St. Louis Bar and Grill

Last week I visited St. Louis Bar and Grill on Northfield Drive in Waterloo. (283 Northfield Drive, 519-883-4777). I was taking a little risk - eating typical pub food for a Celiac is tough - but it's always interesting to try new places and see what options are available. A little bit of a fact finding mission...

I'm happy to report that my experience was actually very positive. The waitress initially didn't know much about their ingredients cooking techniques, but I was impressed on how much research she did by talking to the kitchen staff.

I ended up having the ribs & wings combo. First the wings: they are not battered, but they are deep fried. However, they are deep fried in their own fryer, separate from battered food. Secondly, their sauces are fine too. I had the medium sauce, but I wouldn't presume all of them would be gluten-free though. (such as honey garlic?)

The ribs are also fine, and the waitress checked all of the ingredients in the BBQ sauce for me. She even came back and asked if "corn starch" was ok to have. Very impressive.

Finally, I couldn't have the fries because they were fried in the same fryer as gluten-products. Instead, it was replaced with a salad, which had a simple vinaigrette that was also ok.

Overall, I was impressed with the options available to me, and the care taken by the staff to ensure the food I was eating was indeed gluten-free. The food - well - you can't eat like this all the time. I definitely wouldn't say they were the best ribs or wings I've ever had either, but I would go back because I know it's safe and I haven't found another place for wings in town.

Have you been there? What did you think? Any other pubs you have visited that have good gluten-free options? Feel free to leave a comment!