Paperback Café

Great breakfast and lunch spot, lots of GF, dairy free and Paleo options

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

Stopped for lunch...very knowledgeable about Celiac and cross contamination..enjoyed an omelet with gf toast in dedicated toaster...outdoor seating and indoor..worth the trip, if near Saybrook, Connecticut..we will return..

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

— Very

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?

— Excellent

I have celiac and ate lunch there. I had the chicken salad waffles. The waffle iron is a dedicated GF appliance and the waffles were so delicious I asked for the recipe. Chicken salad was yummy and I would come back for that dish alone.

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?

— Not Much

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

— Excellent

The waitress we had made me feel like I was inconveniencing her by asking if my dressing that they put on the side of my plate was gluten free. Even though I already ordered and let her know about my allergy, she wasn’t sure about the dressing and made kind of a huffy noise when she said she had to go check on it...which then made me question everything else on my plate. Instead of coming back to the table to let me know, she yelled to me across tables that it was gluten free in a rude tone. Definitely not coming back.

The staff for paperback Café are amazing their food is just awesome you should totally try it just it's amazing gourmet food awesome it's a coffee house and eatery it's just amazing I read it five stars you should try and read it five stars to her

Celiac friendly?

Yes

my while family lived this place. my daughter asked if they had gf muffins, and even though they didn't they offered to make her chocolate chip pancakes(which were not on the menu!) they saved they day!!! gf waffles were outstanding!!!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Explained I have celiac disease and that I can't have gluten. The waitress appeared to have never heard of this before but seemed to be paying attention, so that was good. A lightbulb seemed to go on, and she said, "So, you can have Gf rolls or bread!" I asked all my questions about cross-contamination and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich on toast. Mayo is spread out of a common tub, fyi, so they held that. Bread toasted in common toaster so asked if they could grill mine on the grill instead; she asked the chef and he said they don't grill bread or breaded things on the grill. The sandwich was great. The baked fries were safe but disgusting; oily, not crunchy. My daughter had a salad with mozzarella cheese and nuts. She said it was really good but awfully small for a meal salad---it was closer to the size of a salad you'd get with something else. Asked for ice coffee and lemonade to go. Again, they had several alternative milks, so that was good. But the coffee tasted like sludge and the lemonade was artificial lemon-flavored. So, I give 4 stars for the GF part---they weren't very knowledgeable but was indeed able to navigate the menu with them and had something quite tasty---but 1 star for the other food. So, definitely stop here if you're going through and just need a safe meal (ask all your questions) but don't plan to go here for something special.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Went to breakfast with my mom and noticed this place had many gluten free options. They have gluten free bread, buns, bagels, and toast. I wanted something different and noticed they had gluten free banana pancakes. It was the best thing I have ever had, amazing!

Love that they have so many gluten free and paleo options! Have had both terrific (slower daytime) and horrible (busy weekend morning) service though.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

i love pancakes. this place advertised "paleo" gf banana pancakes and "paleo" gf waffles. they cannot make the pancakes without bananas. so i asked for the waffles. which have bananas too. very annoying. i don't want bananas in my pancakes. why can't you just have regular gf food!!!

many different options reasonable prices definitely will be back :) awesome staff

The menu does have GF items but they are part of a larger Paleo menu. There are 5-7 choices each for breakfast and lunch, but you can also figure out that other sides and entrees can be prepared GF. The waitress was more than capable of pointing out the GF items, but I made her specially ask the chef about dairy and eggs for my other allergies. We each had pumpkin pancake combos that came with chicken sausage, each had hash browns, and one veggie wrap minus the pita. The hash browns were not advertised as GF but a great waiter listed off all the ingredients for us. The pancakes were more like French toast tasting and there was NOTHING pumpkin about them. I wouldn't order those again for $10 a plate. I didn't see the French toast on the menu that ppl mentioned. It is very disappointing that the menu isn't online nor do they have a website. Kudos otherwise for the multi allergy, paleo, flexible menu.

First time was ok. Second time I ordered gf French toast and they brought regular. I had two bites before the waitress caught it. Sick for 3 days. It was an honest mistake, and i should have asked them to double check, but I'll never go back.