Ted's Cafe Escondido

Absolutely love this place! They have the best Tex-Mex and unlimited cheese dip/chips/tortillas! They take precautions when you inform them you have an allergy. We have always had a food experience here!

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

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free 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

The gluten "sensitive" menu is small. The server gave us gluten free corn chips for the salsa and was very understanding. He didn't make me uncomfortable in the least. I had a Build Your Own Bowl with items listed on the gf menu, but I still had a reaction so there must be some cross contamination in the kitchen.

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

— Not very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

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

— Average

The gluten free menu is not trustworthy. I’m not going back—I gave more chances than I should have. I ordered tamales with no sauce, rice, and gluten free chips. Also cheese sauce and relish. All of the things I had are on their gluten menu, but I obviously ate plenty of gluten there last night based on my today.

Celiac friendly?

No

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Their “gluten free” chips ARE NOT celiac safe. They are fried with everything else. Yellow corn tortillas are safe but NOT the white corn so be sure to specify. Decent selection and as long as I avoid the chips and make sure all tortillas are yellow corn, I don’t have any issues.

After telling the waitress 3 times from arrival to order that I was GF, I received the white corn tortillas from the “not safe” list of their allergy menu. After speaking with the manager and getting the GF corn tortillas, my meal came out - with my cheese enchilada made from the same white corn tortilla I mentioned above. The reason I didn’t give it one star is that they at least have GF menu and the manager was concerned after the fact.

Celiac friendly?

No

We were able to get gluten-free chips and they were tasty. The food was, however, just okay.

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

— Very

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

Well, I’ve been eating at Ted’s for years thinking that they really had gf chips and corn tortillas. The last time I was there I was asking about the gf chips and the waiter said that they were fried in the same fryer with gluten items. I thought that can’t be right. So, I went back today and talked to a different waitress and she told me that the gf chips were fried in the same fryer as other items and that their corn tortillas were heated on the same grill as the flour tortillas. I had a few issues with eating there but was assured what I had was gf. I’m very disappointed. I told her that she was the only waitress who’d answered like that and she said that since I had said I have celiac that she didn’t want me getting sick. Please check your local Ted’s to see if they’re the same.

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

— Not very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free 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

In town for one night with kids and a vegetarian husband. Ted’s was great! I had the chicken tamale with creamy corn and cilantro lime rice. There are separate GF and vegetarian menus. Warning: the chips they bring automatically are not GF due to a shared fryer. They will bring you GF chips if you ask. Chips, salsa, queso, tortillas, and sopapillas are are complimentary and have GF substitutes for free upon request. Lots of options on the kids’ menu, too.

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

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

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

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free 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
• Good for dinner
• Good for kids
• Good for lunch
• Good for takeout
• Good selection of healthy options
• Good vegetarian options
• Good with other allergies
• Offers online ordering

GF menu! Cooked chips fresh when ordering gf. It did take longer but well worth it! Tamales were awesome! Waiter was knowledgeable!

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

— Very

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

This teds location is not safe! Neither waitress understood what was gluten free or not, and everything was highly cross contaminated. They were heating the corn tortillas up with the grill, not cleaning it beforehand/or steaming them. The chips were not safe, they are cooked in the same fryer.

Will not be back to this location!

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

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free 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?

— Poor