Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Has Anyone Tried The Gf Menu At Pei Wei?

Billygoat

By Billygoat
in Gluten-Free Restaurants

Recommended Posts

Billygoat Apprentice
Billygoat
Posted

Do you have any Pei Wei Asian Diners in your area? I've heard they are owned by the same company as PF Chang's, so I decided to walk in and ask if they had a gluten-free menu. They do! It only has a few items on it, but it's good stuff! You can check it out here on their website:

Open Original Shared Link

I just happened to be in the take out lane and had a manager ringing my order up. He gave me two tips whenever I order there.

1. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ask for a manager. The managers are trained on exactly how to order the gluten-free food and many regular staff are not. The regular staff might think they understand how to do it, but most often they end up "glutening" the guest by requesting something incorrectly. For example:

2. Do NOT ask for anything to be "steamed". They use a vegetable broth to steam their vegetables to give it more flavor. But their vegetable broth is NOT gluten-free. You can request it be steamed in just plain water, but that doesn't always guarantee not being cross-contaminated. (This really helped me understand why I still get glutened occassionally at other restaurants who steam my food. Maybe they're using a vegetable or meat broth to do the steaming!)

Anyways, I ordered their Pei Wei sweet and sour chicken. Yummmyyy! It is "breaded" in potato starch to give it a slightly crispy texture and it worked. The sauce was great and the vegetables were crisp.

Good experience all in all. We share so many bad experiences, I thought I'd share a good one for once!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


badandi2005 Newbie
badandi2005
Posted

Pei Wei is great! Thanks for the tips!

In addition to the Sweet and Sour Chicken, I recommend the Vietnamese Spring Rolls. They are seriously yummy!

anerissara Enthusiast
anerissara
Posted

Oh yea! I was just looking to post a question about this. I had Pei Wei last night, and the sweet and sour chicken was great...but I was worried that although they left the *batter* off the chicken, it was still kind of crispy and seemed to have been dredged in something before cooking. I was worried it might have been flour! I'm so glad, I was finally starting to feel better after being glutened and I'm glad I won't have to worry about feeling sick this week! :P

And the Vietnamise rolls were soooo good!

Thanks for posting.

mouse Enthusiast
mouse
Posted

I had lunch a week and a half ago at a Pei Wei's. It was my first visit. I had the gluten-free sweet and sour shrimp and white rice. It was wonderful. I did not get sick and so I assume the white rice was gluten-free.

Armetta :)

Billygoat Apprentice
Billygoat
Posted
  • Author

Oh, I'm so glad others have had good experiences before as well. I think we should share more of those positive ones. Since I'm still learning to not gluten myself, every successful meal is a reason for celebration. (Especially eating out!) :P

I did not get sick and so I assume the white rice was gluten-free.

Rice usually is gluten-free. I haven't had any issues with it as long as it doesn't have seasonings in it or stir fried in something.

badandi2005 - I love your name! Whatever happened to that cute little monkey? My real life name is Andi. ;)

  • 3 years later...
sladewig Newbie
sladewig
Posted

After reading several posts here regarding the gluten-free menu at Pei Wei, I decided to try it today and was extremely surprised and excited to have a new gluten-free option for lunch. I had the Pei Wei spicy chicken and it was tremendous. Usually after 30 mins I'll know right away if any trouble, but didn't notice any reaction and still haven't. Thanks so much for all the input on these boards. I feel a huge burden lifted having this wonderful website resource to help deal with this health issue. :lol:

WendyG Explorer
WendyG
Posted

Hi,

I eat a Pei Wei at least once a week and I LOVE it. I also get the edamame when the manager has time to make it gluten free. If you order it regular they drop in in the same water as the noodles....

I have not had any problems and I always get the spicy chicken with brown rice. I eat at the Woodbury MN location and have never had any trouble with ordering without a manager. If the food comes to the table and the person does not say gluten free spicy chicken I ask. One time they had made a mistake, they also have gluten free soy sauce.

happy eating!!!!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


lizard00 Enthusiast
lizard00
Posted

Their Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls are sooo good! I have a Pei Wei right down the street from me, but we don't go there often. But I always get an order of the rolls. They are definitely my favorite! I've never gotten sick from eating there.

taweavmo3 Enthusiast
taweavmo3
Posted

We love Pei Wei! There was only one time that our order was wrong, it was the regular sweet and sour chicken. It was pretty obvious before we ate it, thank goodness... it was darker, and had more crispy bits on the chicken. The manager was great though....he fixed it, gave us our meal for free, plus a card for two more free meals.

It is such a treat for me to take a night off from cooking for a change, and the kids love watching all the fire action going on behind the counter. The staff know us by now, and it is so comforting to be able to eat our and feel safe.

