Brother Wolf: New Holloway Gluten Free Cafe!

UPDATE: Sadly Brother Wolf has permanently closed at this location.

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Outlet: Brother Wolf Real Foods

Location: Holloway, London (Nag’s Head Market)

Address: 22 Seven Sisters Road, Holloway, London N7 6AG

Nearest tube station: Holloway Road and Finsbury Park (underground + overground)

Food: completely gluten free cafe serving sweet and savoury options

Other info: oat free, dairy free, egg free and vegan options available

I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my Birthday. We just came back from a trip to Italy last night and with it being kind of an early celebration, I didn’t plan to do anything special on my actual Birthday. In fact I expected it to be quite boring, but in the end today ended up being unexpectedly awesome in many small ways. Just one of those days when everything falls into place nicely.

But the best part was undeniably this: seeing gluten free written in huge capital letters on the front of a brand new cafe, still in the process of setting up, in our local food market!

It’s called Brother Wolf and you can find it tucked away inside Nags’s Head Market on Seven Sisters Road. Right next to Morrisons.

I feel like Islington in general has truly spoiled us with gluten free options over the last few years and I’m so happy to see this trend stretch into Holloway lately! With Cookies and scream having opened a branch just down the road a few months ago and now Brother Wolf even closer to home, this area is fast becoming one of London’s best gluten free hot spots. ?

So I went back a few hours later and they confirmed that everything is indeed completely gluten free! With dairy free and vegan options also available. And good news for the oat intolerants. I asked as I know some Coeliacs struggle with oats (even gluten free oats), none are used in most (if not all) their products. It’s best to ask beforehand just in case, but the owner said it’s not really an ingredient he uses.

There was a range of delicious looking things on offer: cakes, cupcakes, quiche, juices, smoothies, brownies, etc.

This was actually their first day so the shelves were understandably a bit bare, but you can expect much more to come. The owner told us that fresh bread and more savoury options such as ciabattas and sandwiches are on the horizon. I love cake as much as anyone else, but there’s definitely a need for more savoury food – real food – in the world of gluten free on-the-go… So I think that’s pretty exciting!

And if the current food is anything to go by, I have a good feeling about it. I went for a red velvet cupcake and it was honestly perfect. Great flavour, soft moist texture and beautiful presentation.

My boyfriend had the coffee cake with crunched up pistachios sprinkled on top and it was absolutely delicious too. It was so full of flavour and the texture was even softer than the cupcake!

It definitely passes the taste test in my opinion and guys, the prices are fairly decent too. We paid £2 for the cupcake and £3 for a large slice of cake. Compared to other gluten free cafes, that’s actually not bad at all!

So if you live around Holloway or happen to be passing by, go give this place a try and encourage them! They’ll be setting up a little sitting down area with tables and chairs soon so it should be nice, especially in time for the summer. 🙂

Update (01.04.2017)

The sandwiches made their entrance sooner rather than later after all! I went back this morning and they already had some, including panini! Which are absolutely delicious btw!

My boyfriend tried the quiche, which also comes with a side salad, and he really enjoyed it.

And last but not least, we shared a slice of cheesecake and oh my god! If you’ve been following me for a while, you may know by now that I’m a cheesecake addict and am quite critical of all cheesecakes I try. And let me tell you, this one is amazing! Just the way I like it: lemony, soft and super creamy. We fought for every bite and my boyfriend was left trying to scrape the box for every last bit. haha

Now that I’ve had the chance to try more things, I really can’t recommend this place enough! Even if you have no other reason to be in this random little market, Brother Wolf alone makes it worth the visit. 🙂