Excellent experience. No gfmenu. Server tells you gf choices Choices are app- oysters, artichoke; soup - minestrone; salad - caprese, beet; entree - halibut, salmon, ciopino, and every pasta dish; dessert - crème brûlée. They cook gf pasta in clean water, pot, etc. I had * caprese salad, and * pasta w pistachio pesto and shrimp. I highly recommend what I ate. It was light and flavorful. Caprese salad w *burrata, not mozzarella, pistachio pesto light- not thick or heavy. Nice atmosphere- our table over the water. Great kind and pleasant server - Lilliana.
Such kind staff!! I felt very confident eating there as a symptomatic and sensitive celiac.
I had the big seafood pasta- they swapped out a gf penne for the linguine. The meal was delicious, and they even had gf crème brûlée for dessert! Will be visiting again the next time we’re in Monterey.
I was very disappointed when they could not give me gluten pasta or rice with my salmon meal. They said they would give me extra veggies, but it was a very small portion of veggies! Their food definitely did not fill me up. I would not recommend this place for anyone who is looking for gluten free food.
This place was great!! My kids were able to have a gluten free pizza. They had a menu option to sub for gluten free pasta (and a note that it would take longer to make sure they could make it safely). I had a delicious salmon with mixed veggies. Waitress was very knowledgeable and made sure to tell me what was and was not gluten free and provided substitute options. Would absolutely return. Note though I am not celiac but definitely gluten intolerant.
While the atmosphere isn’t anything impressive, the staff and owner made up for it! They were all very kind and accommodating, our food was excellent. It took extra time which they assured me was due to preparing my pasta separately. I did not get sick, and we will definitely be back.
We visited Monterey during the Whale Festival and ALL the wharf restaurants were sampling their chowders. Very fun! We found Cafe Fina on FindMe Gluten Free and we’re so glad we did! Great food and phenomenal views of the bay. But what stood out for us was the service. I am Gluten-Intolerant and our waitress was extremely cognizant throughout the entire meal. We also accidentally left our umbrella at the table and the Manager followed us out of the restaurant - all the way down the entire pier! - to return it. 5 stars for Cafe Fina! ❤
Not impressed and certainly not worth the money. The waitress was very good with the celiac options but none the less I was sick moments from exiting this establishment. I ordered king crab (VERY SMALL) and they made me a side of what ended up being speghetti. The side tasted good but certainly not worth running to the toilet afterwards. Regardless of being a celiac, I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.
We ate here, and I do not think we got glutened, but I can't say I felt confident. The host said they could accommodate us with pizza or pasta and the pizza is made on a separate pan so as not to contact cooking surface, so it started out fine. Our server was completely uninformed and we got blank looks when we mentioned celiac and that we had to avoid cross contact. He said he would let the kitchen know but as I mentioned it was not confidence inspiring. I ended up speaking with the owner and letting him know, and I he immediately went to to the kitchen to make sure they understood.
The pizza and pasta were OK, and I think they got it right in the end. Just be careful and outspoken.
I'm celiac and i recommand this restaurant. I had pasta with marinara sauce and chicken. The waiter was very helpful and celiac-friendly, he told me that they have special protocol in the kitchen, they clean everything, so it will take more time but they garantee it's GF.
Many delicious items on the menu had gluten free options and the waitress assured me all separate pots and cooking area. I explained I have celiac and the waitress was very knowledgeable and helpful. Also the owner grows the vegetables which were very good. A lot of items were locally grown/sold/caught etc. Cafe Fina house Chardonnay was very good. I had the wild salmon and vegetables and creme brûlée. Amazing.
what a nice surprise to find a celiac friendly restaurant while traveling. Most all the pasta and pizzas can be done gf. Our server was very knowledgeable of Celiac dietary needs and how their menu could work for me, plus they follow cross contamination protocols in the kitchen. On top of that the food was very good.
They were knowledgeable about GF but the food wasn't that great. I had the clam pasta and it was very salty. The others in my group had the clam chowder, crab cakes and fish and chips and they all said the food was just ok. Might want to try another one of the wharf restaurants instead.
I have celiac and thus far have not had any problems. Cafe Fina has corn pasta that they cook in a separate pot and use separate utensils on. I had the prawn scampi and it was awesome! the staff was super helpful and made super sure they were doing everything they could for me and triple checked that I was given the gluten free pasta. the options are not huge but the food was delicious. I would definitely go back.