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Pei Wei’s Gluten-Free Menu

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

If you are a fan of Chinese food, you are probably already familiar with PF Chang’s, which is a very large restaurant chain that offers a very impressive gluten-free menu. However, if you get tired of PF Chang’s you may want to check out their other restaurant chain, Pei Wei Asian Diner, which can be found throughout many states within the United States.

Official Website Menu Information: Pei Wei Gluten-Free Menu
Location Finder: Find a Pei Wei Location Near You

According to my research, Pei Wei Asian Diner offers five gluten-free choices, many of which have special instructions to give your waiter when you place your order. Below I’ve listed all five choices and the special instructions for your convenience.

Pei Wei Asian Diner’s Gluten-Free Menu

  • Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls – (order without Thai peanut sauce)
  • Asian Chopped Chicken Salad – (substitute lime vinaigrette dressing and no wonton strips)
  • Pei Wei Spicy Chicken Salad – (shrimp can be substituted)
  • Pei Wei Spicy – (choice of chicken or shrimp)
  • Pei Wei Sweet & Sour – (choice of non-battered chicken or shrimp)

Because ingredients can change, I’m also going to suggest you also check out the most updated version of Pei Wei Asian Diner’s gluten-free menu.

Had a chance to try out the gluten-free menu at Pei Wei Asian Diner?  Please leave your review in our comments!

As always, when dining out gluten-free, do your due diligence and make sure the staff understands your needs. There are very few restaurants that are 100% gluten-free, so cross-contamination is always a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are hearing from the staff, perhaps it is best to dine elsewhere.

For information about other gluten-free restaurants menus, check out our gluten-free restaurants page.

Carrabba’s Gluten-Free Menu

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

If you live in the United States, there is a good chance that you’ve got a Carrabba’s Italian Grill within driving distance of where you live. Although Italian restaurants tend to feature a ton of the typically gluten-filled pasta and pizzas, surprisingly the Carrabba’s Italian Grill restaurant chain does offer one of the more impressive gluten-free menus!

Official Website Menu Information: Carrabba’s Gluten-Free Menu
Location Finder: Find a Carrabba’s Location Near You

While visiting their official website, I was able to locate an online version of Carrabba’s gluten-free menu (PDF), which provides an impressive list of options for an Italian restaurant. The gluten-free menu includes any special instructions you will need to give your server when you place your order and also features an entire page of gluten-free beverages which are safe for someone on a gluten-free diet to consume.

Have you tried Carrabba’s gluten-free menu? Please write a quick review and share your experience in the comments!

As always, when dining out gluten-free, do your due diligence and make sure the staff understands your needs. There are very few restaurants that are 100% gluten-free, so cross-contamination is always a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are hearing from the staff, perhaps it is best to dine elsewhere.

For information about other gluten-free restaurants menus, check out our gluten-free restaurants page.

Review: Gluten-Free at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

P.F. Chang’s is somewhat known for their gluten-free menu. Celiacs count on P.F. Chang’s because they are a nationwide chain with restaurants in many major cities. Traveling celiacs can search for the nearest safe chain restaurant when visiting friends, family, or traveling for work. Check out these favorites from P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.

The egg drop soup is a lightly seasoned soup with mild but good flavors. The soup is thicker than one might expect, more like a thickened broth than a thin, watery soup. This is a great treat for lunch on a chilly day. Have a cup before the meal or a bowl to share with friends, either way, it is a nice treat.

friedriceforDE

Fried rice is a new addition to the gluten-free menu at P.F. Chang’s. Like most Chinese restaurants, fried rice can be ordered with your choice of meat. The veggies are a nice addition, as are the fried egg pieces. This dish is a great reminder of the days with traditional Chinese food before gluten was something to worry about. P.F. Chang’s has gluten-free soy sauce for dishes like these, and for the table, so you can add it to your favorite dishes as you wish.

The Singapore Street Noodles is a great dish, made with thin, gluten-free rice noodles, chicken, and shrimp. The noodles are a great treat for celiacs who are used to skipping noodles at commercial restaurants. The sauce is mild and flavorful, with a light spice and sweet note.

pfchangs

The Chang’s Spicy Chicken is a favorite. The chicken is lightly dusted with gluten-free flour and fried. This dish is actually naturally gluten-free, meaning it is always gluten-free, even on the regular menu! (I order it with broccoli, it does not normally come with broccoli). Also, note that the dish has P.F. Chang’s logo stamped on the edge. The “regular” or gluten-filled dishes are served on plain white dishes. Gluten-free meals are served on these dishes with the P.F. Chang’s logo. This is just another way to be sure you are getting the safe, gluten-free version of the dish you have ordered.

The chocolate dome is a fantastic dessert unique to P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. The dome is served chilled, and is a flourless, almost fudge-like dessert, with no cake-like texture. It is more like a rich, sweet fudge mold. The dish is garnished with berries and raspberry sauce. The sour sauce is a great compliment to the sweetness of the chocolate fudge. This dessert may look small, but the rich flavor makes it more than enough for one, and maybe more than enough for two! If you do share, be sure to cut it in half and avoid eating after someone who has not been gluten-free at the meal. It is terrible to contaminate your own meal with the shared dessert at the end!

You can check out the P.F. Chang’s China Bistro gluten-free menu.

