Wayward Vegan Cafe, Seattle WA

Our last meal in Seattle was at non other than Wayward. We had to get one last visit in before flying home. On this I ordered the meatball sub again as I couldn't stop thinking about how tasty it was. So good. One of my favorite sandwiches, and probably so terrible for you. I mean it is huge! I ate the sandwich and took the fries to go as it was way too much food for me to eat at one time.


Raymond ordered his old favorite, a Mexi biscuit with a side of mushroom gravy. The mexican spiced tofu was never my favorite. It is not bad, but I prefer the breakfast biscuit with just cheesy tofu. All in all though a pretty tasty breakfast, and Raymond loves it.

Overall - I am already missing Wayward for breakfast. We both love it and you should definitely check it out if you are in Seattle. Everything is so tasty!

Wayward Vegan Cafe, Seattle WA

On our visit to Seattle we ate at Wayward Cafe as much as we could. Raymond really misses the American style breakfast. On this visit we ordered the Pancake Combo - a pancake, tofu scramble, sausage, and tempeh bacon. This was all very tasty. I used to ask to add cheese to the tofu scramble because their plain tofu scramble made me gag for some reason (not sure why...) but I forgot that this time, though this scramble was actually pretty tasty. The tempeh bacon is good, the sausage was not as good as it used to be but still enjoyable, and the pancake was perfect and delicious.


We also ordered the Ribwich to try - BBQ seitan, red onions nd tartar sauce on a hoagy roll. This was tasty, but not my favorite sandwich I have had there. I mean the ribs were very good, and if I hadn't had the meatball sandwich days prior I would have liked it more (with nothing to compare it to). Raymond however loved this one more than the other sandwiches we tried.

Overall - I still love Wayward. I miss our weekly visits, but if you are in Seattle you definitely should try it out for breakfast. Everything is always pretty tasty and delicious.

Cherry Street Coffee, Seattle WA

I met a friend for breakfast at Cherry Street Coffee one morning. I used to stop by occasionally for lunch as there was a location close to my work. I loved their hummus sandwich so since it was morning I got the hummus bagel sandwich - homemade hummus, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion and sprouts on a bagel. This was just as delicious as I remembered. Their hummus is really good and all the veggies just make it tastier. So good.

Overall - I love the hummus sandwich at Cherry Street. They also have a delicious falafel salad and sandwich. Very tasty.

Georgetown Liquor Company, Seattle WA

I love Georgetown Liquor Company. We would stop by fairly often for some sandwiches and soups. I almost always get the same sandwich because I love it so much - the Baron - vegan ‘ham’ marinated in a tangy BBQ sauce, sliced tomatoes and baby field greens served toasted on ciabatta. It is so tasty and delicious. I also usually get the soup if there is a good option. They always have split pea, but I don't think it is very good (one of the few things I have tried there that I did not enjoy). This night they had baked potato soup which was amazing. Smokey, thick and delicious and I loved it! Definitely try it if they have it.

Overall - I love Georgetown Liquor Company. Their sandwiches are so tasty and I love them. Definitely stop by and check it out.

Herat of Joy Cafe, Salzburg Austria

Heart of Joy Cafe is a vegetarian coffee shop with a few food options. I started with a soy chai tea latte which I love. Unfortunately this one just tasted like hot water...not sure why there was no flavor to it. I would not recommend it.



We tried one of each of their vegan sandwiches. Above is the ham one - seitan, tomato, lettuce, mustard. This was delicious. The seitan gave it a smokey flavor which was nice.



We also tried the tofu sandwich - same as above except tofu instead if seitan. I actually preferred this one even though they were both tasty. The tofu was seasoned well and had a nice flavor and it was delicious.

Overall - I would go back for a sandwich again, though skip the soy chai tea latte. It had no flavor.

Gentle Gourmet Cafe, Paris France

Our last day in Paris we started off eating breakfast and Gentle Gourmet. Even though some of the dinner foods were less than amazing, they did have croissants so we had to go back and try them out. They were really tasty - probably the best vegan croissants I have had. Light and flaky and just amazing. We took some to go so we could eat them on the plane early the next morning.



