The food quality has dropped substantially since the place was sold. I had been going here regularly for the past ten years. I have been telling myself the substantial drop in quality over the past couple of years are one offs, but every time I go, the food is poorly made, doesn't include what was stated in the menu. The smoothie I had been ordering for ten years was poorly made, watery like every time I have had it over the past year. The fries that were supposed to come with a gluten free vegan aioli came with sauce without telling me. Whatever I got today it was definitely not gluten free and I will be spending the rest of the day sick. So many happy memories of this place it was hard to give up but its clear from the owners comments they could care less and are happy to take our money and ruin one of the best eateries in hamilton very sad. I am relocating to a different city and I guess at least I don't have to worry about missing this place anymore :(
A cup of tea and a gf salad came to 32.50 which seems excessive and i queried it as the gluten version of the salad was 24.00 so there was a 3.00 surcharge that I should have been told about Counter person was unfriendly and uninterested to the point of rude. The salad was underwhelming just premix bag with cherry tomatoes and over cooked chewy lamb.I was sorry I stayed.
169 London Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton 3204, New Zealand
Celiac friendly
BreakfastLunchBrunchCafeTake AwayKid Friendly
People are saying
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Janice MacFarlane
This is the best gluten free cafe I've been in ever. Their cinnamon scrolls are the best. It wasn't until the last time that I went there that I got anything other than that🤣 I got the Reuben focaccia take away that time. Fantastic. Everything is gluten free.
Was nice to have the option of gluten free pancakes, I haven’t seen that on a menu in a while! The staff were friendly and helpful, food and coffee came out in a reasonable time.
Love this cafe the servers are so lovely and the owner is so nice and welcoming the in-house baking are delicious and I appreciate the gluten free option! ☺️
Great coffee, the open steak sandwich was amazing! The potato roastie was definitely to come back for! Great flavors on such a simple dish. The table next to me had the smash avo on !in house made bread! I'm pretty sure it was gluten free and keto 👌 and strawberry matcha looked like a coctail 🤩 very friendly staff 👌
May have walked away with a macadamia and( "something,caramilk?🤷🏼♀️") slice 🤫 (no regrets 😋)
Everything in the cabinet looked so good,so technically that's a win 😉
Busy lunch place but absolutely loved the food and we were served in no time. I ordered the gluten free eggs bene with salmon and asked for sauce on the side. Define! Definitely recommend!
Just okay - nothing special. Food came out very fast but was under-dressed. Additional fee for gluten free, but it was the type of gluten-free bread that quickly turns to mush with any moisture.
Stumble upon this coffeehouse because it was close to our motel. The food was phenomenal. New Zealanders know how to do breakfast. Great loose leaf tea. Gluten free conscious. Friendly staff/owners.
My wife and I heard about Joe's Garage from the coeliac Facebook group.. re knowledgeable about coeliac and cross contamination.
So we thought we'd try it out. WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED!!!
The service is great, the staff friendly and genuine.
Food is varied and excellent! We'll go again!
Well done team!
Just a PSA for those with celiac disease. The GF is short for Gluten Friendly not Gluten Free. Never heard of Gluten Friendly so didn't spot this until we got there but it essentially means you can eat it if you have a mild intolerance but nothing more. Only the salads are suitable for people who are celiac so a pretty stink dinner, and we were told the noodles would be replaced but they were just removed so pretty much chicken and leaves. Feel like the servers were doing their best though and we're very apologetic so gave service a 4
Amazing restaurant with honest, delicious food at a great price, topped only by the care and service from the wait staff. My daughter is celiac and all questions were answered with compassion and menu alterations were handled without fuss. Highly recommended whether for a family dinner, work gathering or even a date night.
Service was good as was the food. But the bathroom was disgusting. It was a mess and there was no hand soap, plus the staff weren't busy so no excuses there. The gluten free buns were better than expected/we're used to which was nice.
Food was amazing. Really catered too the gluten and dairy free stuff we asked for. And they really cared about insuring us if we could eat it. Goes a long way for us. Thanks guys we will be back. Keep up the good work.
Amazing Tacos, come here for Taco Tuesday basically every week 😍🙏 Southern Fried Chicken Tacos are my fav!
Great service, always friendly staff, nice atmosphere and even better they offer Gluten Free + Vegetarian options!
The service is always amazing when we go in always good vibes and wonderful food. I’m very happy to see a wider range of gluten free sauces and options we can’t wait to come back
Fantastic service from very customer focused Abby. Abby just seemed to get the little things that make sharing breakfast as a family a bit nicer (food all at the same time, hot coffee, extra marshmallows for the mum that never gets them, reading back the large complicated order to ensure it was all ok). Our complicated got drinks order didn't seem an issue at all!. Would like some more gluten/dairy free cabinet options but would return again just for the customer service.
