Joe's American Bar & Grill

I have never written before but felt this was important because when I emailed the restaurant I got no response. I asked hostess for GF menu and was told there was a separate section in the menu. When I looked though the menu, there was no such section. I asked the waitress and she flipped through the menu, confused, and said there used to be..she then proceeded to tell me about GF bread and pasta and to ask about other items. I ordered the ribs and sweet potato fries after I was assured the sauce was GF and that they use separate oil for allergy requests. The food was good, but was surprised not to be visited by a manager as is typical at most restaurants. Turns out, I had a very definite reaction to the food. I know eating out is at my own risk and I do not hold the restaurant responsible. However, the staff (hosting, server, chef) need to be better educated about this issue. I wrongly assumed they would want to know that this happened. .but again..no response. I will not eat here again.

Celiac friendly?

No

This PAINS me to write a bad review- Joes has been my favorite restaurant for years. But as a recently diagnosed celiac, this was my first trip there eating GF.

Long post- but hopefully you read it and it will help prevent this happening to you.

I asked the hostess for a GF menu, she said they don't have a separate menu but they have GF pasta and bread so pretty much the whole menu can be made GF and that the server could help with more info. So I was pretty excited.

Asked the server when he came over and his response (in an annoyed tone) was for me to tell him what I wanted and he would tell me if it was GF. So I asked for the Honey Mustard Chicken Salad (my favorite dish there). He said yes, that can be made GF. Score.

I had heard from other reviews here that when you say you need GF, they usually bring out a GF roll with the bread- he did not offer. I chose to ignore it.

Food finally comes out-brought out by the chef no less so I felt comfortable that they took the time to take care of my food- but then I noticed he was carrying Everyone at our tables.

Then I quickly noticed that my salad which normally comes with pasta, was pasta free. Confused, since he said that salad specifically could be made GF, and the hostess said they had GF pasta. So I asked, and he said no, they only have GF penne, not angel hair.... So, essentially making this salad GF was removing all of the elements from the salad. And my $15 salad was nothing more than a garden salad with grilled chicken.

So, fine. Miscommunication. Wait staff should be more clear in my opinion...but wouldn't let that ruin my meal.

Continue to eat my salad, get half way thru, and I found a noodle in my salad. A noodle. In my GF salad. I called the manager over- she was very nice and apologetic, asked if I wanted anything else blah blah. Said they usually take allergies very seriously. Not mad at her, she did her job to clean up their mess. I wasn't rude but left very upset. The fact that the waiter then said "sorry things didn't go as planned" to me several times had me steaming.

Now looking back I have several issues: 1) how does 1 little noodle get mixed in the salad? Did they add the pasta, realized it shouldn't have it and then took it off, minus one noodle? So my salad was completely exposed? Did the noodle fall in? I don't understand.

2) also realized when taking my order, the waiter offered me grilled or crispy chicken... How were they planning on making crispy GF chicken?

3) because of this wondering if he even put my "allergy" on the ticket or if he just said "no noodles".

Clearly this waiter wasn't properly trained... And that's scary.

I think they try hard to be gluten and celiac friendly- and hopefully this was a one time instance... But I'm so sad this happened.

Celiac friendly?

No

Love that I can have a Gfree roll like everyone else at the table with my own butter that is soft and creamy. (it is the hamburger roll but still good) Great selection of GFree items including pasta. Blackened chicken pasta is one of my favorites. I got the Cobb Salad on father's day and was a little disappointed. It was very tiny and not much flavor. I have had the wild green salad which comes with dark meat chicken and loved it.

Great experience with young kids. Waiter was knowledgeable. My 5yo enjoyed a hotdog and fries without a bun and my 2.5 yo enjoyed steak and fries. Great experience on a Tuesday night! We will definitely go back!

Celiac friendly?

No

Great awareness about gluten free needs. Great food and great service! Only drawback I've faced is an extremely long wait for a table.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Got glutened here even though I have been here a bunch of times before. Really disappointed

great gluten free rolls, gluten free pizza. they have rolls for burgers and rice pasta. dedicated french fry cooker. very accommodating and allergy friendly!

Very knowledgeable. Separate fryer for GF. Was clearly aware of cross contamination. Have GF bread but I didn’t try it. Had the Cobb salad. All good. Hostess mentioned how her friend is celiac and goes there all the time. Felt very safe.

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

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Dedicated gluten-free fryer
• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions

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 breakfast/brunch
• Good for dinner
• Good for kids
• Good for lunch
• Good selection of healthy options
• Reservations recommended

My go to place for a good lunch or dinner. In my experience they have been super cautious with gluten free and even have a dedicated fryer. They have gluten free alternatives to almost everything on the menu.

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

Eaten here a few times. Haven’t gotten 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

We were disappointed. After reading these great reviews, we went here. When asking our waitstaff, who checked with kitchen/manager, they said bread is pressed on the grill, so could have cross contamination for steak and other grilled items. She said salad was safest. While it was good, we were looking forward to the burger.

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

— Not very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

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

— Excellent

Very solid food, my family and I have been coming here for years. 90% of their menu is celiac safe!

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

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Dedicated gluten-free space in the kitchen
• Dedicated gluten-free fryer
• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions
• 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?

— Good