We also tried on of their sandwiches which is actually twice as big as the photo since they cut it in half for us and gave us our own plates. The people working here really are the nicest people and the lady who owns it is so sweet. We walked in and we had stayed at the Gentle Gourmet bed and breakfast two years ago. She came over and was like you guys didn't stay at the b&b did you? She remembered us from 2 years ago! Incredible as I am sure she has met a lot of people. We also had a nice talk about vegan foods and Paris and Seattle and they are just incredibly nice and accommodating here. The sandwich had smoked tofu, mayo, lettuce and tomato on a baguette and it was incredible! One of the best sandwiches I have ever had! We also got our own sandwiches to go to take with us back to Berlin they were so good.



We also tried one of their crepes with a chantilly cream filling and chocolate sauce. I saw this and thought this is going to be way too sweet for me as I don't like very sweet things in the morning. It was however perfect - not too sweet. The cream was very light and marshmallow fluff like and just melted in your mouth. Very tasty.

Overall - We found the dinner to be hit or miss, but the sandwiches and croissants are incredible! Definitely stop in and get one of each as they are amazing. It makes me with I had one right now...

Paradox Cafe, Portland OR

On a visit to Portland OR we stopped by Paradox cafe for a late lunch. I ordered the meatball sandwich - a grilled garlic hoagie topped with our homemade meatballs cooked with mushrooms, onions and peppers smothered in marinara sauce. This was by far the best vegan meatball sandwich I have had. I used to love them when I ate meat and this is the only one I have found that is similar. The meatballs were big (there are 3 of them on the roll and they are hard to eat as a sandwich - I used a fork and knife). Delicious! I loved it.


Raymond ordered the firehouse burger - Guacamole, jalapenos, caramelized onions and pepper. This was good, and Raymond really enjoyed it.


Since we didn't know how huge the sandwiches would be we also ordered some paradox potatoes - potatoes with almond gravy. This was just alright. The gravy was not the best I have had, but it wasn't the worst either.

Overall - I would definitely stop by Paradox again. The meatball sandwich was the best I have had. Definitely stop by. 

Homegrown Smoker, Portland OR

We were passing through Portland at lunchtime on the way back from visiting Raymond's grandparents in Florence so we had lunch at Homegrown Smoker. I had wanted to try out this food cart for a long time, but it was always closed when we were in Portland. Since this was a weekday we were in luck! They had a special the day we were there for fried pickles. Never having had them before I had to try them out. They were tasty and greasy and delicious. I might have to try and make some at home now that I have tried them.


We also tried the chilli mac. Mac and cheese topped with chilli, cheese sauce, daiya and green onions. This was amazing! And so much food. The mac and cheese was really tasty, the chilli delicious, together they went very well together. I wish I had some more now...


We also tried a sandwich that it looks like they took off the new menu - BBQ topped with mac and cheese on a bun with a side of french fries. The fries were amazing. The sandwich was so good, though a super mess to eat. The mac kind of tries to fall off, but putting on the sandwich was pure genius to me.


Here is the inside of the sandwich. Delicious!

Overall - We got way too much food, but it was all so tasty I was happy to take the leftovers home and eat them later. I would definitely stop by this food cart again next time I am in Portland and it is open. 

Nature's Corner Cafe, Florence OR

Raymond and I went down to Florence, OR to visit his grandparents for a weekend. They wanted to take us out for dinner, but there are not a lot of vegan options in Florence. They had looked in the phone book and found Nature's Corner Cafe and how they had vegan options so we went to check it out. I ordered the tofu teriyaki as I love teriyaki. I wasn't really expecting much which is probably good as this was just okay. For a small town on the Oregon coast that only has like fast food places I was just happy to have a vegan option. It is not that it was bad, it was just not anything special. A little too salty for my tastes, but it was alright.


