Ball Square Cafe & Breakfast

Not celiac safe. I got the French toast, and let the server know about my celiac. Although it tasted amazing, I don’t think they really understood about the severity because I got sick immediately after. Oh well. This won’t be in the dine out rotation 😭

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

The food is really good however I always end up getting something wrong in my order. This has made me skeptical about their strictness on cross contamination

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not very

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

They have tons of gf options but unfortunately none of it is Celiac safe. The gf waffles are made in the same waffle iron as the regular ones, the gf pancakes are cooked on the same grill as gluten ones, and the gf bread/English muffins are toasted in a shared toaster. If you do come here, the fruit plate is excellent at least.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

They do not use a separate waffle maker for waffles. Doesn’t seem celiac safe for those that are very sensitive.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

Other Characteristics

• Good for breakfast/brunch

Celiac friendly?

Yes

This cafe exceeded our expectations! The waitstaff very knowledgeable about gluten, the food was delicious, and the owner Mike was so kind, friendly and welcoming. He even came outside to talk to us when we left. We don’t get to the East Coast often, but when we do we will definitely be back. PS..the Belgian waffles are amazing!!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Fabulous gf Belgian waffles🤩👍

Awesome food, fresh fruit, fresh squeezed juice. Highly recommend

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Food is great but service took a while on the weekend.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Had brunch here and it was Heaven. Wait was a little under 1 hour and it was well worth it. GF pancakes piled and filled with fruit, perfectly fluffy scrambled eggs, perfect big slices of bacon, and even a gf English muffin! The pancakes were huge and made me remember what real ones taste like. The English muffin held together. I have celiacs and I had no problems

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Cannot rave about this place enough. GF eggs benedict ON GF ENGLISH MUFFINS! Gf omelettes, gf breakfast sandwiches on gf bread or gf English muffins, gf pancakes, and amazing grilled mashed potatoes as hash browns. (Menu offers gf waffles but I have not tried them yet and I am not sure if they have a separate gf waffle iron) Have been here 3 times and cannot wait to go back. I am Celiac and very sensitive to cross contamination and have never been sick. Staff is super knowledgeable and assure me everything GF is cooked in separate pans. 10/10 would recommend for breakfast!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Lousy, pancake cold. Butter wouldnt melt. So its cold. Heard cook say too bad. Bacon came in congealed mess.

Great GF pancakes and other alternatives!

I love that this is a breakfast/brunch spot where I can actually get some a nice gluten free meal. I usually always end up choosing a panini but they are great here. The owner/Manager is super nice, always checking up on the tables to make sure we have everything. Great spot!

**Update** GF options but not Celiac friendly. After not feeling well a couple of times visiting I asked if the waffles were made on a separate iron and was told no. Once I asked if they could clean it first they said they would but it still makes me uncomfortable. Also, they have a new batter for pancakes/waffles that is NOT good. Really dry and tastes like corn. The staff used to be a lot more attentive and friendly. I came when there were only 2 other people in the restaurant and 2 hours before closing. My server never came back to ask if everything tasted ok even though I sat there for 15 minutes only eating 1/3 of 1 pancake and had 2 on my plate. I can't tolerate eggs but would recommend others to stick with eggs/omelet and not get toast since it's made in the same toaster if they want to visit here.

The most gluten free options available for breakfast! Everything is FRESH and plenty to share. You are going to want to try more than one thing. The servers and owner are incredibly friendly. All of my non-gf friends love it too =~}

Not celiac friendly. They use the same waffle iron and other cooking things for gluten and non gluten items.

Celiac friendly?

No

I was excited based on past review but I did not have a great experience. Staff was very friendly but seemed to not understand about making sure things were really gluten free. They use a shared grill and toaster and seemed surprised that this was an issue. I told them exactly what I needed and then it still came out wrong. My non gluten free dining mates were really pleased with their meals, but this is not a gluten free friendly place in my opinion. Be careful.

Celiac friendly?

No

Owner and staff are completely friendly and knowledgeable. I have eaten there four times and have had good food every time. You do have to time your trips there, as there always is a line!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Fantastic food and amazing service. So many gluten free options. Definitely worth the wait (which can be long)

I have been here twice. The first time I loved it. The second time my GF pancakes were not very good. They were extremely dry and I didn't feel that great the rest of the day. Since my first time was so great I do plan on going back. Plus the fresh squeezed orange juice is so good.

Had so many issues. I didn't feel like eating breakfast so I tried to order lunch. Wanted a sandwich with their gluten free bread. Either that or salad. They don't have gluten free salad dressing. And they didn't know if any of their chicken was gluten free. The waitress had no clue about gluten. And the owner is incredibly rude. I told him the milk was sour and he told me it was because my son's sippy cup was not cleaned properly. He said it "nicely" but really? I didn't actually get my meal until everyone was done. The meal ended up being breakfast food. Also - the reason I didn't want breakfast was because the so-called 30 to 45 minute wait ended being an hr. (With a toddler) so we didn't sit down til noon.

Best gf breakfast ive had. Love the banana chocolate chip pancakes. Go there every sunday for breakfast & never get sick!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Best gluten free food I've had in the Boston area. Wait wasn't horrible, they also have gluten free English muffins. Pancakes were so good!!!!!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Newly added Gluten free pancakes & waffles, ask your server for more details.