I was pretty skeptical at first and assumed they would be really dry and brittle.  They were NOT!  They were actually very good.  I could see going to a normal pizza place and enjoying this pizza as if they had made it on site.  I would buy this product again!

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When the pizza arrived at my table it was in a to-go box.  This first took me by surprise, but then I realized how serious they were about cross-contamination.  In the photos above, you can see the bright green gluten free sticker holding the box closed.  This unbroken sticker lets Godfather’s and the customer know that no one has tampered with the pizza since it has left the kitchen.  I really like this finishing touch they put on their delivery and presentation.

The gluten free pizzas are baked on premade 10″ crusts.  I ordered the all-meat combo, my favorite!  From first sight, all the way through finishing every crumb, it was just as I remembered “real” pizza.  Unlike some other gluten free pizzas I have tried in the past, the crust was thin and slightly crispy; the way it should be!  I did not notice an unpizza-like taste from the crust, but my girlfriend said, side by side, she could tell a slight difference… but not a bad one.  All the meat, cheese, and sauce were great, as expected!

We GFers are used to paying a premium for anything gluten free.  This is why, in the beginning, I shy-ed away from buying gluten free foods and stuck with only natural foods.  Godfather’s has their gluten free pizza priced EXACTLY the same as the “normal people” pizzas!  I was in shock over this and applaud them for it.  In the photos above, you see the same prices for their gluten free small pizzas as the regular small pizzas.

After I finished eating, Daniel took me to see the kitchen and the extra steps they take when making gluten free pizzas.  The first thing I noticed was lots of bright green, laminated pieces of paper on the walls.  Each one gives special instructions on how to prepare a gluten free pizza during each step of the process.  The photo on the left is of the dedicated gluten free counter space.  Inside the bag are individually wrapped tools used for preparing the pizzas.  When not in use, the tools stay sealed inside the bags to prevent cross contamination through the air.  Most places do not think of, or even attempt to stop cross-contamination in the air.  You will also notice the box of gloves that the employees switch to when handling gluten free pizzas.  The middle picture is of the ingredient table with the gluten free instructions above.  The photo on the right is of Daniel standing next to the dedicated gluten free freezer where all the individually packaged crusts are stored.  I am shocked by the double precautions that are in place.

CONCLUSION:

I had a great experience during and after(you know what I mean) my lunch at Godfather’s pizza!  The pizza was great, the prices were not above normal, and the service was excellent!  I will be returning frequently and bringing friends.  For the non-gluten free people, they have a great lunch buffet for only $6 that I am very jealous of.  Thanks again to the manager, Daniel, and to Field Project Developer, Victoria, for giving me a tour and answering all my questions.

Here is a list, as of July 2009, of the Godfather’s locations that serve gluten free pizza:

I am always someone who succumbs to temptation when it comes to food.  If it is good, I eat until it is gone… way past when I am full.  Every time I eat too much, and I’m sure you have experienced this many times too, you always regret it later.  Not the celiac symptoms, but just that feeling of being unhealthy and over full.

I had the opposite experience on the way home.  I felt great, but still hungry.  I felt good physically and mentally.  I knew I had passed the test!

Here is my official review of Godfather’s Pizza’s gluten free pizzas. It was a great experience! Please check all the photos and detailed description of the kitchen.

The following story is now proven inaccurate, and is for comedy only…

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I heard Godfather’s Pizza was now searving Gluten Free pizzas. I am a pizza LOVER, so I was very excited!

I went to the Godfather’s near my house on an afternoon while they were serving their lunch buffet. After I paid, the guy at the counter asked me if there was any pizza I would like him to make. I asked for a Gluten Free meatlovers in a small. I asked for a small because I didn’t want him to waste a whole Gluten Free pizza on just me. He assured me that everyone loves it and doesn’t know the difference, so he would just cook a large and put it on the buffet. My pizza arrived and it was GREAT!!! The crust looked a little different, but was still very good. I was extremely excited that I had found a local place with Gluten Free Pizza!

