Java Jack's Restaurant & Gallery — Restaurant in Newfoundland and Labrador

Ciliac/Gluten Sensitive Beware Thought it would be great. It wasn't. Seating aside - sitting pretty much on top of strangers isn't my thing. If I wanted that, I'd go to Europe. The hour+ long wait? Meh, I've worked in restaurants, it happens.

No, what ruined it was that from the moment I booked the reservation, they were aware a GF guest was coming. It was reminded to them. Yet a senior member of the staff, who was trying to be helpful, brought us a complimentary cream soup. Err, okay, questioned that one, but she insisted it did not contain flour, just cream. So I mentioned how bechamel based soups are made... With a roux. She thought she should at that point check - though previously trying to ensure it was all good. She returned and confirmed it was indeed a roux containing soup - so wheat. Should have left at that point.

Cod arrived. And it had a crust on it. Ask a different waitress to confirm what it was, returned saying it was starch. Should have refused it then. But, it's Gross Morne, not many options to eat. I was starving. An hour later, as I write this, I would have been better off not eating anything at all.

Note to restaurants: I get there are a lot of twits who come in shunning gluten/wheat because some celebrity is pushing a new fad diet. But for a lot of us, it isn't a fad, it's something we have to deal with and live with. If you cannot accommodate people with food allergies, just bloody well say it upfront.

All that aside - cod was tasteless. Vegetables raw. The little tomatoes as a sauce/garnish and the two pieces of caggabe,...

Weird. Jekyll and Hyde. 8 of us had dinner, ranging from good to delicious. A cut above standard Newfoundland fare; tasty, even inventive. So on our way out we ordered takeout breakfast (muffins) and lunch (sandwiches) to pick up the next morning. Not cheap, but hopefully worth it for quality and convenience.

They were awful. Muffins doughy, tasteless. All 8 of us independendly agreed they were close to the worst muffins we had ever had, on par with one's first attempts to bake at age 9, leaving out crucial ingredients. The sandwiches ranged from boring down to tasteless, with one completely butchered. (Ordered as club with no dairy, was packed as sandwich fillings with no bread at all and no utensils to eat the deconstructed fillings either).

What happened? Not-yet-competent morning staff early in the season? Insufficient attention by chef to the 2nd tier packaged side of the business? Who knows. But I'm left thinking they're worth a visit for a sit-down meal where you can send things back (though hopefully you won't need to...), but not for take-out, where you discover major problems when...

Edit: I don't think it's sincere for you to acknowledge that I have an opinion and then try to correct me when we share opposite experiences and perceptions of what's fresh or not. I’m sorry you’re struggling with costs and fresh item procurements, but none of these are direct responsibilities of mine. As a paying customer, I am very disappointed in your response, and hope your team can take a more direct approach to addressing your customers needs in the future.

We ordered the lobster sandwich dish, and we could tell from tasting it that the lobster had been frozen. If I’m paying over $30+ for a lobster sandwich, you’d at least expect something fresh, especially given that this is Newfoundland. I asked the local hotel owner about this restaurant and he also suggested some other alternatives to get fresh seafood, because this place seemed more like a tourist trap than an...