Miss Shirley's Cafe, Inner Harbor

I don’t eat gluten or dairy and assumed I’d once again be stuck eating nothing but fruit and bacon, but boy was I wrong! The menu is carefully labeled for the most common allergens, and I had plenty of safe options to choose from! I got the gluten free cinnamon danish pancakes with strawberries instead of the icing drizzle. GF pancakes aren’t usually the tastiest, but I took a chance. Especially since the waitress said they’re even tastier with the cinnamon danish stuff (which is IN the batter), so I took her advice. And OMG, they were delicious!!! Also, a manager came out to check about allergens- apparently the griddle they use for the GF pancakes is completely GF, but they do make chocolate chip GF pancakes so there’s some risk of dairy cross-contact. That’s ok for me, but I was really impressed and grateful she checked. And I think she said the whole kitchen is nut-free, which is pretty cool. My kiddo loved his (full-of-gluten-and-dairy) waffles, and we both really enjoyed our fancy mocktails. All in all, I’m very impressed, and I was so grateful we could safely (and deliciously!) partake in this very quintessential Baltimore institution!

The food is really delicious with lots of choices and they even have gluten free options! The loaded bloody Mary's are my favorite!

I appreciate Miss Shirley's for having a vegan menu however the pancakes and oatmeal just weren't good. The pancakes were extremely stiff, dry and bland despite the toppings and syrup. It was also gluten free and I really wish they offered a plant base/vegan option as well because anything gluten free always seems to be lacking something. The oatmeal was also bland and didn't taste like oatmeal. I found it to be extremely chewy. Although I may not have enjoyed my meal my friends all loved theirs. They aren't plant based or vegan. So it would seem the regular menu items are great. Which makes sense because this place is buuuussyy! We waited about an hour to be seated so definitely get on the wait list before hand. Also our waitress Ofir was amaaaazing! She was so sweet, patient and knowledgeable. I may give it another chance and try a different menu item when I come visit MD again.