EVERYTHING Gluten-Free at Pei Wei in 2023

written by

Husein Gradasevic

research-based

If you’re craving Asian cuisine but don’t have the time and budget for fine dining, then you should go to Pei Wei. They offer lots of mouthwatering Asian dishes at a reasonable price and quickly. But does Pie Wie have gluten-free options?

Yes, Pei Wei has a lot of gluten-free options on its menu. The gluten-free options mainly consist of meat products such as Bourbon chicken, Original shrimp, and Mongolian steak.

These items have a marking of ‘GF’ on the main menu.

Pei Wei is generally a safe place to eat gluten-free, but they aren’t a dedicated gluten-free establishment. Therefore, cross-contamination of food may occur.

So, if you have celiac or high gluten intolerance, highlight this while making an order. Otherwise, here are some tips and gluten-free options you can order at Pei Wei.

Table of Contents

Pei Wei’s gluten-free menu items

One of the good things about Pei Wei is that, unlike many Asian restaurants, Pei Wei only uses gluten-free soy sauce inside each dish. So, you can be sure they’ll not accidentally add wheat-containing soy sauce to your food.

Another good thing about Pie Wie is their open concept kitchen. As you walk into their restaurants, you’ll see chefs flipping vegetables in the wok and catch a whiff of freshly-cooked Asian food.

This arrangement helps you observe the chefs while they prepare your gluten-free food.

There are also barstools around the kitchen counter, where you can sit and watch the chefs and talk with them as they cook. You’ll find their menu on display near the kitchen counter.

You have to place the order at the counter, and they’ll deliver the food to your table. There is also a self-serve beverage area where you can get some drinks while you wait for your order to arrive.

Following are all the gluten-free options offered at Pei Wei. Some of these dishes are originally gluten-free, while others need some modification.

Entree

#1. Grilled Bourbon Chicken

It has tender grilled chicken tossed in a sweet and savory bourbon sauce. It comes on a bed of white or brown rice.

Nutritional value

Calories: 770 kcal
Fat: 23 g
Carbs: 90 g
Protein: 44 g

#2. Thai Coconut Curry Chicken

It has steamed white meat chicken, garlic, red bell peppers, onions, and broccoli tossed in a creamy Thai coconut curry sauce.

Nutritional value

Calories: 640 kcal
Fat: 8 g
Carbs: 42 g
Protein: 54 g

#3. Pei Wei Original Shrimp

This dish has crispy shrimp, garlic, chili paste, carrots, snap peas, and scallions tossed in a sweet and spicy chili vinegar sauce.

Nutritional value

Calories: 790 kcal
Fat: 36 g
Carbs: 98 g
Protein: 21 g

#4. Kung Pao Shrimp

This dish has crispy shrimp with garlic, carrots, snap peas, scallions, peanuts, and chili flakes tossed in a chili gluten-free soy sauce.

Nutritional value

Calories: 740 kcal
Fat: 50 g
Carbs: 42 g
Protein: 29 g

#5. Beef & Broccoli

This dish comes with wok-seared steak with garlic, ginger, scallions, and broccoli. And it’s tossed in a rich and sweet gluten-free soy sauce.

Nutritional value

Calories: 790 kcal
Fat: 49 g
Carbs: 53 g
Protein: 34 g

#6. Chicken & Broccoli

This dish has steamed white meat chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, and broccoli tossed in a rich and sweet gluten-free soy sauce.

Nutritional value

Calories: 666 kcal
Fat: 27 g
Carbs: 48 g
Protein: 40 g

FIND MORE: Gluten-Free Options at Donatos

Classic Entree

#7. Mongolian Steak

This dish has wok-seared steak with garlic, scallions, and mushrooms. And it’s tossed in a rich and sweet gluten-free soy sauce.

Nutritional value

Calories: 760 kcal
Fat: 49 g
Carbs: 44 g
Protein: 33 g

#8. Mongolian Chicken

This dish has Steamed white meat chicken with garlic, scallions, and mushrooms. And it’s tossed in a rich and sweet gluten-free soy sauce.

Nutritional value

Calories: 636 kcal
Fat: 27 g
Carbs: 39 g
Protein: 39 g

ALSO READ: Sweetgreen’s Gluten-free Menu Items

Salad Bowl

#9. Asian Chopped Chicken Salad

This salad has tender, hand-pulled chicken with carrots, red bell peppers, cilantro, scallions, and crispy wontons. It’s served over a bed of mixed greens and tossed in a sesame ginger vinaigrette.

Order your salad without the wonton strips to make it gluten-free.

Nutritional value

Calories: 640 kcal
Fat: 35 g
Carbs: 42 g
Protein: 45 g

Shareables

#10. Edamame

Nutritional value

Calories: 320 kcal
Fat: 13 g
Carbs: 19 g
Protein: 30 g

#11. Mongolian Green Beans

The green beans get tossed with garlic, chili paste, and sweet and savory Mongolian sauce.

Nutritional value

Calories: 430 kcal
Fat: 28 g
Carbs: 36 g
Protein: 4 g

Tips for ordering gluten-free at Pei Wei

Here are some actionable tips:

Inform the chef about your allergies.

Simply ordering a dish from the gluten-free section is not enough. Inform the chef that you have a gluten allergy.

This way, they’ll change their gloves, cook your food separately using clean utensils, and take other safety measures to prevent cross-contamination.

