Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza

I came here to revise the information previously stated claiming this place was safe. Unfortunately, the most recent review seemed to find out this place is unsafe for celiacs the hard way. Let me tell you how I know this…

I used to work there! Both in front of house and back of house. When I worked there, my sister had been diagnosed with celiac but I had not yet gotten my diagnosis, so I was aware of the necessary precaution. The pizza is amazing and surprisingly worth the steep price, but it is ABSOLUTELY NOT SAFE FOR CELIACS (unless they have completely changed their procedure since I worked there).

First off, what makes the pizza so good is that it is fresh. The dough is hand-tossed. You cannot make a good hand-tossed pizza without covering it in a ton of raw flour first. So… raw flour is literally tossed ALL AROUND THE KITCHEN. There is no way around it. Unavoidable. Furthermore, they only have one huge wood fired oven. The way those are constructed and operated are not conducive to minimizing CC at all.

Unfortunate to hear that the general manager was not more assertive with the last reviewer because when I worked there, we were told to turn anyone with celiac disease or a real allergy away. Even if this pizza were to be cooked on its own tray, the damage is already done when flour is strewn all over the kitchen and oven. Until they get a completely separate prep area and oven, I would strongly advise against eating here if you need to avoid CC.

FOR SURE give this place a try though if you are just *choosing* to be gluten-free. When I worked there, about half of the staff ordered their shifty on GF crust because it was that good. Not sure why this is the case, but the sauce pairs really well with the GF crust.

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

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the 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

• Dog friendly
• Good for dairy-free
• Good for dinner
• Good for kids
• Good for lunch
• Good for takeout
• Good selection of healthy options
• Good vegetarian options
• Offers delivery
• Offers online ordering
• Offers outdoor seating
• Reservations recommended

We called ahead to confirm the protocol for GF and were assured they took it seriously and the person sounded confident in his knowledge. We got there and asked the waitress (who turned out to be the General Manager) and she said while they did have a GF crust, they are baked in the same oven and surface as the regular pizzas. She said they don’t typically bake GF crusts on another pan, but they could do that if we wanted.

I was iffy but was with a group so I didn’t want to make a thing of it. We ordered a regular pepperoni pizza and a GF pepperoni pizza. They brought the first one out and said it was gluten free. I was hungry so I started eating without thinking (my fault) and had eaten almost a full piece when another staff member came out saying he had the gluten free pepperoni…

I told him the other waitress had just told me the one I had started eating was GF. He said “no that’s definitely not gluten free, this one is.” He was really not apologetic at all. I guess I should’ve been more questioning but I trusted the staff which was my mistake.

They were severely understaffed which is why the manger ended up being our waitress. I told her what happened and she was apologetic and I know it wasn’t her fault, but they didn’t offer to comp the GF pizza or anything.

After getting a new plate and washing my hands, I ended up eating some of the real GF pizza since the damage was done at this point. It was really good, but tainted by knowing I had eaten a whole piece of gluten-filled pizza. I wish I could go back here since the GF crust was good, but I simply cannot trust the staff which is disappointing. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to anyone with a gluten allergy or Celiac. I am now waiting up for the inevitable side effects.

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

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the 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?

— Below Average

Pizza was great, celiac, no complaints.

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?

— Not Much

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

— Excellent