I had a good experience at VegOut overall despite one celiac-related issue and found the nachos delicious. The taco meat is very flavorful and it's made from GF labeled soy. The nachos were full of lots of great fillings and came in such a generous portion that I had leftovers to eat later. My friends enjoyed their decadent, savory tofu Reuben and spicy, satisfying jalapeño burger. The ambiance is nice, the prices are great for vegan food, and the staff is friendly and efficient.
One caveat, though... I had to ask a lot of questions to figure out which "gluten free" items were celiac safe. The menu labeled the gluten free items, but I noticed that a lot of them were bean-based, which is a common issue for celiac diners because many beans are cross contaminated in the field or in the packaging process. I asked them to read the label of the black beans, but they told me the black beans didn't have a gluten free label. Accordingly, I asked them to hold the beans and prepare the order for celiac, and I didn't get sick.
A diner from a gluten free restaurant app noted that the the buffalo dip tested positive for gluten with the Nima sensor, which detects allergens. For that reason and my own experience, I want to let other celiac diners know that you can eat here if you avoid the beans and ask for celiac preparation on your meal. However, it's important to note that the beans (garbanzo, black, etc.) that the restaurant uses aren't safe. The owner told me that even though the black beans aren't labeled GF, they have "very sensitive celiac customers" who eat them "with no problems." I still asked to omit them.
Honestly, I hate being told that, because they don't seem to understand that celiac reactions can be silent and some people don't get them until later and will wonder what got them sick. Beans are very commonly grown in shared fields with gluten grains and/or co-processed. If they're not labeled GF, they're probably cross contaminated with gluten. Labels for allergens exist for a reason, folks. I have gotten sick so many times from eating beans that weren't labeled GF after a restauranteur assured me that I wouldn't get sick because they had "lots of celiac customers who eat the beans without problems." This has happened about a dozen times over the years. At this point, I don't eat beans in restaurants unless the server can get the package and show me the GF label.
I'm leaving off one star because it's really irresponsible to label items on your menu as gluten free when you haven't done your homework about what makes food celiac safe. If your ingredients aren't labeled gluten free, they could get someone sick. So, if you want to bill your food as gluten free, then don't put the onus on your clients to know that they have to avoid certain foods and modify the dishes. If you want to keep your customers safe, then pay a little extra so you can get some GF labeled products (e.g. Bush's beans) for your dishes with beans. read more