Pacific Rim Bistro

TLDR: This place is unsafe if you have food allergies or health issues that are affected by food. When we pointed out what had happened, they were apathetic. Only our waitress seemed sorry, but not enough to adjust the bill without being asked. I had a meal here with a friend during DragonCon. I ordered two items plainly marked as “GF” on the sushi menu. One, specifically the Rainbow Roll, said it contained crab meat. Excellent, I thought. Only after I started eating did I realize it contained crab sticks. Firstly, crab sticks are not crab. They are usually made of whitefish, eggs, wheat, and spices/flavorings. A particular brand now makes gluten-free crab sticks, but those contain potato starch, which I also can’t eat. I asked two servers to clarify with the chef. The second eventually returned and said she was very sorry, but that roll wasn’t gluten-free. I took the last bite of the roll that I knew was gluten-free and started to mentally prepare myself for the physical pain and discomfort that would ensue. After my friend finished her meal, we asked for our bill, and when we got it, both rolls I had ordered were still on the bill. They had completely disregarded the fact that they had just poisoned me with gluten. If your restaurant mislabels food that will make someone sick, at the very least you shouldn’t charge them for that item. If you want to practice good customer service, their meal should be on the house, accompanied by a GIANT apology from management. I was flabbergasted, and at that point, I said I didn’t want to pay for my meal. The server returned shortly with the items removed, and I said I’d like to speak with management to explain the importance of getting this right. At the very least, they should immediately start telling people that the Rainbow Roll is not gluten-free. The manager returned, apparently thinking we were trying to get out of paying for our whole meal. He yelled at us. He also said they had been serving this roll as gluten-free for 20 years with no problem. 20 YEARS. We tried to explain why we wanted to talk to him, but he was so agitated that my friend had to force him to take the billfold with her credit card. We never got to have our one-on-one teachable moment with him, so unfortunately, he gets to have it here where everyone can read it. People are gluten-free for many reasons—some out of preference, but most of us have severe health issues. People with Celiac Disease are more likely to develop colon cancer the more gluten they consume over their lifetime, knowingly or not, even if it doesn’t make them physically ill at the time. CANCER. I have chronic pain. I will spend the next week or two in extra, all-day pain and discomfort because of those two bites of crab stick. There’s a social contract between restaurants and their diners. They broke the contract. Do not eat here.

Terrible evening ended with poisoning. Do not go here if you are gluten free! My friend and I dined here yesterday and she spent the night with a migraine and body aches. Both will likely continue for 2 or 3 days. When ordering, she was very specific in communicating her allergy and selected items listed on the menu with a GF designation. After eating two pieces of sushi she realized there was crab stick in the roll, which generally uses flour as a binder. She asked the server to double check with the chef that it was indeed GF. Very casually the server returned with the information that OOPS, it isn't. Through some negotiation, her sushi was removed from the check. We continued to be polite, if a bit exasperated at the lack of urgency in all our exchanges. I handed my card to pay. At the same time, we asked to talk to the manager so we could explain the severity of listing an item as allergen-free when it isn’t. He came to the table with unbelievable hostility and asked what else we wanted since he had already removed the rolls from the bill. Another reduction of the bill wasn’t our intention, but he didn’t let us get a word in to explain. Instead, he said he’s been serving this dish as GF for 20 years and never had a complaint. He tried to toss the bill back to me and said, “Don’t pay if you don’t want to.” I insisted he take my card, and he stormed off. All we wanted was to make sure their menus were changed to reflect the allergen in the food. It’s not an unreasonable ask. Some compassion and an apology would go a long way to heal the sour feelings, but I don’t expect either from this man.

The staff is very friendly and the food was really good!!!!! They have Gluten Free options. We could make a reservation online so we didn’t wait attached all!! The place is clean and the food arrived fast!