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Local restaurants you may not have known serve vegan options

Author

Annika Olson
July 18, 2022

Nourish

As veganism is getting more popular, Victoria’s restaurants are creating menus to bring back customers who’ve sworn off animal products in their diet.  If you’re looking for a restaurant that will serve you a great vegan meal, look no further. We’ve made a short list of places where you can get a vegan burger, plant-based sushi, burritos, and more. 

The Victoria branch of the Canadian bar chain is already well-known for its weekly creations, like wild poutine creations or their famous giant punchbowl poutine! It’s a high-energy place, with—and if you want to go non-alcoholic, Leopold’s offers house-made seltzer. You can order a classic burger or poutine—but specify the vegan option if you have turned off meat. Ask your server if the poutine-of-the-week is available as a vegan option. 

Vegan dishes available at Leopold’s:

  • Cauliflower bites

  • Plant-based nachos

  • Two kinds of poutine including impossible poutine and mushroom poutine 

  • Black Bean Quesadilla

  • Smash Burger

  • Plant-Based Taco

  • Plant-Based Breakfast Burrito

Leopold’s Tavern (Instagram)

The classic Victoria pub has been around since 1916. Maude Hunter’s started as a corner store and soon became a hangout for people in the Shelbourne community. You can’t go wrong with Music Bingo Monday and Trivia Tuesday—in other words, lots of community feelings. There’s local beer, standard pub fare, crazy burger creations, salads, and even a liquor store on the premises. Maude Hunter’s offers a redesigned menu with oodles of vegan options.  

Vegan dishes available at Maude Hunter’s Pub:

  • Chick’n Strips and Fries: made with Gardien plant-based chick’n strips

  • Poutine: made with Daiya cheese and vegan gravy

  • Nothos: made with Daiya cheese and choice to add plant-based meat crumbles

  • Beer Battered Fries or yam fries with vegan chipotle mayo

  • Onion rings

  • Buffalo Chick’n Wrap: made with Gardien plant-based chick’n strips, vegan cheese, and chipotle mayo 

  • Vegan Focaccia Sandwich: made with vegan mayo and Chao cheese

  • Red Devil Veggie Burger: locally made, soy-free, gluten-free veggie burger

  • Beyond Meat Burger: option to add Chao cheese and vegan gravy

  • Fishless and Chips: made with crispy Gardien plant-based filets with vegan tartar sauce

  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Tart: topped with coconut whipped cream

Burger Crush is “putting a fresh spin on the Classic Burger Shop” creating its own in-house fast foods on a simple menu. Every classic fast food item on the menu offers a vegan alternative, from classic burgers to milkshakes, and fries cooked in peanut oil. 

Their popular vegan burgers are hand-made, made with vegan cheese on a fluffy vegan bun, and even comes as a smaller burger option for kids. The vegan shakes are house-made from coconut milk and they even serve vegan nuggets made with deep-fried tofu nuggets instead of chicken. Try out all of the vegan options today. 

Vegan options available at Burger Crush:

  • Vegan cheeseburger: can be ordered as a double

  • French fries: hand-cut Kennebec potatoes cooked in peanut oil

  • ‘Crushed’ fries: Kennebec fries topped with fried onions, vegan cheese, and Crush sauce

  • Vegan nuggets: deep-fried tofu nuggets

  • Vegan shake: made with coconut milk ice cream

Shine Cafe is a must-try place for brunch in downtown Victoria. The food is prepared in-house from scratch. Shine Cafe finds local sources for its ingredients whenever possible. Classic brunch includes eggs benedict, pancakes, and a variety of 10 different sides to add to any meal. What makes Shine Cafe stand out is the talent for transforming  anything on the menu into a superb vegan meal, with egg, meat, and cheese substitutes

Vegan options at Shine Cafe:

  • Burrito del sol: made with vegan cheese and vegan egg, and black bean-walnut patty 

  • 2-2-2: made with avocado or black bean-walnut patty

  • Omelettes: made with vegan egg

  • Karin’s Vegan Brunch: choose any 4 breakfast options including pecan cranberry granola, black bean-walnut patty, sweet chili-sesame tofu, and vegan egg

  • Curried Coconut Carrot Soup: served with toast or cornbread

@shinecafeinc1324 Blanchard St. 1548 Fort St. Shine Cafe menu including vegan options

Picnic Too is a local cafe and restaurant offering brunch, lunch, coffee, and catering for special occasions. The crew teams up with local businesses including 2% Jazz Coffee, and Jagasilk for quality beverages. The food is all made in-house. Sit on the patio picnic benches and enjoy brunch, lunch, and drink menu with vegan options. 

Vegan options at Picnic Too include: 

  • The Breakfast Sandwich: made with chili lime tofu, avocado, and pesto

  • Vegan Hash: potatoes, vegetables, avocado, seared chili lime tofu, and charred green onion and pumpkin seed pesto served with toast

  • The Macro Bowl: a bed of grains with vegetables with the option to add chili lime tofu that changes monthly 

  • Smoothies and Smoothie Bowls: made with vegan protein powder, coconut water, and coconut milk

  • BBQ and Coconut Yam Curry Picnic Bowl: comes with a base of rice or/and greens and the option to add chili lime tofu 

  • Picnic Salad: chickpeas, vegetables, avocado, and pumpkin seeds on fresh greens tossed in apple miso vinaigrette with the option to add chili lime tofu

  • Mediterranean Quinoa Salad: quinoa, spinach, harissa, and sumac marinated carrots, olives, raw vegetables, house-made picnic sauce, and the option to add chili lime tofu

  • Coffee or Latte drinks: made with coconut milk 

La Taqueria, a Vancouver-based eatery showcasing Mexican street food, serves traditional recipes made from organic and sustainable products. La Taqueria even has its own tequila label. The restaurant also offers catering services for private celebrations. Enjoy classic  Mexican dishes turned vegan with a margarita today!

