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CLOSED: VegiTerranean
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4
Closed
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Vegan
Vegan
International
Italian
Organic
Beer/Wine
Rock musician Chrissie Hynde's restaurant opened in Nov 2007. It's a coffee bar and bakery, lounge and restaurant all compactly designed with each phase having its own patio area, and with views of the valley below and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Nice contemporary decor. Open daily, see website for hours. Reported closed to HappyCow.
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21 Furnace St (at The Northside Lofts 1st floor), Akron, Ohio, USA, 44308
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Last update on 23 Oct 2011 by Guest
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Added by JohnnySensible on 31 Oct 2007
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14 Reviews
First Review by vegman444
KTBuns
Points +22
VegiTerranean is CLOSED - Edit
As of Sunday, October 2nd, 2011, this location has CLOSED. :(
Read moreGuest
SurfCity
Points +27
Super Fantastic! - Edit
A++++ service and great atmosphere! I've had many dishes here keeping it a goal of mine to try as many as I can. I've had nothing bad as of yet. Being vegan and not thinking much of Akron, this place is the bright spot in the area.
Read moreGuest
jrm212
Points +229
looking forward to a return trip - Edit
my family stopped by akron while on a road trip, glad we went out of our way a bit to pick up a meal here. delicious. and very friendly, accommodating staff. place itself is very modern and according to the people coming in for dinner, it's a "special" spot in akron, everyone dressed nicely and seeming to be in groups coming for special occasions. i was happy to see vegan fare being taken so serious as a gourmet entity! (note that road-trip attire would've been fine there too, especially early evening.) looking forward to coming back one day to sample more of their menu.
Read morePros: food!, value , friendly staff
Cons: chrissie hynde photo overload
Guest
brandon.niles
Points +60
Un-Freakin'-Believable - Edit
Just go there... seriously. Not cheap, but pretty fair. We had the Gyro pizza and the grilled veggie wrap. Both were divine. The Tirimasu (sp?) was one of the best desserts I've ever had... ever.
Read morePros: Food, Service, Food
Cons: None
Guest
ohmisscaroline
Points +39
Yummy, but definitely caters to meat-eaters. - Edit
I love this place! Everything on their menu is vegan, and it's all very tasty. Akron isn't really a vegan hotspot, so it's understandable that the food isn't your typical vegan fare. With that said, I do think more fresh, seasonal produce, whole grains, and dishes not based on faux meat would be wonderful. Also, everything is relatively pricey, but I think it's worth it.
Read moreGuest
deby
Points +26
Delicious - Edit
We have been there twice and will be returning. Each time we go the food has been beyond excellent, hands down some of the best Vegan food I have ever had. No, it is not cheap but I think it is meant to be a special occasion restaurant - that is the point. No, it doesn't serve sunflower seeds or "traditional vegan fare" - I read an interview with Chrissie Hynde about the restaurant and I think her points are well taken - Akron is not bursting with Vegans - a hippy seeds and flax oil restaurant would never stay open there. This restaurant attracts lots of non vegans/non veggies who discover you can have a delicious, gourmet meal without meat. The place is packed - and that is amazing to have a restaurant full of people dining Vegan in Akron, Ohio. I don't care if the food vaguely resembles meat (because it is not meat and I don't believe encourages anyone to eat meat - it helps people recognize there are altenatives). Hands down it is an amazing restaurant.
Read moreGuest
BPritt
Points +20
A great place for meat eaters... - Edit
...but not so much for vegans. Although the fare at this restaurant is tasty, there are (as of last time I ate there), almost no dishes that do not have fake meat. They also will not disclose the ingredients in foods prepared out of house, such as pizza crusts. One server told us that they had been mistakenly selling crusts with whey in it for quite a while.
Read moreAll in all, I would recommend this place to friend who is not vegan and has money to burn. Although it is healthy and delicious food, it relies on replicating meat dishes, and not on traditional vegan fare.
Pros: Delicoius, Vegan
Cons: Very Expensive, Poor Service, All Fake Meat
Guest
Mighty Vegan
Points +96
Amazing ambiance and dessert - Edit
We dined at outdoors in the beautiful setting this past july (09'). The restaurant was packed, the service was outstanding. We found the presentation of the food to be amazing and the food itself was good. Our favorite part of the meal was the dessert. It was hands down the best vegan dessert we ever had. It was an apple pie al a mode. We highly recommend checking out the restaurant for the ambiance, dining experience and dessert!! As travelers in the Cleveland area it was very helpful to us to discover this place since there are not many other veggie options in this area.
Read morePros: Ambiance-fantastic, Dessert-delicious, Friendly staff
Guest
drwiz
Points +60
cannot recommend - Edit
We have eaten there four times, and although we wanted to love it, we found the food to be overpriced, not very tasty and not well seasoned. The staff seemed commercial and not really very interested in the food, or the customers. Service was only fair, and they acted like they were doing you a favor to serve you. We are vegans and have eaten in many vegan restaurants in the US and abroad, and really, really wanted a restaurant that was vegan close by, that we could visit regularly. We gave it four chances, two dinners and two lunches, over the period of about one year, and was satisfied only once. Sorry, but despite the best intentions, this is a swing and a miss!
Read morePros: idea, physical facilities, parking
Cons: poor food, overpriced, waitstaff
Guest
kindlizard
Points +1144
average - Edit
The place is very pretentiously decorated. Whatever, it is rock-n-roll, or so I thought. Being the child of a "rock star", i expected much more rock and a lot less pop. They play it loud and proud as if it were rock, though. Anyway...
