Vegan
Pizza
Mediterranean
Juice bar
Beer/Wine
Take-out
British
European
Breakfast

Vegan restaurant offering sharing platters and tapas as well as breakfast Thurs-Sat. Dairy items on the menu refer to vegan alternatives. Displays local artists' work. Last lunch orders at 2:45pm, last entry/dinner orders 8:30pm. Open for takeaway only until summer holidays. Open Thu-Sat 17:30-21:30. Closed Sun-Wed.


Venue map for Voltaire
© OpenStreetMap contributors

93 Reviews

First Review by lesleyt

ffigan

Points +4149

Vegan
09 Sep 2024

Amazing Place; Wales's First Vegan Restaurant!

So, first, I'd like to preface my review by letting fellow HappyCow users know that Voltaire is currently for sale and that the current owner has not yet announced a closing date. So although they might be open for a good while longer, I wouldn't leave it too long to visit this very special eatery!

I popped in for a meal Saturday evening and had the best time. I love the relaxing and slightly bohemian aesthetic Voltaire has, and this paired well with the cool mix of music that was playing. We were served by the owner, who was so lovely and even offered to put candles into my dessert as it was my birthday (my friend declined on my behalf as I do not enjoy having any attention drawn to me). I had two cocktails, The Jamaican and an Espresso Martini Float. Each was a spectacle and also had very generous measurements. The menu has a good mix of junk food and healthier options in addition to a good mix of small plates and a sizable dessert section. I had the Harbourside Supper and the Carribean Tofu. The tofu was the softest I have ever had, and I LOVED the spicy coating it came in. The Harbourside Supper was also delicious, and I really loved the chunky salad that the dish came with in addition to the remoulade sauce, which was so flavourful! For dessert, I went for the Chocolate Nachos as I have never seen anything like that before, and I actually enjoyed the savoury crunch the nachos added to the dish. The food was so well presented, and the portions were massive, so unfortunately, a lot of food did go to waste. Perhaps we over ordered as a table, but I am guilty of going overboard when I visit vegan restaurants as I am so excited to be able to order whatever I like from a menu for a change!

I will absolutely be visiting Voltaire again soon, and I even have my next order picked out. I really hope Voltaire stays vegan as it is a beloved business by many vegans in and outside of Wales. I will certainly support this business if they remain vegan after changing hands as Wales's first Vegan restaurant deserves to be preserved!

Pros: Great Atmosphere, Wonderful Food, Lovely Owner, Cool Decor and Music, Good Cocktails

Cons: Needed One More Person Front of House

rebekahmae24

Points +20

Vegan
09 Sep 2024

Fantastic food | cozy atmosphere | inattentive but friendly staff

Waitress was kind and responsive to our questions - as well, she had intimate knowledge of the ingredients, which shows a clear appreciation of the chef's work (and it is truly a work of art that the chef makes!) - just wish she hadn't been on her phone throughout our whole meal as it meant we had to shout for her attention each and every time we wanted something (like another round of drinks or to order desserts)

Jamaican Buffalo Wings
Wow, I have never had better wings, including when I wasn't vegan. These are saucy, delicious, and perfectly spiced. Delicious!

The Love Park Burger
Could not gush enough over the steak, which they make in house. The burger patty itself is delicious, but the steak on top, oh man, I wish we could buy that somewhere and eat it at home!

The Brownie Sundae
I would say this is the only place where there's room for improvement - the ice cream itself was just okay, nothing to write home about.

Overall, I'd say go for the dinner and atmosphere, just skip the dessert and you won't be disappointed!

DylanJones

Points +283

Vegan
19 Aug 2024

Big portions!

We came here on a Saturday night and managed to get a table no problem. The staff were lovely and the selection of food was great with really big portions. Great for vegan junk food lovers. The only thing that let it down for me was that both of our food was lukewarm when it arrived and cold by the time we finished it.

Pros: Portion sizes, Friendly staff

DaveHarris

Points +385

Vegan
28 Jun 2024

Must Visit

The food was amazing, service was great and the staff were super friendly!

Pros: Friendly Staff

SamHerbert

Points +344

Vegetarian
24 Jun 2024

Love Voltare

Been a few times over the years, always loved the menu! Great choice to have in Bangor!

riasa

Points +49

Vegan
22 Jun 2024

Great meal

Lovely environment and great choice for Gluten free!

