Verveine Cafe & Bakery 298 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139

"Gluten free and delicious!! Pictured below is a chicken schwarma and the breakfast sandwich, both delicious. Be prepared to wait in line! I’m hoping that there will be a way to order for take away soon. I was overall disappointed that there are so few items that are dairy free. I also went on Wednesday so there were no baguettes available for sale which was definitely a bummer. Delicious food and friendly staff."

"we had the ube brownie, bibingka, black sesame latte, and matcha strawberry latte. also the cinnamon roll cinnamon roll was alright. i thought the drinks were good; the black sesame was my favorite. the ube brownie was also very good and i like how you could tell the taste is strong. the bibingka though??? so memorable. so pretty. so soft and light and fluffy but flavorful. incredible texture and just so tasty"

"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 to Verveine!"

"In my mind this place is to surprise and delight gluten-free eaters and friends, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. I’m a bit shocked by the handful of judgy reviews for a brand new cafe! Also, to imply I need to be Asian to enjoy Asian snacks is appalling. Anyway I assume the store will continue to organize and find their feet, but I was delighted by my visit. Still a full shop at 9:30am Sunday seems to say enough! Bostonians seem to stay home on rainy Sundays and I took advantage of that, and even though the line was at the door when I arrived, it moved exactly as fast as I would expect. Maybe faster- the line was literally around the entire store. There were menus near the door, and really, the food menu is clearly available online. It would be great to understand the revolving pastries, but a simple chalkboard sign would solve that. I can’t tell if the open kitchen and visible fridges are just for vibes, but I’m hoping Verveine sticks around and expands to a space that’s quite a bit larger like the Tattes. I like seeing the sacks of clearly gluten free flour and take home items I could use for baking - no question that it’s safe to eat. Woo! The peanut butter miso cookie is to die for, and I had my first gluten free cinnamon bun which was as great as I was expecting. The BEC had perfect eggs just the way I like them and was so satisfying as well, so I can’t wait to come back to lunch."

"So good! You wouldn't even know it's gluten-free. Easily one of the best cinnamon rolls we've ever had, hands down. The inside is lovely and sun-filled and the staff were very friendly. Wouldn't mind more coffee options, but can't complain about their limited cold brew and drip coffee options (which were still good) with as tasty as their food items are."