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Vegiterranean
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 7:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
14 reviews for Vegiterranean
Even though I am an Akron native and have been back many times since this restaurant opening, we had resisted going here because of the vegetarian slant. After lunch there today, we were ever wrong!
The salad (citrus) was our favorite thing. Second favorite were the free dill pickles served as an appetizer. The tomato soup was very yummy. Our least favorite - to the point where we would not order it again - were the grilled cheese sandwiches.
I hesitate to rate what we ordered, because the menu changes frequently based on the season. This is restaurant would fit in London, New York, LA, San Fran, but here it is in downtown Akron. The atmosphere is hip, with a large separate lounge in the front, plus a big bar . Akron is named for the Greek word for "hills" or "heights", the view out the windows shows why.
I would not hesitate the recommend this place - for business or that special night. The celebrity owner notoriety (Chrissie Hinde of The Prentenders) is almost an afterthought.
Before taking my road trip to Chicago, looking for a half way point, I researched restaurants/hotels in the Akron area, and this one owned by Chrissie Hyndes (although a little bit pricier than most) stuck out in my mind. We eat vegan/vegetarian quite often but this was a whole new experience.. Heavenly!
Arriving late to our hotel in Akron, I decided to call Vegiterranian to see what time they are open until and if there was a dress code (After driving for 8 hours, wearing jeans, I was concerned). I was told they are open until 10pm and there is no dress code. Wohoo was I happy. He told me he would make sure the kitchen was open when we arrived.
Our GPS got us there (to the northside lofts) perfectly and when we arrived I was astonished at how awesome the place is. Glass/metal decor, clean, spacious, outdoor fire pits for ambiance, fountains etc.. Beautiful! We chose to sit outside because it was such a nice night. The waitress was professional, knowledgeable and friendly. After bringing us out a plate of fococcia bread, she told us about the special for the night. It was a pesto based pizza with mushrooms, peppers, tomato and (fake) mozzarella with a side salad. My boyfriend ordered that $15 and I ordered the polenta dish called baked polenta triangoli with wild mushroom bolognaise and braised escarole $19. We also got 2 bottled iced teas $6 so in total we spent $55! not bad!!!
The food was excellent! You would have no idea this is vegan food. I love cheese and that pizza was delicious... tasted like cheese to me!! No real complaints, except the food was a a bit oily.... But who cares it tasted yummy! The staff, decor and everything was amazing. I highly recommend coming here! I wish we weren't so full, we would have loved to have tried the desserts. Check out the website for menu/prices...
Fabulous upscale vegan restaurant. It's a little pricey, but they have a fantastic wine selection, and both vegetarians and carnivores will leave happy. They have a number of dishes that are traditional vegetarian, but also ones that feature meat substitutes if you prefer. My favorite dish is the roasted root vegetable risotto. Sexy, contemporary atmosphere with fun clubby music as well. Don't plan to eat dessert here though - everything is made from tofu and doesn't satisfy my sweet tooth! Worth the drive from Cleveland!
Go once to say that you have been, then be done with it. OK, it is perfectly fine, but it is not really anything special. I have been on several visits to Akron (go Zips) with different people, and I always leave with that impression.
They are trying too hard to make vege/vegan seem like meat. If I want meat, I'll eat meat. In the end, the food ends up suffering an identity crisis and can be generally weak.
That said, the 'burgers' are really quite good, and the fries are really, really quite good, but don't expect their homemade catsup (ketchup?) to wow you; its downright thin.
I'll close how I opened; try it to say that you have been ... hell, try it a couple times; you'll be glad you did. But after a couple visits you realize that it is simply an OK place and Akron has plenty of very good places (really! Akron has some very good restaurants!) where you can spend that hard earned money.
I went here with my uncle and aunt for her 40th birthday. Although she's vegetarian, I am not. But I still really liked the food here.
