One of my best friends has Celiac Disease, which means she can’t eat gluten. Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale. This means that she can’t eat any bread, or foods such as cookies, cake, rolls, etc.

I know how hard it can be for her to eat at a restaurant. She has to explain to the waiter that she has an allergy and that if any gluten touches her food, she will get sick. She has to read the menu very carefully to make sure she isn’t eating anything that contains gluten. It’s really hard.

So, when her mom found out that there was going to be a gluten-free restaurant opening semi-close to her house, she was ecstatic.

Papa Chops is a completely gluten-free restaurant. They serve pub food like burgers, fries, and onion rings; they also serve salads, wraps, and sandwiches. But, everything is one-hundred-percent gluten-free.

There was a sign on the door to the kitchen reminding the staff that there is to be no gluten in the kitchen, and that they must wash their hands before entering. It also says on the menu that they are gluten-free. The service was very nice. When we were deciding what to order, the gentleman at the counter asked us how FHC did at the last football game and congratulated us on making it to Ford Field. The food came relatively quickly, and we all dove in excitedly.

Fries-

In the past two years, I’ve had my fair share of experiences with gluten-free food. Let me tell you, these fries may be the best gluten-free food I have ever eaten.

The first thing I noticed about these fries was the wrapper. They came in a cute little brown bag, and it made me feel—for just a moment—like I was at an old-school diner. They came in the same wrapper as the burger, and together, they just looked very cute and aesthetic, and it made me happier than it probably should have.

One of the most important things to me in food is the seasoning, which came in no short supply on these fries. They had a tiny bit of heat to them—which would probably be unnoticeable by anyone else considering I have zero spice tolerance. But, they also somehow were a little sweet. I don’t know what’s in the Papa’s Seasoning, but I would buy it for sure.

My only issue with these fries was that they weren’t as crispy on the outside as I would have liked. I prefer crispy fries, so these didn’t check that box, but nonetheless, I would absolutely buy these again, and if you ever find yourself at Papa Chops, I recommend getting them.

Caesar’s Wrap-

Caesar salad is something that I will always eat. I love caesar salad. But, I didn’t feel like it was the right thing to get at a gluten-free restaurant considering it consists mostly of lettuce. So, I decided on the caesar wrap instead, which added a gluten-free element. An element I didn’t like.

I’m not quite sure what it was about it, but the tortilla did not go over well with me. It tasted almost like vegetables—and maybe it was made from vegetables considering the lack of flour—but I didn’t appreciate it. It just didn’t taste good.

The inside was romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, caesar dressing, and dill. Lots and lots of dill. Too much dill. I knew immediately after taking my first bite that there was some overpowering flavor—one I didn’t like—and after a little inspecting, I found an abundance of dill. I don’t have anything against dill, but a little bit is enough, and this wrap had too much.

Moving past the dill, there wasn’t anything else that really stood out about this wrap. I wish there had been more to it, but then again, it wouldn’t have been a caesar wrap if there was more to it. So, all in all, if you like caesar salad and dill, then this wrap is definitely something you should try. If not, I would steer clear.

Mac Attack-

Another thing on the list of foods I will almost always eat is mac ‘n’ cheese. Despite that, I don’t know if I would ever eat this mac ‘n’ cheese again. My dad opted to get barbecue mac ‘n’ cheese, meaning it had barbecue sauce and pork in it—two things I don’t like.

The barbecue sauce had great flavor, and I know that if I was a fan of barbecue sauce, I would have enjoyed it. I surprisingly can’t find anything bad to say about the pork. I think that there was a proportional amount, and it didn’t overtake anything.

However, the actual mac ‘n’ cheese part had me a little disappointed. I didn’t feel as if there was any cheese. Obviously, there was, but I couldn’t taste it; I could only taste barbecue sauce. I would have liked for it to have more cheese.

Another thing, I felt as though it was a little soupy. Almost like the noodles were sitting in a soup, not that it was mac ‘n’ cheese. But, one thing that can be said is that I wouldn’t have been able to point out that the noodles were gluten-free if I hadn’t already known. There was nothing about the flavor or texture to indicate that they weren’t glutenous.

Big Papa Burger-

I know that it can be really hard to find a good gluten-free burger. But, I also know that this burger is just that. When I took my first bite, I was impressed. It was really good.

There were a lot of pickles on this burger, and I really loved it. There was also lettuce, onion, cheese, and Papa Sauce. I think that there was the perfect amount of toppings on this burger because I really enjoyed it.

The bun was really good too, which brought a little shock considering that it is gluten-free. But, it didn’t taste gluten-free at all. The only thing I wish was different about the bun is that it wasn’t crispy at all. I wish it had been just a little crispier. But, other than that, it was all around very delicious.

I don’t know what they put in their Papa Sauce, but that was the perfect addition to this burger. It brought some unknown flavors that I quite liked. It had almost a cheesiness to it—although that could have been the cheese—and I don’t think the burger would have been as good without it.

All in all—knowing how hard it is to find quality gluten-free restaurants—I would say that Papa Chops was a great place. Despite some of my own pickiness, the food was delicious, and I know that it is one hundred percent gluten-free. If you are ever looking for a gluten-free restaurant, or you just want some really good fries, this is the place to go.