A Gluten Free Vegan’s Review of Everly in Madison, WI

Established in 2016, Everly is a restaurant that focuses on fresh, Californian inspired food. Many dishes have vegetables as the main and can easily be made gluten free.

They have a bright and open dining room that is perfect for enjoying any meal of the day.

Everly is a member of Food Fight Restaurant Group, a collective of many different locally owned restaurants in the greater Madison area.

Continue reading to learn about my experience at Everly when we visited for brunch on Nov. 20th, 2022.

This review is based on my own experience while visiting Everly. If you have celiac disease or other allergies, please use your own discretion when choosing new restaurants.

Dining room at Everly in Madison, WI [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Details

Designation: Vegan options, Gluten free options

Price Range: $$

Style: American, Californian

Meals Served: Brunch, Lunch, Dinner

Location:

 

• Wheelchair accessible

• In a nice area on Monroe Street near many restaurants and other stores

• Bike Parking

• Right beside a bus stop

• Parking lot with on street parking also available

• Near Wingra Park and UW Madison Arboretum

• Outdoor seating available by reservation

Atmosphere

Looking into the restaurant from the front desk at Everly in Madison, WI [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

The restaurant was very modern. The dining room was very bright due to lots of windows and light color choices.

The dining room had a bit of an industrial feel due to the geometric design. This was evened out by a number of live plants all around the room, especially over top of the bar.

View of the dining room from the bar at Everly in Madison, WI [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

The restaurant felt welcoming and casual and everyone was having conversations. Even though it was pretty busy, it was not chaotic or too loud.

The entire restaurant was very clean and organized.

Menu

Weekend brunch Mains and Sides menu at Everly [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Brunch cocktails and drinks menu at Everly [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

We went to Everly at around 12 pm on a Sunday. We got brunch specific menus since that was the current meal being served.

If you would like to see the rest of their menus, you can find them here.

Food

My order

SO-CAL Grain Bowl at Everly [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

SO-CAL Grain Bowl ($15)

• Quinoa, brown rice, lentils, marinated kale, house pickled vegetables, cashews, sunflower seeds, harissa aioli, and chimichurri

• Modified to be vegan by leaving off the egg

• You also have the option to add seared tofu

Truffle Fries at Everly [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Truffle Fries ($8)

• Fries and truffle aioli

• Modified to be vegan by leaving off the parmesan

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My MIL’s Order

Veggie Scramble with gluten free toast at Everly [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Veggie Scramble ($15)

• Seasonal vegetables, herb-smashed fingerlings, and toast

• They also provided strawberry jam

• Modified to be gluten free with gluten free toast

• Can be modified to be vegan by swapping eggs for scrambled tofu and leaving off the cheese

Passion Fruit + Grapefruit Cooler and cup of water at Everly [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Passion Fruit + Grapefruit Cooler ($4)

• Passion fruit juice, grapefruit juice, seltzer

• Naturally vegan and gluten free

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Taste: ★★★★★

My meal was delicious. It had a number of flavors that were very clear and worked well together. It had the perfect amount of sauce and was a pleasant mix of textures. The sauces had a hint of spice, but didn’t overpower the other flavors.

I had the truffle fries as a side. They were perfectly cooked and crispy. They also were not over salted.

I also tried a bit of the herb-smashed potatoes and they were great as well!

Quality: ★★★★★

The ingredients were obviously fresh and high quality. The fingerling potatoes were made with heirloom potatoes.

The food was perfectly cooked and plated purposefully.

Variety: ★★★★★

There were a number of things on the menu I could have ordered. All of the marked options were either vegan and gluten free by default or could easily be modified to be that way.

For example, I got the truffle fries as a side and they were made vegan by leaving off the parmesan cheese.

When I called ahead, they said almost everything on their menu could be modified to be vegan and/or gluten free, even the items that weren’t marked already.

Quantity: ★★★★★

We went there for brunch at around 12 pm and hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. I ordered the grain bowl and truffle fries.

I thought the food was a good amount. Even after sharing a few of my fries with the table, I was almost too full to finish them.

If you are pretty hungry and ordering a lighter meal, I would get a side. If you are ordering a heavier meal, you should be fine. Either way you won’t be leaving hungry.

Value: ★★★★★

For the quality and amount of food, I think Everly is well worth the price.

Service

Hospitality: ★★★★★

All of the staff we interacted with were very nice and helpful. We felt welcome and valued as customers.

Efficiency: ★★★★★

Our waiter immediately gave us water when we sat down. He checked in on us twice while we were making decisions despite preparing multiple drinks at the bar.

We did not have to wait very long for our food. I would estimate about 20 minutes between the time we ordered and when we all got our food. The restaurant was also pretty full at the time.

Accuracy: ★★★★★

Everything came out exactly as ordered, with all modifications, the first time.

Safety

Staff knowledge: ★★★★★

I called ahead and learned they train their staff on celiac disease and cross contamination.

Our waiter made a note that I was vegan and had celiac disease when he put in the order.

Preparation: ★★★★☆

• Gluten free food is prepared in a separate area

• Staff use clean utensils

• Dedicated gluten free fryer

• My food came out separately, a little before the everyone else’s

• Not a dedicated gluten free kitchen

I was very excited because they had a gluten free fryer and I could actually order the fries.

They did a very good job and were very knowledgeable. I am confident they train their staff well. I felt safe, but since they’re not a dedicated gluten free restaurant, there is always a possibility of cross contamination.

Did I get glutened*? No

*Glutened (verb, past tense)
When a person who has celiac disease, or a gluten intolerance, consumes gluten accidentally and experiences gluten induced symptoms.

Overall

★★★★★

Would I go back? Yes

We had a very enjoyable brunch. It was a very positive experience, great food and atmosphere. I will be going back to bring other friends and family and to try more dishes.

Wall art and dining room lighting at Everly in Madison, WI [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Tips

Reserve a table for popular meal times

If you’re planning to visit during a popular meal time, like brunch or dinner on the weekend, I would definitely make a reservation.

We walked in and didn’t realize there would be a wait. There ended up being space at the bar and we were able to be seated right away.

If you do go without a reservation and they have no open tables, you can order anything from the menu at the bar if they have a seat available.

VG and GS marked items may not come that way by default

Make sure to read the ingredient list on the menu for the item you want. Make sure to ask the waiter to remove any specific non-gluten free or vegan ingredients or to prepare them gluten free and vegan.

Always let your waiter know you are vegan and have celiac disease or a gluten intolerance.

Want to learn more about eating vegan and gluten free in Madison, WI? Check out my article listed below.

Have you been to Everly? What’s your favorite thing on the menu? Add your thoughts below!