Verveine Cafe & Bakery opened its doors in Cambridge on May 6. The bakery is one of only a handful of fully dedicated gluten-free cafes in the Boston area. The opening comes perfectly timed, with May being Celiac Awareness Month.
However, the food is so divine, you wouldn’t even know it’s gluten free. Verveine Cafe & Bakery may have been created in mind for those with Celiac but is scrumptious enough to satisfy anyone’s cravings.
Afterall, with a team like Monica Glass and Ken Oringer, there’s no question of Verveine living up to the hype. Oringer is a well-loved chef, known for several outstanding establishments in Boston–Toro, Coppa, Little Donkey, Uni, and Faccia A Faccia.
Glass is a longtime professional chef who transitioned completely to gluten-free cooking and baking when she received her own startling Celiac diagnosis in 2009. Burdened at first, Glass eventually mastered her craft and learned “how to create gluten-free foods that no one would know are gluten-free.”
She is also the founder of WLDFLR gluten-free baking mixes that are available for purchase at Verveine in Cambridge.
What’s on the menu at Verveine Cafe & Bakery
If you observe a gluten-free diet, everything at Verveine is fair game. They are a dedicated gluten-free spot in Cambridge.
All day menu
Try the ricotta toast with airy whipped miso ricotta, peas, parmigiano, pea tendrils, and marjoram. Or enjoy avocado toast on house made gluten-free bread finished with charred corn, pickled Jimmy Nardello peppers, radishes, cotija, cilantro, and sprinkled with hemp seeds.
Quiche, rotating focaccia, gougeres (French cheese puffs), and more options provide ample options on the all-day cafe menu.
Breakfast & lunch
A sweet option for breakfast includes the toasted oats with strawberry, rhubarb, hemp seeds, tropical granola, and coconut foam. Savory breakfast options include mushroom congee and a spicy chili biscuit from chef “Moni” herself!
Lunch includes a variety of sandwiches from a rich grilled cheese to a shrimp katsu sandwich served on Japanese milk bread. Verveine Cafe & Bakery also offers a creative drink menu with fun options like a black sesame latte or periwinkle-colored Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade.
Find it in Central Square at:
298 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139