  • 4 weeks later...
Jane Price Newbie
Jane Price
Posted
:D I, too, eat at Pei Wei and have never gotten sick. I have found that the Raleigh stores are very aware and careful to prepare the food for me with excellence. It's always good and I have always found it to free of gluten. I highly encourage all my celeiac's brothers and sister to discover the gluten free menu there. It's short but sweet!
MNBeth Explorer
MNBeth
Posted

We are also big Pei Wei fans, and were SO BUMMED when they closed the two locations closest to us (Maplewood and St.Anthony, MN.) Even they weren't exactly convenient, but it was worth the trip now and then. And we never got sick. I love the food, but I love being able to relax even more!

nasalady Contributor
nasalady
Posted

I love Pei Wei, but last week I had my first bad experience there. I ordered the sweet and sour shrimp on brown rice and when my husband went to pick it up, it didn't have the usual "gluten free" sticker on it. So he asked if it was gluten free and the person at the register said "Yes" and showed him on the receipt where it said "gluten-free Sweet and Sour".

So I ate it and the next morning I knew I'd been glutened (neuro symptoms and the big D). I called the manager to ask him what he would recommend that we do in a case like that. He said that if the box does not have the gluten free sticker, no matter what the person at the register says, refuse to take the meal and ask that they make a new one, to be sure that it's gluten free.

Just FYI....

angel-jd1 Community Regular
angel-jd1
Posted

I love pei-wei. I have never had a problem eating there. I don't have one close to me. However, when I go to the city that is my place of choice for lunch. I just ate there this weekend. LOVE IT!!

  • 1 year later...
justaccord Newbie
justaccord
Posted

Sorry to say I got glutened at Pei Wei earlier this week. Haven't talked to the management yet but my observation was that everyone from the cashier to the waiters were quite casual about the gluten-free menu.

I'm new to all this (one month) and I've been very impressed with PF Chang's (which also owns Pei Wei as I understand it) where they seem quite attentive and sensitive to the issue.

The Pei Wei experience was a true disaster!

CeliacAndCfsCrusader Apprentice
CeliacAndCfsCrusader
Posted

Sorry to say I got glutened at Pei Wei earlier this week. Haven't talked to the management yet but my observation was that everyone from the cashier to the waiters were quite casual about the gluten-free menu.

I'm new to all this (one month) and I've been very impressed with PF Chang's (which also owns Pei Wei as I understand it) where they seem quite attentive and sensitive to the issue.

The Pei Wei experience was a true disaster!

First of all, welcome to the life you never expected! Seriously, you'll adapt and there are TONS more choices out there since I was diagnosed 3 years ago.

You'll find that even the best of places make mistakes. The key is to accept it and to take baby steps as you venture out into the gluten-free world. This Forum is a fantastic resource for EVERYTHING you need to know.

You'll also find that some places just "never get it right". I give them 2 chances, after that I move on. My local Ted's Montana Grill is on that list.

Every restaurant is dependent not only on the ingredients, but everyone that touches the food.

I prefer places that either take gluten-free preparation super seriously, I can SEE the food being assembled and/or I take a shot with those places I read about here. Even my 100% confident choices are on someone elses "no way list". Find your local places and patronize them.

Personally, Pei Wei is my new favorite. Two locations here I go to regularly, with zero problems. Chipotle has been my "go to" place, never an issue for me (I think the CO locations are better than others nationally, they started here).

Best of luck!

  • 7 months later...
FLgal15 Newbie
FLgal15
Posted

Just tried Pei Wei

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. trents
      - trents replied to SilkieFairy's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      IBS-D vs Celiac

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @SilkieFairy! You could also have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) as opposed to celiac disease. They share many of the same symptoms, especially the GI ones. There is no test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out.
    2. trents
      - trents replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      Under the circumstances, your decision to have the testing done on day 14 sounds very reasonable. But I think by now you know for certain that you either have celiac disease or NCGS and either way you absolutely need to eliminate gluten from your diet. I don't think you have to have an official diagnosis of celiac disease to leverage gluten free service in...
    3. SilkieFairy
      - SilkieFairy posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      IBS-D vs Celiac

      After the birth of my daughter nearly 6 years ago, my stools changed. They became thin if they happened to be solid (which was rare) but most of the time it was Bristol #6 (very loose and 6-8x a day). I was on various medications and put it down to that. A few years later I went on this strict "fruit and meat" diet where I just ate meat, fruit, and squash...
    4. catnapt
      - catnapt posted a topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      0

      anyone here diagnosed with a PARAthyroid disorder? (NOT the thyroid) the calcium controlling glands

      learned I had a high PTH level in 2022 suspected to be due to low vit D got my vit D level up a bit but still have high PTH I am 70 yrs old (today in fact) I am looking for someone who also has hyperparathyroidism that might be caused by malabsorption
    5. catnapt
      - catnapt replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      I am on day 13 of eating gluten and have decided to have the celiac panel done tomorrow instead of Wed. (and instead of extending it a few more weeks) because I am SO incredibly sick. I have almost no appetite and am not able to consume the required daily intake of calcium to try to keep up with the loss of calcium from the high parathyroid hormone...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,322
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    avery144
    Newest Member
    avery144
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      IBS-D vs Celiac

