The Ale House Columbia
$$ • Restaurant
Most Recent Reviews
Liked the happy hour beverages. The pomegranate cosmo tasted great. Only somewhat safe item for wheat allergies for me (not celiac) was the wings.
The spinach artichoke dip has gluten and wheat in the base and isn’t safe.
The staff isn’t very knowledgeable but I’d friendly and willing to help. The menu provides no info whatsoever.
Not gluten friendly at all. No gluten free menu or items. When I asked the staff for help identifying any gluten free items on the menu, they said “just avoid anything with bread.”
Celiac:
Got a steak without any toppings and a side salad. The chef informed the waiter no gluten cross contamination….
Yeah right. Worst reaction ever.
Now for normal people:
The steak was also ordered medium rare. Keep in mind that it is a $29 steak and a pricy restaurant. Came out well done. Got a re-fire came out medium rare but zero crust. It was like a very low slow cook. They didn’t dry the meat to form a crust. These are amateurs.
I had 2 friends order Eggs Benedict. They came with hard boiled eggs on top because they kept them in the shell and didn’t pay attention to the cook time. How is a shell cooked egg remotely Eggs Benedict. Has to be poached.
I wouldn’t recommend eating here regardless of your diet.
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More Reviews
Was skeptical about eating here because of the other reviews but I’ve been twice and haven’t gotten sick so far! First time I came for brunch and ordered the Huevos Rancheros, it came with corn tortillas! It was very good and when I spoke with the waitress about my allergy she was very accommodating. The second time I came for lunch and ordered the tequila lime chicken tacos, again on corn tortillas, which were decent, definitely not as good as the brunch.
As soon as I saw that they listed Omission beer as a gluten free beer option, warning flags went off. Wait staff wasn’t very knowledgeable to ensuring food items were made gluten free. French fries and chicken wings listed on menu as GF but when I asked about prep learned that there is no dedicated fryer and the kitchen couldn’t guarantee no cross contamination. Then mashed potatoes listed on menu as GF but came out with fried onions on top. Staff seemed to be overwhelmed with Sunday brunch crowd. Only highlight was that the salads were very good.
Even though there are items on their menu labeled "gluten friendly" barely anything except mussels and some tacos are celiac friendly. This was extremely disappointing. The waitress did a great job running back and forth to the kitchen to check with the kitchen staff about making items truly gluten free, but every time she came back with bad news. Finally I decided to order the overpriced mussels, and they brought the plate to my table with 4 pieces of bread which contaminated the entire meal.
Go for the atmosphere and the drinks, certainly not the food especially if you have a gluten allergy.
I had a great experience here. Menu clearly states was is gluten friendly. I had the fish tacos and there were absolutely delicious. Look forward to trying the chips topped with crab next time!
This place is not Celiac friendly. The staff was knowledgeable about gluten free options on their menu but did not seem to want to take the time to fully explain what can be modified and what is and is not gluten free. Our waitress seemed impatient that I did not immediately find something gluten free without on the unlabeled menu and was reluctant to go and ask the kitchen questions. I was sick with a glutening before finishing my entree, it was an overall a pretty miserable experience. If you are gluten free as a dietary choice this is probably a great place to eat, the food was overall very tasty but I would not recommend this for someone with celiac/gluten intolerance.
They have some gluten free option s, (but they aren't specifically labeled. The tacos and supposedly nachos) are gluten free and delicious. The staff mostly knows offhand what is safe. Gluten free beer and cider.
