Cocoabeans Bakeshop
Neighbourhood: Corydon
Address: 774 Corydon Ave
Phone: 204-918-5313
Entrées: $9-$16
Dietary restrictions have become a significant part of modern dining, persuading restaurants to create options that are free of gluten, diary, or meat. While gluten-free dainties are more accessible than ever, it’s a treat to find a venue that promises no gluten ever enters its kitchen. Cocoabeans Bakeshop is Winnipeg’s dedicated gluten-free go-to café and bakery.
A façade of windows bring heaps of daylight into the café, working with the coffee to help awaken diners while the warm fireplace provides comfort. Staff members are friendly and eager to expound the virtues of a health-conscious menu.
Familiar dishes with unexpected twists are found on every side of the menu, with the coconut chicken sandwich taking a front row seat. Homegrown ingredients mingle with international flavours in this distinguished dish. Locally sourced roasted chicken and fresh greens are topped with pumpkin seeds, cranberries and organic coconut, bringing tender and savoury together with sweet and crunchy. Encasing the accoutrements are two slices of fluffy amaranth bread, freshly baked, delivering lightness and moisture to the genre of gluten-free eating.
Comfort food favourites appear at each end of the spectrum, from thick and cheesy, to light and veggie-packed. Brown rice spiralled noodles are baked with broccoli in a creamy cheese sauce, textured with gf breadcrumbs for crunch in the mac and cheese. Vegan chili warms the heart on a chilly afternoon. Manitoba quinoa and organic beans create texture that replicates ground beef, leaving diners feeling satisfied and salubrious.
Carnivorous cravings are easily fulfilled with vegan chicken fingers, a distinguished darling on the menu. Slabs of tofu are baked to a crisp, breaded with cornmeal, nutritional yeast and a mix of seasonings. The concoction mimics a chicken finger so well that it could pass a blindfold test, especially when dipped into house made maple dill sauce. A side of beet apple coleslaw freshens things up while French fries maintain tradition.
Whether it’s Sunday brunch or an evening meal, the display of colourful confectioneries make it impossible to leave without a sweet sampling. Sugary staples like cookies, muffins, date squares and butter tarts grace the glass case year-round. Cocoabeans Bakeshop is the gluten-free café that has every sweet tooth style covered.