Applebees Gluten-Free Menu

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Applebees restaurants are everywhere these days, so it has always been frustrating to see that their corporate office will not commit to anything on their menu being gluten-free. With that said, that does not mean that you can’t eat a gluten-free meal at an Applebees restaurant! Major companies are often hesitant to confirm anything is gluten-free due to cross-contamination concerns, but they still have many gluten-free options available on their menu. You’ll just have to work a little harder and make sure your server is aware of your gluten-free needs.

Official Website Menu Information: Applebees Gluten-Free Menu
Location Finder: Find an Applebees Location Near You

According to my research and experiences dining at Applebee’s, there are a few fairly safe items that are gluten-free on Applebee’s menu. Here are the items which are more than likely safe if cross-contamination is avoided:

  • Garlic Herb Chicken
  • Chicken Caesar Salad (make sure they know not to use croutons)
  • Fiesta Lime Chicken
  • Chips with Salsa

Make sure you educate your server on cross-contamination concerns so they can be sure that croutons aren’t added and then removed from the salad, for example. Typically when your server realizes the severity of your diet they can accommodate you without any problems.

Applebees also offers a “to-go” service, so knowing that there are a few okay items at Applebees can be useful when traveling. Just make sure you educate the person over the phone about your dietary needs when you place your order!

Have you eaten a gluten-free meal at Applebees?  Let us know your experience (positive or negative) below in the comments!

As always, when dining out gluten-free, do your due diligence and make sure the staff understands your needs. There are very few restaurants that are 100% gluten-free, so cross-contamination is always a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are hearing from the staff, perhaps it is best to dine elsewhere.

For information about other gluten-free restaurants menus, check out our gluten-free restaurants page.

Ted’s Montana Grill Gluten-Free Menu

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 8 Comments

Several years ago Ted’s Montana Grill created a gluten-free menu. Some locations did fine with gluten-free service and some did not. We can not expect the gluten-free service at every location of a chain restaurant to be equal, though it would be nice if we could.

Official Website Menu Information: Ted Montana Grill Gluten-Free Menu
Location Finder: Find a Ted Montana Grill Location Near You

Ted’s Montana Grill was founded by media giant and environmentalist Ted Turner and acclaimed restaurateur George McKerrow Jr. The menu features classic American grill entrées including beef, bison, chicken, shrimp, and fish. The atmosphere is decidedly masculine, invoking thoughts of a rustic retreat in the middle of Montana.

Previous visits to the Ted’s near us (Atlanta area) have gone well, though it was annoying that there was no real gluten-free menu. The booklet that contained the safe gluten-free menu selections was often hard for the staff to find so I just printed the menu from Ted’s website and took it in to save time and aggravation for all.

During a recent visit to Ted’s, we found out that our location now has one bound gluten-free menu. You still have to cross-reference it with the regular menu for descriptions and prices, but to my delight, I saw French fries listed on the menu in “sides”. Some companies are actually not aware of the cross-contamination issues regarding fryers that cook gluten-containing foods. Therefore, I never order anything fried without confirming there is a dedicated fryer first – no matter what the menu says.

Sure enough – Ted’s Montana Grill has a dedicated fryer  – at least at the Lawrenceville, GA location. Their fries are simply made from real potatoes and are excellent! Unfortunately, Ted’s corporate office could not confirm which locations have dedicated fryers at this time. They ask that people call their local Ted’s Montana Grill to inquire about the issue. They also warn customers who can’t eat gluten not to order French fries at Ted’s without confirming they have a dedicated fryer.

You can view the complete gluten-free menu here. You’re going to see French fries listed but please heed the request above to order safely. With or without fries, there should be something to satisfy everyone’s tastes at Ted’s. The only gluten-free menu limitations are the dessert options. Ted’s can certainly step up their game there. Even something as simple as chocolate mousse with fresh whipped cream (that everyone can enjoy) would be a nice addition.

So the food at Ted’s Montana Grill is made with real ingredients, is very tasty, and gluten-free options abound. That alone is worth giving the restaurant a try if there is one in your area. But there is a bigger picture going on at Ted’s. Their serious commitment to the environment led them to implement the following standards in all their restaurants:

  • Each location is 99% plastic-free – they even use paper straws.
  • To-go cups are made of cornstarch that bio-degrades in just 50 days.
  • Menus are printed on 100% recycled paper.
  • Take-out food goes in Bio-Plus Earth Containers, which are high-quality, bio-degradable containers that are microwavable.
  • Low-wattage lighting is used at all locations.
  • Regardless of the state laws where they operate, all Ted’s Montana Grill restaurants are non-smoking.

The first Ted’s opened in January 2002 in Columbus, Ohio, and has grown to over 50 restaurants in 19 states. If every location had dedicated fryers, they would do well to add more delectable gluten-free options in the future. Gluten-free onion ring anyone?

My absolute favorite item at Ted’s is the “Chicken Brick” entree. If you’ve been to a location near you, please tell us what you enjoy at Ted’s in the comment section below!

Note: It is possible that not all Ted’s Montana Grill locations already have the new menu, so please call ahead first if you plan to visit one in your local area to confirm the menu is available.

As always, when dining out gluten-free, do your due diligence and make sure the staff understands your needs. There are very few restaurants that are 100% gluten-free, so cross-contamination is always a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are hearing from the staff, perhaps it is best to dine elsewhere.

For information about other gluten-free restaurants menus, check out our gluten-free restaurants page.