Review of Iggies Beach Bar & Grill

I struggled here. I stayed at the Bolongo Bay beach resort and Iggies is their restaurant. I was all inclusive for 5 nights and was assured I could eat here. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I talked to the restaurant manager and a chef in advance of booking, and then again the week before the trip. They assured me they had separate prep areas and that they could do fried food in clean oil. My first meal, I made sure to let the server know I had a gluten allergy and that I needed her to make sure the kitchen knew, I got really sick. I asked to talk to someone later that night and the reception desk lady was rude. I was finally brought to a manager who was incredibly nice and apologetic stating that the kitchen wasn’t informed of the allergy and he would hold a training with wait staff. They comped us the cost of the meal to use for excursions or souvenirs. He also told me to ask for him or the chef at every meal. It seemed the training made the wait staff resentful because it was, “oh I heard about you,” from then on. I would ask for the manager or the chef and some of the servers would say “no you talk to me.” So I started asking the hostess to get them instead. It seemed every meal had an issue of either the server didn’t tell the kitchen, or the plate came out with toast or pita or potatoes done in common areas with breaded things. One time I asked for no cheese (dairy issues) and she prioritized “vegan” and brought out pita. She then yelled at me for her not knowing vegan and gluten weren’t the same. I never said I wanted anything vegan. I ordered chicken that meal. Another meal the chef came out to tell me it was the waitresses fault, and the waitress was blaming the chef, all in front of guests. I didn’t blame anyone, I just asked for the toast to be gf and it wasn’t. I’m very mild tempered and non threatening so this was very hard on me. I only got sick once because as the food came out I would ask the kitchen runners who brought the food if it was made properly and they were great at catching the errors. I felt so wasteful of food and proportions were huge. I do believe the kitchen is equipped to manage gluten free safely, but the communication from the servers to the staff needs work. I know we gf people need to advocate for ourselves, and even though I told my server and would try to make sure he/she understood the severity of it, they were dismissive. Not being sure if I would be sick every meal was lot of stress on me for what was otherwise a great vacation. We shouldn’t have to wonder if we can eat when we’ve paid for all inclusive, and discussed it multiple times before arrival. If you’re going to eat here, be prepared to ask for a kitchen manager or the chef directly, and to upset the servers who don’t get it.

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

— Somewhat

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