Pros: Lots of gluten free options , Great dessert options , Food tasted lovely

Cons: Took a long time for food to be prepared

LettuceMuncher

Points +718

Vegan
22 Jun 2024

Great little gem of a place

Wales first all vegan restaurant opened in 2016.

I love this unpretentious little restaurant. The menu has enough to give a good choice & it's got a lovely chilled vibe. I can recommend the Happy Buddha bowl, the Big Bada Boom burger, the brownie & brownie sundae. The menu changes from time to time as you'd expect. I can honestly say I've never had a poor dish here. It's a lovely vegan place to go and enjoy great food.

The owner & staff are always friendly and welcoming.

Updated from previous review on 2024-06-22

Pros: Vibe, Menu

Cons: On street parking is dire

SamDashVegan

Points +666

Vegan
13 May 2024

Gluten free options and huge portions!

Having worked all day at Colwyn Bay Vegan Market it was a delight to find this fully vegan restaurant in Bangor on Saturday night. We were allowed to bring our small well behaved dog in and everyone was very friendly. The menu doesn't have gluten free marked but the waitress was very helpful. We ordered a bit too much food in the end, so we took desserts as take out.

Pros: Gluten free options , Beautiful interior , Dog friendly

sykesy

Points +274

Vegan
01 Apr 2024

A beautiful gem of a bistro

I’m a huge fan of Voltaire, a superb intimate bistro, lovely vibes and music. Scrumptious food with plenty of gf options. Superb friendly and helpful staff.

Pros: Food , Atmosphere & Staff, Music

MissPipsy

Points +29

Vegetarian
22 Mar 2024

Great food, great spot

Visited this restaurant recently and thought it was really amazing. The menu is varied and interesting. My photo does absolutely no justice to the delicious Happy Buddha dish I enjoyed - it was fresh, bursting with goodness and I felt remarkably good after I had eaten my meal. The restaurant itself is fun and quirky and the staff delivered good, polite, friendly service. This restaurant is worth going to especially if it’s a little bit out of your way! We were visiting Bangor and were so happy to have made the effort.

Pros: Menu, Ingredients , Service

Lonnie63

Points +199

Vegan
15 Feb 2024

Wonderful find

Gorgeous restaurant with a terrific and varied menu of mains and desserts. I have spicy tofu and noodles and my husband had one of many burgers. We didn't have room for dessert but I had biscoff saucy sponge and he had truffles and espresso. Truly delicious 😋
Bangor isn't the easiest town to find good vegan food....or any vegan food actually but this little restaurant is lovely.

Pros: Extensive menu, Lovely people , Nice decor

Cons: Nothing.

damientournay

Points +47

Vegetarian
03 Jan 2024

Un restaurant très agréable

Nous sommes allés deux fois au Voltaire cet été pendant nos vacances au Pays-de-Galles et les deux fois ont été des repas agréables et conviviaux.

Pros: Excellent food, friendly staff

SimondeGrave

Points +16

Vegan
19 Nov 2023

Wow

I had a fantastic Sunday lunch. My plate was brimming with traditional vegan Sunday goodness. The smores sundae was also super.

JackyDeReviere

Points +3377

Vegan
25 Oct 2023

Best in town!

It's been a while and the dishes may no longer be on the menu, but what we ate was fantastic: French style V-duck in caramelized orange sauce with seitan pieces, dauphinois potatoes and fresh green beans.
I couldn't choose so I opted for everything under the name Harborside Special, a vegan surf & turf dish full of goodies.

Pros: Very tasty vegan dishes on the menu,, Cosy atmosphere, Friendly staff

Martin.Whybrow

Points +69

Vegan
07 Oct 2023

Cosy atmosphere, good food

Really enjoyed the visit, lovely inside particularly on a grey drizzly evening. Service a bit slow but not in a hurry. Lots of burger options, good desserts

KCadventure

Points +1172

Vegan
01 Oct 2023

Lovely vegan atmosphere

Voltaire has been going since 2016 and, amazingly, this makes it the oldest vegan restaurant in Wales.
It has a wonderful cosy community atmosphere, and there are a wide variety of foods available - mostly burgers but also burrito, chilli, dirty fries etc.
The options are pretty heavy on the meat alternatives, and while this may have been amazing in 2016 it seems a bit basic now. Also the "buffalo" wings are 100% not using buffalo sauce. It's sweet chilli sauce. It tastes completely different and I don't know why it's listed like this.
Still very tasty mind. I've been twice and it's always tasty. Any vegan in the area should check out this place.

