Taproot Lounge And Cafe

I got so sick eating at Taproot. Our first waitress forgot all about us so we sat for over 40 minutes waiting for service when the restaurant was only half full. The second waitress was super on top of things and incredibly apologetic but was clearly concerned when I mentioned I have celiac and said the only things she'd recommend was a smoothie and fruit as nothing in the kitchen in truly gluten free. I had a smoothie and fruit and even that must've shared the same counter. Super disappointing.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

Taproot falls into the category of restaurants that, at first glance, appear to be inclusive of GF diets. However, I noticed some contradictions on their menu. When I tried to get clarification from the staff, they quickly became irritated and defensive. In short, they label some items on their menu as 'naturally gluten free' and then 'flash fry' them in a non-dedicated fryer. Staff disagreed with me when I said their menu is misleading and that they purposefully cross-contaminate food. The staff has been led to believe that heat from 'flash frying' food in a cross-contaminated frier actually makes it safe to eat. To the staff's credit, when I asked about a couple other items on the menu that appeared to be possible safe items, staff said "to be honest...", and explained that they make their corn chips in-house and also fry them in the same frier. The kitchen was referred to as an "open kitchen". At one point, and I did not interpret this as a helpful suggestion but rather feeling frustrated with me, it was pointed out that I didn't have to eat there. However, by eating somewhere else I would have had to ask my entire party to eat somewhere else due to my dietary needs (which ultimately I did have to do). The issue that I have with restaurants like Taproot is that they predetermined what they think is safe for someone with food allergies. The customer should decide that for themselves since they are the only ones that know how significant their dietary needs may be.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor

I don’t agree that it’s unsafe. Yes, you need to avoid the frier, but I had the Desert bowl and I wanted to add tofu. The waitress was Very helpful and asked the cook if it was safe On the grill. He made it in a pan separately for me. I think the key here is go for one of their many bowl or salad options and you will be fine.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

We stopped in for a weekday breakfast a few days ago and after telling my server I had Celiac, i was directed to the items marked “ngf” for “naturally GF”. I ordered the The Farmers Wife hash and an almond milk latte. After putting in our order and checking with the kitchen, our server notified me that the potatoes in the hash were deep fried first in a shared fryer, but that the kitchen could sub in some veggies for them instead. They subbed sautéed Brussel sprouts for the potatoes and it was a really tasty and very filling. No reaction afterward.

Our server offered GF toast (I skipped it though) and a sign outside says they had GF bagels but I didn’t ask about how they toasted them since other reviews had mentioned a shared toaster.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

Make sure and ask questions, even with things labeled NGF (naturally gluten free). Claimed their nachos were "NGF" but the chips are made in a shared fryer. Asked a few more questions about other dishes, the people cooking the food didn't know. My server went out of his way to check for me on things, but wasn't familiar with a lot either.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

A good restaurant with knowledgeable staff. Let them know you are GF or celiac and they can let the kitchen know. Menu has labels letting you know what is gluten free. Only down side is no dedicated fryer.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Three visits in a row they gave me a regular bun instead of gf. The third time they also didn’t bother to tell me that their fries are now battered.

Good food! Very accommodating. Ask a lot of questions before ordering. No dedicated fryer or toaster but they cooked everything in a separate pan.

Very knowledgeable staff, great place to eat and enjoy drinks, a very fun place to listen to music too!

Very knowledgeable staff. Focus of restaurant is to meet dietary needs all with great flavor. No dedicated GF menu but able to modify everything. Conscientious kitchen regarding cross contamination.