I stopped into Barro’s the other night to get the family a pizza and saw the signs they were now offering gluten free pizza crust. Always curious to try (& aware of all the questions about whether Domino’s gluten free pizza is really safe), I decided to try it out.

When asked whether their meats were gluten free the girl cheerfully said yes, but I wasn’t comfortable she understood what I was asking or knew for sure. I decided to not take my chances  and add a few non-meat toppings. I felt like I was already taking enough chances by ordering the pizza in the first place!

I was actually standing while waiting and could see into the kitchen. I was curious about the preparation and how they would justify in that type of environment that the pizza was, in fact, gluten free and not cross contaminated. Considering the baking racks where pizzas are put directly on them and of course the large spatulas used to pull them out as well as the cutters.. you have to wonder.

I couldn’t see the area where they add the toppings so I’m hoping they have set procedures to use new gloves, etc. in the case of a gluten free order, but I can’t vouch for that since I couldn’t see it. And even if they do, that doesn’t remove the likelihood of previous prep cooks touching regular pizza dough and grabbing ingredients for the pizza out of the same containers where ingredients are selected for gluten free pizza.

When the gluten free pizza came through, it was on a metal tray with a liner (so not directly on the baking racks). I saw the person preparing the pizzas leave his prep area and return with a cutter that had a green handle vs. the red handle he’d been using. He carefully slid the pizza onto a new liner inside the pizza box. It appeared he was being careful not to touch the actual pizza. He then used the green handle cutter to cut it before closing the box.

Once home, the crust was not quite a crisp as I would have liked and it had a slightly sweet flavor similar to the frozen Kinnikinnick crusts so I’m not sure if that’s what they are actually using, or if they are making the crust in-house. I didn’t experience any issues that would indicate I’d been “glutened” so I think it’s a relatively safe option. However, for the cost and peace of mind, I’d probably stick with making my own at home with a Glutino or similar frozen pizza. That way I know exactly how it’s being handled and also can select whatever gluten friendly toppings I want including meat.

Have you tried Domino’s, Barro’s or another mainstream pizza eatery offering gluten free pizza? What did you think about flavor and preparation and would you order from them again?