Cafe 4

There were mixed reviews about Cafe 4 but we decided to give it a chance because we needed to have an outdoor patioBecause we brought our dogs. About the menu was great and had a lot of variety. Our waitress was very careful and notating GF and allergy. I got the egg sandwich on gluten-free bread, my son got a burger no bun. Overall we thought the food was really good and great service.I did eat theFingerling potatoes, I'm not super sensitive to cross-contamination so I did not ask if they were in a dedicated fryer but I had no reaction at all.

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

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free 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

We had a great experience here. The food was full of flavor. They do have a dedicated fryer for fries.

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

— Very

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

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

— Excellent

Subpar meal. What was listed as gluten free was not. Food was edible. Drink was awful.

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

— Somewhat

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?

— Poor

The waitress understood celiac disease and double checked with me about cross contamination! It was great!

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

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions
• Staff will clean kitchen space or change gloves if asked

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

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

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dinner
• Good for kids
• Good for lunch
• Good for takeout
• Good with other allergies
• Offers outdoor seating

Went for the GF truffle fries but when I got there found out that they didn’t not have a dedicated fryer. They brought out normal bread when I ordered GF bread. They did not avoid cross contamination in the kitchen when preparing my salad even though they assured me that they would. So now I am super sick.

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?

— Good

I got the Tennessee Cheesesteak with no bread (although they did offer GF bread) with mashed potatoes and crispy Brussels sprouts. Everything was delicious! I second the meatloaf saying it was GF when asked she said that the manager said it was a mistake?? Hummm… it’s a digital menu should be easy to fix, no?

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

Went there and ordered one of their specialty salads. The waitress assured me she would swap out everything needed to make it gluten free. Paid $12 for basically a house salad when it wasn’t what I ordered and the waitress just said they made the accommodations necessary and i had to pay the expensive price for the salad that didn’t meet any of the descriptions and she didn’t give me any heads up when ordering. Disappointing

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

— Somewhat

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

Other Characteristics

• Good for breakfast/brunch

Definitely not celiac friendly. They list meatloaf as gluten free because they said it only has a little bit of breadcrumbs in it. Clearly don't understand gluten free.

Celiac friendly?

No

First off the Down South Shrimp was delicious. But the menu did not specify what all was in the dish. The waitress we had was not knowledgeable in GF. My husband ordered the Music City Chicken Sandwhich on GF bread. The menu failed to mention again that it was breaded let alone the waitress didn’t make the correlation. Food was good but don’t feel like it’s a safe place to eat!

Server was amazingly knowledgeable about what would and wouldn’t be safe for celiacs and helped me modify my choices and dishes accordingly. Anything from the fryer, like potatoes and such, won’t be celiac safe but they can make anything from their sauté section safe and follow allergen procedures with new pans. The food was amazing. The gluten free bread that can be substituted for other choices was pretty good as well.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

WARNING: menu is deceiving! Items marked gluten free only mean that ingredients are gluten free, but preparation may or may not be gluten free. Wings are marked gluten free, but are fried in the same oil as breaded items. Ahi tuna salad is marked gluten free but the dressing is not. I approached the manager about the issue and she said the staff “understands gluten free”. It’s clear that they don’t. Celiacs should avoid this restaurant.

The servers are very knowledgeable about what is safe or not. Anything done "crispy" or in the frier is cross-contaminated, but the server will inform you if you mention an allergy. Salads and substitutions are great and we haven't gotten sick!

Great food. Beware of fried items marked GF as they are cooked in a shared fryer.

Ok. I ordered the fries with gorgonzola cheese that was marked gf on the menu. I quizzed our server as to what exactly is fried in the deep fryer. He went and asked the chef and came back to tell me that the taters are fried in a cleaned fryer in fresh oil first thing in the morning before anything else. I tried them and have not had any reaction. I had the Tennessee cheesesteak and the gf bread was delicious. It's days later and I'm not sick :) unless I'm darn good and lucky, this place is good to eat at for celiac people. Also, yum.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Food generally tastes good. Main complaint is that not all the items marked GF are. This is because of the shared fryer. Of course, the waitress informed us of this and asked if I was celiac or not. So they did seem to understand but it was just kind of sad to see you can eat fries and then find out you can't. Would be better if they updated the menu.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

I called ahead to ask about celiac friendly options and was told more than there actually are. The menu is deceptive marking items as gluten free, but that would have lots of cross contamination. The server was knowledgeable about what is fried but otherwise unaware of gluten.

Celiac friendly?

No

There is glutenfree bread available. For brunch, the scramble is a rather small, but that is just an observation, and not a glutenfree note. 😊

Overall, the server seemed rather aware of what glutenfree meant. I would recommend the spot, for brunch especially.

gf tilipia very good. dining partner had salad with salmon also very good

Tonight I went to cafe 4 and found the waitress pretty clueless about gluten. Many of the items labeled GF are in a shared fryer and the waitress claimed the oil heat was killing off "the stuff in gluten". She also told me the whipped potatoes are made with cream, so I should use my own discretion there. Clearly, she doesn't know what gluten is and where it's found. My steamed green beans came with 2 foreign pieces of food. Although their food is delicious, food safety seems to be dwindling along with serving sizes.

Celiac friendly?

No

WARNING... As of this week Cafe 4 has dropped their GF menu and offer no GF options. The waiter told us that they will not gaurantee anything to be GF.

This is sad as this had been our go to restaurant in Knoxville

Celiac friendly?

No

One of my worst GF restaurant experiences ever!! First, I have Celiac so my allergy is real and my sensitivity is high. I tried to order an appetizer from their GF menu, but the server told me it might be made in a shared fryer with gluten items. I asked him to check with the kitchen and I couldn't believe the response. They said something like "It should be fine because the oil gets so hot it destroys the gluten." Clearly they don't understand cross-contamination or maybe even what gluten is. I did not stay after that point and will never return.

Celiac friendly?

No

Great for GF but some of the servers don't seem as knowledgable as others. If you don't feel confident in your server's ability to understand what you need you can always ask a manager and they are happy to help. Eat here all the time with no issues

Celiac friendly?

Yes

I got the Low Country Shrimp and Grits and was super happy with my meal.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

The best gf meal I've had for dinner out...chicken and dumplings!!

Awesome GF menu and knowledgeable staff. Menu changes with the seasons, but Fall 2013 has the best GF Chicken & Dumplings you could ever imagine! I am celiac and very sensitive to cross contamination, I have eaten here dozens of times and never had an issue. Great atmosphere and location in downtown Knoxville/ Market Square.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Cafe 4 has a large selection of GF options with a staff that is knowledgeable gluten-sensitivity. I was able to enjoy a lunch here with no complications. They also have a few GF beers and ciders on tap!