Too Ra Loo

Items are marked gluten free on the main menu but not overly accurate. Fried items in shared fryer are listed as gluten free while salads without any gluten are NOT listed as gluten free. Wait staff not very well informed.

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?

— Not Much

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

— Average

DISCLAIMER: I already got the blame placed on me by the restaurant (including one of the OWNERS) for getting sick from their food. I don’t need any commentary doing the same. I have been sick for the past 27 hours.

Yesterday at work, we ordered lunch from Too Ra Loo in downtown Rochester. It’s been an absolute nightmare since then.

We ordered 2 gluten free pizzas to share among the 4 of us. I had 2 pieces. Within 15 minutes of eating, I had extreme bloating, cramping, stabbing pains in my belly, and several bathroom breaks. Naturally, I called the restaurant, as you’d think they’d want to know if someone got sick after eating there. (Side note: Maybe I didn’t get sick from gluten contamination. Maybe I got sick from something else with the pizza? Who knows, not me because they didn’t care to talk to me!)

Me: “Hi, I’m just wondering how the gluten free pizza crust is prepared?” TRL: (immediately defensive) “It’s NOT prepared, it’s purchased. We order the whole crust.” Me: “Oh, ok. I just wondered because we ordered some for lunch and within 15 minutes of eating it, I got really sick.” TRL: “WELL DID YOU TELL US YOU HAVE CELIAC?” Me: “No, because I don’t have celiac. I have a gluten intolerance.” TRL: (still defensive, and now rude) “Well you NEED to tell us! If we had known, we would have taken extra precautions!” Me: (passive aggressively, I admit) “Got it. So it’s MY fault I got sick. Cool, thanks” (I hang up because I have a client)

I go about my work day for the next 3 hours, still sick, still bloating, cramping, and stabbing pains in my gut, still running to the bathroom. Get off work, decide to call the restaurant back because something is clearly not right. This time, I ask to speak to a manager and get put on the phone with a woman named Erica.

Me: (explaining the first call) Erica: (cuts me off) “That is absolutely correct. The lady you spoke to earlier is actually one of the owners and everything she told you is accurate. You need to let us know if you have an allergy so we can take those extra precautions! Because A LOT of people just don’t like eating gluten so they order gluten free and if you don’t tell us we don’t know. So I don’t know what you want me to do for you.” Me: (passive aggressive again, because I’m beyond irritated at this point) “I didn’t think I needed to give the restaurant a complete medical history to order lunch.” Erica: “That’s NOT what I’m saying!” (Repeats again that some people just don’t like eating gluten like I’m an idiot who doesn’t understand what she said the first time, and that if they know about an allergy they take extra precautions, etc). “So again, I don’t know what you want me to do for you.” Me: “Well, I thought that if a restaurant patron got sick from your food, you might want to know. Apparently I was wrong and I’m the only one at fault here. Maybe when someone orders GLUTEN FREE food, those “extra precautions” should just be standard.”

She hung up on me. Cool. Super professional!

So I guess the entire point of my post is this: If you’re gluten free and feel like taking a risk, Too Ra Loo does have some options that are labeled gluten free but if you don’t give them a dissertation on your allergies, they will just assume that you’re ordering gluten free to be cool and therefore do not care about cross contamination or other potential gluten exposure. Otherwise, there are SEVERAL other dining options in downtown Rochester for sensitive tummies and they don’t require your medical history prior to ordering, and they won’t blame YOU for getting sick from their food.

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

GF items marked on the menu. I’ve been here twice and ordered a burger with GF bun. Best burger in town! I love the shoestring fries as well; not a dedicated fryer but I am not celiac and it was fine.

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

Other Characteristics

• Good for dinner
• Good for lunch

Gluten free options were great. Awesome pizza. Waiter even came to our table and told us he requested our appetizer to be remade when bread was put on the plate in accident. Didn’t get sick at all after eating here and telling them I had a gluten allergy

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

— 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?

— Some

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

— Excellent

They have several things listed as gluten free but they are cooked in a shared fryer. Waitress told me the gf pizza is cooked in the regular pizza oven and not even on a foil tray. While they have gf, I wouldn’t consider this place celiac safe and went with a salad.

Celiac friendly?

No

I was here for brunch. I’m told it’s a newer menu so it’s no marked yet, but the waitress went through all menu options that were gluten free with me. Food was pretty good

Hostess had an attitude when we asked to put tables together. Very large food portions. Mussels and wings were excellent. Kids pizza is large enough for 2 kids to share. GF pasta and buns are available. Loved the open air feeling. Would definitely go back.

Celiac friendly?

Yes