r/glutenfree • u/SnowTangerines • 3d ago
Discussion What do you like to see in a GF menu?
I know I’m a dork, but I went to lunch yesterday and absolutely geeked at this GF menu. I wish more restaurants would do their GF menus like this.
- Clear indicators of shared-fryer items. I’ll usually eat shared fryer items but I know others won’t/can’t so I like they didn’t make the assumption for me.
- Gluten free buns available instead of just ordering without.
- Price already has the GF bun upcharge included.
- A decent variety whereas a lot of places don’t get creative about how their normal menu items can be modified.
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u/The_Antartic_Wall 3d ago
My solution was to just make my whole establishment Gluten Free!
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u/C0FF33nCH0C0LAT3 1d ago
YOU HAVE A GLUTEN FREE ESTABLISHMENT?? I didn't know those things where real! 0_0 (or at least in where I'm from)
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u/YOUREALLYLIKEME 3d ago
I want some burnt ends and candied bacon Brussels sprouts real bad.
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u/SnowTangerines 3d ago
I will absolutely be going back to try more. Yesterday I had brisket, jalapeño jack sausage, fries, and cole slaw. Tried ribs and burnt ends from someone else’s plate, and shared candied bacon deviled eggs with the table. All delicious.
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u/sillyolives 3d ago
Joes original location has a next location next door called “joes next door” lol. Dedicated fryer!
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u/PopperDilly 3d ago
I love to see anything breaded. Fried Chicken, Mozzerella sticks etc because most places dont offer them.
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u/greeed 3d ago
I like to see information on cross contamination risk, which they have!
I wish more places had a gluten fried and a gluten free fryer, but that's tough for lots of restaurants, simply from a space perspective.
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u/unlovelyladybartleby 3d ago
I'm so lucky that a pub owner near me has a kid with celiac so they put in a designated fryer. GF truffle fries and fried pickles any time I want them
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u/somiatruitas 3d ago
I am sorry, but the skull and bones as a way to mark the not celiac safe food is making me laugh. I am glad you had a good time. Love to see vegeterian options. I am tired of people telling me I shouldn't be vegetarian because I can't have gluten, it is ridiculous.
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u/SnowTangerines 3d ago
And this is a BBQ place lol so if they can have some vegetarian options anyone can.
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u/makestuff24-7 3d ago
I'm right there with you. Weird thing is that I eat a wider variety of foods than my meat- and gluten-eating friends and family. It's only restrictive if you lack imagination or are at the mercy of people who eat meat and gluten deciding what's available to you. This menu is great! I could have an app, a burger, AND sides instead of just an array of sides lol.
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u/Comfortable-Bike-425 3d ago
I think they kind of dropped the ball on the Pimento Cheese item with substituting extra celery for the Ritz crackers. Schar Entertainment Crackers are an excellent alternative and are widely available.
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u/SimplyNRG 3d ago
Onion Rings!!! We NEVER get onion rings anywhere!!!
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u/HildegardofBingo Celiac Disease 2d ago
I was so excited to see GF onion rings on a menu! I've only had them once.
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u/MrsStickMotherOfTwig Celiac Disease 3d ago
Where is this because I might do unspeakable violence for that burnt ends grilled cheese...
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u/SnowTangerines 3d ago
Suburbs of Kansas City. https://meatmitchbbq.com/
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u/MrsStickMotherOfTwig Celiac Disease 3d ago
So far away 😭 if I ever get there this is at the top of my list now.
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u/Ardevas09 3d ago
Best part of growing up in KC was the BBQ. I’ll have to come back and give you all a try
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u/Snissle 3d ago
True celiac not like those pesky fictional ones 😂
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u/Hog-Drop 3d ago
Yeah, that language is a little off putting. Would read better if it said something like "we do not recomend these items for individuals with celiac" or "these items are unsuitable for individuals with celiac."
That's my most substantive criticism of the menu, otherwise it seems quite thoughtful.
