Gluten Free Engineer - Making Gluten Free Easy

How to Read Restaurant Menus Like a Gluten-Free Pro

• Carrie Saunders • Episode 31

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Ever stared at a restaurant menu and thought... ‘Okay, is anything actually safe here?’ 

Whether you’re newly gluten-free or a seasoned label-reader, eating out can still be stressful. In today’s episode, I’ll walk you through exactly how I read menus like a gluten-free detective—so you can eat out with more confidence and less guesswork. 

I’ll even share a simple sentence I use with servers that instantly changes the tone of the conversation. And don’t miss my bonus tip at the end—something I always do before we even leave the house that has saved us so many times.


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It’s a space where you can connect with others living gluten-free, ask questions, swap tips and recipes, and get support from people who truly get it. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or a seasoned gluten-free pro, you’ll feel right at home.

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Carrie Saunders:

Quick reminder before we get started on this episode. This podcast is based on my personal experiences and isn't medical advice. Ever stared at a restaurant menu and thought, okay, is there anything actually safe here? Whether you're a newly gluten-free or a seasoned label reader, eating out can still be stressful. In today's episode, I'll walk you through exactly how I read menus, like a gluten-free detective, so you can eat out with more confidence and less guesswork. I'll even share a simple sentence I use with servers that instantly changes the tone of the conversation. And don't miss my bonus tip at the end, something I always do before we even leave the house. That has saved us so many times.

Carrie Saunders:

Welcome to the Gluten-Free Engineer Podcast. I'm your host, Carrie Saunders. In 2011, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, a moment that changed everything, but I was determined not to let it hold me back. With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer the gluten-free lifestyle, breaking down recipes, safety tips, travel hacks and everything in between to rebuild a life I love. Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance or simply choose to live gluten-free, this podcast is for you. Join me each week as we simplify the gluten-free lifestyle, make it fun and prove that you don't have to miss out on anything. Welcome back to the show.

Carrie Saunders:

Today we're talking about how to read a restaurant menu like a gluten-free pro, because what we can run into is that we can end up going somewhere and not being able to eat. Dining out can be one of the biggest stress points for gluten-free people and for those with certain allergies that have trouble finding the information on the website. I know for us, one of the things we run into is several of us in our family are also soy-free, like I talk about here on this podcast, and you will be surprised at how little information there is on soy in menus, even though it's one of the top eight allergens. So even if you are not celiac and you're just gluten intolerant, sometimes you might have other food issues that are actually really hard to determine when you go out to eat too. So dining out can be a pretty big stressor for gluten-free folks as well as those who have food allergies.

Carrie Saunders:

And one of the things you need to just keep remembering over and over again and I know I had to remind myself of this because I felt like such a burden in the beginning was that you're not being picky. I'm not being picky, I'm trying to be safe. I'm trying to help my body out. So just try to really reframe it and remember in your brain that this is a medical condition. This is a medical reason that you are eating gluten-free, or it just really makes you feel better and you're doing it for your health. Otherwise, restaurant menus when I was originally diagnosed celiac and gluten-free weren't designed with gluten-free people in mind. But you can decode them with a few key tools and I'm finding that a lot more menus are way easier to decode now than they used to be like over 10 years ago. So we are getting better as a society finally, at helping those with food issues is what I like to call it.

Carrie Saunders:

I have food issues, you know, I have celiac as well, as I can't eat a whole bunch of other things, so I have food issues. My actually little side tangent here my youngest child likes to say that I'm allergic to chlorophyll as a joke, because I can't eat a lot of the plants out there. So he thinks that's really funny. So we just need to, you know, be prepared ahead of time, and I'm going to give you some tips for that here in this episode. So step one is we want to scan the headings. First, we want to look for sections that say gluten-free menu, healthy options or allergy friendly. And I also ask, whenever I go up to a restaurant, if they have a separate gluten-free menu, because many times about 50% of the time, I'd say anymore they kind of do, especially if you're in a big city, and these sections like gluten-free menu, healthy options and allergy friendly can be clues to which restaurants actually try to accommodate people who have food sensitivities. Gluten sensitive may not mean, though, safe for celiac, so just be really careful along those lines if you are celiac and it says gluten sensitive people.

