Drums of the Pacific Lu'au

This is now a buffet. Family style would have likely been okay as only the Mac salad, rolls, and deserts have gluten. However, it’s a buffet. I tried to speak to our server and he didn’t seem to care. Then, he disappeared. I had to flag him down later just to get some juice. Onto the buffet, it’s not celiac safe at all. They are generally very allergen friendly and even have it all noted, but they need to let the allergy/celiac people go first OR plate their meal separately. My non-gf husband said it was 3/5 stars for those who aren’t gluten free. The show is great! I just wish they cared more about those with food allergies or celiac.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

Other Characteristics

• Good for dairy-free
• Good for dinner
• Good for kids
• Good with other allergies

The website for this luau lists the entire food menu online so you can review it ahead of time. They also allow you to specify a food allergy at time of booking. The “first course” as labeled on their menu is served family style at your table. The salad was in its own serving platter and was labeled GF on their menu. The ahi poke was in its bowl that was on a larger serving platter with gluten-containing items. I ate both of these with no reaction. The “second course” is served buffet style and I was pleasantly surprised to see everything on the buffet was all GF and clearly labeled as such. I had my husband go in front of me to serve me each item so I did not have to touch the serving tongs (bread rolls are served during the first course and I did not want to contaminate my hands). I tried everything and did not have any kind of reaction. The only GF dessert option is fresh fruit which comes in a bowl on a platter with brownies and another cake. I am extremely sensitive to gluten and if exposed will typically react within 15 minutes, usually with severe cramping and IBS-D symptoms, and will also experience nausea and a migraine headache. Though it is definitely a “eat at your own risk” situation, I enjoyed all GF options and would definitely do this experience again! *I also enjoyed the Tahitian Bay and Kyla Mist (subbed gin for Pau vodka) with no reaction*

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Food comes out flagged or marked gluten-free

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Food was great. Notified ahead of time of gluten allergy. Played meal and the main course was all GF. Appetizer had to be subbed, but it was a generous salad with ahi tuna vs macaroni salad. Dessert was subbed to and was better then the regular. Celiac kids did not get sick.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Waiter knew nothing about gluten free. First plate went back, 2nd plate came out with potato salad…that had elbow noodles in it. I gave up and stopped eating, but was already glutened

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

Was able to specify gf preference ahead of time. There was a snafu with the waitress bringing an appetizer plate with a gluten-full item. She realized her mistake and came back to offer to replace the plate with the appropriate items. Other than this small mishap, the rest of the evening went off without a hitch. There was even a gf dessert option, which was nice

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

Excellent food! Everything is clearly marked. Everything is gluten free except for the rolls on the dinner buffet. There are also a few desserts marked gluten free. The show was wonderful. Great evening and a full gluten free feast!

All of the buffet items were clearly marked. I think the only things that had gluten were the rolls and desserts. We splurged on the VIP tickets and thought it was worth it to be one of the first through the line.

When we talked to the concierge at the Hyatt (where we were staying) to arrange all our activities, they were very helpful with dietary questions and arranging GF foods with the outside companies, too.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Most items are GF and clearly marked. Great entree and desert options.

Went to this luau based on the reviews here. All the food at the dinner buffet is well marked with several major food allergens! There were only two items on the dinner buffet that were not gluten free; they were the dinner rolls and one noodle based salad. There was also a gluten free noodle salad available. I am very sensitive to gluten and easily react. All the food was well labeled and I did not experience a reaction to gluten. There is also a dessert buffet. There too, the allergens are listed, but the labels were not in their proper place by the time I went through the line. Your safest bets are the coconut cream dessert ( much like white jello cubes, but if you like coconut, it's delicious) and also the gluten free banana bread! There was a creamy whipped pudding looking bowl also, but was incorrectly labeled as coconut something when I went through the line. I now believe it was all regular dairy (but still no gluten). I have been to four or five different luau's over the years. It's possible others have improved with labeling, but I feel the safest here to avoid gluten contamination. The show was good, but have seen better at other places. Still I'd prefer this Luau because almost all items were made to be gf, including the teriyaki chicken. The chef has done an amazing job here in understanding and labeling food allergens. I definitely did not feel like my options were limited in any way!!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Exceeded my expectations! Food was well labeled GF! Show was great!

Great GF options!! Even had GF banana bread for dessert! Did not feel limited in my options at all :)

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Staff extremely knowledgeable, even gave me a listing of all items in the Luau and which items had allergens.. At the buffet every item was labeled .. the majority of the dishes were Gluten Free.. and were delicious .. I would have no problem recommending or going again to this Luau.. The show was excellent.. If you are really worried, the kitchen will prepare a totally allergen free meal of rice, vegetables and chicken breast.. no seasoning. Unlimited drinks were good..

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Almost everything is GF on this buffet! It’s all clearly labeled as well. Salad, dressing, a rice noodle salad, fried rice, teriyaki chicken, Kula pork, baked fish, pineapple salsa, and only banana bread for dessert options but it was good. The show is also awesome as it tells stories of a lot of the Pacific islands. I have a gluten allergy and didn’t get sick but am not celiac so I don’t feel comfortable calling it celiac friendly because I don’t know.

We got the VIP tickets. Our waiter was awesome. We served ourselves first. The food was all GF except for 2 items which were clearly labelled. Given that it’s a buffet, I would have been worried if we had not been able to go first. They also offered to make a meal in the kitchen which they guarantee will be GF. We skipped the dessert table as many items were not GF. Our waiter brought us a container of ice cream from the kitchen which was awesome.

Buffet style, clearly labeled for food allergies. great food and entertainment. splurge on VIP so that you get to go dish up before most everyone.