Yesterday I had the pleasure of dining at Jason’s Deli, something I have been meaning to do for a long time. Jason’s Deli first announced that they were adding gluten-free bread to their repertoire over a year ago. Hannah and I spent the day together and set out to find something new for us for lunch. We wanted something fast, but not your typical fast food restaurant. That is when we decided on Jason’s Deli.
Jason’s Deli is all about healthy – no trans fat, no high fructose corn syrup, and no MSG in any of their food, and much of it is organic to boot. They have a wide range of choices from salads to sandwiches to soups & stuffed potatoes. There are even several different choices for kids! The gluten-free menu is one of the largest I have seen at a place like this.
I was honestly overwhelmed by the menu, which is not something that has happened to me in a long time. Often times there are only a few choices, so it is easy for me to decide what I want. I had a very hard time deciding yesterday but settled on half a sandwich & salad bar. The sandwich was made on Udi’s gluten-free whole grain bread (they use the restaurant size, so the slices are larger – half a sandwich was the size of a regular slice of Udi’s bread) and stuffed with deli oven-roasted turkey, field greens & spicy mustard. The employee who made my meal changed his gloves & was the only one to touch my food. The salad bar was very clean & the foods that were gluten-free seemed to be a good distance from those that weren’t. I am not sure if this was intentional or not, but it worked for me. There were several salad dressings to choose from, in addition to various kinds of vinegar & olive oil.
For dessert, there was chocolate mousse on the salad bar or soft serve ice cream. The mousse was positioned in a precarious spot, surrounded by things not gluten-free, so I would probably stay clear of that unless you could have them get some from the back. I didn’t try the ice cream this time around, because we had plans for frozen yogurt later on.
The lunch we had was excellent! The food was fresh & flavorful and Hannah is begging to go back (not something she does regularly). I love that Jason’s offers an amazing variety of gluten-free food. In addition to fast dining in the restaurant, they also have carry-out, drive-through & catering. Being gluten-free, I am not sure how comfortable I feel with those options, but it is nice to know that they are there. I am looking forward to going back to try a stuffed potato or some soup on a cold day!
Have you dined at Jason’s Deli? What was your experience like?
I was excited to see Jason’s Deli had a gluten free menu we used to eat there all the time….so I immediately logged onto Jason’s website and it clearly says that this menu is not meant for people with celiac disease as they do not and will not prevent cross contamination so I am surprised that you would promote eating there.
Dallas,
Eating out is always risky when the restaurant is not 100% gluten-free. Jason’s went to great lengths to ensure my meal was safe – they changed gloves without my asking, only one staff member touched my food – they all seemed very well educated on the gluten-free diet.
Some people feel comfortable eating at places like this, while others do not. Had they been reckless with my food or their procedures, I would not recommend dining there.
Kim
Sounds like a wonderful lunch! Like you said, t’s nice enough to have any sort of gluten-free menu, but to have choices is rare!
I wish there were one in NE Ohio so I could take advantage of that, too.
Have you tried Subway lately? My husband and I went there Monday and their menu contains as many gluten-free items as items that were not gluten-free. I ordered a black forest ham sandwich and the person who fixed it used clean gloves; opened a fresh plastic bag that contained the knife to cut the bread; kept my sandwich on a fresh individual paper and it all cost $5.00 (they have a special going right now). If you haven’t been there lately, give it a try. I’m delighted that fast-food restaurants are getting the word that a lot of us either need, or prefer, to eat gluten-free. I also like to eat at Jason’s, but I haven’t tried their sandwiches. Will try it soon. Thanks for the time and effort you put forth to keep us Celiacs informed. You are appreciated.