I loved the lemon ricotta pancakes and was excited to learn they included a trip to the berry bar for extra toppings. I also had a half serving of the Farmers Hash Bowl which was delicious. The gluten free bread was not memorable. I’d skip the toast and eat more pancakes next time.
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!
Four of us went for a great brunch! Crab Benedict, smoked salmon Benedict, ham and apple butter sandwich - all on their homemade GF toast and a scramble with fresh veggies. Plus lemon ricotta pancakes with raspberry and chocolate chip cherry pistachio cookies for later. The coffee was also great, but the food was fresh, delicious and filled us up. Great experience, I’d come back in a heartbeat!
The GF French toast was amazing and can use the fruit bar that had fresh berries, coconut, chocolate chips and other things. Husband's eggs, bacon and potatoes were great They made his plate gluten free and put the toast on the side so i could try it (I did ask for that.) Only thing that was gross was the coffee. It was a dark brew that tasted so burnt it was undrinkable. Others with glutinous pancakes and French toast can use the fruit bar too so might get contaminated.
This place was highly recommended from friends who used to live in the area. The menu was labeled with what was gluten-free and dairy free if it wasn’t labeled, the waitress was super knowledgeable and went right back to the kitchen staff to ask any and all questions that I had I had the banana pancakes and the waitress offered to bring me out my own selection of fruits, so I can add them as a topping since there was a fruit bar for everyone else, highly recommend this place. The food was amazing.
Such a yummy and filling way to start the day! The gluten free lemon ricotta pancakes were delicious as was the whipped cream and fresh berry bar. The berry bar is included with the pancake order but everyone does go up with their plates. If you are sensitive or want to avoid any chance of cross-contamination, you can ask them to bring you out fresh berries & whipped cream from the kitchen. My daughter ordered the gluten free huevos rancheros and was so pleased with the mole sauce that they put on it. We would definitely be regulars if we lived nearby!
The owner is INCREDIBLE. He came it to discuss there very stringent allergy safety protocol for gluten free. The GF Swedish pancakes were fantastic as were the GF banana pancakes. The owner has a peanut allergy so it was very reassuring how serious they took the needs our ur celiac son.
We were in town visiting and stopped here for brunch based on the great reviews. I’ve only ever had one menu item, so I can’t judge the food as a whole. I ordered the gf French toast and it was incredibly dry. Just not great. It came with a trip to the berry bar (berries, whipped cream, and some other toppings like nuts), but the server didn’t recommend it if it had a serious allergy as everyone goes up there with their own plates and shared utensils. They brought me my own berries separately, and I did risk it on the whipped cream as the French toast was so dry, it needed all the help it could get from toppings. I just dug around to the bottom of the whipped cream to try to get an untouched section. I didn’t get sick, but wouldn’t recommend the French toast. Make reservations!!!
I have high expectations for GF pancakes and, especially, for lemon ricotta pancakes. I was disappointed in these. They were heavy and chewy, not light and airy like I would expect. The berry bar is nice, but likely a source of cross-contamination. Coffee is good. Service is safe and fast. I would order something else if I'm ever back in Seattle.
I stopped in for weekday breakfast meeting last week and had a really knowledgeable server who recommended the hashes without potatoes (those are fried in the shared fryer). I had the Joe's Scramble and it came out flagged. I subbed the toast out for sauteed greens instead, that were a little sweeter than I was expecting but the extra veggies were good. The scramble was tasty and huge--our server offered GF toast but that would have been too much food. No reaction afterward.
Emailed restaurant in advance. General manager replied:
“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.”
Pretty sure I got wrecked by the vegan gluten free hash with no toast which I figured was the safest option on the menu. The first time it came out the server said the line cook put toast on it by habit and then took it off and she asked me if that was okay or if I was celiac. That was a good sign. The dish was then remade. However next day I’m having problems.
I think they had a slip a few years back but seem to take GF and other allergies very seriously now. I'm still fairly new to being diagnosed but have felt yuck after eating at some places and felt GREAT after eating here. Plus their GF bread is YUM. Frankly everything was yum. They do have a dedicated toaster so even had toasted bread. YAY!
We ordered the swedish pancakes and the farmer's hash. Both gluten free (chose gluten free toast with the hash). Everything was wonderful with generous portion sizes. We did contact-less pickup on a Saturday morning and food was ready quickly with fast pickup. Definitely would order again!
UNSAFE!!! Menu had multiple gf offerings; wait staff assured me they do gf all the time. I was VERY clear that I was celiac & it was NOT a lifestyle choice. My gf Swedish pancakes were paraded out with a flag listing “allergy”, & manager assured me all care had been taken. Food was delicious, had a lovely brunch with family. One hour later, I was vomiting explosively from the Chihuly museum back to our apartment. My family was terrified as I was too sick to talk for hours. The meal may have been gluten free, but when you cook gf pancakes on a griddle where you’ve cooked wheat products, it’s contamination. Much staff retraining needed. My first visit with my son & newest daughter-in-law was nearly ruined as I was too ill to do much. Definitely not friendly for celiac & sensitives.
Went to brunch there 2 days ago. Service was awful, when food came it was tepid, eggs were overcooked. Bacon was burnt around the edges and chewy in the middle. My friend has been in the bathroom with food poisoning from the crab cakes for a solid 24 hours and I an starting to experience symptoms of cross contamination. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
Gluten-free pancakes!! I have eaten several gf dishes/gf places lately and felt bad afterwards. That wasn’t the case here! I wish I had tried this place earlier.
I was a bit worried going here since there are many opportunities for cross contamination at a breakfast place. I generally stay away. I ate here often prior to my celiac diagnosis. I was pleasantly surprised at my ability to eat here safely. I had the farmer's hash with bacon. It was served with gluten free bread, but I did not eat the bread. The food was delicious and most importantly, I did not get sick. I will go back.