Carrie Saunders:

And then we want to learn the language of hidden gluten. Words that raise red flags are breaded, crispy, battered, roux, soy sauce, house sauce or gravies. So we want to look for words like that when you're looking at descriptions as to what the food is like, what the dishes, specific dishes are like, and we need to be cautious of where hidden gluten hides. It can hide even in marinades, salad dressings, seasoning blends and eggs. Scrambled eggs sometimes have gluten in it. In certain restaurants they add a little bit of flour or pancake mix to it to make it a little bit more fluffy. So do be very aware that there can be hidden gluten in all these places and something that sounds safe let's say grilled chicken that could be not safe. They could be pre-marinating it in a soy sauce or some sort of sauce that has gluten in it. So just be very careful and very aware whenever you're going to a restaurant where these hidden places that gluten could be found.

Carrie Saunders:

And then I want you to look on the menu for step three, for symbols or disclaimers. Some restaurants use a GF marker but always confirm, or they use a wheat symbol with a line through it. And look for disclaimers for words like not safe for those with celiac disease, because this is very important. Some restaurants do market like that because they're trying to cover their butts. We can just say it simply like that and they actually can be safe. But you just need to talk with the server, talk with the people to see. You know how much do they actually try to prevent cross contact and cross contamination.

Carrie Saunders:

I know there's one restaurant in Columbus Ohio. They have the best gluten free. One restaurant in Columbus Ohio. They have the best gluten-free chicken strips in the entire world. I'm going to give a shout out, if you live in Ohio, to Preston's, a burger joint. They have great gluten-free buns too. You can get a gluten free burger and they have gluten-free chicken strips and their fries are fried safely as well, and we like to go there a lot to eat whenever we're in Columbus. It's just one of my favorite places and I usually don't eat, you know, kind of junk food quite like that Too much. I try not to, but it's a real treat.

Carrie Saunders:

Now they do caution you that there is gluten in the kitchen and gluten in you know everything they do back there, but they also have a disclaimer that they prepare all the gluten-free stuff in a separate section of the kitchen. So while they still need that legal cover their butts type of phrase that says you know there's gluten in our kitchen, they do actually do an excellent job. I don't think I've ever gotten sick there when I eat, you know there, my chicken strips or my cheeseburger or anything like that, and my kids and my husband have never gotten sick there. So, even though it might have that little bit of a warning label, go ahead and call the restaurant if you need to, or stop by and ask them ahead of time, because you might find a good surprise in that they actually are safe and are, you know, reasonably safe enough for celiacs that you may be able to still eat there, because they do have to legally sometimes put in words that gluten is in their kitchen and that you need to use extra precautions, or your best judgment, basically, when you decide to eat there.

Carrie Saunders:

Now, step number four is use this go-to phrase with servers and you can modify this to sound like you, but here's one way that you can do it Hi, I have celiac disease, so I need to eat 100% gluten-free with no cross contact. Can you help me figure out what's safe, or should I speak with a chef or manager that gives your server the out? If they're not comfortable talking with you, they then don't feel like they need to do their best job at helping you out. They can get their manager or chef you have just given them their permission to do so. So that's a really good way to be very skilled in your words to make sure that they understand what you need. Plus, give them a way to escalate this. So I'm going to repeat that again Hi, I have celiac disease, so I need to eat a hundred percent gluten-free with no cross contact. Can you help me figure out what's safe, or should I speak with a chef or manager.

Carrie Saunders:

If you are in a place that you're a little bit more familiar with, you could simply say I have a gluten allergy. What would be safest for me? Sometimes people understand gluten allergy more than celiac. So you could either have that short phrase if you're pretty confident in the place and you've been there before, or you can use that longer one that I just read to you to let them know that you actually have a pretty serious issue with gluten and that you need to be very, very, very cautious. And then, step number five know your safer bets. Know the places that are more likely to be able to be gluten-free.

