Branch Out — Restaurant in Paducah

I must do my due diligence here.

My SO has severe Ulcerative Colitis, and has to eat a gluten-free diet to reduce the inflammation. Living in Murray, options are very limited. Googling "gluten free Paducah Ky" resulted in Branch Out showing up first. I am NOT a gluten-free eater myself. Typical omnivore, so gluten-free and vegan restaurants aren't in my wheelhouse.

I did some extensive research and diving into the reviews, menu, atmosphere, etc. I came off impressed and intrigued. I sent them a message on FB asking a couple questions (hours before they opened) and the owner read & replied within minutes. Super informative, very accommodating.

When we got there, the owner happened to be working the front counter. She very meticulously explained the ingredients in the dishes we were interested in, without even asking!

My girl got the Mac & Cheese, and 2 falafels, which they made without frying for her specifically.

I ordered the Carne Asada tacos and chips & salsa, a caramel apple cookie, smores cupcake, and carrot cake cupcake.

The presentation was fantastic; the care put into the preparation is evident.

I tried her Mac & Cheese and it tasted fantastic! The salsa for my chips and salsa was fresh, a little cilantro heavy, but delicious. I added some Cholula (spelling?) Hot sauce to kick it up a notch. The tortilla chips were likely bought, but they were fresh! Next, the carne asada tacos: flavor-FULL!! A lot of fresh flavors, and the faux meat, whatever it is, it tasted like steak! If you didn't see it or know ahead of time, you could pass them off as the real deal. The soft shell tasted like a regular homemade corn tortilla. I ate every bite.

Last but not least, the desserts: all very appealing, and the flavors can compete with "normal" made desserts. You MUST try the carrot cake cupcakes if you're a carrot cake fan. Sinfully good. The smores cupcake was rich, but not overbearing in the least. If I had to rank, the caramel apple cookie was #3. I enjoyed it, but done over again, I would've gotten a 3rd cupcake.

And no, I didn't eat all the sweets in the same sitting!! 🤣 I did try half of them all before I left.

The staff was great, the owner was super accommodating, the food was well above my very skeptical & intrigued expectations, the bathrooms were clean, the atmosphere was open and sleek, and the prices were very fair.

I am extremely grateful to offer my significant other a worry-free dining experience. I highly recommend this restaurant for those that have to miss out on "normal food" on a daily basis; they will be...

I've lived in Southern Illinois for over ten years and finally made it over to Paducah for lunch at Branch Out during our Spring Break! I had the Hearts of Palm Fish Tacos with a side of Indian Street Fries while my 14yo had the Quinoa Nachos. My 10yo had the mac'n'cheese and ate some fries that my non-vegan husband ordered. 😋

The tacos were sooo delicious, and my teen absolutely loved the nachos so much that he now wants cashew cheese on everything! 😆 My daughter didn't care for the mac'n'cheese much saying that it was too "spicy". I tried a bite and thought it tasted okay. Not the greatest but decent. If they toned down the garlic/spices and upped the creaminess (like the sauce on the nachos), it would probably be much better/more kid-friendly. Looking at other pictures of the Indian Street Fries on here, mine seem to have been overloaded on the spices and weren't very enjoyable. The regular fries were great, though.

We each ordered a dessert to take home and enjoyed everything. The cupcakes and brownie were probably our favorites. I didn't see that they offered milkshakes (as a previous reviewer mentioned), but maybe that's a seasonal offering. They offer several different flavors of donuts every Saturday (several different donut flavors s each month), but we arrived late in the day... and they were all gone. Like most good restaurants, Branch Out changes several dishes on their menu seasonally, so we're all looking forward to another visit this summer.

Interior space is beautiful, open,...

This is the best food I've had in a long minute! I can't have gluten, dairy, or nightshade vegetables. Most of the time, that means eating very bland food, eating the same food over and over (a very sarcastic yay goes out to plain hamburger patties), or not being able to eat out at all. Once I told the staff my restrictions, they quickly picked out things I could eat, and came up with substitutions that would still be tasty, so I had multiple options. I can't believe how flavourful this food was. The bread was soft, crusty, and moist. It didn't fall apart like most gf bread. The lettuce was all crisp, the slaw was tender and not at all soggy or wilted. Everything tasted so fresh and the flavors were strong, bold, and worked insanely well together, even without the use of nightshades, gluten, or dairy. I ended up buying a lot of stuff to go as well, including bakery items and buns, and didn't pay over $30, an incredible deal considering how expensive most gluten free places are. I cannot recommend them enough. This was a really amazing experience, and my profound thanks goes to the staff for helping me and giving me such a judgment-free,...