American Girl Bistro

This was our first time at this American Girl Bistro. We have been to the one in New York and many times to the Dallas location. The hostess was somewhat helpful in that she had a list and understood. However, compared to the other Bistros we have been to, the options are limited here. Apparently no one understands you can modify something to make it gluten free because no one higher up has explained it to them. The management at this Bistro definitely could go for some training at the Dallas Bistro. My husband and celiac daughter both ordered the penne with mushrooms and chicken which she said could be modified because they had gluten free pasta. My son could have a gluten free grilled cheese because they had gluten free panini bread but when I tried to order a gluten free turkey club they couldn't make it. I nicely tried to ask why they just didn't use the same bread as my son's GF grilled cheese. Their explanation was a club had 3 pieces of bread. Really! I just ordered the pasta also and moved on. Everything was ok. We have had some fantastic Gluten Free meals at other Bistros but today's was just ok. There isn't a lot of AG touches like the others like fruit cut in shapes etc. I thought the portions were smaller here and also you don't get the appetizer with your meal and it was actually like the same price we pay in Dallas where we get an appetizer each.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Server was extremely knowledgeable and noted the several gluten free options/menu adjustments available. They included gluten free buns, toast, pasta, pizza, chicken tenders, salads, chocolate mousse. Fryer for French fries is not dedicated GF and alternate options are side salad or fresh fruit. Appetizers come out for the table on a shared tower but my GF apps were served on a separate dish to avoid cross contamination. Very positive experience and I was grateful to feel included in the meal along with my family.

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

— Very

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions
• Food comes out flagged or marked gluten-free

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 brunch
• Good for kids
• Good for lunch

Staff was very understanding and knowledgeable. The meal that needed to be GF was for me, thankfully not for a child. We did a birthday package and my group ordered the veggies and hummus which comes on the same plate as pretzel bites. The staff was kind enough to bring me out my own plate of veggies and a small hummus.

For my meal I ordered the shrimp pasta with no cheese (I am df as well). I asked about how the pasta is prepared and my set ever confiremed it is in a separate pot/ water. The portion was generous and very tasty. I also noticed a separate person brought my meal each theme and also there were purple allergy sticks in my food to differentiate.

The server mentioned there was a gluten free cake option but it was not DF. I wasn’t concerned about dessert but since it was included in the birthday package they brought me one. Everyone else had cake and a scoop of ice cream in a plastic cone. I received a scoop of raspberry sorbet and a skewer with fruit shaped like flowers (similar to what was served with some of the kids meals).

Overall great experience. I am very sensitive and had no issue.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Very cute atmosphere. They acted as if they were familiar with Celiac, however they are not. They brought the "gluten free" fruit appetizer with a non GF muffin, when we asked for a new plate they brought back the same plate covered in the muffin crumbs and new fruit on top of the muffin crumbs. We spoke with the server again and she assured us that the entrees were safe, they brought out GF mac n cheese. We made the mistake of letting our daughter eat the mac n cheese. My daughter was very sick that night. They are not informed. I do not recommend.

Celiac friendly?

No

There is not “technically” a gluten free menu but I took my daughter and cousins here for the Afternoon Tea with their dolls. They were so accommodating and created a tea menu so I could enjoy the lunch options with our group. I had fruit and yogurt, carrots and cucumbers with spinach artichoke dip, and turkey lettuce wraps. They even ended with a chocolate mousse and gf brownie. It was such a good experience and I never felt that it was an inconvenience to the staff. If you have a little girl (or boy) who love dolls this is a must do. They even have dolls that you can borrow to take to lunch.

Former employee with Celiac. They truly take all allergies very seriously. They have a dedicated kitchen space, change their gloves for every allergy, and work extremely hard to avoid any chance of cross contamination. They have a substitution for every not dessert menu item so gluten free kids don’t miss out. You can even get a gluten free birthday cake if you call with a reservation. Very impressed.

Celiac friendly?

Yes