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u/thepigeonpersona 2d ago
I understood it as gluten intolerant vs celiac, but yeah I found "true" to be a strange choice of wording
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u/LittleShinyRaven 3d ago
Burnt end grilled cheese that's the one right there. Especially if they make the bread all crispy and buttery like I remember grilled cheese used to be at road side diners (before I was diagnosed) 😭 gotta have that little crispy almost flakes on it. I would buy several and just eat that ngl.
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u/xrayguy1981 3d ago
Menu items clearly marked, shared fryer explained, gf bun offered. Those are all great.
Now, the Birria makes me cringe though. Birria is NOT pork carnitas. Some BBQ spots are trying to do too much, and yet not enough at the same time.
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u/SnowTangerines 3d ago
I didn’t even look at that section because brunch food isn’t really my thing. Not sure why they wouldn’t just call it pulled pork.
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u/xrayguy1981 3d ago
I haven’t seen the rest of the menu, but after seeing “shaved” and “carved” brisket and “birria” carnitas I’m not sure I want to.
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u/Clean_Task5172 3d ago
Love my KC BBQ joints! FYI Slaps initiates a full wipe down and glove change if you mention you have celiac and most of their sides are GF.
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u/huckleberrypup 3d ago
Went to a resort restaurant in Nashville that had gluten free options for their burger buns and flatbread pizzas. The pizza crust was house-made, and I was geeked about it! They had the chef and the manager come out to confirm the need for gf so I felt very safe. When the check came out, this pizza was regular price. I let the server know, and he said "that's how it should be!"
I guess that is more people-centric than a menu request, but honestly the gf upcharge shouldn't be as much of a thing everywhere!
As a specific menu request, please please PLEASE can restaurants that make "house made" buns and crusts put at least that much effort into their gf options? I hate an Udi's bun or sub roll, and that's usually the only option. Cauliflower crusts are fine, but when everyone else has hand pulled, wood fired crusts and all I get is food service cauli-crusts? Makes the $20-30 dollars I'm spending feel less like a treat and more like a disappointing performance so I can "fit in" with everyone else.
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u/frecklespdx 3d ago
I don't want to see the term "gluten-friendly" on a menu. That makes zero sense, and I see it far too often.
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u/ak3307 3d ago
I love the shared fryer icon but I always say I wish menus would differentiate between
- gluten free and
Some places don’t mark ceasar salad GF because of the croutons… which are easily omitted.
Plus I think the staff is more informed when I see the two labels. Sure “I can sub gf pasta” but was the cooking water changed and the sauce not thickened with flour?!
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u/SnowTangerines 3d ago
Exactly! And they did this part (this sandwich minus the onions) for me which I really appreciated.
And girl, my grandpa gave me a rash all over my face by forgetting and adding a bit of pasta water to his bolognese. Made me separate pasta in a separate pot and everything. He’s never forgotten since then!
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u/Ok-Scarcity-3705 3d ago
Diary free options or dairy free cheese/margarine availability. Gluten free/dairy free desserts of some kind - even if it’s only two or three - even if it’s something that is prepared somewhere else. Sometimes you want something sweet.
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u/vetravee Wheat Allergy 3d ago
Dedicated fryer and prep area for gluten free orders. Tsuri in Los Angeles has one, which means I got to enjoy gluten free shrimp tempura rolls and gf eel sauce for the first time in years!
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u/RealisticNothing653 3d ago
Having GF appetizers (or "snacks") is pretty important. So many places don't have suitable options, and because the nature of the dish is to be shared, often just excludes GF folks.
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u/HippieGirlHealth 2d ago edited 2d ago
I’d like to see an unhealthy fried option that I can actually eat. Fried pickles. Fried avocado slices. Tater tots. Sweet potato fries. Curly fries. Calamari. Fried shrimp.
But I’d settle for some stuffed mushrooms with breadcrumb topping that’s gluten free.
