Category Restaurants

Ford’s Garage

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Many years ago, we started to see Ford’s Garage in the Orlando area when we would visit. We tried it several years ago and had a terrible experience. After moving to central Florida, we decided to give it another chance and I’m glad that we did.

There are locations all around central Florida, but on this occasion we visited the location at the Orlando Vineland Outlets. They use a unique service model here that you need to be aware of as you visit. They add 20% to every check for a group service model. I had a lot of questions when I first heard this. I will say that we had great service from the group service model, where all the wait staff gets a percentage. It sounds like they have a high average hourly wage, which shows since there were workers everywhere!

They do not have a dedicated gluten-free menu, but the menu has a specific marking for the items that can be made gluten-free. They are known for their burgers, which is where you see the most options. The restaurant is not free of cross contamination risks, the staff is clear about this. They do attempt to take precautions, but keep this in mind!

Unfortunately my picture of the burger menu didn’t turn out well. Most of their burgers are gluten-free with a bun modification or a topping modification. The burger that I got was the Ford’s signature burger which was gluten free with the bun swap and removing the BBQ sauce.

What was disappointing was the side selection. You can only choose from cole slaw, broccoli, a side salad, green beans, or mashed potatoes. I tried the cole slaw in the past, but wasn’t impressed at all. This time, I opted for the side salad with the strawberry vinnegarette.

The salad was good, but nothing special. The flavor of the vinnegarette was not overwhelming. The burger was very good. The bun had good flavor and texture. It was very soft and wasn’t as dense as many other gluten-free burger buns. The meat was well flavored, tasting almost marinated in some type of sauce. But that’s about all that was exciting about the burger. There really was nothing special about it.

Overall, I wouldn’t say this is anywhere in my top rankings for gluten-free options in central Florida, but it is worth keeping in mind if you want a burger. There are many other options for gluten-free burgers in the area that are much better.

U & Me Revolving Hot Pot

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If you are in the Orlando area, you will quickly see that there are a lot of different hotpot restaurants around. While some are not gluten-friendly, U & Me Revolving Hot Pot is one of the most gluten-friendly options around!

Located at 12384 S Apopka Vineland Rd in Orlando, U & Me is sort of hidden behind several buildings and in a shopping plaza. While it may be hidden, it’s worth finding! Once you walk inside, they take your party number and then hit a button on the top of a robot. The robot takes you to your table.

The staff has shared that all of their broth is gluten-free. They can help guide you on the menu items if needed, but much of it is self-explanatory. As you can see from the large menu board, there are a lot of different vegetables to choose from!

They are not excellent with cross contamination, however. The staff will work with you to help guide you on gluten-free items if you need it. Rice noodles and sweet potato noodles were the only truly gluten-free noodle options. Of course the vegetables and protein options were great. You actually go to a cooler to get your protein options.

The revolving option is a nice touch as well compared to other hot pot locations. While it may take a few minutes to come around to your table, it is nice that you can take exactly what you need when you need it.

Like I mentioned before, be careful for cross contamination. The protein area does not have gluten containing products, but the sauce area does. There are many gluten containing sauces there, along with other gluten containing items like fried spring rolls, fried rice, and other things. This is near where the fruit options are, so if you get fruit you will want to be careful.

Aside from the cross-contamination worries, U & Me has become my favorite hot pot in Orlando because of the options. Each broth I’ve had has been great and the service is always excellent. I highly recommend it!

Big John’s Rockin’ BBQ

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Big John’s Rockin’ BBQ

In Kissimmee at the lakefront is a local BBQ place called Big John’s Rockin’ BBQ. Several local people had shared that it was a good place for a meal and after a quick review on some online reviews, I decided to give it a try.

The location has two entrances, one from the lakefront street and then parking in the back. You can enter into either side. When you enter, you quickly smell the smoked meats and see the smokehouse and bar decor. We were quickly seated and the staff provided menus. We arrived just as they started serving lunch. After a few minutes of looking at the menu, I asked the staff the all important question. What do you have that is gluten free.

