A Pizza Hut take-out

Photo/GFGardenState

Pizza Hut launched its gluten-free initiative earlier this week, and days later, I had my first opportunity try a pie.

My experience was pleasantly surprising, yet not over-the-moon satisfying. Quite frankly, I had low expectations going in. Having not eaten at Pizza Hut in many years, I was happy to discover a decent product that was better than a typical pizza chain of the corporate kind.

If you like flat-bread pizzas, Pizza Hut’s gluten-free pies are a good choice. A pre-made crust by well-known brand Udi’s Gluten Free is the base for the new personal-size pizzas, which can be ordered as plain cheese or with pepperoni. (Other toppings are subject to cross-contamination.) I found the sauce flavorful without being too sweet and an appropriate amount of cheese that was nicely melted.   

The negatives, in my opinion, are the size (slightly more than one person needs, but not enough to share as a meal), the prices ($9.99, plus $1 for pepperoni) and, well, the lack of fold-ability that some other gluten-free pizza possess. I'm a Jersey girl, and I simply need to fold my slice of pizza.

And although Pizza Hut has advertised special boxes that clearly label a pizza as “gluten-free,” we received a regular box with out take-out order. The small pizza slid all over the place on the way home.

While Pizza Hut isn’t my first choice, it’s certainly a nice, convenient option. It’s also one more place we Celiacs can go out to eat with our families and friends. I recommend you give it a try. Then, let us know what you think.

Additional information about the new Pizza Hut gluten-free initiative, including participating locations in New Jersey, can be found in a previous blog post. Click here to read on.