We also tried the tempeh reuben with vegan cheese. I was expecting this to be delicious or at least have a lot of flavor from the sauerkraut and tempeh, but not so much. I am often surprised how places can take the flavor out of foods. I mean fresh sauerkraut should be flavorful, but this was just really bland. Not sure why it was a reuben as it didn't taste like one. Also, afterwards we looked at their small store area and I looked at the cheeses they had....and I am not sure the cheese on this was actually vegan as they didn't have any vegan cheeses for sale there...

Overall - There are not many options in Florence, OR besides fast food french fries. They do have some food you can eat if you need something, but it is not the best.

Mirkwood & Shire Cafe, Arlington WA

Mirkwood & Shire Cafe is kind of out of the way for us, but when we go camping in the North Cascades it is right on the way so we can stop for dinner on the way. We tried a chicken philly steak sandwich - mock chicken pieces, grilled onion and peppers, 1,000 island sauce on a hoagie roll served with french fries. This was alright. Nothing really special, but good for a smaller town in Washington. It is not like the Georgetown Liquor Company or anything, but it is good.


We also had a small taco salad - romaine lettuce, tomato, black beans, soy taco meat, sour cream, salsa, red wine vinaigrette, and tortilla chips. The small is a lot of food and it is super delicious. This is probably one of my favorite salads I have had. It is so good that if we are in the area I will stop by.

Overall - If you are in the area and need some food it is a good choice. Everything is vegetarian and almost everything can be made vegan. It is a little pricey, the food takes forever, but it is overall pretty tasty.

Voner, Berlin Germany

With all of the doner places in Berlin it wasn't long before I wanted to check out Voner - vegan doner! This is a tiny place and they even have a giant piece of seitan roasting like the doner meats which is a bit silly to me, but I suppose makes it like the meat counterpart. This voner consisted of the seitan meat, tomato, lettuce, cabbage, cucumber and sauce on the doner bread and grilled. It was pretty tasty and I know this photo doesn't look very big, but it was huge! I think it would have been a lot of food to eat on my own so I was glad I was sharing it with Raymond.


We also tried the seitan nugget plate. This came with salad and fries and was also a ton of food. We were barely able to finish it all.  The seitan nuggets were chewy and alright but seemed like they were overcooked, the fries were crispy and good, the salad was mostly cabbage and was just alright - I didn't really like the sauce that was served on it though.

Overall - Voner was pretty tasty and I would go back and get another voner when I am in the mood.

Cafe One Eight, Lancaster PA

While visiting family in Lancaster we took a day to go to the market downtown and walked around a bit waiting for lunchtime. We happened to walk by Cafe One Eight. It was hot out and I needed a beverage so we walked in and while we were waiting I glanced at the menu. They had a wrap that sounded delicious and summer so we came back for lunch. The Vegan Wrap contained Hummus, cucumbers, caramelized onion, roasted red pepper, grapes, apples, baby carrots, mixed greens, broccoli, tomatoes and balsamic dressing on a wheat wrap served with a side of fruit or chips. I chose chips since there was so much fruit in the wrap itself (and really the fruit was what drew me in as I never thought to put fruit in my wraps before). This was amazing! Seriously my favorite wrap ever. The fruit was nice and crisp as well as the veggies and the balsamic really brought it all together wonderfully. There were so many different things in this wrap and I loved it! I am definitely going to be recreating this at home. Especially on a nice hot summer day it is so refreshing and delicious.

Overall - Cafe One Eight is a small place with a few vegan options (or easily veganizable). I highly recommend the vegan wrap as it was amazing! Definitely stop in if you are in the area.

