Portage Bay Cafe
$$ • Cafe
Most Recent Reviews
Their house made GF bread was a heavenly experience. Lovely place, lots of GF options. Delicious!
Good experience and yummy pancakes! Was nervous seeing the mixed reviews, but at least for me, did not get glutened. I had the lemon ricotta pancakes and they brought them out with an allergy stick. I asked the kitchen to separately give me some berries and whipped cream to avoid cross contact at the berry bar and the staff brought me a whole bowl! Food was tasty and I felt well taken care of.
Daughter ordered pancakes and got glutened. The allergy stick to identify gluten free was in the pancakes upon serving the food. If you must eat here, I’d talk to the manager when ordering. Won’t eat there again.
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I went to the 65th Street location. Amazing GF and vegan banana pancakes and potatoes. They flagged (like literal allergy flags) my meal when I said I was Celiac. They take great care of there is also French Toast, Swedish Pancakes. Amazing spot.
What a great place! The berry bar is phenomenal. There is outside seating with heaters and blankets. The food was tasty and so many gf options.
Amazing options, pretty good in house gluten free bread.
Emailed restaurant in advance. General manager replied with the following, which I found to be helpful and accurate:
“Thank you for reaching out!
We pride ourselves in being able to accommodate those with severe allergies. When a server notifies the kitchen that a customer has an allergy, the kitchen will clean the cooking surfaces and will use fresh cooking utensils. The food will also be marked with an allergy flag so that the plate doesn’t get confused with any others by the food runner.
There are a number of items on our menu that are gluten free, and a number of others that can be modified to be gluten free. I recommend you check out our menu online here: https://www.portagebaycafe.com/brunch-menu. Any item marked “gf” is gluten free by default. Items like our omelettes and scrambles that usually come with wheat toast can be gluten free by substituting our gluten free bread. You can also check out our allergy book, which breaks down our menu and highlights the major allergens in each dish:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/544ab456e4b0f3ba72eb800a/t/60b0690a08aa190da562a44e/1622173962901/Allergy+Cards+Summer+2021.pdf.
I hope this info is helpful. Your server should be very knowledgeable about the menu and will also be able to answer any questions you have. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any other questions.”
Menu is clearly Marked gluten free. Server assured me things were gluten free. I did not ask my usual questions but I did ask them to make sure that certain things were gluten free. I have never been glutened so badly as I was here. I have been suffering for over two weeks. Unclear if it was the potatoes or the Dutch pancakes (marked gf) or the hollandaise sauce or just some serious flour in the air or the worst possible cross contamination. I would not recommend this restaurant for celiacs.
My boyfriend and I have celiacs and this cafe had a lot of good gluten free options, clearly marked, on the menu! He got gluten free French toast and I got the farmers hash with gf toast. Didn’t love the bread but it is made in house and gluten free! Staff was also amazing and super friendly!
Ordered the vegan banana GF pancakes. Informed our server I had Celiac & they prepared them with fresh cookware. Best GF pancakes I've ever had!
I made a reservation it took 30 minutes to seat us the food to be honest that was gluten-free was terrible. The banana pancakes had no banana wheels in it and tasted gummy. The gluten-free French toast while the bread was thick was bland. I do not recommend going. I was really looking forward to this celebratory brunch but was left feeling disappointed. If you’re going to recommend make a reservation don’t it doesn’t do anything.
Beware of cross contamination. I was severely glutened here from the pancakes.
Shared equipment means not gluten-free. Have gotten sick from buckwheat pancakes here.
Be prepared to wait. After an hour plus wait we finally got a table then it was another 10min before our server came to our table. I told my server I was Celiac so everything needs to be Gluten Free, I ordered the Hueto’s Rancheros after a long wait it was brought to the table and noticed the corn tortillas were deep fried, I asked the server if this was GF, she took my plate away and after much discussion with other staff she came back to ask me if they could remake it. They remade it with soft corn tortillas. They did offer a trip through the fruit bar while I waited, which I declined. It’s busy, it’s loud and the service was marginal, no refill of our waters and I had to ask for more coffee. I’m not sure it’s worth the wait or the risk.
I have celiac disease and feel very comfortable eating there. Not once have I gotten sick. The staff is knowledgeable and food is cooked separately. My only warning would be the fruit and whipped cream bar that is open to all, which may give cross contamination; however upon request they will bring you knew fruit and whipped cream! Tasty food. Great options
I didn’t get sick from the farmers hash bowl, and it was delicious. I can’t speak to other cross contamination- prone items.
I had the Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberry Sauce and Lingonberry Butter with fresh berries. The wait staff is very helpful. If you worry about getting berries from the complimentary fruit bar, they will bring you berries from the kitchen in small bowls. Very nice!
