Top 6 Gluten-Free French Cafés to Delight in Minnesota

Carol Anderson

I’ve had much better tasting and textured gluten free and vegan selections elsewhere. I would not choose this place as my top option if I needed either of those as a serious accommodation. Pricing for the quality and the service was basically awful. My table got three drinks (two small hot teas and a small latte) and three cake slices and paid $45. The latte was up-charged $2 because I am lactose intolerant and ordered oat milk for it. I understand an up charge because the milk is typically more expensive than regular, but basically every other cafe for miles well out-competes a $2 extra charge. The most expensive I’ve seen locally before this was $1. In a perfect world allergy and intolerance accommodations would cost no extra, as people like me can’t really help wanting to live like others and have a little cafe latte that won’t hurt us. When asked if I wanted a box I said I would, as I still had a half slice of cake left. No box was ever brought to my table and the waiter never mentioned it again even as we said goodbye to him and left. In fact, almost every interaction with the waiter was tinted with what seemed like haughtiness or disdain on his end. Maybe because we only came and sat for desserts and coffee/tea and therefore were not “high value” customers. Overall this place seems full of itself and really not worth the trouble and expense to have sub-par cakes and a cup of tea. Hoping this is a rare experience.

Larissa Loden

Amazing food and service and they were very accommodating with gluten free. The food is amazing. I need more of the mushroom soup in my life

Melissa Stebbins

We had a lovely time at Meritage! The service was fantastic and the interior is both intimate and spacious. The high ceilings are to die for. I highly reccomend asking for a spot by the window or the half-booth half-table spots along the back (this is where we were). The patio also looked beautiful and romantic. The wine list was HUGE. However, we didn’t even dig into the wine because they have an assortment of delicious champagne cocktails (and I love champagne) as well as a plethora of fantastic NA beverage options! As far as food, we ordered off the ala carte menu. Everything we ordered was delicious and RICH! We made the mistake of ordering way too much food—the serving sizes are plentiful so be careful not to over-order like us. The steak tartare with the big taters was flavorful and rich, but still had a light “spring” flavor to it with the fresh veggies on top and mustard seed. A great starter. The French onion soup was divine, however the serving was way too big. I would have loved a French onion soup “shooter” option. By the time our main dishes came out, we were so full already. We ordered the risotto which was absolutely perfect and so fresh with the spring ramp and peas. We also ordered the moules frites. The fries are a MUST ORDER at Meritage. The most perfect fries I could imagine. The mussels were still delicious, but not my favorite that I’ve had compared to some other mussel dishes at other restaurants in the twin cities. There are so many other good menu options, I would have just ordered fries and skipped the mussels for some other options. My wife was gluten free and the wait staff were very knowledgeable about what could be made gluten free (almost everything!). We were too full for dessert, but the options looked delicious. Overall, we will be back!! They also have a tasting menu that I would love to try. A classic Twin Cities restaurant that I hope to return to again and again. A must-visit.

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Do not go here if you are gluten free. My friends regular bread sandwich was so much larger, and for the same price too. This is unexceptionable, it’s completely ridiculous that there is that much of a size and quality difference. It was horrible, soggy bread. Completely disappointing.

Ariane Laxo

The steelhead trout was one of the best meals I've had in the Twin Cities this year. Absolutely delicious with the burre blanc, peas, and edamame. I also enjoyed the beet salad. My husband's steak was very tender. All in all, a solid meal (albeit a pricey one). Gluten free options are not labeled but the staff are able to identify what is / isn't safe. I told them I have celiac and the level of caution changed immediately.

Ann Hajostek

Great food and drinks. Second time here and can’t recommend enough. Fantastic for gluten free folks too or other food allergies like eggs, etc. Quite accommodating! Update/Edit: Another great experience. This time it wasn’t as busy and was more quiet in there, but maybe that’s because of when we went. Service was nice and helpful, and even asked for our names to look out for us next time and remember us.