Founding Farmers, Washinton DC

From Vegan Gastrobot

I remember seeing that Founding Farmers

had a vegan menu that looked tasty so we stopped by for a late lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Not much was open in the area and it was packed. Luckily it was nice outside and I just wanted to sit and visit with a friend so we decided to sit outside and wait for a table. I am so glad we did! The food was amazing. First up we had the vegan patty melt – a gardein burger patty, caramelized onions, vegan cheddar, and homemade agave mustard on toasted rye bread. We chose asparagus as the side as well…asparagus is tasty! The sandwich was incredible! We had a patty melt the weekend prior at a place in Seattle and it was nowhere near as good as this one.  The bread was delicious and toasted perfect, the onions and mustard lent a nice flavor, the cheese was not overpowering, the burger was juicy and delicious. The asparagus was also amazing - sweet and tender and still crisp. It was cooked with a little olive oil with salt & pepper seasoning it and it was really really great.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We also tried the Chocolate Stout Farmhouse Waffle – cocoa waffle made with Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout topped with fresh banana slices and homemade vegan caramel sauce. The waffle by itself was not very sweet which was good. It paired nicely with the banana and the caramel sauce so they were not overpowering either – they all worked well together. The banana and caramel added the sweetness (the caramel by itself was incredibly sweet, but there wasn’t much of it so you just got a little bit sweet), the waffle mellowed it out…it was amazing.

Overall – Even if there is an hour and a half wait I would eat here again. The food seemed simple, but they did an amazing job of making the simple items better than any I have had before, like the side of asparagus. My non-vegan friend who ate with us was complaining about how long we were waiting, but even he thought it was worth it. Definitely go here if you can.

Le Pain Quotidien, Arlington VA

From Vegan Gastrobot

While walking from Red Velvet to Bakeshop in the Clarendon area we walked by Le Pain Quotidien and I decided to spy on the menu. They have everything labeled that is vegan, which I always like, and they had a few baked goods that sounded delicious. We walked in and the space was very open with long tables for people to sit together and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. We were just going to get a few baked goods and decided to eat them there. Once we sat down though and I looked at the menu we changed are mind and decided to share a Tartine as well. The menu started Tartines were a Belgium open faced sandwich, and I was intrigued as a few of them sounded amazing. We opted for the seasonal special - Sweet Pea Hummus Tartine. This had sweet pea hummus, carrots, radish, cucumber and smoked green tea vinaigrette. The presentation was lovely (though it doesn't really look like it from my photo) and the sandwich was delicious. It tasted light and felt summery even though it was a chilly overcast rainy day. The sweet pea hummus was flavorful and the green tea vinaigrette gave it a little kick. All the veggies were crisp and the bread was very crusty and rustic which I loved. Overall the sandwich was delicious, though a little expensive.

From Vegan Gastrobot

After finishing our sandwich we ordered our baked goods - An Apple Cannele, A Carrot Muffin and an Organic Hazelnut Flute.

From Vegan Gastrobot

The Hazelnut Flute was just like a very crusty bread stick with raisins and nuts and all kinds of goodness in it. Almost like a crunchy raisin bread stick - I really liked it, but I really like crusty bread. The Apple Cannele was amazing - really moist with lots of apple pieces, a bit of a sharp vinegary flavor and it reminded me of a dense apple cake with apple slices baked in. Delicious! The carrot muffin was really good - cinnamony and savory with a little bit of sweetness. I wish we would have picked up more baked goods to bring home with us as they were very tasty.

Overall - If you are in the Clarendon area definitely check out Le Pain Quitidien if you have some extra money to spare. It is not cheap, but the food was very good.

Don and Clare's Beach Shack, Falls Church, VA

From Vegan Gastrobot

Clare & Don's Beach Shack is a fairly large restaurant that was very popular even though we stopped by early on a weekday. They have a few different types of tofu (buffalo, coconut, bbq, grilled and traditional) to choose from for their sandwiches and other options. There is even a tofu sampler for dinner. We were there at lunch so we ordered the fried tofu sandwich. This didn't look like much so I was setting myself up for another disgusting disappointing sandwich like we had at Smoke & Barrel. However, this was really good. The tofu was seasoned well and the sandwich came with lettuce and tomato. This was surprisingly good. The fries were just alright - they tasted like frozen fries you get from the store, though they were seasoned with salt and pepper so I enjoyed them. It was really busy so everyone working there was rushing around, but the waiter did check to make sure everything was vegan for us which is always nice.

