Anytime I am going to (attempt) to eat at a new place I always look on the internet for menus and reviews from the gluten free community. I use places like Find Me GF and any other forums where people can post about their experiences. I know not everything you read on the internet is true and I take people’s advice with a grain of salt but it is comforting to see what other people have said.
My most recent adventure was trying to eat at Bar Louie. This is a chain restaurant that has a fun and hip bar feel. I, admittedly, really like the drinks that they have and enjoy their happy hour on occasion. However, yesterday was the first time I had tried to eat here. Plain and simple, I did not end up ordering anything and would not recommend anyone else to for a few reasons.
- It was really difficult to even find anything about their gluten free footprint on the internet. They do not have a menu on their website and there were not many posts that I could find that were either recent or reliable. I asked my waiter for a gluten free menu and she brought out a one page piece of computer paper.
- There were not many options on their gluten free menu unless you like bunless burgers or salads. I meant to take it with me so I could scan it and add it to this post but I forgot to. I will hopefully go there again soon for drinks and I will snag a copy. However, they did have a disclaimer about their fryers, which is always nice to see a restaurant that is aware of cross-contamination. One of the items on their gf menu was chicken nachos. I love nachos, you will start to learn this about me. I asked my waitress is they fry the chips and she said that they did. BUMMER. I wish they had added this to their disclaimer but you can’t win them all.
Although I did not end up ordering anything, the waiter was very friendly and understanding. I hope they start to make progress to make their menu better for celiacs and others with gluten sensitivities. I will be back for drinks, just not to eat.
Have you ever been to a Bar Louie? Tell me about your experience!