There may not be a restaurant in Santa Barbara loved by both locals and tourists alike as much as Brophy Brothers. With views of the harbor and mountains, it is a great spot to grab a drink and some seafood. There was a group of 5 of us and it was a beautiful day, so we knew there would be a little bit of a wait. We were told 35 minutes, but it ended up being a little over an hour. When we were finally seated and I had a chance to check out the menu, I noticed they had gluten-free buns. After talking to our waitress about cross contamination with the bun, I ordered the tuna melt. It had a heaping amount of tuna with melted, gooey cheese. It typically comes with fries, but they are made in a contaminated fryer. I turned down salad as a side since I figured the tuna melt would be plenty of food, which it was.
Islands
1 May
Happy Celiac Awareness Month! Thanks to Gluten-Free in SB reader, Ellen, I got a tip that Islands offers great GF burger buns. They also have a gluten-free menu! We decided to try it out yesterday at the prime dining time of 4:45pm to avoid the rush. I prefer eating super early when I am trying a restaurant for the first time so I can ask the server all of my questions without feeling like they are rushed. After asking our waiter my usual questions, he confirmed the following answers with the manager and kitchen: The gluten-free buns are prepared in a safe spot when told it is for an allergy/celiac. The fries are made in their own fryer. However they are close to the fryer that is used for non-GF things, so there is a slight chance of oil splattering into the fries fryer. I took the risk and ordered my Maui Burger with fries. The bun definitely held together better than the standard Udi’s bun. Upon asking about it, the waiter informed me they are made by Smart Flour. I really liked the fries (and felt fine last night), but I did feel a little risky eating them. Would you have tried them?
Finney’s Crafthouse & Kitchen
24 Apr
This past weekend, we had friends in town that were staying near the Funk Zone. We decided to take advantage of the fact that they were staying there to try new spot Finney’s Crafthouse & Kitchen. It was pretty packed, but we didn’t mind waiting as it was a perfect Santa Barbara night. After talking with our waitress, I learned that they use Udi’s buns for their burgers and prepare them on a safe surface when told that it is for an allergy or Celiac. I had the Finney Burger which had a house spread that was also GF. The fries are made in a contaminated fryer, so I had the burger with their side salad. I was pretty pleasantly surprised with the quality of the burger and salad as it was a notch above your typical bar/pub fare. I only wish that they used Canyon Bakehouse hamburger buns as those tend to stay together better and taste better in my opinion. The burger went well with my spicy margarita. 
The restaurant was also accommodating for children as we had two 4-year olds and 2 young babies. They provided crayons and an activity booklet along with a nice kid’s menu.
Mesa Burger
5 Jan
I love a good burger, but let’s be honest. Having a burger wrapped in lettuce isn’t quite as satisfying as sinking into a bun. So when I saw that Mesa Burger, co-owned by Cat Cora, had a gluten-free bun on their menu, I was cautiously optimistic. When I started to question the cashier taking my order, he didn’t know the answers offhand, but he was able to find someone that did. The gluten-free buns are Udi’s and they are heated on a designated gluten-free area of the flattop. I ordered the Mesa Burger with a turkey burger, gluten-free bun, grilled onions and no sauce. Sadly, the special “Mesa Burger Sauce” has soy sauce in it so it is off limits. The fries are also a no-go for us celiacs as they only have the one fryer and it is contaminated. Wouldn’t it be nice if any future locations had a second fryer for us GF folk? I had my burger with a side salad which usually has croutons on it.
When my food arrived, I checked it as I always do and found that they had forgotten to leave off the sauce. After an apology from the manager and a quick redo, I was able to sink into the burger. The burger itself was good and the salad tasted fresh. If I were to make any changes, I would switch to Canyon Bakehouse hamburger buns as I find that they do not fall apart as easily as Udi’s. Two of my dining companions had the veggie burger and raved about the texture and taste of it. After asking about it, we were told that it is gluten-free, non-GMO and vegan and is made by Hungry Planet.
gluten-free in sb 