Archive by Author | theveganview
August 16, 2015  

Benchmark Foods

What I like to call benchmark foods are dishes, desserts, sandwiches, etc. I use to gauge a restaurant or city’s vegan suitableness.  For example, Does a town have a falafel place.  No? Shit hole, etc.  My standards are quite high, I’ll admit.  12 years of veganism and 250+ restaurants later has taught me a lot about quality in foodie world.

So, my benchmark foods are:

FALAFEL

Falafel

Falafel sandwich with roasted cauliflower salad wrapped in a za’atar pizza – Melbourne, Australia

That crispy golden ball of ground chickpea and herbs/spices gets me every time.  It’s my #1 craving.  It’s best when you have a salad bar where you can add your own toppings, like roasted cauliflower, pickled veggies, and tahini sauce. The perfect Falafel starts with fluffy pita bread that encases the falafel and fixings like a soft shell taco, a nice tomato, cucumber, and red onion salad, mixed greens, roasted cauliflower and liberal amounts of tahini.  I haven’t been to Israel yet, but my favourite falafel so far has been at Mediterranean Avenue in Seattle Westlake Centre.

The REUBEN

Rueben from Native Foods. Washington DC

Reuben from Native Foods. Washington DC

Reuben from Localita and the Badasserie in LA

Reuben from Localita and the Badasserie – Los Angeles, CA

If you don’t know about this sandwich, it’s a gift from the dogs (transposition of the g and d on purpose).  It starts with a (preferably) marbled rye, layered with corned beef, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, melted swiss cheese, and grilled on both sides.  Of course, this is far from vegan, but since it is a dogsend, many people have veganised it in various ways.  Most often it’s made as a tempeh rueben, but faux corned beef wins for sure.

CHEEZECAKE

RAW Caramel Chocolate Cheezecake

RAW Caramel Chocolate Cheezecake – Earth to Table – Sydney, Australia

White chocolate raspberry raw cheezecake from Yong Green Food. Melbourne, Australia

White Chocolate Raspberry Raw Cheezecake – Yong Green Food – Melbourne, Australia

Cheesecake has always been my favourite dessert, and since I became vegan, It’s been a mission of mine to find the best vegan cheezecake.  So, I make sure to order a cheezecake when it’s available at a vegan restaurant.

August 2, 2015  

Vegan the World Over – “The List”

Hello Folks and welcome to my blog, The Vegan ‘View, that’s short for review as I intend to review restaurants and shoppes, markets, curios, boutiques, etc that are completely vegan.  I also go to vegetarian restaurants that are very vegan friendly. For this first post, I will simply list the restaurants and shops that I’ve been to around the world and will later showcase cities or specific restaurants that I’ve found amazeballs. I also plan to make top 10s

* Menu is vegan, but they supply bovine lactation for patrons prone to kvetching

** Everything on the menu can be made vegan.

† No Longer Open

§ Boutique/Grocery/Curio/Shoe Store

∞ Vegan Project/Eco Village/Sanctuary

USA

Washington

Seattle

Vegan:

1.     Araya’s Thai

2.     Wayward Café

3.     Mighty-O Doughnuts*

4.     Teapot†

5.     Hillside Quickies†

6.     The Café (Sage)†

7.     Bamboo Garden

8.     Chaco Canyon*

9.     Globe Café*†

10.  In the Bowl†

11.  Pizza Pi

12.  Vegan Garden

13.  Quickie’s too (Tacoma)

14.  Café Messiah*†

15.  Squid and Ink†

16.  Plum Bistro

17.  Wild Prairie Bakery†

18.  Highline

19.  Veggiegrill UD

20.  Veggiegrill SLU

21.  Chaco Canyon WS

22.  Sutra*†

23.  Sidecar/Vegan Haven§

24.  Pig’s Peace Sanctuary∞

 Veg:

1.     Café Flora

2.     Carmelita

3.     Cyber Dogs

4.     The Healthy Hedon†

5.     Vegetarian Bistro

6.     Flying Apron

7.     Georgetown Liquor Company

8.     Wayward Coffeehouse

9.     My Sweet Lord
Walla Walla

Vegan:

1.     The Garden Vegan Cafe

2.     Buck Brogiotti Animal Rescue∞

Oregon

Portland

Vegan:

3.     Veganopolis†

4.     Blossoming Lotus

5.     Bye & Bye

6.     SweetPea Bakery

7.     Portobello

8.     Native Bowl

9.     Ruby Dragon†

10.  Los Gorditos**

11.  Back to Eden

12.  Dovetail†

13.  Papa G’s

14.  Sip

15.  Canteen

16.  Tandem Treats

17.  Native Foods

18.  Homegrown Smoker

19.  Red and Black Café

20.  Veggiegrill DT

21.  Sweet Hereafter

22.  Sonny Bowl

23.  Food Fight Grocery§

24.  Green Acres∞

25.  Out to Pasture∞

 Veg:

1.     Vegetarian House

2.     Prasad (Food cart† and Restaurant)

3.     Paradox (All vegan except cow burger)

4.     Vita Café (All vegan except cow burger)

5.     DC Veg

6.     Bombay Chaat House

7.     Proper Eats

8.     AND Café

9.     Van Hahn Veg Restaurant

California

Berkeley

Vegan:

1.     Cha-Ya

2.     Café Gratitude

3.     Flacos

4.     Cinnaholic

5.     Sancturary Bistro

6.     Herbivore

7.     Republic of V§

 San Francisco

Vegan:

1.     Golden Era

2.     Millennium

3.     Pepple’s Doughnuts

4.     Gracias Madre

5.     Herbivore – Mission

 Oakland

Vegan:

1.     Pepple’s Doughnut Farm

2.     Souley Vegan

3.     Timeless Coffee Roasters
Riverside

Vegan:

1.     Chico’s**

 Sacramento

Vegan:

1.     Plum Café and Bakery

 Ukaiah

Veg:

1.     Taste Buds
Los Angeles

Vegan:

1.     Flore

2.     Baby Cakes*

3.     Sage Organic Vegan Bistro

4.     KindKreme

5.     Cruzer Pizza

6.     Seed – Venice Beach

 Santa Monica

Vegan:

1.     Real Food Daily

Colorado

Denver

Vegan:

1.     Watercourse Foods

2.     City O’ City**

3.     BeetBox bakery and café

4.     Nooch§

5.     Peaceful Prairie∞

 Manitou Springs

Vegan:

1.     Organic Earth Café†
Boulder

Vegan:

1.     VG Burger

2.     Café Preshad

3.     Native Foods

4.     Julia’s Kitchen

5.     3 Little Figs§†

 Veg:

1.     Masala

2.     Leaf

3.     Zudaka**
Fort Collins

Vegan:

1.     Tasty Harmony••

 Veg:

1.     Beancycle
Aspen

Veg:

1.     Explore Bistro

Mountain States

Tucson

Vegan:

1.     Lovin’ Spoonfuls

 Veg:

1.     Casbah Teahouse†

2.     Govinda’s Buffet
Salt Lake City

Vegan:

1.     Sage’s Café

Midwest

Chicago

Vegan:

1.     Soul Vegetarian – East

2.     Karyn’s Cooked

3.     Native Foods –Hyde Park

 Veg:

1.     The Chicago Diner

2.     The Wormhole Coffee Shop
Ann Arbor

Veg:

1.     Earthen Jar

South

Austin

Vegan:

1.     Duba Joy

2.     Casa de Luz

 Veg:

1.     Mother’s
Asheville

Vegan:

1.     Plant

2.     Firestorm Café†

 Veg:

1.     Rosetta’s Kitchen
Amarillo

Veg:

1.     The 806

 Atlanta

Vegan:

1.     Café Sunflower

2.     Soul Vegetarian – South
New Orleans

Veg:

1.     Fair Grind’s Coffee House

Florida

Tallahassee

Vegan:

1.     Soul Vegetarian

 Tampa

Vegan:

1.     GrassRoots

2.     Loving Hut

 Sarasota

Vegan:

1.     Mí Pueblo**
Gainesville

Veg:

1.     Karma Cream

 Fort Myers

Veg:

1.     Pizza Fusion**

 St. Augustine

Vegan:

1.     Present Moment
Orlando

Vegan:

1.     Ethos

2.     Artichoke Red§

 Veg:

1.     Bombay Café

2.     Dandelion communiTea

3.     Rhapsodic Bakery
Fort Lauderdale

Vegan:

1.     Sublime

 Veg:

1.     Udipi

Northeast/New England

D.C

Vegan:

1.     Sticky Fingers Bakery

2.     Café Green

3.     NativeFoods –Penn Quarter

4.     Woodlands Vegan Bistro

5.     Evolve

6.     Senbeb Cafe

7.     Calabash Tea and Tonic

 Veg:

1.     Java Green
NYC

Vegan:

1.     Food Swings†

2.     Franchia

3.     Cocoa V†

4.     Peacefood Café – Uptown

5.     Babycakes

6.     Cinnamon Snail†

7.     Angelica Kitchen

8.     Champs Dinner

9.     Dun Well Donuts

10.  V Bar

11.  Clementine Bakery

12.  Wild Ginger – Brooklyn

13.  Beyond Sushi – MOMA

 Veg:

1.     Boneshakers†

2.     Lil Skips

3.     Yonah Schimmel
Baltimore

Veg:

1.     Red Emma’s

 Nyack

Veg:

1.     Main Essentials
Boston

Vegan:

1.     My Thai

2.     Peace O’ Pie

 Bethlehem

Vegan

1.     Vegan Treats

 

Canada

British Columbia

Vancouver

Vegan:

1.     Dharma Kitchen

2.     Paradise Vegetarian Noodle House (Burnaby)

3.     3G Vegetarian

4.     Vegan Pizza House

5.     Eternal Abundance

6.     Fairy Cakes

7.     Chau Veggie Express

8.     Graze

9.     Edible Flours

10.  Nice Shoes§

 Veg:

1.     Sweet Cherubim

2.     Bandidas

3.     The Black Lodge

4.     The Foundation Lounge

5.     Café Deux Soleils

6.     Hon’s Wun-Tun House••
Victoria

Vegan:

1.     Sarah’s Place§

2.     Green Cuisine

3.     Lotus Pond

 Veg:

1.     Café Bliss

Ontario

Toronto:

Vegan:

1.     Vegetarian Haven

2.     Buddha’s Vegetarian Foods

3.     Hibiscus

4.     LIVE

5.     Urban Herbivore

 Veg:

1.     Kensington Natural Bakery

2.     M and B Yummy Ethiopian
Kitchener

Vegan:

1.     Lotus Tea House

Quebec

Montreal

Vegan:

1.     Aux Vivres

2.     Spirite Lounge

 Veg:

1.     La Faim du Monde

2.     ChuChai

3.     Casa del Popolo 

Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo

Vegan:

1.    Rasta Kitchen

 Veg:

1.    Raices

Costa Rica

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Vegan:

1.     Veronica’s Place

 Veg:

1. Caribeans Coffee
San José

Veg:

1.     Vishnu

Germany

Berlin

Vegan:

1.     Veganz Goodies Cafe – Original

2.     Viasko

3.     Mamo Falafel

4.     Sun Day Burgers

5.     Goodies Veganz – Kruetzburg

6.     Vöner

7.     Ohlala

8.     Chaostheorie

9.     Vego Food World

10.  Veganz§

11.  Veganz§ – Kruetzburg

 Veg:

1.     Yellow Sunshine
Frankfurt

Vegan:

1.     Edelkiosk

2.     Wondergood Veganz

3.     BioSchpann**

4.     Extravegant

 Düsseldorf

Vegan:

1.     Sattgruen

Norway

Oslo

Vegan

  1. Funky Fresh Foods
  2. Loving Hut

 

Switzerland

Zurich

Vegan

1.     Vegelateria

 Veg

1.     Haus Hiltl

 

Netherlands

Amsterdam

Veg:

  1. Bolhead
  2. Vege-life§

Spain

Madrid

Veg:

  1. Ecocentro§
  2. La Biotika
  3. Sopa
  4. Viva la vida
  5. Yerbabuena

Barcelona

Vegan:

1.     Catbar

2.     Gopal

3.     Juicy Jones – Cardenal

4.     Veganoteca§

5.     Ecocentre§

 Veg:

1.     Arco Iris

2.     Maoz Falafel

3.     Vegetalia – Escudellers

Portugal

Lisboa

Vegan:

1.     Bake the Difference†

 Veg:

1.     Bem-Me-Quer

2.     Terra Restaurante Natural

3.     Bio Restaurante Vegetariano

Italy

Milan

Vegan

  1. Mens Sana – Lazio
  2. Mudra Natural Café

Japan

Kyoto

Vegan:

