Serves meat, vegan options available. Earth Friends Cafe moved back to it's hometown in New Albany, Indiana and changed it's name to Bank Street Brewhouse, which is operated by the same team but is now located in a taproom under the ownership of New Albanian Brewing Company. Offers ample vegetarian and vegan choices, including vegan nachos, wraps, rice bowls, vegan burgers, and flatbread pizzas. The weekend brunch menu includes vegan biscuits and gravy as well as vegan beer-infused pancakes. Also has vegan desserts, plant milk options, vegan cheese substitute. The meats served are chicken and seafood. CLOSED: July 2015 Reported changed ownership, changed name to Bank Street Brewhouse -- see that listing.
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415 Bank St, New Albany, Indiana, USA, 47150
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Last update on 08 Jul 2015 by Guest
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10 Reviews
First Review by phoray
Heffpilot
Points +72
New Albanian Brewery has Vegan food! - Edit
Awesome beer & vegan food. Earth Friends Cafe is the kitchen of New Albanian Brewery.
Read morePros: Great hand crafted beer & vegan food!, Neat setting. dogs welcome in outdoor seating...
Cons: none
Guest
TiffanyBright
Points +42
Love, Love, Love - Edit
My children and I are totally addicted to this place! We have tried just about every vegan option (breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert) and it is hard to pick out a favorite. The food and drinks are so fresh and everything tastes amazing!! Their vegan biscuits and gravy is a hit with one of my girls, one likes the vegan pancakes, my oldest likes the veggie rice bowl and I really can't decide, but if I had to choose I guess I would say the naked burrito is at the top of my list. The staff is extremely friendly and always willing to make a customized vegan cinnamon vanilla hot chocolate for one of my kiddos, while steaming some soy milk for another. There are too many desserts to list, but my oldest is a fan of the gluten free brownie and, oh my goodness, the pineapple cupcake will leave you speechless!
Read moreGuest
Erejimbo
Points +24
nice option - Edit
Great staff, interesting building with old vineyard growing in small garden near entrance. Rice and quinoa bowls were fantastic. Also had kids options and pork and turkey options for non-vegans.
Read morePros: staff, price
stacie1128
Hello, while it's true we serve poultry, we do not serve any pork or beef products. Perhaps the tempeh "bacon" or pecan and sunflower seed "sausage" was confused for pork.
Read moreHowever, thank you for the kind review!
Guest
BuddyWheeler
Points +79
Good food, very friend;y place. - Edit
Very vegan friendly, The food here is really good. Lots of vegan options including several different non-cow milks for coffees. Stop in and give it a try!
Read morePros: Good food, Friendly people
Guest
sarahburnsy
Points +161
Great Place for Everyone! - Edit
I've been back several times and this time I brought the in-laws! They are the "country cookin'" type and they really enjoyed their meal. I got the vegan Ruben which I've had at least three times and I love it! My husband loves the buffalo tempeh wrap and my father on-law got the tempeh BLT! He really enjoyed it and the bonus was the avocado. My mother-in law got the garden salad and was really pleased with the pumpkin seeds. Thanks again Earth Friends!
Read morePros: Something for everyone, Healthy Food, Local
Guest
Rodney J
Points +16
Great vegan food. - Edit
Lots of vegan choices. Very tasty. Recommend the pumpkin seed wrap when in season. 3 bean salad excellent. The vegan BLT is my favorite right now.
Read morePros: flavorful, tasty, quaint
Cons: small portion sizes
Guest
christina_h
Points +16
Delicious Food, Very Nice Staff! - Edit
I have popped by Earth Friends Cafe for lunch/dessert a several times in the past year. I make a point in ordering something different each trip and everything has been phenomenal!
Read moreA few of my favorites are the reuben, apple and smoked cheddar tempeh sandwich, white bean wrap and buffalo tempeh. The side options and desserts are incredibly tasty!
