Union Taco

We were excited to try Union Taco. We went right before Christmas. It has a hip vibe and we walked in hopeful that it would become a new “go to”. Unfortunately, this is not the case. I have Celiac and am gluten free. I am not gluten free to be trendy or cool; gluten literally makes me sick and predisposes me for serious health issues. Avoiding gluten keeps things in check. We understand that not everyone can accommodate this, so we do our research in advance. We went on the union taco website where it clearly listed gluten free options. Seeing that, we decided to give it a shot. Even with gluten free being listed, I know that I have the responsibility and need to clarify cross contamination risks and give special instructions. I am not a Karen and hate making special requests but it is a medical issue. When we were seated, we looked at the drink menu. My husband was interested in trying some tequilas, they have a huge list, but he knows very little about them. The server came over with a cool but kind of cold vibe. He asked about the tequilas and she pretty much said that they all taste the same. She wasn’t selling it and could care less. We didn’t think much of it. I was looking over the menu at gluten free options. She came back with waters. She wanted to take our order. I shared my celiac needs and proceeded to inquire about an option on the menu that was labeled gf. She said that it wasn’t really gluten free. I then picked a second item, she said that it wasn’t gluten free. I picked a third item labeled gf and she said it wasn’t gluten free. I asked, well what is gf? She said that I could probably get the tofu but was noncommittal. I asked if she would check with the chef. She looked very annoyed and had kind of an attitude of I don’t care if you order or not. They were not busy at all. Workers/servers were hanging out at the bar; there were only a few tables with customers. Feeling very uneasy at this point, and banking on the fact that I would probably get sick, we decided that we should probably leave. We told the server that we were going to go ahead and try somewhere else she said in a snarky voice, “I figured”, then she laughed. She said, we’ll see you next time… then she turned away and said “haha- but l guess you won’t be coming back.hahaha”. I guess that she’s right. Having celiac is hard. I know not everyone gets it. I think that this was the rudest, most unaccommodating experience that I have ever had. Based on this one experience, Union Taco is a no go for those with celiac/gluten issues, those who would like to try tequilas, and maybe for those who would like good service. Hopefully this was an isolated issue, but I have no indication of that.

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

— Not at all

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/None