Overall - If I were in the area again I would stop by for another visit, especially if it were trivia night. The multiple flavors of tofu is a nice addition even though the menu is fairly simple.

Amsterdam Falafel Shop, Washington DC

From Vegan Gastrobot

Normally I wouldn't go to a falafel place on vacation in the US as I can get good falafel in Seattle. I saw that Amsterdam Falafel Shop had a toppings bar that you could use to doctor up your sandwich however you would like I put it on the list.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We ordered a small white pita with cucumber salad, hummus, cabbage, beets and a few other salads on it. This was very disappointing. The toppings were really good - the beets very sweet and pickled, the cucumbers crisp and tasty, but the falafel...the falafel did not have much flavor except hot spice, and it was incredibly greasy. Raymond made the comment that they left them in the oil too long or left them sitting in oil or something...they were just spicy hot grease balls. I really don't know why people like this place. We spoke with numerous people about falafel while we were in DC, and overheard people talking about it, and the common consensus was that you have to go to a place where that is all they make - like Amsterdam Falafel - for good falafel. I just don't get it. Maybe they just have never had an actually good falafel sandwich and everything else is worse than this in DC? That is the only thing I can think of.

Overall - Skip Amsterdam Falafel. The falafel is greasy and lacks flavor and it just not good.

Smoke & Barrel, Washington DC

From Vegan Gastrobot

Smoke and Barrel was the restaurant I was most excited to try in Washington DC. They have smoked foods which I love! I use my smoker all the time at home. We ordered the smoked vegan wings served muddy (wet and rub). These were so good! Just the normal vegan drumstick, but so much better. The BBQ sauce that was served on the side was incredibly spicy so I did not use that, but the BBQ spice rub was perfect. I would definitely go back and get these again.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We also ordered the BBQ Smoked Tofu Sandwich (Hand pressed, rubbed with our house bbq rub, cold smoked, then grilled and served "all the way" - coleslaw and a pickle slice - like a traditional bbq sandwich). This sounded delicious, but it was sooo disappointing and gross. The roll was not good - mushy and not tasty. The tofu was mush and had no flavor. The coleslaw...I don't even know why they added it as it tasted like nothing. The whole sandwich was like eating mush with no flavor. It was really not good. I would not recommend ordering it....I still can't get over how bad it was. How can smoked tofu and BBQ spice rub and coleslaw equal no flavor?

Overall - I would go back here as I really liked the atmosphere and would just hang out with some drinks and smoked seitan wings and a few friends. We sat on the porch which was open to the outside and it was perfect as it was a beautiful day. Just don't get the smoked tofu.

Busboys and Poets, Washington DC

From Vegan Gastrobot

I loved Busboys and Poets.  I loved the atmosphere, the waitress was very friendly, it was very artsy and the food was delicious. It was like a combination of coffee shop, restaurant, book store, art gallery, performance space, everything all combined into one (and very popular). We stopped by around 3 in the afternoon on a weekday and it was packed. We were seated at a short table with a very long couch on the one side and comfy chairs on the other. Very relaxed just hang out and sip a coffee all afternoon and when you get hungry have some food kind of feel. I loved it. We tried the vegan pepperoni calzone (vegan mozzarella, veggies, vegan pepperoni in a whole-wheat crust). This was really tasty, though not as good as the calzones we get in Olympia, WA. They used mozzarella daiya cheese with pepperoni and lots of veggies. If the crust would have been amazing this would have been a top contender for best calzone. The crust was really thin and good, but not great. Overall I would order this again.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We also ordered a Peanut Butter Banana Panini (peanut butter, banana, and agave nectar). We opted for the sweet potato fries as a side. The panini was delicious - very creamy and sweet, but really how can you go wrong with peanut butter and banana? You really can't. The sweet potato fries...well they are one of my favorites! These however I did not like that much. They had a lot of cinnamon on them and I just did not like them. A lot of people like their sweet potatoes with sugar and cinnamon and marshmallow and all kinds of sweet thing on them, but I find them way too sweet that way and prefer them plain and simple. Just fried and a little bit of salt would have been perfect. I wish I would have known they were dessert fries as I would have ordered a different side. This is the only item that I was disappointed in.