This adorable cafe is filled with compassion- in the food and in the staff. Be prepared to be greeted and served with genuine smiles and friendly chats!
Whether you live in Louisville or are driving through, Earth Friends Cafe is a must try!
Pros: Delicious food, Well-priced, Friendly service
Guest
Raesock
Points +675
Great breakfast! - Edit
We are in Louisville a lot to see relatives and I was so stoked when this place opened! There aren't many places to get a vegan breakfast (unless all you want is oatmeal) and this place has tons of options! I got the vegan panini with strawberries and vegan cream cheese and it was SO GOOD! My husband got the EFC breakfast burrito and he liked it too. The service was great and our waitress was attentive and knowledgable. We'll definitely be back next time we're in town! I've got to try the vegan waffles!
Read morePros: vegan breakfast, good food, great service
Guest
xsamx
Points +428
Excels on almost all counts - Edit
Earth Friends is a recent transplant from our neighboring city in Indiana, New Albany, where they had a great idea but horrible location on Grant Line Rd. While I believe they still have a location in a library over there, this new spot exceeds it on many levels: more variety, a great location right in the heart of NuLu (across the street from my Crossfit gym!) and beautiful outdoor seating when it warms up (which, in Louisville means next week or next month, who knows!)
Read moreThe food is pretty good, and the coffee is amazing. Tons of vegan options, including a high-protein bagel with vegan cream cheese - the only place I know of in Louisville as of Feb 2013 where you can get vegan cream cheese served to you - a vegan waffle dish, Morels wraps (see the Morels listing on HappyCow), their own concoctions like "Olive Nut Sandwich" and "Apple Tempeh Melt," and so on. Sides are chips, fruit, and some other interesting things. They also have protein smoothies and vegan treats from Annie May's Sweet Cafe (vegan & gluten-free).
You may wonder why EF uses "cruelty free" in their slogan, along with a plethora of vegan/veggie language, but serves chicken and real cheese. This is a point of contention that I've discussed with the owner since EF has opened, and she's fully aware of the (for lack of a better word) hypocrisy. However, this isn't a point that I'm going to deliberate over or boycott EF because of. The promotion of veganism in this place is strong, and while there may be a conflicting message, it's my hope that by patronizing them and choosing only the vegan options (which many do), their need for serving/sourcing/defending meat will eventually decrease to the point where they no longer need to buy and serve it. I suspect the owner would like this as well, but it often takes time for that kind of progress.
Other cool things: free wifi, nice bathrooms, board games, cool books/magazines, good parking (lot or street), and bike racks out front.
The cafe itself is tucked into the complex on Campbell and Market, so when you see the "A-1 Upholstery" sign, go behind that and you'll see the entrance between all the foliage.
Guest
phoray
Points +107
Will visit whenever I'm nearby. - Edit
Good stuff, 3-5 vegan options clearly listed on the menu. The fruit is actually edible, not that pre sliced fruit other restaurants keep on ice in the fridge till it's gross at all. Even though they didn't list Frappicinos on the menu, the barista whipped one up (vegan version) for me anyway. They even have raw food desserts.
Read moreMy omnivore friend loved her vegetarian wrap and said she would visit again herself.
Pros: Food, flexibility, vegan desserts
phoray
2 months later, I am very upset. Just posted this on their facebook page. This vegan has been a months long customer. I've brought friends. I've brought family. Almost every visit, I got a special frappe made just for me. Being Vegan, I asked the usual questions about ingredients my first order. The server assured me that it was a vegan drink. Each time I arrived for subsequent visits, I ordered specifically vegan things, and asked about specific meal choices to assure I was following my morals. Today, due to the fact I was on a diet, I wanted to see the nutritional information. And came to learn that I had been served a very obviously non vegan drink. The server seemed nonchalant when I found out the mistake; after all, only my morals have been broken it's not like I died... No big? I am very disappointed. I expect a place that caters to vegans to actually know what veganism is. You've broken my trust to know what you're talking about and to be able to serve my needs. If I have to ask about every single ingredient, and the ingredients of your ingredients, then what makes you better than any other random restaurant? I chose to visit because you advertised as catering to vegans, but then your servers don't know what it means... or don't care enough... to know which of your ingredients are actually thus. ALSO... your fruit smoothie was gross. what are you, Mcdonalds? that your "fresh fruit smoothie" is made from something that is essentially blueberry syrup with 180 calories per 4 oz and 45 grams of sugar. Coming from a gal who eats REAL fruit smooothies all the time, maybe you should make space in your freezer for real fruit. They hold up really well over time. Promise.
