Is Longhorn Steakhouse gluten free? At first glance I think most of us would say no, not this is definitely not a 100% gluten free restaurant. But, does it have some gluten free options that are safe for Celiacs and those with a serious gluten allergy to eat? Let’s find out!
Longhorn Steakhouse Gluten Free? No Gluten Items and Modifications
If you go to Longhorn Steakhouse’s website, there you will find an allergen guide that lists all the common allergens that could be in there general list of menu items. When you look at the guide under gluten, you will notice a few items that do not have gluten in them. Also, you will noticed that there are quite a few items that have “M” under gluten to signify that they can be modified without using gluten in the dish. This is great! Does this mean that there are potentially gluten free items on their menu? Not so fast.
Potential Cross Contamination
At the beginning of their allergen guide they highlight four key points to consider when looking at the is guide and are listed a follows:
- Because all of our dishes are prepared-to-order, our normal kitchen operations may involve shared cooking and preparation areas. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that any menu item can be completely free of allergens. Items cooked on our grill or in our fryer present a special risk for cross-contact and we’ve tried to clearly identify those for you. Please note, our kitchens are not free of Gluten.
- Please be sure to tell your server that you have an allergy or intolerance. This will allow us to alert the kitchen of your special needs. Our restaurant team members will follow specific procedures to help prevent cross-contact.
- Our recipes do not call for the use of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and, based on information from our suppliers, MSG is not added to any of the ingredients we use. Please note that there are certain foods and ingredients that naturally contain glutamate or glutamic acid (such as tomatoes, milk, cheese, mushrooms, and certain yeasts and proteins.
- Lastly, please know that due to limited ingredient information available in our kitchen, we may not be able to answer all of your questions. In these cases, please call our Guest Relations team at 800-793-4126 between the hours of 10am and 4pm on Monday through Friday (Eastern Time) so that we can help you. If you prefer to reach us by email, please go to www.longhornsteakhouse.com and click on the Contact Us link. Please know your questions may take several days to investigate.
As seen above, cross contamination is a real issue. If you look under Preparation in the guide, you will see a “dot” under many of the menu items. This means that there is a special risk of cross contamination. So if you are Celiac or extremely gluten intolerant this could be risky.
Conclusion
Longhorn steakhouse are upfront when it comes to their ingredients and potential risks when it comes to gluten. They even try to modify many of their dishes. Also, they have a contact number for difficult food questions. But as their allergen guide states, their kitchens are not gluten free and many of the items they prepare have cross contamination risks. As a result, the Longhorn Steakhouse is not truly gluten free and caution is needed for Celiacs when it comes to eating here.
2023 Gluten Free Buyers Guide (5 star rating)