After speaking with the staff, they were quick to share the different options. They do not have dedicated fryers. They also shared that their fries are not gluten free. I started looking at sides, which they shared the baked beans, collards, green beans, Cole slaw, and several other items were gluten free.

I also asked about the smoked wings appetizer. I was told that these wings were gluten free. The staff quickly researched anything else that I asked about. They involved the chef and were able to talk about what is included in each item and if it contained gluten or not. They were completely transparent and understanding.

The smoked wings were delicious. I also got the sampler, which had pulled chicken, pulled pork, brisket, and a rib. The sweet potato fries and baked beans were chosen as sides. You can see in the photo the spread they gave us.

The wings were delicious, some of the best smoked wings that I have had. The pulled pork and chicken were good. The brisket was also good, but was a little dry compared to what I prefer. The best thing on the plate was the rib. There were several barbecue sauce options. I usually prefer something spicy, but the hottest they had was more of a sweet and spicy. Certainly a Midwest type barbecue sauce.

Overall, it was a great experience at Big John’s. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back at all. I absolutely recommend the wings. Next time, I will order the ribs. It was absolutely delicious.

Thai Thani

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In the Orlando area, there is an excellent option for gluten-free Thai food at Thai Thani! The restaurant is located at 11025 International Drive and when you walk inside, the views will absolutely amaze you! The decor is simply astounding!

Throughout the week, they offer lunch specials amid their large menu. After ordering drinks and chatting with our waitress for a few moments, I asked about a gluten free menu. She returns with a paper that shares all the items that are gluten-free in the restaurant. It also shares that many things on the regular menu could be prepared gluten-free if you ask!

I always loved spring rolls before I had to start eating gluten free. I specifically asked about the peanut sauce, because typically it is not gluten free. Yes, the peanut sauce is gluten free! I also ordered the Pad Thai and was excited when she shared they could add spice without compromising the gluten free meal.

There was no way I could finish the entire plate. It was so delicious, full of flavor, and the Thai hot heat was just as I like it. This is an excellent place to grab a meal in the Orlando area if you want Thai food!

Twenty Pho Hour

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I have always loved a great bowl of pho, and good pho can be challenging to find. After hearing about Twenty Pho Hour, it went to the top of our must try list. It did not disappoint!

They now have two locations in the Orlando area. The photo above is of the Orlando location at 11951 International Dr. They recently opened a second location at 14944 E Orange Lake Boulevard in Kissimmee. The location in Orlando is small and tends to become very busy at times.

They have a menu that shows all the available gluten-free options, it also shows the vegetarian options. The gluten-free menu contains many great options for pho, along with some great entrees like Pad Thai, Vermicelli, and more. They even share which sauces are gluten free and the toppings that are gluten free.

Below is the beef broth pho with rice noodles. I had brisket and chicken, added some sriracha and sweet chili for a nice kick. It was excellent!

Twenty Pho Hour is an excellent place for a delicious gluten-free meal. They open at 11 each day and have late night hours several nights of the week. It’s definitely worth a visit!

Columbia Restaurant

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It was many years ago that we visited the Columbia Restaurant in Celebration, FL. Long before eating gluten free was on my mind, Columbia was serving up delicious food. Not much has changed over the years, even for those who need to eat gluten free!

Columbia is located at 649 Front Street in Celebration Town Center. Parking can be a little challenging at times, but it is certainly worth it! On our most recent trip, I took some photos of the gluten free menu to share.

The back page of the gluten-free menu shows you all the locations of Columbia Restaurant.

On this visit, I decided to have the Ropa Vieja, one of my favorite dishes at the restaurant. It was served with rice and plantains. The Ropa is shredded beef that is sauteed in onions, green peppers, and tomatoes. It gives the dish a wonderful flavor. The waitress was so kind to bring me some black beans to go with my meal, since the fresh bread is off limits and they have no gluten free options for bread.

Ropa Vieja

The server was extremely knowledgeable and more than willing to accommodate with information throughout the meal. The menu also shared information for other allergies, like lactose, tree nuts, and even vegetarian options. The transparency was spectacular!