Café Mamajuana — Dining out while gluten-intolerant can be a game of 20 Questions: What are the hidden ingredients? Do you have gluten-free bread? Can I even eat anything here?
There are no such games at Café Mamajuana. The Dominican-fusion spot in Burlington’s Old North End marks every gluten-free dish on its menu with a triumphant star — and there’s a ton of them, including arancini, jerk-rubbed chicken wings and Cuban sliders. In fact, the empanadas are the only thing on the restaurant’s regular dinner menu that isn’t gluten-free.
To swap Café Mamajuana’s chimi burger from a regular bun onto gluten-free tostones isn’t simply a substitution; it’s an upgrade. The juicy smash burger topped with special sauce, sweet plantain, red onion, curtido and potato frites is a delicious illustration of why the restaurant landed on the James Beard Awards’ Best New Restaurant semifinalist list this spring.
It’s a treat, with or without gluten.
Other Finalists
- Jules on the Green
- Sweet Alchemy Bakery and Café
- West Meadow Farm Bakery
This article appears in Seven Daysies 2022.
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