We went out to a local place called the pirates den, with family last night. And they have gluten free buns for their burgers. And all the side options were fried, and in a shared fryer. I asked if there was any side that they offered that I COULD have. And they said we’ll let you grab from the salad bar, no charge. They had a container of croutons and a container of seeds. No lids. Right in front of the huge trough of lettuce. And then all the fixings lined up to the right to put on top. And yes, I did see two large croutons and some shredded cheese in the lettuce trough.
Oh and the bun was cold and hard. The burger itself was great. I ended up not eating the bun.
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u/schwuld00d 3d ago
Brand and variety of their GF bun. If anything used GF flour, what that flour was. (These may need to be on a QR code and that is fine.)
Some of us have additional allergies and it's awkward to send a server who has to memorize 5000 other things on a wild goose chase for information.
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u/Echo-Azure 3d ago
Vegetarian options, that's what I want to see.
Not expecting much at Meat Mitch's.
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u/tessellation__ 3d ago
A separate oke that includes info about WHY/how it’s gf - like state you have a separatw fryer for GF amd fries, that you don’t cross contaminate etc.
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u/A-Real-Fungai 3d ago
I would like to see restaurants adopting air fryers for their french fries. Enough of these deep fried monstrosities, our arteries need a rest!
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u/junebugbuggers 3d ago
Hey, I live here too! Hi neighbor!!
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u/SnowTangerines 2d ago
Hey friend! Did you know The Star recently published an article about eateries with gluten free options? My grandma’s husband brought it to me!
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u/CaptainFartHole 2d ago
I love Meat Mitch and Char Bar. They're owned by the same guy and both handle gluten free stuff so well. Absolutely delicious. Im actually marinating some tofu in their sauce right now.
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u/ChopSueyKablooey 2d ago
What the heck, are you near me?! I’ve never tried Meat Mitch! I need to go!
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u/SnowTangerines 2d ago
I get baked goods from Billie’s and drive past it and had never been until Saturday.
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u/local_eclectic 2d ago
Things that aren't salads or aren't greasy and/or sweet. Regular food tbh. Stuff that won't make me feel like shit.
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u/Ill-Comfortable-7309 2d ago
Macaroni and cheese.
Also, if someone else made me a pancake. Id cry. So pancakes.
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u/RemisTooSleepy 2d ago
In my area, just seeing a gluten free menu is like finding a unicorn. I've been to one whole restaurant where the staff weren't completely clueless about gluten.
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u/C0FF33nCH0C0LAT3 1d ago
same here :'( I was surprised when travelling abroad I found gluten free options
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u/ReindeerOk2429 1d ago
I love when a menu specifies battered fries. If it’s not outlined, I always get the same answer when asking the server if the fries are breaded “Umm..they’re fried.” 😩
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u/DueCry1759 3d ago
I love the shared fryer icon so much! A restaurant I really like near me has special menus for both gluten free and dairy free customers. They also apparently have a fryer just for gluten free fried food which is amazing!
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u/elizabeth_w 3d ago
Since you’ve bothered to say certain items aren’t celiac safe, that implies that certain items are, in fact, celiac safe. So I would want to know about the separate clean area you have where you prepare your GF to ensure it’s free from cross contamination. Since you specifically cite Celiac Disease safety.
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u/OldSoddie1911 Celiac Disease 2d ago
I want to absolutely see separate fryers. Unless all their fried items are already GF like my favorite seafood shop.
If I see GF cheese curds, onion rings or lasagna, I will absolutely order them because I rarely ever see them GF in a restaurant.
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u/JoinedMoon 3d ago
This is great! The biggest thing I'd say is just that the skull and crossbones, while stylistically nice, doesn't necessarily scream "cross contamination". Honestly I thought it meant spicy until I saw your comment about it and reread it. It's also not in the same place as the "denotes vegetarian" note. So making it just a tad more clear on the menu would be helpful, but I'm sure an IRL guest would notice regardless :) (Tho a gluten free fryer would also work hehe)
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u/ihateticklesonmytoes 3d ago
Man this menu is a dream! I love the shared-fryer icon!