Brasserie Mon Chou Chou

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT. I AM STILL SICK WEEKS LATER AND THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE I'VE EATEN THAT I DON'T GO TO NORMALLY - waiter inconvenienced by celiac. I legitimately hate writing bad reviews for restaurants; I feel like every waiter is entitled to a bad day and every chef is entitled to a bad day. But its now weeks later and I was definitely exposed to gluten (food coming up and out of me for hours and hours afterwards) and my stomach TO THIS DAY is in pain/it's difficult for me to eat. There is no possible way that I was exposed anywhere else (did not drink or consume anything else that could possibly have been exposed). I thought about calling and complaining and didn't but since I am in such pain I need to warn my other allergic people.

story: Had a waiter named David who was immediately nasty about the allergy (I'm celiac). The bottom of the menu has a key and it says that it denotes what allergens are in dishes - I asked if I had misread the menu because there was a key at the bottom of the menu but no icons on the actual menu next to the food. Snippy with me out of the gate/ snapped that I'd just need to ask him for that information. I asked David if there was a gluten free menu or if he could let me know what was okay to eat instead of me going back and forth with every line item (it's a pretty large menu), and he was annoyed that I asked/immediately unpleasant/told me to tell him what I was interested in eating and that he'd then respond about each menu item. So I obliged (I was with a few people I hadn't seen in awhile and on my most polite behavior until one of the girls commented that she had never seen someone treated this way with an allergy) so I went back and forth on a few things and he was wrong every single time (told me the fries were gluten free but I made him double check about shared fryer and they were NOT gluten free and 100% shared a fryer with glutenous items, told me the steak tartare was gluten free but it came with bread on the plate which he responded "oh ya we can take them off" only after I pressed him on the dish typically having a cracker. He didn't listen to me and treated me like this was the first time I'd ever eaten out (I finally had to speak up for myself and explain that I have professional culinary training and am very well versed in understanding fairly standard menu items...). His response: "well meat has no gluten in it" ; my response to that: "stop explaining my gluten allergy to me". He also dropped silverware for a puff pastry for me and I had to remind him that I clearly was not going to eat this dessert because it's entirely pastry/ it would not have been a big deal at all if he didn't make the gluten issue such a problem the entire night. It actually ruined the reunion with me and friends I hadn't seen in years.

Ultimately, I still tipped nearly 20% and then said if he was going to explain someone's allergy to them that he should be correct about it - to which he was snarky and said that he disagreed entirely but smirked and said he'd accept the constructive criticism. I legitimately then asked him to tell me what part of the gluten allergy he got correct and he walked away, inside. It's a glass restaurant and he's clearly too stupid or ignorant to realize that I could easily watch him start complaining about me to his co workers - I COULD SEE AND HEAR IT! anyway its weeks later and 3am and yet again Im in pain because of the gluten I consumed here (I've been incredibly careful since to take care of my stomach but y'all know how it goes) so that's my 3am rant. I wouldn't be surprised if it's an ulcer with the amount of pain I'm in.

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?

— Poor

Other Characteristics

• Offers outdoor seating

Touted as a new exciting French restaurant in San Antonio, it leaves a whole lot to be desired! Waitstaff is not well versed in Gluten Free, repeated trips to check with the chef was frustrating. The product was a plated dried duck with a tablespoon of sauce with a substituted side that cost $5. Very disappointed with the price of the dinner and the product.

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

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the 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

Other Characteristics

• Good for dinner
• Good for lunch
• Good selection of healthy options
• Offers outdoor seating
• Reservations recommended

Stylish but not stuffy. Great bistro food. No gluten free menu, but knowledgeable service. I had steak frites and the salade mon Chou Chou was assured that both are gluten free. Sensitive celiac, no issues whatsoever!

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

— Somewhat

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

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

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Dedicated gluten-free fryer

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

• Good for breakfast/brunch
• Good for lunch
• Good for takeout
• Good with other allergies
• Offers outdoor seating