This new mom-and-pop Mesa bakery is a 'love letter' to the community

Against the Grain opened in June inside a small and cozy suite on Main Street in downtown Mesa.

From the moment you step through the intricate wrought iron front door, the vibe inside the restaurant is welcoming and homey with a shelf of board games inviting guests to stay a while. Past the smattering of tables, more shelves are filled with a plethora of gluten-free products for sale, from cookies and baking mixes to frozen dinners and treats.

"This is our love letter to the gluten-free community," said co-owner Justin Halter.

Halter said his wife, Amanda, started baking gluten-free treats shortly after they got together as something nice to do for him since he was gluten-free. A few years later, she was also diagnosed with Celiac.

An affordable, gluten-free marketplace

The couple found that finding gluten-free options was difficult in both restaurants and grocery stores and they wanted to make it easier for others by creating a reliable, safe space free of the possibility of cross contamination.

"I am disgusted by the way these companies hike up prices on what for us is a medical necessity, and I find it ethically objectionable how they use our medical condition as an excuse to hike up prices," Halter said. "So number one, I'm trying to drive down the prices of gluten free food."

The prices for grocery items at Against the Grain are competitive with Walmart, he said, and the curated collection of only gluten-free items creates an ease of shopping that is incomparable.

What's on the menu at Against the Grain?

Against the Grain's menu is small but offers a lot of variety, including breakfast items, sandwiches, Asian and Italian-inspired dishes. Their motto is: "serving the delicious food that you miss the mostwhen you go gluten-free."

Breakfast options include french toast ($10.99), pancakes ($10.99), an egg and cheese sandwich ($7.00) and biscuits with sausage gravy ($10.99). They also offer rotating pastry items such as blueberry muffins, chocolate chip cookies, Oreo cheesecake, cake pops and rice crispy treats.

Some of their most popular items include their Italian options, such as spaghetti marinara ($11.99), fettucine alfredo ($12.99) and pepperoni or sausage pizza ($16.99). Other entrees include orange chicken and rice ($12.99), a tuna salad sandwich ($10.99) and chicken wings ($11.99).

I tried the egg and cheese sandwich, fettuccine alfredo and a blueberry muffin. The egg and cheese sandwich was as satisfying as any breakfast sandwich I've had in recent memory and extremely filling, served on fresh baked bread, Amanda's own recipe, which customers can also purchase by the loaf.

My favorite was the blueberry muffin. Not to be cliché, but it didn't "taste gluten-free." It was fluffy and sweet and held together nicely. It hasn't left my mind in the days since I ate it — perhaps another trip to Mesa is in my future.

How to visit Against the Grain

Against the Grain is currently open for breakfast, lunch and dinner five days a week in downtown Mesa.

Hours : 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Details : 124 W. Main St., Mesa. 480-495-9772, againstthegrainfood.com .

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Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com . Follow @EndiaFontanez on X, formerly Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: This new mom-and-pop Mesa bakery is a 'love letter' to the community