, I witnessed the care that Atly puts into his work—and the wonderful blend of savory flavors on a gluten-free injera plate—and left with a full belly and the confidence that this startup might be worth giving a look.
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