Verveine Cafe & Bakery — Restaurant in Cambridge

I made 3 attempts to visit Verveine in the past few weeks, and was foiled by conflicting reports of the hours twice (it seems the actual hours are 9-3 Wednesday to Saturday, but who knows if that's changed since). I went around 12:30pm on a Thursday. There were over 25 people in line ahead of me. It took about 18 min to place an order, and 10 min to receive my order of pastries (though that seems on the long side); they seem pretty fast at turnaround.

We tried a wide variety of pastries (it's hard work eating so many sweets), and there were some things we liked more than others.

Great, would get again Guava cream cheese hand pie ($5.95): This was my favorite. Buttery pastry with delicious, smooth guava jam and cream cheese filling. The filling paired perfectly with the pastry. I loved the pastry and I couldn't really tell that it was gluten free. Yuzu meringue tart ($9): The curd was smooth with a strong yuzu flavor, and the tart shell was hard and crumbly. Since the shell is such a small part of the dish, you can't really tell that it's gluten free.

Good, might get again Chocolate chip cookie ($5.25): This had good chocolate and was very chewy. The texture is reminiscent of a coconut macaroon, and also tastes like the underbaked part of a chewy cookie. Black sesame cream puff ($6): I really liked the banana filling, surprisingly. There was something off-tasting about the black sesame. The outside was a bit soggy rather than having a crisp craquelin. The puff is not obviously gluten-free; it's a pretty good substitute. Strawberry galette ($9.50): I liked the sugar on the crust, and the pastry was decent. The strawberry filling was a bit overly sweet for me. For the price, I would definitely recommend the yuzu tart instead.

Wouldn't get again Gouda scallion scone ($5.95): I was really excited for this one because I love savory scones. This felt more like a bread than a scone. It wasn't very buttery and wasn't at all flaky. It was spongey and felt a bit stale. It had some nice crunch on the outside from the cheese, and had some good flavors, but overall felt more like a spongey bread than a scone. This was the most obviously gluten-free item.

I was quite impressed with some of the items that we tried, and really wanted to try more of their menu. I'm especially interested in trying some more savory items (why is the folded pizza $20...) and perhaps dining in someday when the wait isn't too bad. The prices are not unreasonable given that they are certified gluten free and seem to use high quality ingredients. I'm definitely glad I finally got to try this place, and really happy for all of the gluten-free folks who have more delicious options thanks...

A Gluten Free WIN!!!! Lived up to the hype. Wheat-lovers were willingly eating there happily. (I was in line a long time, so you eavesdrop without meaning to...)

1 UBE BROWNIE $6.95: Not too sweet, delicious, and delicate, with that nice brownie chew. Yes. Yes. Yes. Verdict: EAT THIS

1 CARAMEL CORN COOKIE $4.25: Crips edges with a chewy center that was actually chewy, NOT WET OR RAW. It made me think of eating corn flakes with watered down sweetened condensed milk as a kid, but 1000 times better. ( Yes, I sometimes diluted sweetened condensed milk in water and had my cereal. Mind your business. I didn't have any cavities.) It is a sugar bomb, but with flavor. I wish the corn flavor was bumped up ever so slightly, but still super good. Verdict: EAT THIS.

1 SALMON & LENTIL BOWL $17.00: Good and well balanced on its own. I hated the salad dressing, and did not use it. I don't know what it was, but I am so glad I tasted it beforehand before putting any on my salad. That dressing was a hard no, and I didn't feel like my salad needed it anyway. Verdict: VERY GOOD.

1 CHILI BISCUIT $14.00: Fluffy biscuit, soft fluffy eggs, a yummy slightly spicy jam, avocado slices, and arugula, just had me in love. Someone went in on the salted butter on the biscuit, but it wasn't off-putting in the salt department. Verdict: EAT THIS.

Kitchen Wellness (3.00%) $1.30: Supporting fare wages should be a yes.

Subtotal $44.50 Tax $3.02 Total $47.52

The menu is huge and seasonal. It was packed when I went around 1:30 PM on a Sunday, so folks were sitting outside. I have to say, it was worth every penny for me.

The seating is a bit close quarters, and they have bar seating that faces out towards the windows. Light and airy. I also loved that you could see them working on getting some things ready to put out along the side and peak into the kitchen. There is so much to try. Worth the wait in...

So thrilled this place exists. My partner has Celiac Disease and often finds it hard to eat at restaurants due to his sensitivity with cross-contamination. Not only is this a dedicated gluten free cafe, it’s beautiful inside. And because he could actually order absolutely anything off the menu, WE DID! The Truffle Grilled Cheese was good but our least favorite out of everything we ordered strictly because of its price & lack of flavor interest. The Chipotle Turkey sandwich was our favorite, with perfect levels of spice and sweetness from the pickle. Also, IYKYK - gluten free bread can often crumble & break while you eat it. The bread here was perfect, not a crumble or break and texture was quite comparable to regular bread. The pastries were the highlight of our order. The Passionfruit Tart was to die for. I would order 10 more of those. We also tried the Bibingka because it looked interesting. The taste was similar to a coconut rice cake and the sauce on top was a perfect pair. Highly recommend. Lastly, we ordered the cheesecake which was delicious. We couldn’t figure out what the garnish was, but either way it was great. In regard to atmosphere, it’s lovely! Really aesthetically pleasing and cozy. You can watch them making pastries and prepping items from the line which was entertaining by itself. My only complaint is that finding a seat was near impossible and many of us were fighting for seat space. Hoping this place will becoming wildly popular and open up locations with even bigger seating areas! Service was helpful & efficient. Our new...