saku hoboken

I’m so excited to find a sushi establishment that not only offers gluten free soy sauce (even with takeout), but also has a special superstate gluten free sushi rice that is actually sticky! I have eaten takeout from here twice thus far and have not been ill and historically have been very sensitive!

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

— Somewhat

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 dairy-free
• Good for takeout
• Offers outdoor seating

Menu items are marked for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, which is super helpful but the kitchen space is definitely a shared space. Staff is accommodating but not overly knowledgeable when it comes to manipulating other dishes to fit needs. Big sake list too which is refreshing to see. Pricey but tasty.

Celiac friendly?

No

There are a lot of great gluten free options on the menu. But the service is a bit spotty. Keep in mind, this is a new spot (only about a month old) and it takes some time for service to be up to par. But in terms of gluten free/celiac safety, this place should give you some concerns in terms of cross contamination. For one, they brought out tacos that were served on flour tortillas. The server was no where to be found so a runner brought it to us and didn’t realize I had an allergy. I asked him if they were gluten free tortillas (the menu states there would be corn substitutes for GF eaters) and he looked at me like there was a big problem. He brought it back and had them make new ones. But if I didn’t say anything and trusted the waiter I’d be in the hospital. The second issue is that presentation means more to them then cross contamination. All of the sushi comes out on one big plate which looks great but is a nightmare when other people at your table are eating with soy sauce and you aren’t or if their rolls have gluten but yours don’t. The GF sushi should come on it’s OWN PLATE. This is 101 safe gluten free standard that they don’t follow - yet. Again, this is a new spot so hopefully they get their act together with gluten free eating. After all, almost 75% of the menu is naturally gluten free or can be altered to make it gluten free which is incredible for a sushi restaurant. But there is a huge difference in terms of food ENTERING the kitchen as gluten free (when the supplier ships it to the restaurant) as opposed to it still being gluten free when EXITING the kitchen. A lot of restaurants don’t understand this but Saku is one of those hip and trendy places that SHOULD understand this. I’ll give it another shot as I was very diligent, assertive and aggressive with making sure they knew my allergy was severe and taking all the precautions I needed to. With that said, I didn’t get sick but less diligent people might get sick very easily here. Watch yourself.