While moving back up to Maryland a couple weeks ago, my dad wanted to grab lunch with an old friend of his amidst all of the unpacking and supply runs. Wanting to mesh his tastes with my gluten-free needs, I suggested Glory Days Grill, which was a short drive away, which offered an extensive gluten-free menu as well as plenty of sports-related watching and eating to satisfy his friend and him. 


While I am not normally a sports bar person, I certainly recognize that there are definitely restaurants for every interest and taste, so will right off the bat go ahead and say that Glory Days Grill is not a restaurant I would go on my own, which indeed instilled a sense of a lack of enthusiasm going into this review.


As it turned out, Glory Days did impress me with their service and gluten-free know-how, and earned my respect as a chain restaurant in the area that understands how to take care of gluten-free customers.


As our party was seated, I informed the waitress that I had a gluten and dairy “allergy” and she quickly brought over the gluten-free menu. I was impressed by the sheer amount of options on the gluten-free menu, which range from burgers (with buns), wings, entrees, and even desserts. The menu provides guidance with how to order menu items safely, but my waitress informed me that all staff members report allergy orders to the manager on duty, who enters the order to make sure that the kitchen takes extra precautions. All locations have dedicated gluten-free fryers in-house, so rest assured that the fried items on the menu are truly safe. For those who are interested, Glory Days does offer Angry Orchard and Omission beer.


Note that the gluten-free options are only available in Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia locations. To see the gluten-free menu online, click here.

Not really feeling too adventurous, I decided to go with the grilled shrimp platter, choosing steamed vegetables and red potatoes as my sides. The shrimp had a nice grilled taste, and were already peeled- a plus for me as I hate peeling them one at a time. Steamed to perfection, they were not overdone, as shrimp often is. The steamed broccoli and carrots were tender, and seasoned to taste, and while not radically amazing, hit the spot. The potatoes, sprinkled with a seasoning, were dry, and I only ate one, as I am already not much of a potato eater. Over all, the dish was satisfying, and definitely went above my admittedly low expectations.

While I was not overly enthused about Glory Days, I’m glad that they have protocol in place to make dining out gluten-free easy and non-restricting. For those who enjoy going out to eat on game day, or cheering on the home team when they’re away, Glory Days is a great option, because the plethora of televisions around the restaurant make the restaurant a haven for sports fans.