I couldn’t resist, so I returned 24 hours later. I asked again(a different employee than the day before) for a Gluten Free meat-lovers pizza…. He looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. I repeated myself over and over… and I still got the same confused look. I explained how I was here yesterday and they cooked me a gluten free pizza and it even talks about them on their website… I’m sure I don’t have a speech problem and I could not have been misunderstood the day before. The manager assured me he had never heard of gluten free and that he did not offer them…. he then told me my choices of crust: thin, hand-tossed, pan, or GOLDEN! It felt like someone had just blown out the candles on my birthday cake and taken away all of my fun… The day before they had made me a GOLDEN CRUST pizza and not a Gluten Free crust pizza!!! BUMMER!  It is a good thing I don’t have the stomach type of symptoms, or the day before would have been a really BAD one…

Some things are just too good to be true!

Get yourself some gluten free pizza crusts to make at home… it may be your only option.

(it doesn’t say gluten free on their website anymore, but I swear it used to!)

On a daily basis, I check to see what search terms people used to end up on my blog.  Some are pretty basic and some get complicated.  I am going to try and cover a bunch of them now…

Chipotle: My “go to” for a quick and tasty meal.  I can always find one nearby when in a hurry.  I get a chicken burrito bowl!  I like it so much, I decided to make my own at home.  It was pretty good.  Every time I go, I watch the cooks to pick up tips and the little ingredients.

Free Wristbands: My wristbands are not free, but I do offer a couple ways to get yours free for helping spread the word about them.  I did give a handful away for free during the gluten free Twitter party #gfree.

Bakeries: There are some great bakeries out there that make gluten free items.  Lots of them are even supplying restaurants so they can offer their version of gluten free plates.  I started a list of gluten free bakeries sorted by state.

Jokes: I would have never guessed that so many people would search for jokes about celiac.  I guess when the symptoms are “dirty,” you could call these dirty jokes!

Margaritas: Yes, margaritas are gluten free!  There are lots of different ways to make them, but I posted my favorite.  I can’t think of anything that is normal in margaritas that could contain gluten.  This is always one of my safe bets.  I used to love a nice cold beer on a hot day(or any occasion) but good margaritas are doing the trick for me now.

Magazine: There are a few magazines about living gluten free: Delight (that I wrote a review of), and Gluten Free Living.

Effects of Gluten/Sleepy/Lethargic:  I didn’t have the typical stomach symptoms, so it was tough for me to make the switch to gluten free and keep on track.  After years of delaying my switch, I noticed I was always tired and could care less about many things.  After switching, I feel great and alert!  When I accidentally get ‘glutened’ I can tell a difference in how I feel that day and the next morning.  I wake up after sleeping 10 hours and think back to something I ate yesterday.

Beer/Light Beer/Redbridge/Bud Light: NO, Bud Light is not gluten free!  YES, Redbridge is gluten free!  There are many alternatives now and many more to come!  ARTICLE

Taquitos: You have to watch out when buying or ordering taquitos,  they can have hidden sources of gluten.  First, you need to make sure they use corn tortillas.  Second, frequently even ground beef can have gluten added to it.  I wrote an article about some taquitos I found that state on the box GLUTEN FREE.

Pizza: Pizza is one of the things I miss the most.  I used to be able to go to the Little Ceasar’s and get a $5 pizza- how convenient, cheap and good.  I can’t do that anymore.  Here are a list of places that serve gluten free pizza.  Through trial and error, I have found some good ones.

#gfree: This was a Twitter tag that is used to categorize Tweets when talking about gluten free.  It was started when we had a gluten free party day.  The #gfree party was a huge sucess, and I hope to see many more in the future.  People continue to use it.

I hope this article has helped give you quick references to the most frequently searched terms on my site about gluten free.  I’m sure I will add more in the future.