Ports of Call

Kind of long but worth reading...especially if you have a food allergy! My husband and I made a reservation about a month or so ago...I was told over the phone that they had lots of gluten free options. The menu also lists many items GF. Upon arriving, we were seated promptly but when the waiter came over, I told him that the main reason I came was to have the fried oysters because the menu says they are GF. The waiter goes back to the kitchen and comes back saying that the fried oysters are in fact not GF. I pointed to the GF label on the menu and he said "well I'm sorry, they are not actually GF." Seriously?? He went back to the kitchen and came back and told me that the kitchen was overwhelmed and he was sorry for the confusion but the fried oysters are not GF...even though the menu says they are. He got aggravated with me and went outside to get the chef who was standing right by the front entrance smoking a cigarette (I only know this because we had to walk through his cloud of smoke to enter the restaurant) We got up to leave at this point and the chef was approaching us. He said "I am not sure why he is saying the fried oysters are not gluten free because they are...we make them GF all the time." Apparently the staff/cooks are not all on the same page with the menu which is unfortunate because we really had high hopes for this place!

Ports of Call is a great little restaurant in downtown Southport. They have a great little bar and offer live music some evenings which is really nice. The service has always been good and the food is delicious. They have been very accommodating with my gluten allergy each time we have gone.