Gluten-free breads available at Isabella on Sept. 4, 2023, run the gamut from baguettes, brioches and rolls to loaves in a range of shapes and sizes. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
One of the biggest crosses I’ve had to bear as a result of celiac disease dietary restrictions is the frustration of knowing that almost all the tempting baked goods I encounter contain gluten and are therefore off-limits.
Moving to Germany, where breads, cakes and pastries are a veritable art form, evoked recollections of the scrumptious treats at Hans and Marianne’s Baeckerei and Kaffee Stube, a favorite childhood haunt in my hometown of Spokane, Wash., in the days before American consumers knew of gluten.
Bottled beverages at Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie include Proviant’s rhubarb lemonade, orange lemonade and regular lemonade as well as Fritz Kola and four flavors of Ai ice tea. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
But with the celiac constraints now ever-present, my new surroundings seemed destined to heighten my sense of deprivation. That changed when Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie entered the picture.
Established in 2014, Isabella is a chain with nine locations in seven cities. I became aware of it in Aachen several months ago, and two recent trips to the Isabella in Frankfurt followed.
The menu at Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie includes three vegan sandwiches and three non-vegan sandwiches. The restaurant also offers three French cheeses. Its prosciutto sandwich comes with Comte cheese, which is described as "long matured, strong and aromatic." (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
The first of the two came on a Saturday. Walking toward the entrance from the Hauptwache parking garage right next door, I recognized the dome of Paulskirche, site of the historic Frankfurt Parliament of 1848, looming over the outdoor tables.
I figured that my arrival shortly after 3 p.m., about three hours before closing time, would allow me to have a nice late lunch. As it turned out, I miscalculated.
Perusing the menu page marked sandwiches and quiches, I noticed the words “only while stocks last.” I went to the display counter and all that was left of those items was a single, solitary vegan sandwich.
The display case at Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie in Frankfurt is stocked daily with tempting treats. By mid-afternoon on Sept. 2, 2023, little else remained in it besides these items and the chocolates and macaroons next to them. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
It wouldn’t have been my choice otherwise, but it beat the alternative of having nothing for lunch. The sandwich was small to begin with and got smaller when I plucked out the tomatoes, which are a nemesis of mine.
Surprisingly, the hearty bread and remaining vegetables made a substantial dent in my hunger and paired wonderfully with the bottled blackberry tea I ordered to drink.
What really stood out, though, was the rich, flavorful hummus. The restaurant also offers a peanut butter chili spread, which has me intrigued and itching to try next time.
I topped things off with an aptly named Choc Norris smoothie and a brownie, both of which were satisfying. Even so, this wasn’t enough for a proper evaluation. A return visit at an earlier time of day was in order.
Several types of smoothie are served at Isabella's Frankfurt location. Among them is the Amazing Acai, which contains bananas, strawberries, blueberries, sour cherries, dates, coconut puree, acai and lemon juice. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
Isabella’s breakfast menu provides a better selection, and those items are served until 2 p.m. Since I couldn’t remember my last splurge on the first meal of the day, I bought an early morning train ticket for the following Monday and again headed to Frankfurt on an empty stomach.
Isabella's Mind Belly Soul breakfast consists of scrambled eggs, a basket of assorted breads and a board with meat and cheese. Also pictured is the pecan granola. Breakfast items are served until 2 p.m. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
After an invigorating 20-minute jaunt from the central train station, I arrived at about 11 a.m. gratified by the sight of a fully stocked display case.
My starters of choice were the pecan granola, the Isabella’s Mind Belly Soul breakfast and an Amazing Acai smoothie.
The Frankfurt location of Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie is in a shopping plaza just across the street from Paulskirche, and the dome of the former church stretches above the roofline overlooking the outdoor seating area. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
Mind Belly Soul is the most comprehensive breakfast option at the restaurant. It consists of a plate of scrambled eggs; prosciutto, salami, cheese, fruit and butter served on a board; and a basket containing a brioche plus a bread assortment.
I attacked the pillow-soft scrambled eggs with gusto but took some extra time to savor the meats and cheeses, which I placed on bread slices slathered with another delicious spread.
As for the granola, in hindsight I should have chosen a different one of the four on the menu. The pecan option had too much fruit in the yogurt for my liking and not enough of the other ingredients.
Macaroons make for vivid color in the display case at Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie in Frankfurt on Sept. 4, 2023. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
The coconut cranberry granola had also interested me, so that’s what I plan to try next time. It has amaranth pops, walnuts, coconut and cranberries.
With all the sandwich and quiche selections in play this time, I decided to get a jump on lunch as well by ordering a prosciutto-and-Comte-cheese sandwich, rhubarb lemonade and a pistachio macaroon to go.
Berries adorn pastries and cake slices in the freshly stocked display case at the Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie in Frankfurt on Sept. 4, 2023. The eatery has nine locations in seven German cities, stretching from Hamburg in the north to Munich in the south. (David Edwards/Stars and Stripes)
The beautiful weather made it a no-brainer to have an Isabella picnic on the banks of the Main River. Between the zing of the lemonade and the combined flavors of the bread, meat and pungently aromatic cheese, this was the lunchtime nirvana I’d been craving.
In my mind’s eye, I juxtaposed the riverside scene with a beloved 1973 photograph of my newlywed parents in New Orleans eating muffaletta sandwiches along the shore of the Mississippi. Oh, and the pistachio-flavored sugar rush from the best macaroon I’ve ever tasted was just as sublime.
At first blush, Isabella’s prices may appear steep, and I admit that I would have liked more smoothie for my money. But people who have seen the cost of flour made from wheat substitutes like amaranth, quinoa or almonds know how tough gluten-free baking on a budget tends to be.
That said, Isabella excels in an important niche market, as evidenced by a story from a fellow customer, who told me that the Frankfurt store had recently provided his gluten-free wedding cake.
Furthermore, affordable offerings can almost assuredly be found by anyone in the patisserie’s clientele, an assertion that I plan to test again the next time I’m in Stuttgart, where it has two locations.
Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie
Address: Neue Krame 29, Frankfurt; Calwer Strasse 48, Stuttgart; Eduard Breuninger Strasse 5, Stuttgart
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Prices: Breakfast, 7.40-15.90 euros; sandwiches and quiches, 4.90-5.90 euros; bio-bowls, 10.90 euros; granolas, 8.90 euros; smoothies, 7.90 euros
Information: 069-74090860 (Frankfurt); 0711-54096995 (Stuttgart-Calwer Strasse); 0711-305 586 86 (Stuttgart-Dorotheen Quartier); Online: isabella-patisserie.de