Carrie Saunders:

So certain types of cuisines that tend to be safer gluten-free options are Mexican food, because most of it's corn-based. Thai, because they don't actually use soy sauce very often. Indian steakhouse-type menus. Now I will caution you somehouse places Do you put wheat, for whatever reason, on the outside of the steak. So do be cautious there. The one that comes to my mind is Texas Roadhouse At least the last time I went there which is not a place I would normally go to anyway. It's just not my style of food, even though I love steak. They add there's like some sort of wheat in their seasonings they put on their steak. So note that steaks aren't necessarily safe, but most of the time they are.

Carrie Saunders:

Steakhouts are usually safe, and then cuisines to be more cautious with are like an Asian fusion, because they'll probably use soy sauce unless they have a specific tamari gluten-free soy sauce for you Italian, unless they have a dedicated gluten-free prep area. And then, obviously, pub food, where most everything is fried. Now I do want to go back to the Italian, because there are some Italian restaurants, at least in Ohio Marcello's is one of them that have a dedicated gluten-free prep area. They cook your gluten-free pasta in its own water. Some pasta Italian places I want to caution you here some Italian places that aren't really that abreast as to what needs to happen for gluten-free people, they will actually cook your gluten-free pasta in the water the gluten pasta was cooked in already. So if you're celiac or highly sensitive to gluten, that's a huge no-no. So if you try an Italian restaurant, I highly, highly suggest that you make sure that they are cooking your gluten-free pasta separately in a safe vat of water. And then at least Marcella's also has gluten-free bread, you know, make sure they're not toasting it, just in case. So if you go someplace that has gluten-free, know, make sure they're not toasting it, just in case. So if you go someplace that has gluten-free bread, make sure they're not toasting it in the toaster with other gluten stuff.

Carrie Saunders:

It's little things like this we need to be cautious of, especially when celiac. And then step number six and we talk about this several times in the podcast is trust your gut, literally and figuratively. If the server seems confused or dismissive, it's not worth the risk. Especially if you're celiac and very sensitive. You're never too much for prioritizing your health. I know in the beginning of my celiac journey I felt like I was such a burden and I felt like I was being too too much. I mean, I don't know how else to describe it, but too much, and you're never too much. This is your health, this is your livelihood, this is potentially your next couple of days, and how you're going to feel is just not worth it.

Carrie Saunders:

So if your server seems confused or dismissive, then you can ask for a manager. You can just choose not to eat and eat somewhere else, and you just need to protect your own health. So if you've ever left a restaurant hangry because there were no safe options, and I know have done that before or worse. You were sick after trusting the menu. Then you'll love the tips that I share in my every other week gluten-free email. I send out recipes, restaurant hacks, safe product finds and encouragement to help you feel confident in living gluten-free. Head on over to theglutenfreeengineercom and sign up for my newsletter so you never miss a tip that could make your gluten-free life easier and way more enjoyable. And before we wrap up, here's my personal bonus tip I always look up the menu online before we even leave the house and I screenshot the items I might think safe whenever I feel like I can't quite remember what they are. That way, even if I lose a signal at the restaurant, I still have a reference for what I thought was safe. This is one little habit that has saved me so much stress, and I hope it helps you too.

Carrie Saunders:

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Gluten-Free Engineer. If you found value in this story, please share it with someone who might need encouragement on their own gluten-free journey. For more tips, recipes, resources and even links to my YouTube channel, head on over to theglutenfreeengineercom. It's your one-stop hub to make gluten-free living simple, fun and full of flavor, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss out on an episode, and we will see you next week. The Gluten-Free Engineer podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I share my personal experiences and stories about living with celiac disease and navigating a gluten-free lifestyle. This podcast does not provide medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for medical questions, concerns or advice specific to your health.

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