1.     Café Peace

 Tokyo

Vegan:

1.     Brown Rice Café

India

Pondichery

Vegan:

1.     Energy Home

 Veg:

1.     Sugaru

2.     Ananda Bhavan
Auroville

Vegan

1.     Sachitananda

2.     Sadhana Forest∞
Bangalore

Vegan:

1.     Carrots

2.     Paradigm Shift

 Veg:

1.     In the Pink
Tiruvannamalai

1.     The Dreaming Tree
Mamallapuram

Veg

1.     Golden Palate

 Chennai

Vegan

1.     VeganeR
Goa

Veg

1.     Whole Bean Café

Nepal

Kathmandu

Veg:

  1. OR2K
  2. Places
  3. Fine Grains Bakery
  4. Happiness Veg

UAE

Dubai

Vegan

  1. Bestro

 

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

Vegan

  1. Loving Café
  2. Dharma Realm
  3. Loving Hut
  4. Be Lohas – Airport
  5. Be Lohas –
  6. Green Garden Organic
  7. Sentul
  8. Soon Tet

Singapore

Singapore

Vegan:

1.     Genesis

2.     LivinGreens

3.     Loving Hut – Suntec

4.     Veganburg

5.     Zen

6.     Eastern Highlands

7.     Soyato

8.     Naïve†

 Veg:

1.     New Green Pastures

 

Thailand

Bangkok

Vegan:

1.     Loving Hut – Marriot

2.     May Kaidees

3.     Herwin’s Vegan Café

4.     Vegstall MBK

5.     Rasayanna Raw Healthy Deli

 Veg:

1.     Ur Station

2.     Ethos

Chaing Mai

Vegan:

1.     May Kaidee

2.     Veg Stall- Chaing Mai Gate

 Veg:

1.     Beetroot Stories Café

2.     Free Bird Café

3.     Juicy4u

4.     Khun Churn

5.     Pun Pun

6.     Taste from Heaven

7.     TianZ Tea House

8.     Tien Sieng

Pai

Veg:

  1. Char Xin Jai
  2. Fat Cat café

New Zealand

Auckland

Vegan:

1.     Loving Hut

 Veg:

1.     Bascillium

2.     Cosset

3.     Blue Bird Café

4.     Wise Cicada

Christchurch

Veg:

  1. Lotus Heart
  2. Eternal Delight
  3. Welcome

Dunedin

Vegan:

1.     Joyful Vegan Cart

 Veg:

1.     Circadian Rhythm

Timaru

Veg:

  1. Vegetarian Grocery Shop§

Australia

Brisbane

Vegan:

1.     Get Vegan with Jadda

2.     The Forest Food Lodge*

3.     The Green Edge

4.     Farm Animals Rescue∞

 Veg:

1.     VegeRama – West End

2.     Beach House Health Bar

Melbourne

Vegan:

1.     Mantra Lounge

2.     Al Nada Sweets

3.     Las Vegans Café

4.     Loving Hut – Northcote

5.     Loving Hut – Richmond

6.     Crumbs Organic Bakery*

7.     Realfoods Café RMIT

8.     Supercharger

9.     White Lotus

10.  Mr. Nice Guys

11.  Fina’s 2

12.  Lentil as Anything – Preston

13.  Madame K’s

14.  Smith & Daughters

15.  Pana Chocolate

16.  Merry Cupcakes*

17.  Cruelty Free Shoppe§

18.  Veganwares§

19.  Veganstyle§

20.  Mad Cowgirls§

 Veg:

1.     Om Vegetarian

2.     Nastralous Pizza

3.     Monk Bodhi Dharma

4.     Casa Del Gelato

5.     Friends of the Earth

6.     Radney Chai Bar

7.     Vegie Bar

8.     Yong Green Food

9.     BoDeTrai

10.  Tofu Shop International

11.  Falafel Factory

12.  Trippy Taco

13.  Gong De Lin

14.  Lentil as Anything – Abbotsford

15.  Lentil as Anything – St. Kilda

16.  Lentil as Anything – Footscray

17.  Lord of the Fries – Melbourne Central

18.  Lord of the Fries – Swanston ST.

19.  Lord of the Fries – Flinder’s ST. Station