Read moreThe food starts with bread and a black bean hummus, both were very nice. The tea I ordered was just ok, but at least it was only $2, not like other places that rip you off for a tea bag. The dinner was supposed to be "Fresh, wild mushrooms" and I asked if that meant Chanterelle and maitake, the reply was YES. I got portobello that did not taste, look or smell fresh, even after they were cooked. The yellow heirloom tomato sauce was delicious. But I would have tried something else had I known what the mushrooms were, and, after all, I did ask.
The dessert was more than ample and very tasty.
The staff was a little standoffish... did not really want to talk though the cafe was empty. Talk about the menu, I mean, not the weather.
Would try again perhaps, but they need to understand that portabellos come from farms, what I had was NOT wild. Felt wronged, but had to get on the road again...
Pros: cake
Cons: misleading menu, mushrooms, decor & music
Guest
cookiem
Points +5952
Hidden gem - Edit
Who would have imagined that Akron would be such a haven for this glorious vegan restaurant? All shiny and modern, the decor is lovely and contributes to a very hip atmosphere. The service is very friendly. The seating is very nice, if you can sit outside and eat good food with friends, highly advised! The menu is Mediterranean, but seemed mostly Italian to me. The "chiken" is very good, so good, that I would order "chiken parmigiana" if they had it! The pasta is very tasty. However, be wary of the cream sauces, they are not for the fat-conscious, as they are definitely living up to their names! The fries are an interesting representation, with tofu aioli and homemade "ketchup." MUCH more flavorful than regular ketchup! I would recommend the fries because of the garnishings! The polenta was a bit gummy, but nice job with the grilled vegetables. The portions are generous, and will fill any stomach. Great assortment, sure to have something yummy for everyone! The desserts were lovely, the tiramisu was very rich though, but tasty! One word of advice: don't expect the cookies to be as amazing as the rest of the food or baked goods! Opt for the cakes or pies instead of the cookies! One more thing, beware of parking, depending on when you go, it may be hard to find! Overall, a good experience and would definitely go back if I were in Akron!
Read morePros: Chiken, Dessert, Creme sauce
Cons: Cookies, Parking
Guest
Vincent Vegan
Points +34
Even Celebrities Can Learn from Early Mistakes - Edit
My veg restaurant experience goes back to earthy places like Mark's (Ann Arbor, 1971), Hanna's New Age Foods & Carnival Cafe (my fave) both in Boulder in 1970s and Celestial Seasonings employee cafeteria (when it was veg in 70s). These days I like Govinda's and Watercourse, both in Denver. But VegiTerranean was anything but earthy. It was Hollywood in Deadwood, ie a bit too trendy for Akron, Ohio and also off the mark for my veg values. On the other hand, it seems to have a sincere mission.
Read moreI was the very first customer to be seated at VegiTerranean on the Friday in November, 2007 when it opened. I also attended the September rally to photograph Chrissie Hynde serving free food and entertaining. I feel very strongly that she would like to beat up the world's meat-packing butchers and I don't blame her.
Having grown up in Akron and being acutely aware of its deepening poverty, I found the style and new condo location of VegiTerranean to be aloof and unaware of its environment. Most Akronites cannot afford to eat out, much less eat at VegiTerranean, which comes off as a ritzy chrome bar looking over a valley of subsidized housing developments in my rust-belt hometown. The prices were also formal. I spent $25 plus tip and went home to raid the fridge, absolutely starved. The soldier-like waiters, all wearing black, looked like a mafia funeral. On the other hand, I chatted with head chef Dan Duplain who I found to be very likeable.
In all fairness, judging by the free samples at the previous open event, the food is great. But my meal looked like a Jackson Pollack piece and tasted like a bland swamp of soybean oil. The theme is supposed to be Mediterranean but I detected not one hint of olive oil, not a grain of garlic, no basil, oregano, peppers, no Italian ingredients in the least. I longed for my long dead Aunt Concetta from Alia, Sicily who was in fact the very finest Sicilian cook in all of Akron, circa 1960s... on North Hill just across the valley. I can't remember what I had at VegiTerranean. But just about everything on the menu was "chicken" this and chicken that, analog of course, apparently seitan. I think it's a big mistake for any veg restaurant to make mock meats so predominant on the menu. Hey, I eat Tofurkey on the sly but I don't like the name Tofurkey because it celebrates bird-o-cide.
I was quite shocked to discover that chef Duplain owns a meat restaurant and two of the other four chefs are meat eaters (according to 1).
Pros: good first try biz, great city view, edible
Cons: overpriced, micro-portions, yuppified
Guest
Jimbomatic
Points +36
Amazing to find a restaurant like this in Akron - Edit
A thousand thank you's to Chrissie Hynde for remembering her home town and establishing this restaurant in a rust belt city such as Akron. It's so wonderful to have somewhere to go to dinner and not have to worry about what's in the food! And what great food it is. Anyone who dares say that vegetarian food is bland need only try this place.
Read moreThe wonderful airy atmosphere when the bar window is open is great, too. I wish only that they hadn't designed it with such "cold" decor...metal and cement, and very uncomfortable chairs. Oh well, you can't ask for EVERYTHING!
Pros: Great food, Only vegan dishes served
Cons: The decor is quite cold & uncomfortable
Guest
vegman444
Points +70
Simply Amazing! - Edit
Talk about an oasis, an odd location in a heavy meat-eatin' town for one of the best vegan eateries in the U.S.
Read moreI'm hard-pressed to think of a better vegan experience than eating at VegiTerranean. The food is astoundingly good, the servers are wonderful, the wine, the desserts, the appetizers, it's all scrumptious!
If you're ever within even 100 miles of Akron, make the detour, it's that good.
Pros: EVERYTHING ON THE MENU!, Desserts, Appetizers
Cons: A bit pricey, Website is terrible and has wrong hours, Wish there were more of them!
Guest
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