The Pittsburgh Gluten Free Blogger: Cafe Chocolade

Cafe Chokolade

Get the chocolates!! You won't be disappointed!

This is a great gluten free place. Everything is gluten free. Well, except the beer cupcakes. But you already know that! So, where do I start? I wanted to buy everything here.

This place is really tiny. It's cute with a lot of character, but having more than two groups of two people felt crowded and like you were in someone's way. There is outdoor seating, so if you can, go on a nice day & enjoy your lunch outdoors. You can also take your order to go. I think I'd call ahead if you were going to do that, so you don't have to wait in the way of everyone. They are not open for dinner, so plan your trip accordingly.

The menu changes every week. Chef Aniko Kaufmann posts the week's menu every Monday night on the website, which is a little hard to read and navigate because of the font & design, but he also emails out the week's specials if you sign up for the mailing list. http://www.cafechocolade.net

I couldn't decide on the flavor of dried pasta, so I bought the mixed bag of basil, tomato, and regular pasta to-go. I later made a wonderful grilled chicken pasta salad with it. The pasta was vegan & gluten free. There are a lot of vegan choices, too, so if you know someone with multiple food allergies or aversions, this is the place for them.

I bought some of the house made chocolates to go, but many of them didn't make it out the door. I ate them as an appetizer, because you only live once. You must get the chocolates!! I also bought a Grand Marnier walnut bite. It wasn't bad, but not as wonderful as I expected after trying the chocolates.

So what did I actually order for lunch you might ask. I got a pierogi pizza. I once had a pierogi pizza before I had to go gluten free. It was a combination of two things I love & was wonderful. This was certainly a match for that memory.

The crust was fluffy & doughy. It has a hint of whole grains mixed into it giving it a rich, full flavor. The sauce was creamy mashed potatoes topped with a cheddar cheese. Instead of having pieces of whole pierogi on the pizza, noodle pieces were arranged like a topping. This was a well thought out pizza. It was delicious. It was pretty amazing.