Brazil by the Bay has always been a family favorite, and the food has always been amazing. That is…read morepart of why this experience has been so upsetting and disappointing.
I did not always have food allergies. Before I became sick, I was able to eat everything, including foods I can no longer safely have. Because my allergies are now serious, I go out of my way to communicate clearly with restaurants before ordering. I understand that accommodating allergies can take additional effort, which is exactly why I called Brazil by the Bay before placing my order rather than simply assuming something was safe.
I explained and listed all of my allergies over the phone, including my allergies. I also listed my allergies in writing on my Grubhub order so that the restaurant had them both verbally and in writing for the entire order.
I specifically asked about the farofa and the beans. I did not simply ask whether they thought the dishes were allergy-friendly. I asked the person to read me the ingredients.
I was explicitly told that the farofa contained only cassava flour and that the beans contained only salt.
Based on the information the restaurant gave me, I ate the food.
After taking one bite, my throat started to get really tight and it was difficult to breath.
I immediately called the restaurant because at that point I needed accurate ingredient information to determine how serious the situation was and whether I needed to seek emergency medical care.
What happened next was extremely disturbing.
The person continued telling me that the farofa only contained cassava flour. I explained that my throat was closing and that I needed them to actually verify what was in the food because I needed to know whether I needed to go to the ER.
Only after putting me on hold and actually checking did he come back and tell me that the food contained food I am allergic to and that I had specifically disclosed before ordering and in the notes on my order.
This means that I was not merely given incomplete information. I specifically asked for the ingredients, disclosed my allergies, and relied on the restaurant's answer. The ingredient information I was initially given was wrong.
During this conversation, I also repeatedly experienced being misgendered while trying to deal with a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
What was almost as troubling as the original mistake was the complete lack of concern afterward. The person I spoke with did not ask whether I was medically okay. He did not apologize. He did not offer a refund, a remake, an explanation, or a manager callback. Instead, I experienced justification and repeated insistence about the ingredients until I pushed for him to actually check.
When a customer tells you that their throat is closing after eating food your restaurant specifically told them was safe, the response should not be defensiveness. The immediate priorities should be determining exactly what ingredients were in the food, making sure the customer has accurate information for their safety, expressing concern, and figuring out how such a serious failure happened.
I called again, the next day and asked to speak with a manager. I was told the manager was not there. I explained what had happened, gave my name and phone number, and was told that the owner would call me back. No timeframe was given.
At the time I am writing this, I am still waiting for that conversation.
For anyone with food allergies, I would be extremely cautious ordering here based on my experience.
Restaurants cannot guarantee that every environment is completely free of allergens, and I understand that. But this was not a situation where I failed to disclose an allergy or made assumptions about a dish. I did everything I reasonably could to protect myself. I called ahead. I explained all of my allergies. I asked for the ingredients to be read to me. I listed the allergies again in writing on Grubhub. I relied on the information I was given.
The restaurant gave me inaccurate ingredient information anyway.
Food-allergy safety depends on trust. If an employee does not know exactly what is in something, there is nothing wrong with saying, "I don't know; let me check." In fact, that is the responsible answer. What is dangerous is confidently telling someone with serious allergies that a dish contains only certain ingredients without actually verifying it.
I sincerely hope Brazil by the Bay treats this as an opportunity to completely review its allergy procedures. Staff should have access to accurate ingredient information, allergy questions should be verified rather than guessed at, written allergy notes on delivery orders should be taken seriously, and employees need clear procedures for what to do if someone reports an allergic reaction.
This restaurant has been meaningful to my family since 2006, and I wish I were writing a very different review. The food itself has always been something we loved.
But no meal is worth
