HuHot

5-7 years ago, my husband and I used to eat here all the time, and back then I would've recommended HuHot highly - it was my go-to GF restaurant. The staff was knowledgeable (and very friendly) and took great pains to avoid cross-contamination, GF items were clearly marked, and the quality of the food was good.

Due to Covid, we stopped eating out for a long while, and recently went back to HuHot for the first time in a couple years. When going through the line, I noticed that the icons on the sauces had changed - rather than being marked "GF," they just said "G." Since I have celiac disease and really cannot have gluten, I asked the staff (two of them standing together) if "G" indicated the item was gluten-free, or if it indicated that the item contained gluten. Their response: "Uhhhhh......I think it means gluten-free?" Not at all reassured, I moved on, and my husband, who was behind me, heard one of them say to the other, "Or, wait, maybe it DOES mean that it has gluten? Who knows." SERIOUSLY?!? He warned me about what he'd overheard, so to be safe I just didn't get any of the sauces at all, leaving me with a plate of plain veggies.

To top it off, a few bites into my already underwhelming meal, I found that several udon noodles had wound up in my food, even though they had prepared it following their allergy protocol (isolating it from the other food on the cooking block with spatulas, and using a different set of cooking utensils), so I was unable to even eat my meal. By that point, I had zero confidence left about any of their food, so I didn't bother going back to try again with a new plate.

All in all, this restaurant has changed from one I would recommend highly to one that I would avoid at all costs, and would warn all other people with celiac to do the same.

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

— Not at all

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff will clean kitchen space or change gloves if asked

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

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

— Average

all the sauce is GF and they do a great job separating grill of you tell them you are GF!

They have great protocols set up for allergies. They were happy to grab fresh bins of ingredients out of the back for us. My only hesitation was that all the sauces were out in one area together. If they had the GF sauces set to one side together, it would definitely have made me feel better. None of us got sick, but next time I will probably ask if there are new sauces in their chill room.

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

— Somewhat

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

Other Characteristics

• Good for dairy-free

Hi Hot is a great way to fill up if you like stir-fry. They have rice noodles, fresh meats and veggies and lots of sauce options that are gluten free. Everything is labeled with allergen warnings as well as gluten-free. If you let them know you are a gluten-free customer they will clean the grill and generously keep other foods away from yours as it cooks.

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

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Dedicated gluten-free fryer

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

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

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dairy-free

They mark your allergies by giving you purple bowls so they stand out for the chefs. I usually stick to just the oils but I believe the sauces are all safe. They clean the grill when they see there's an allergy and they use separate tongs for your food. I've never had a reaction here or left hungry! They will grab rice noodles or toppings from the back if you want!

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

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions
• Staff will clean kitchen space or change gloves if asked

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

Other Characteristics

• Good for corn-free
• Good for dinner
• Good for kids
• Good for lunch
• Good for soy-free
• Good for sugar-free
• Good selection of healthy options
• Good vegan options
• Good vegetarian options
• Good with other allergies
• Paleo friendly

This place is absolutely AMAZING with gluten free! While most other buffet style restaurants can become cross contaminated very easily, the manager had me go through and write down what I wanted, and prepared it with new containers of food in the back! ALL of their sauces are gf which made me feel so much better. He then alerted the grillers that there was an allergy. He made sure they cleaned the grill super well TWICE. The then used spatulas to block off a section of the grill for my food so no one else’s food would ever get close. They completely changed utensils and most importantly, I did not get sick! They even offered to do it all again if I was still hungry since it was a buffet!

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

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions
• Staff will clean kitchen space or change gloves if asked

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

Other Characteristics

• Good for dairy-free
• Good for dinner
• Good for lunch
• Good for sugar-free

Had good food, was given a ‘special bow’ to signal food allergy, crew took care to clean grill before cooking my food and used clean utensils.

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

— Somewhat

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