645 Victoria Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton 3204, New Zealand
Gluten-free options
LunchDinnerBrunchDeliveryTake AwayKid Friendly
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Jules Brinkley
Beautiful vegan food and very intelligent and attentive service. These people care about the food they’re feeding you. I had the delicately spiced vegetable curry (so filling and delicious) and the fruity coconut cream yoghurt (divine). I’m gluten-free but they have options and can help advise the best ones. Everything is vegan! Love that. I bought takeaways and ate them at home.
As always the food here is delicious! The portion sizes are generous, the food comes out fast, the coffees are good, the cabinet food is all yummy, they have a row of gluten free options in the cabinet and heaps on the menu to choose from. I highly recommend A++++++++
Great range, menu, and most importantly, cater for Coeliac with the most choices I've seen.
This made eating out a pleasure with my daughter, who often feels like it's difficult to eat out, as there are lots of places that don't offer many options if your Coeliac.
Staff are approachable, helpful, and friendly.
Very much recommend Scott's Epicurean
Fantastic Vietnamese eatery. Everything tasted fresh and was super flavourful. I especially recommend the lemongrass tofu, which was especially rich in flavour.
Almost everything on the menu is gluten and dairy friendly, and also plenty of vegetarian dishes on offer.
Great little Cafe with great atmosphere, I really like that every time I go and ask for gluten-free or get a gluten-free cabinet food, they ask if I'm celiac to prevent cross contamination.
I had a coffee and a gluten free muffin here on 27/12/23.
So yummy! Absolute great coffee, really enjoyed it. The muffin was nice too, especially with the blue berries in it. I can highly recommend this place. Great service too.
Ordered through UberEats - GODDAMN! So damn delicious!!! Shout out to Haylee who informed me of the coeliac options here through email. Enjoyed the Sirloin Steak with red wine jus, mash & veges and the Mango Panna Cotta. Everything was so perfectly cooked, seasoned, and fresh! The portions were incredible and worth every cent! I'm stoked to have another delicious dinner option.
Awesome cafe. Not too many gluten-free cabinet options. But they have amazing gluten-free savory muffins.
They also have gluten-free menu options, which include some lovely crepes
Furnace has been our favourite family restaurant for many years. We had dinner there last night. Unfortunately, it was quite disappointing: the pork main was just pork fat (likely why one woman was ill in the night); we made a point of asking the waitress for gluten free bread (as one member has celiac) where the waitress checked with the kitchen and advised us that would be ok. However, unbeknown to us "normal" bread was served resulting in a very sick woman the rest of the night; the wine waiter appeared to be quite flustered all evening bringing incorrect drinks to our table and then forgetting drinks we had ordered. Not a relaxing family night out.
Excellent friendly service, great menu, lots of gluten free options. Best French toast ever. Beautifully presented meals. Will definitely be back, thank you
I was very disappointed with this cafe. Being gluten free it is difficult to find places that provide meals and i thought id finally found somewhere in Frankton i could eat. They had run out of gluten free savoury options in their cabinet ( a panini) so i asked if they could make me one. They said they didnt have time and declined to make me one, yet if i had ordered something off their cooked menu it surely would have taken as long and not been refused. This was the only thing that i found suitable for me to eat with other food requirements as well. I ended up being stuck in Frankton for 5 and a half hours while waiting for my car to be worked on and ended up going hungry as a result of their lack of service. Please remember that people who are gluten free have very limited options in the community and reconsider the way you treat people when they ask for these options.
I recently visited this restaurant with my family and had a mixed experience.
While I appreciated the allergy menu and good selection of gluten-free options, the pork belly dish was disappointing. The pork belly was too dry and lacked of crispness on the skin, I was hoping to have that crunchie sound when cutting up.
On a positive note, the prawn and scallop tortellini was impressive and delicious.
However, the food took a bit too long to arrive at the table, which was a bit frustrating. The portions were quite small due to the tapas style of dining, which made it hard to justify the high price.
Overall, I would still recommend this restaurant for the good selection of gluten-free options.
I love the setup of the restaurant and the decor. The food was succulent, flavoursome and hearty! The portion sizes are huge so your in for a good feed. The pricing is higher than most burger joints but it is so worth it - a flavour sensation. The menu suits all! From gluten free, dairy free and a great selection of delicious vege/vegan options. Come on down and give it a try. You will not regret.
Celiac friendly
