If you're GF Not Worth Jumping Through the Hoops…read more
When I found this place online, I was so excited. When one must follow a gluten-free diet, it is so nice to find places where you can eat what everyone else gets to enjoy. This was anything but enjoyable.
I was planning a little Halloween getaway to Kingston and searching for a new and exciting breakfast place to stop on my way there. I found Heaffles and read through their website--I'm always very careful and vet my restaurants before the trip and plan food meticulously, you have to when you cannot eat gluten. The site stated that if you want a gluten free waffle, you must call 24 hours ahead of time. I immediately thought that was ridiculous (that eliminates any possibility of a GF person walk-in from eating there) but messaged them on Instagram. I asked if I could message then and schedule or did a I have to call. They told me I must call the day before. Pain in the bum, but I set a reminder in my phone and did so.
The next day, I show up. Such a cute place and the breakfast that kicks off a trip always makes me so happy. We don't eat out much at all, living so rurally. It had also been ages since I'd enjoyed a GF waffle, so excitement was high. This place has a ton of potential. The seating is cute, the bathrooms clean and so beautifully decorated. There is even a little cubby with cushions that would make it feel as though one was having breakfast in bed. I really did fall in love with the space.
There didn't appear to me to be a traditional server comes to your table. You walk in and place your order at the counter. I ordered a Flat White to drink along with a water and a gluten-free coconut rush. The young lady at the counter was very quick to tell me that they had a customer coming in to get a GF waffle and that they only had enough batter for one waffle and that I would need to try again and call 24 hours beforehand. Right before I told her I was that customer, my brain was like, what? You have enough batter for ONE waffle??? I make GF stuff all the time. It is NOT that expensive. And what if you mess up that ONE waffle (and they did because she didn't listen to me)? I said, "Oh, I called yesterday." And I had driven a very long way. I would hate for anyone else to do that and end up disappointed.
After that, I was allowed to order my waffle. Coconut is my favourite sweet flavour, but it came with strawberries and strawberry syrup. I told her THREE times I didn't want the strawberries or the syrup. Strawberry jam, jelly syrup...I hate them all, also cannot stand cooked fruit. She told me she could put the strawberries on the side and that they were uncooked. I said that was okay, but reiterated AGAIN that I do not want or like the strawberry syrup.
I thought I might get my drinks at the counter, but she said they would bring everything to my table. I sat within view of the counter by the window. I assumed, as at most places, the drinks would come out first. I had started on the Terra Health heartburn kit to kick my PPI script and needed to take the supplements before eating. Some ladies came in after me and they got their drink order while I sat and waited. The waffle came out, and I was too panicked by not taking my supplements to pay that much attention and told them I needed some water and that I didn't have my coffee yet. They came back in a few minutes and in the meantime, I saw that the waffle I'd paid nearly $30 for, along with a very tiny flat white coffee, was drenched...every inch in yucky strawberry syrup.
I'm a silver lining kind of girl, so I told myself to try it, maybe my tastes have changed. Nope. It was this strong, chemically strawberry flavour that made me gag. Talk about disappointed. At this point it was late in the morning and I was starving. I opened up the waffle (the size, even if they'd managed to listen to my order was not worth what I paid) and ate some of the filling out. The only waffle that had no nasty syrup was at the fold and I ate the four bites I could. The coffee was literally 3 swallows. I left hungry and angry. And in all that time, no one ever came back to ask me how the order was...and I knew I couldn't send it back because that was their ONE GF waffle batter of the day. I had to stop at Wendy's and spend another $10 for a bunless burger after.
I would never go back. The ask and not having the batter available is beyond RIDICULOUS, despite the fact they don't listen, which makes a GF person VERY nervous. You couldn't pay me to eat there again. Poor service, poor value and food I couldn't stomach. Not for me.