Read morestacie1128
This post is ridiculous. I'm the owner-operator of Earth Friends Cafe, I am Vegan, and I can promise you this cafe is very conscious of catering to Vegans. We use Earth Balance butter across the board on everything, Veganaise for mayo, our soups are 100% Vegan. There are non-Vegan items at the cafe, including chicken sourced from a local farm in Kentucky and milk from an Indiana farm, however, we offer almond milk, soymilk and coconut milk options. We have "power" smoothies which use organic fruit. We do stock sugar laden fruit smoothies that are bought already mix - as all coffee shops do - and not healthy, but people want them, so we sell them. We don't pretend they are healthy. We are obviously not McDonald's due the fact that we source all of our meats, cheeses (Organic Valley) and milk from animals that have had lives in the outdoors. The staff member who waited on this person was confused by the fact that she was in fact Vegan due to comments made and previous orders. This particular person had been ordering caramel sauce - commonly known to contain milk - with almond milk for a latte. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON for patrons to be order alternate milks and not be vegan. We have all kinds of people who come in with food sensitivities that are not vegan, but do not eat dairy. It can become very confusing. However, due to this unfortunate incident, we are designing a separate clean menu specifically for Vegans, and when any questions are asked to trigger someone may be Vegan - we will outright ask if the person is Vegan. We are a peaceful place that is big on good service, morals with food, and respecting one's dietary choices.
Read morephoray
I guess this will be a two part reply, as HC is being weird.
Read morePART ONE
A yr later, I was clicking through FB messages and came across a yr old message from the owner of this establishment- That I NEVER read until now.
The sequence of events.
1. I complained on their FB page.
2. The complaint was removed with no comment made to me (as far as I then knew)
3. Feeling angry for being "silenced" I posted my complaint on Happycow, a place she could not silence me.
4. She made a not so nice response to my review, right here on Happycow.
5. This solidified my dislike of the owner as someone who would not only ignore a complaint; but seemed to also like arguing with a customer.
phoray
PART TWO
Read moreReading the message she sent me, it seemed she was deeply upset such a mistake had been made, and offered freebies and a promise to talk to her employees. I never read this message. I really wish I had.
However, after our back and forthing on Happycow (which you can read here on HC) a year ago, she sent a follow up message.
Her exact words:
""please go away. Take responsibility for being Vegan. You have to ask a lot of questions. We offer the public options, but you have a huge responsibility in making sure you don't eat non-Vegan. If you eat sugar you are eating charred animals. You sound like an uneducated angry child. We do not need your energy in our cafe. If you are seen here, you will be asked to leave.""
So, after reading the 1st message, for 2 seconds, I reconsidered giving her my business again. Obviously it had been an honest mistake on my part, as I don't use FB much. But the follow up message (I'm supposing in response to my happycow review a yr ago)was rather... immature. As a business, people talk about you; and sometimes silence is the best answer if you can't formulate a calm reply lacking name calling.
I'm in charge of the dine out events of the Louisville Vegetarian Initiative. I have gone out of my way not to frequent her cafe, due to previous misunderstood discourse, with my groups of 5-20. I will continue not to do so as I am "an uneducated angry child." Putting that aside, apparently I would be asked to leave; simply for airing my complaint publicly enough to tick off the owner. Interesting.
Guest
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