Vegan options at La Taqueria include:

  • Cauliflower taco: battered cauliflower, pico de gallo, onion, cabbage, made without creamy coleslaw

  • Hongos Huitlacoche taco: mushrooms, huitlacoche stew, cilantro, avocado salsa verde, made without cheese

  • Enfrijolada taco: beans, romaine, salsa cruda, made without queso fresco

  • Raja Con Crema taco: stewed poblano peppers, and sweet corn, made without sour cream and melted cheese

  • Raja Con Crema burrito: stewed poblano peppers, sweet corn, rice, made without chipotle mayo, mozzarella, sour cream, and creamy coleslaw

  • Cauliflower Baja burrito: battered cauliflower baja, ancho-miel, salsa cruda, rice, made without chipotle and poblano mayo, and creamy coleslaw

  • Nachos: baked house nachos, corn chips, refried beans, poblano peppers, sweet corn, caramelized onions, pico de gallo, cilantro, made without cheese and sour cream

Swan’s got into the low-brew craft beer business in 1989. It became a gathering hub for the community. Swan’s has its own liquor store and also offers catering with a list of event options that anyone can enjoy. 

Vegan options at Swan’s Pub and Brewery Include:

  • Bruschetta: fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil on grilled beer bread

  • Half sheet Vegan pizza: made with vegan mozzarella 

  • Vegan nachos: made with vegan mozzarella

  • Housemade samosas: spiced potato filling with apple onion chutney, mustard pickled fennel, and onions

  • Vegan poutine: crispy crinkle fries made with vegan mozzarella and vegan gravy

  • Vegan royale burger with cheese: house-made bean burger patty made with vegan cheese

  • Vegan chocolate mousse brûlée: made with dark chocolate and coconut cream 

Nourish Kitchen and Café is located in a two storey heritage building, serving farm-to-table brunch dishes, nourishing treats, and even kitchen staples for your home. The downstairs has a full service dining room and patio, with a counter service café. The upstairs hosts events in a space designed as a relaxing hangout. Traditional menu philosophies and principles of holistic nutrition are the guideposts for colourful dishes meant to nourish the soul and delight the eyes. Ask your server about their daily features!

Vegan options at Nourish Kitchen & Cafe include:

  • Tartine: herbed cashew cheese, tempeh, wildfire sourdough toast, and creamy green cashew hollandaise

  • Golden Benny: tempeh, sweet potato wedges, and turmeric cashew hollandaise 

  • Benny & Baked Beans: tempeh, roasted squash, molasses baked beans, lime salted cabbage, green, and pumpkin seed hollandaize 

  • Creamy Tahini and Kale Salad: kale and cabbage salad, roasted veggies, garlic tahini dressing, beet noodle nest, and sesame sprinkles with the option to add house-made sauerkraut 

  • Soup, Greens, Cheese & Crackers: soup, salad, nourish cashew cheese, buckwheat toast, and house-made ferments

Side options:

  • Organic Tempeh

  • Soup

  • Organic buckwheat toast and wildfire sourdough toast

  • Ferments & pickles

  • Cashew cheese and seedy plate

Gozen Sushi serves colourful and multi-dimensional Japanese dishes making an exceptional unique sushi experience with the flavours of Akasu red vinegar. Gozen, meaning “Emperor’s meal; a gorgeous meal” in Japanese, is how chef Tony created the name as he serves gorgeous meals to every guest. Their ingredients scream quality as their sushi rice is from Japan and their soy sauce is homemade! Gozen Sushi is a must-try for vegans as the tempura isn’t made with egg, and if a roll comes with cream cheese, it’s easily made without! The extensive menu has multiple Japanese vegan-friendly options, as five out of six of the sauces on the menu are vegan-friendly!  

Vegan options at Gozen Sushi Bar Izakaya include:

  • Steamed rice and sushi rice

  • Oshinko: pickled radish

  • Edamame 

  • Seaweed salad

  • Green salad: organic greens, baked onion flakes, bell pepper, avocado, and house vinaigrette

  • Korokke: Japanese croquette (deep-fried potato and vegetable patty)

  • Goma-ae: boiled nanohana (green Japanese vegetable) with sesame dressing

  • Avo fry: panko-battered deep-fried avocado

  • Avocado roll 

  • Tropical Veggie roll: avocado, asparagus, bell pepper, cucumber, and mango wrapped in soybean paper

  • Avo Rider roll: asparagus, bell pepper, cucumber, oshinko (Japanese pickle), and  avocado

  • Yam roll

  • Vegan roll: cucumber, avocado, asparagus, bell pepper, oshinko wrapped in soybean paper

  • Victoria roll: yam tempura, avocado, and sesame seeds

  • Vegetable and yam tempura 

  • Tofu Yakisoba: pan-fried vegetables and tofu with soba or udon noodles

What is your favourite restaurant in Victoria with a variety of vegan options? We’d love to feature them! Please email as at [email protected]