Gluten-free burger in Hoboken: ordering the Big J at Uncle Rocco
One burger on the menu has a gluten-free roll and dairy-free cheese listed on its ordering page. Here is which one, how to ask for the rest, and what the kitchen cannot promise.
For a gluten free burger in Hoboken, Uncle Rocco at 112 Willow Ave has one burger whose ordering page lists a gluten-free roll and dairy-free cheese as options: the Big J Burger. Each option carries an added charge. The restaurant's pages say nothing like that about its other burgers, so this guide sorts out what is confirmed, what to ask about, and what the kitchen cannot promise.
What the Big J offers
The Big J Burger is double grass-fed wagyu beef with fancy sauce, pickles, American cheese, onions and tomatoes. When you order it online, the ordering page lets you pick fries or salad as the side. It also lists cheese fries, a gluten-free roll and dairy-free cheese as options, and the roll and the cheese each come with an added charge. They are listed as two separate choices.
What the site says about the other burgers
The Big J is the only burger whose page mentions a roll or cheese option. Here is what the restaurant does say about the rest.
- The Smash Burger: one grass-fed, 100% wagyu beef patty with onions, American cheese and pickles on a sesame seed bun, served with fries. No roll or cheese option is listed on the site for it.
- The Rocco Burger: grass-fed, 100% beef with smoked Gouda, special sauce, pickles, caramelized onions and thick cut bacon. No roll or cheese option is listed for it either.
- The Bread Pudding Smash: a 3 oz smashed burger with the restaurant's baby bread pudding, topped with caramel. The dietary page says the Baby Bread Pudding is not available gluten-free and that the same caveat carries over to this burger.
If the Smash Burger is the one you want, ask before you order whether a gluten-free roll or dairy-free cheese can go on it. The answer is not on the site, so a question is the only way to find out. Our smash burger Hoboken guide covers how the Smash Burger compares with the Big J, and the burgers page sets the whole lineup side by side with photos.
How to ask
Online, open the Big J on the ordering page and choose the roll or the cheese there. The ordering page also has a special instructions box. The note under it, which comes from Toast, says the kitchen will do its best but may not be able to honor every substitution. For anything that matters, add a phone call to the order.
At the table, tell your server when you order. The kitchen makes its own mozzarella, sauces and desserts, and the dietary page says a request to leave something out is one the line can usually act on. It also says to ask at the point of ordering instead of assuming a substitution is possible.
By phone, call (201) 238-2484 before you order. The dietary page puts it this way: a call to a kitchen that is cooking today beats a web page that was written last month.
The allergy and cross-contact limit
An open kitchen this size cannot promise a fully separated preparation area. The dietary page describes it as a shared scratch kitchen that is open to the dining room, and it says the restaurant does not publish an allergen chart for the menu. A gluten-free roll covers the bread and nothing else on the plate.
The Celiac Disease Foundation describes cross-contact as food coming into contact with gluten, generally through shared utensils or a shared cooking or storage environment. It lists toasters used for both gluten-free and regular bread, and fried foods cooked in oil shared with breaded products, among the places it happens. If gluten is a medical matter for you, tell your server so, ask about the fries too, and call before you order.
For a dairy allergy or any other allergy, the advice is the same: tell your server or call before you order.
Other dietary options on the menu
The restaurant says its gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian options run through the main menu instead of sitting in a separate section. What the menu itself states is short, and the dietary page keeps to it.
| If you want... | Look at |
|---|---|
| A gluten-free roll or dairy-free cheese on a burger | Big J Burger, with the option chosen on the ordering page |
| A gluten-free dessert | Gluten Free Brownie with Ice Cream |
| A gluten-free wrap | Veggie Wrap, with the gluten-free tortilla option online |
| A swap on the Smash Burger or Rocco Burger | Ask first, because the site lists none |
| Something to skip if you need gluten-free | Baby Bread Pudding and the Bread Pudding Smash |
The brownie is the one dessert named gluten-free in its own title. Guest Natalie Allgyer wrote in a Google review: "Even the gluten-free brownie was amazing!"
The Veggie Wrap is roasted mushroom, zucchini, aji amarillo, spring mix and mozzarella. Ordering online, you can choose a gluten-free tortilla for an added charge. The wrap contains dairy, because the mozzarella is made in the building. The vegetarian dishes guide covers the other five meat-free dishes, and it notes where dairy turns up in them: the Avocado Toast, the cheddar sauce on the Mac 'n Cheese and the whipped cream on the pancake. None of the six is labelled vegan on the menu, and the catering page says the kitchen will do its best with vegan requests if you call first.
When you can order one
The burgers are on for every service, brunch included, because the lunch and dinner menu runs alongside the brunch board. Monday to Thursday the restaurant is open 9 AM to 1 PM and 5 to 9 PM, Friday 9 AM to 10 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 9 PM and Sunday 9 AM to 8 PM. On those four weekdays the room is shut from 1 to 5, so a weekday burger is either a morning order or a dinner one.
Pickup, delivery or a table
The restaurant's online ordering page takes pickup and delivery orders, and delivery orders placed there go out with the restaurant's own drivers. The takeout and delivery guide covers ordering direct in more detail. Eating in, walk-ins are welcome, and the room is on the block of Willow Avenue between 1st and 2nd Street.
Get your burger
Order ahead on the online ordering page, book a table on Resy, or call (201) 238-2484. Hours for every day are on the contact page, and the full list of dishes is on the menu page.
