Knowing a few people with celiac, I've come to learn how difficult it is navigate some restaurant menus for gluten-free options. It's even harder when a majority of the menu items feature wheat. Take Qdoba's menu for example: tacos, nachos, quesadillas. My friend, Leah, who's gluten-free actually started working at the Tex-Mex chain a few months ago, and all I had was one question—how can she eat at Qdoba gluten-free?
As it turns out, the chain's menu is chock-full of gluten-free options—Taco Tuesday is for everyone, you hear?—and even for the menu items that do contain gluten, there are ways to order them so that they can be gluten friendly.
#SpoonTip: All of this information can be found on Qdoba's allergen menu as well.
Meals
If you're looking for the safest gluten-free meal at Qdoba, then your best bet is ordering a burrito bowl. Rice, the base of the dish, is gluten-free, so you have free reign to choose between cilantro lime rice and brown rice. Not only that, but all the meat and bean options are also gluten-free, allowing you to customize your bowl to your heart's content.
Most of the other meals on the menu are also gluten-free or can be made to order. The three-cheese nachos are made with corn tortilla chips and queso, and the burritos, quesadillas, and soft tacos can be made with corn tortillas instead of flour ones. Hard tacos are fair game as well, constructed using crispy corn taco shells.
#SpoonTip: It's important to note that the meals featuring corn tortillas can be prone to cross-contamination. To better prevent this, inform the employee behind the counter that you're gluten-free and they'll lay down foil on the tortilla press when making your food.
Sides
What's a visit to Qdoba without ordering one of its fresh side dishes? If you're gluten-free, the options are just the same: all of the chain's salsas and quesos are safe to eat, as well as its sour cream and—*exhales*—guacamole. (Not to mention that you can add any of these dips to your gluten-free meal.)
As for all you gluten-free soup fiends, you can satisfy your tastebuds at the Tex-Mex chain with a side of tortilla soup. Just make sure to ask for no tortilla strips on top if you want a rest-assured gluten-free side.
Hopefully you now feel a lot better about navigating the Qdoba gluten-free menu items. Celebrate by going there for your next Taco Tuesday, and if you want to add some free guac to your food, go right on ahead.