While I enjoyed being able to eat Swedish Pancakes, I think they should have been more delicate. They were rather dense.
Update to my review. Today, 5-1-2018, I had Swedish Pancakes again and they were amazingly delicate and delicious! It was a good day!
I never have a problem eating here, but I always eat the same dish.
Wish this place would take some precautions. Ate breakfast here Saturday morning and was sick the rest of the day. Not even a little bit celiac safe. Why bother offering gluten-free? :(
This place was great! Our waitress was very knowledgable about cross contamination and helped me find something safe to eat. I settled on an omelette that was awesome. I avoided the GF pancakes because I felt the risk for cross contamination was too high. My omelette came out wrong and even though the boy who brought it out was very rude, my waitress very quickly corrected the order.
While we love their omlets, braised greens and more main entrées that are gluten-free, preventing cross contamination and sharing detailed allergen ingredients is not their priority. Their gluten-free french toast is tasty, but it shares a non-dedicated grill and the gluten-free toast uses the same toaster as regular bread, this can be seen from the dining area as the kitchen is an open plan. I emailed the restaurant, identified our family as Celiac-positive, and asked about any shared equipment or hidden gluten in their ingredients because my kids' tummies hurt after eating there. I received a somewhat snotty response that only large restaurants are required to disclose that information. Their slogan is "eat like you give a damn" - well, we do, but apparently not all of their staff gives much of a care about customers who are asking for allergen concerns, not trying to steal proprietary information. Also, the wait times for a table are unbearable on the weekends, especially with kids in tow. I advise going to their website for a reservation a few days prior to your visit if you want to try it out.
Delicious food but I get sick every time I eat there. Not severe symptoms but sick from contamination
Great spot, however I have had issues w cross contamination. They use the same toaster for regular and GF bread so if you're very sensitive I would steer clear. Yummy food overall.
Nice atmosphere, great, fast service & delicious, good quality food
Delicious! So many gf options, like Swedish pancakes!
Choose from options like rice and tapioca flour Swedish Pancakes and Vegan Banana Pancakes or pick Gluten-Free French Toast made with homemade bread. The options are mouthwatering and wor th the wait. All served with maple syrup.
Amazing GF French toast, GF Swedish pancakes and more!!!! Was Sooo excited to find a great GF breakfast spot!
Excellent!!! Organic, GF, CF options! I had the GF Swedish pancakes and they were excellent!! So thankful to finally have a GF CF breakfast place Be prepared for cross contamination. I just took 2 gluten digest pills and had no problem. I'm celiac and highly sensitive to gluten
MAJOR cross-contamination, but luckily they warned me about it before I ordered. Not as gluten free friendly as they advertise. French toast goes in the same exact batter as the non gluten free version and the toast is toast in the same toast. Seriously disappointed.
Glutened here immediately. Knew it after a few bites. They don't do anything to prevent cross contamination (they warned me not to get the toast or GF pancakes, etc) so I got the hot buckwheat, but was so sick anyway. Should have trusted my instincts and not eaten here at all. 100% not safe for celiacs. Go to Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe instead, they are awesome: separate prep areas and safe delicious food.
Great menu! Great staff! And the food is to die for :) I feel safe eating here.
If you are gluten free in Seattle and don't go here for breakfast you are crazy. Gluten free French toast, pancakes, toast, and it all tastes amazing. And there's a toppings bar with fruit and nuts etc. Sausage and potatoes also all yummy. It's a good thing I don't live nearby, I'd be broke and huge. Oh and the coffee is perfect and served in huge mugs
You know this place is great by the line outside. But come a little earlier to skip that. We have found delightful sumptuous g- free options. Friendly staff, good service.
Reviews of this Chain
The server was very kind and assured me they would clean the area/utensils before making my food. My plate even came with a little toothpick in it that said “allergy” :) the menu has a lot of gf options clearly labeled. It was a very positive experience!
I’m pretty sensitive and have been here many times - I’ve never gotten sick. The pumpkin pancakes are delicious!
Really enjoyed eating here. Wait staff was nice and knowledgeable. They have banana pancakes that are dairy free and gluten-free and an assortment of other pancakes that are gluten-free, however they do have dairy in them. I enjoyed one of their bowls and did not feel sick the day after eating here. I’d recommend this restaurant for celiacs!
Love how careful they are with food intolerance and allergy. I come here every time I visit my family in Seattle. They are very helpful and willing to have conversations about the food and cross contamination. I am very sensitive Celiac and have never gotten sick.
Portage Bay has a few delicious GF menu items. We had Swedish Pancakes and Pumpkin Pancakes (vegan). They also make GF bread with which they will make you French Toast or a Benedict. They understand GF.