Updated from previous review on 2023-10-01

Frankie85

Points +623

Vegan
03 Sep 2023

First night of holiday.....

We arrived in North Wales and we knew we HAD to try this place.

The vibe was right up our street and the food was packed with flavour and really filling.

We were looked after well and appreciated the care and attention shown to us by the staff.

Our one regret is that this place was only open one day of our holiday. 😭

Pros: Excellent menu, Friendly staff, Gender neutral toilets

Cons: Not open enough, but understandable.

JasmineWomack

Points +1594

Vegan
01 Sep 2023

The beast is big!

Enjoyed the food.
Felt the dirty fries were a bit too saucy making them too mushy for me but the rest was delicious.

Updated from previous review on 2023-09-01

BethMcG

Points +30

Vegan
23 Jul 2023

Wonderful find

Absolutely loved the vibes of this place and the food was delicious. We shared a few small plates and my carni boyf enjoyed everything as much as I did!

Pros: Venue, Food choices

Wizzer

Points +69

Vegan
28 Apr 2023

Could do better!

This is the second time we've been as we wanted to support a vegan restaurant in Bangor but unfortunately we were disappointed again. The food was very underwhelming for the price. The chips and buns didn't seem homemade, the burger was overcooked, our meals weren't very hot and there were few desert options. We probably wouldn't go again.

Updated from previous review on 2023-04-28

Pros: Completely vegan, Cozy venue

Cons: Mainly vegan junk food , Expensive for what you got, The food was not very special

IanLeaver

Points +434

Vegan
30 Mar 2023

Lovely ambience

The small plates work really well as a side. The cauliflower wings were brilliant.

Pros: Great small plates, Good burgers

Hollipop

Points +1072

Vegan
18 Jan 2023

Lovely food

The food here was delicious! The mushrooms, onion rings, cauliflower wings and dirty sweet potato fries were all lovely. I personally didn't like the 'bbq ribs'. Staff were friendly. Interior was ok.

Pros: Lots of options, Friendly staff, Lovely food

Cons: Quite pricey, Cold inside

Kittybiscuit

Points +8724

Vegan
08 Sep 2022

Lots of flavour

We booked for an evening meal. The cocktails weren’t available unfortunately so I had sparkling water. My partner had rose lemonade and it was lovely. We ordered two mains, I ordered the nasi goreng with seitan. This was really well presented. It came with three spring rolls and salad too. I was so impressed with the flavours of the nasi goreng and the flavour and sauce on the seitan.

My partner had the beast which included dirty wedges, cauliflower, onion rings and ribs. The plate was huge abs I tried some and it was delicious.

OscarDowning

Points +58

Vegan
02 Sep 2022

Best place for vegans in the area

Been there several times, I am a particular fan of their Asian style dishes, but they have a lot of burgers as well. It's a really lovely atmosphere, definitely recommend if you're looking for a vegan dinner in Bangor. The cocktails are worth a try as well, but are on the more expensive side.

justgoflow

Points +210

Vegan
11 Aug 2022

Amazing. Tastebuds loved every flavour bomb.

Superb food amazing atmosphere. Such a great selection of vegan food on offer. A must if you are in Bangor you will not be disappointed.

Pros: Atmosphere , Service, Excellent food

VeganDakini

Points +186

Vegan
20 Feb 2022

Delicious variety of vegan food

This is a lovely place with lots of different dishes: ranging from dirty vegan loaded fries and burgers to healthier options from Chinese, Mexican etc.

Pros: Lots of variety Mexican, Chinese to burgers, Vegan donughts

Cons: Quite small, book in advance

KeldaOldman

Points +58

Vegan
26 Jan 2022

Incredible food

Food was just incredible! I really enjoyed the china town meal with duck pancakes and a tofu and rice dish plus a side of battered cauliflower wings. My other half enjoyed a new yorker burger with a side of creamy mushrooms and garlic bread. We both apreciated the flavours and fresh salad and veg on the side. Also the decorations are so fun!

Pros: Tasty food, Exciting decor

Cons: Table service a bit slow




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