Inquire about the ingredients inside a dish.

Some of the dishes on Pei Wei’s gluten-free menu aren’t originally gluten-free. You’ll have to remove or swap an ingredient or two to make them gluten-free. So, don’t simply order a dish labeled as gluten-free.

Ask the chef about the ingredients and customize them as per your need.

Don’t order online.

Ordering gluten-free food online may not be safe because the staff may not diligently follow the safety protocols if you’re not around.

And when the food arrives at your house, and you find a piece of gluten-containing item in your food, then complaining about it won’t do much.

So, to avoid that situation, always pay a personal visit when ordering gluten-free items from Pie Wie. Another reason to visit personally is that you may find some extra dishes available in the restaurants that aren’t on their website.

But if you know a location that’s strict with their allergy protocol and you never got allergies from eating there, then you can go with online orders.

Cross-contamination risk at Pei Wei

Pie Wie offers many gluten-free options on its menu. But, cross-contamination is a big problem here.

In some locations, Pei Wei’s staff may use a separate cooking area or clean the cooking equipment, to prepare orders with allergies, but it’s not the case everywhere.

The level of proper safety measures will differ by location. So, always inquire about the practices they follow while making food with allergies. If the staff is not knowledgeable, then don’t take the risk.

What do people say about the gluten-free options at Pei Wei?

This part concludes all the online reviews people with gluten sensitivity gave about Pei Wei. Note that people had different experiences at different locations. So, whichever restaurant you go always enquire about their safety measures.

People said Pie Wie’s gluten-free menu has plenty of good options. Gluten-free dishes come labeled that help you identify your order and give reassurance that it’s safe to eat.

People said that Pei Wei’s staff are accommodating and well-trained in handling orders with allergies. Many also said they’ve eaten at Pei Wei several times but never had any allergy.

However, in some places, people got sick like never before even though the food they ate was gluten-free.

Here are some gluten-free dishes that people with celiac and non-celiac gluten sensitivity ordered at Pei Wei without getting sick.

Tofu with broccoli
Chicken & Broccoli
Bourbon Chicken
Beef & Broccoli

Sweet & sour shrimp/chicken
Fried rice
Soy sauce sachet

Gluten-free alternatives to Pei Wei

Did you have to part ways with Asian food after going gluten-free? Sure, it’s hard to find an Asian restaurant with more than white rice for a gluten-free dish. But there are a few of them where you’ll find many delicious gluten-free options.

Here are some Asian restaurants that also have gluten-free options:

BIBIBOP Asian Grill

BIBIBOP is a dedicated gluten-free Asian/Korean restaurant chain. Every item on their menu is 100% gluten-free. Their setup is similar to Chipotle, where you pick individual ingredients to create your order.

At BIBIBOP, you make yourself a bowl with a base, topping, protein, and a sauce of choice. The crowd’s favorite base ingredient on their menu is sweet potato noodles.

BIBIBOP uses fresh, unprocessed, and high-quality ingredients for its dishes. Eating at a 100% gluten-free restaurant like BIBIBOP reassures you that everything is safe to eat.

You don’t have to worry about scanning the whole menu to find a few gluten-free options, informing the staff about gluten allergy, or your food getting cross-contaminated. You can order anything!

BIBIBOP is a small chain. So, you won’t find it everywhere. But whenever you spot one, do give them a try!

Brightwork Kitchen

Brightwork Kitchen is an Asian-inspired dedicated gluten-free restaurant. Each ingredient on their menu is not only 100% gluten-free but also free of every other allergen.

Brightwork Kitchen offers various bowls, salads, sides, and drink options on its menu.

You can either order from their readymade list of bowls or create a bowl or salad for yourself with ingredients of choice. Along with your bowl, you can order side items like banana chips, pickles, or the crowd’s favorite Sweet Potato Fritters.

Their drink options are also healthy.

Brightwork Kitchen makes each dish freshly using unprocessed, seasonal, high-quality ingredients. You can eat here knowing everything is safe and healthy for you.

That’s why Brightwork Kitchen is a favorite among the gluten-intolerant community.

The only issue is that this restaurant is not widely-spread. You can only find them in Chicago. But whenever you do, don’t return without trying one of their bowls.

P.F. Chang’s

P.F. Chang’s is a Chinese fine-dining restaurant chain. They have soups, sushi, dim sum, meat items like Mongolian steak, seafood, desserts, and drinks on their menu.

P.F. Chang’s also has a separate gluten-free menu available upon request. Their gluten-free menu has a decent amount of options to create a full meal.

Some gluten-free options on their menu are Chicken lettuce wraps, street-style rice noodles, and shrimp with lobster sauce.

P. F. Chang’s has a separate cooking area to prepare gluten-free food. They also use a separate wok and other utensils to prepare gluten-free items. When you order from the gluten-free menu, they make your food using gluten-free soy sauce.

In some locations, P.F. Chang’s even serves your gluten-free food on a different color plate for easier recognition. They’ll also mark the takeout orders as “GF” to avoid confusion.

The staff at P.F. Chang’s are very accommodating. Their Chefs are well-trained to prepare orders with allergies. When you’re placing your order, inform the server about your gluten allergy.

That way, they’ll prepare your order following their allergy protocol.

Despite their high price, P.F. Chang’s is worth it considering their generous potions, flavourful food, and strict allergy protocol.