From Vegan Gastrobot

They also had a vegan brownie so we had to try that. It came with a scoop of vanilla coconut ice cream and a sliced strawberry. This brownie was amazing! It had mousse on top of it and was very rich and chocolaty. The ice cream did not have a strong coconut flavor and was really smooth and creamy. The combination of the ice cream, brownie and strawberry was perfect - just a small piece of each with each bite was wonderful. I would definitely order this again.

Overall - I highly recommend Busboys and Poets. The food is delicious, the service friendly, the atmosphere very relaxing and artsy.

Georgetown Liquor Company, Seattle WA

From Vegan Gastrobot

Georgetown Liquor Company is a vegetarian bar and restaurant where most everything can be made vegan upon request. Their sandwiches I think are some of the best in the city - it is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle. On the last visit we noticed they have a happy hour so we wanted to go back and try that. Their happy hour menu was pretty good -  cheaper options of some of their normal menu items. The first thing we tried were the tacos - three soft taco shells filled with GLC’s housemaid vegan taco ‘meat’, shredded romaine, diced tomatoes, and vegan cheese served with a side of salsa. These were very good. The taco meat was a little spicy and delicious. They didn't seem like much, but I would definitely order them again.

From Vegan Gastrobot

Next we ordered some of the vegan burger sliders - Vegan burger patty, Dijon-mayo spread, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato and vegan cheese, served on a toasted buns served with a pickle spear. I was iffy on these - I thought we had tried the veggie burger before there and I didn't like it. I was wrong - these were delicious as well! I would definitely order the veggie burger again. Raymond loved these as well - he could not stop raving about how good they were and kept trying to figure out how they made them as he wants me to try and recreate them. I unfortunately don't know what is in them so we will just have to go back to get more.

From Vegan Gastrobot

The last happy hour option we ordered was the baron sliders - Vegan ‘ham’ marinated in a tangy BBQ sauce, vegan cheese, sliced tomatoes and baby field greens served toasted on a bun. The baron is probably my favorite sandwich they serve - it is what I usually order as it is amazing. These sliders however...something was lost with them. That or everything else was so good it overshadowed them. Either way they were just okay.

From Vegan Gastrobot

That was a lot of food, but they have vegan mousse which we had to get. It was peanut butter chocolate and was delicious. Usually we are way too full to eat it, but this time we had a little room left. It was delicious.

Overall - definitely check out Georgetown Liquor Company. Their sandwiches are delicious, their happy hour is a good deal, next up - to try their brunch menu.

Sputnik, Denver CO

From Vegan Gastrobot

For lunch on our second day in Denver we went to Sputnik. I had read a lot of so so reviews of this place before we went, most of them stating that there was only one vegan option - the breakfast sandwich. Usually I like going places with more options, but since we didn't have many breakfast places I put it on the list. We didn't end up getting the breakfast sandwich as there were too many other delicious sounding options. First up were Hush Puppies - corn fritters with roasted jalapeno sauce. These were amazing and just what you would expect from deep fried corn balls.

From Vegan Gastrobot

Since we were there at lunchtime the special was half a sandwich and a side. We got half a green falafel pita with mac and cheese. The falafel was actually really good and the sandwich was delicious. The mac and cheese was light but tasty - one of the better mac and cheese we have had.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We also got a half Freddie Murphy and french fries. The freddie murphy was smoked tofu, sweet and sour slaw, tomatoes and french fries and all together delicious! They used hand cut fries on the sandwich which were much better than the fries served on the side, but fries ate fries and I will eat them all. The half a sandwich and side lunch combo was perfect for us - just the right amount of food.

Overall I would highly recommend Sputnik. The inside is kind of dark and divey bar, but the food is delicious. They also have many vegan options to choose from, not just the breakfast sandwich.