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @SilkieFairy! You could also have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) as opposed to celiac disease. They share many of the same symptoms, especially the GI ones. There is no test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out.
    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      Under the circumstances, your decision to have the testing done on day 14 sounds very reasonable. But I think by now you know for certain that you either have celiac disease or NCGS and either way you absolutely need to eliminate gluten from your diet. I don't think you have to have an official diagnosis of celiac disease to leverage gluten free service in hospitals or institutional care and I'm guessing your physician would be willing to grant you a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity (NCGS) even if your celiac testing comes up negative. Also, you need to be aware that oats (even gluten free oats) is a common cross reactor in the celiac community. Oat protein (avenin) is similar to gluten. You might want to look at some other gluten free hot  breakfast cereal alternatives.
    • SilkieFairy
      IBS-D vs Celiac

      By SilkieFairy · Posted

      After the birth of my daughter nearly 6 years ago, my stools changed. They became thin if they happened to be solid (which was rare) but most of the time it was Bristol #6 (very loose and 6-8x a day). I was on various medications and put it down to that. A few years later I went on this strict "fruit and meat" diet where I just ate meat, fruit, and squash vegetables. I noticed my stools were suddenly formed, if a bit narrow. I knew then that the diarrhea was probably food related not medication related. I tried following the fodmap diet but honestly it was just too complicated, I just lived with pooping 8x a day and wondering how I'd ever get and keep a job once my children were in school.  This past December I got my yearly bloodwork and my triglycerides were high. I looked into Dr. William Davis (wheat belly author) and he recommended going off wheat and other grains. This is the first time in my life I was reading labels to make sure there was no wheat. Within 2 weeks, not only were my stools formed and firm but I was only pooping twice a day, beautiful formed Bristol #4.  Dr. Davis allows some legumes, so I went ahead and added red lentils and beans. Nervous that the diarrhea would come back if I had IBS-D. Not only did it not come back, it just made my stools even bigger and beautiful. Still formed just with a lot more width and bulk. I've also been eating a lot of plant food like tofu, mushrooms, bell peppers, hummus etc which I thought was the cause of my diarrhea before and still, my stools are formed. In January I ran a genetics test because I knew you had to have the genes for celiac. The report came back with  DQ 2.2 plus other markers that I guess are necessary in order for it to be possible to have celiac. Apparently DQ 2.2 is the "rarer" kind but based on my report it's genetically possible for me to have celiac.  I know the next step is to bring gluten back so I can get testing but I am just not wanting to do that. After suffering with diarrhea for years I can't bring myself to do it right now. So that is where I am!   
    • catnapt
      anyone here diagnosed with a PARAthyroid disorder? (NOT the thyroid) the calcium controlling glands

      By catnapt · Posted

      learned I had a high PTH level in 2022 suspected to be due to low vit D  got my vit D level up a bit but still have high PTH   I am 70 yrs old (today in fact) I am looking for someone who also has hyperparathyroidism that might be caused by malabsorption    
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      I am on day 13 of eating gluten  and have decided to have the celiac panel done tomorrow instead of Wed. (and instead of extending it a few more weeks) because I am SO incredibly sick. I have almost no appetite and am not able to consume the required daily intake of calcium to try to keep up with the loss of calcium from the high parathyroid hormone and/or the renal calcium leak.    I have spent the past 15 years working hard to improve my health. I lost 50lbs, got off handfuls of medications, lowered my cholesterol to enviable levels, and in spite of having end stage osteoarthritis in both knees, with a good diet and keeping active I have NO pain in those joints- til now.  Almost all of my joints hurt now I feel like someone has repeatedly punched me all over my torso- even my ribs hurt- I have nausea, gas, bloating, headache, mood swings, irritability, horrid flatulence (afraid to leave the house or be in any enclosed spaces with other people- the smell would knock them off their feet) I was so sure that I wanted a firm diagnosis but now- I'm asking myself is THIS worth it? esp over the past 2 yrs I have been feeling better and better the more I adjusted my diet to exclude highly refined grains and processed foods. I didn't purposely avoid gluten, but it just happened that not eating gluten has made me feel better.   I don't know what I would have to gain by getting a definitive diagnosis. I think possibly the only advantage to a DX would be that I could insist on gluten-free foods in settings where I am unable to have access to foods of my choice (hospital, rehab, nursing home)  and maybe having a medical reason to see a dietician?   please let me know if it's reasonable to just go back to the way I was eating.  Actually I do plan to buy certified gluten-free oats as that is the only grain I consume (and really like) so there will be some minor tweaks I hope and pray that I heal quickly from any possible damage that may have been done from 13 days of eating gluten.    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.