ottawa foodies

My wife and I have been going to Big Daddy's Crab Shack on Elgin since we first met 15 years ago. We love the decor, the staff and the energy there. About a year ago we found out that my wife has Celiac's Disease. With that in mind we have gone to Big Daddy's on several occassions always mindful to identify her health concern. The staff (from server to manager to cook) have reassured us repeatedly that if they say something is "gluten-free" then it is "gluten-free". An impressive claim for any cajun/creole restaurant that uses traditional recipes (flour is a key ingredient is almost all their sauces and batters).

After several visits in the past 6 months (4 to be precise) we have to say that the label "gluten-free" must apply to the ingredients in the food and not the preparation and/or serving approach. My wife has had a severe reaction each and every time despite the reassurances of the staff. We have identified this issue each time we returned in the hopes that they would be able to accommodate us but it has been to no avail.

So, if you want to each gluten-free like myself and don't have cross-contamination concerns related to an underlying health-issue we highly recommend Big Daddy's on Elgin. Ask to sit in Sara's, Courtney's or Julia's section and you will be very happy with both the quality of the food and the attentiveness of your server.

If you have a gluten-related health concern we would have to recommend that you avoid Big Daddy's on Elgin. :(

My wife and I discovered a year ago that she has Celiac's Disease so we have to be very particular about business' and how they interpret something to be "gluten-free".

We have been to The Keg (Market) several times in the past 6 months and have identified her health concerns each time with our server. They servers have always been very knowledgeable and attentive to this concern. The manager has always come over to detail The Keg's process for handling gluten allergies (a nice touch even if a little redundant since the servers always outline the process). We have even had the cooking staff forward concerns after my wife has ordered something off the menu that was identified as "gluten-free" but they, the culinary staff, felt that a substitution was a better option. The serving staff always brings her order out separately to insure no accidental cross-contamination occurs. My wife has never had a reaction to anything ever served at this location and the food is excellent.

We would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting to eat gluten-free or who has a gluten-based health concern that they need to be mindful of.

Offers a wide variety of gluten-free pastas, uncooked. And RTU gluten-free lasagna and sometimes baked ziti and bolognese... buy, take home and reheat