I liked my squash pizza. Instead of red marinara sauce they used squash puree. Maybe it's not an original idea, but I never had it before. And not only that but I loved the soy "cheese" that they used. I wasn't grossed out at all. Though I I've already been used to soy. The "cheese" actually felt and tasted like real cheese to me.
The only thing was that it was kind of expensive. I think my pizza was $18. But it was big enough to share with another person.
I'm not vegan or even vegetarian, so I feel like Vegeterranean is at its best when it doesn't try too hard to base dishes around substitute protein instead of meat. Perhaps if I was vegetarian, I might get more excited about a strip steak that's not really a steak.
So things like the amazing warm arugula salad, pizza, and gnocchi fill your mouth with the explosion of flavors that fresh, properly cooked veggie produce can. The faux chorizo sausage in the pizza (one of the day's specials) helped spice it up, but it wasn't the dominant flavor.
Even if you regularly eat meat, this place is worth it to change it up and have a unique, flavorful, healthy meal. We didn't have drinks, but if I still lived in the area I would be stoked about going to happy hour here -- the vibe is nice and the appetizer menu is different than the regular bar standards by meatless necessity.
Kudos to Chrissie Hynde for investing in Akron, and kudos to Akron for clearly embracing the place -- it was packed by the time we left.
Mother-In-Law:
"While you're here visiting, do you kids want to go to that Vegi, Vegetarian-ean, Vege-terarean... that place that Pat Benetar opened in Akron?"
Errr, why yes we do!
We booked our table through Opentable, it was no problem but we still had a to wait, but only a little bit. Seemed like things were kind of backed up in the waiting area, a bit of a layout issue, but maybe that doesn't come up all that often.
At first I was a little bit disappointed that we were not seated in the dining room/bar area. Instead, we were in another portion that had more of a cafe feel (you could see the lit cold case holding desserts and the coffee making area) but I soon forgot this when I started to look at the menu. Looking around, I noticed that they had a big patio area. I think that in the summer, this would be a lot of fun.
I noticed that they had chocolate martinis on the menu- an old favorite of mine, so when I saw that AND saw that you could order it in one of two styles, one of them being "clear" I was in! I usually do not care for a creamy cocktail, I like a 'clear' chocolate martini. When my muddy cocktail arrived, I reminded him that I ordered mine 'clear'. The waiter explained that they were making them with torani-type syrups before and now they make them with Godiva. He said they were gross before (they sounded gross) and assured me that this was still vegan. Hmmm... maybe take the 'clear' off the menu? Once I had a sip though, yum! No complaints. Not clear? No worries.
We ordered 3 appetizers to share among 4 very hungry people wanting to try some new foods. We got stuffed banana peppers, fries (listed as a side and highly recommended) and tempura cauliflower.
OMG, the servings were HUGE!!! Banana peppers were great, enjoyed by all at the table, fries were fine but not the best I've had, and the cauliflower was yummy, but more Vegan Carnival fried than Kyoto Tempura. Not that this stopped any of us from finishing it, of course.
While dining, our waiter was that great balance between attentive and invisible.
We ordered pizza for dinner & took much of it home, we were filled up on appetizers! The presentation of the pizza was well-done-- cut into fourths and in the center, a mound of mixed field greens-- made the pizza appear larger (this might be important to some folks) plus we got a lil' salad!
You've come a long way baby. I was born and raised in Akron and this place made me so proud. It was the highlight of my once yearly trip to Ohio this Christmas. I had the tomato soup and then shared a pizza with a friend. (We headed to Don Drumm's after) Living in the West, there's lots of vegan places around, but what I like most was the Italian twist and the regional beverage choices. Way to go Chrissie!
The BEST part was, Chrissie her self was there. She's such a hero for me, but I didn't say anything to her- just let her do her thing- but its cool to know shes involved in Akron, and her business.
I have been to Vegiterranean two times, and both were great dining experiences.
Food: 5/5
At dinner time, I had (and I can't find the technical name on their site) penne pasta with "gardien" chicken. WOW. Penne pasta with chicken was one of the few things I missed when I turned vegan, and it was extremely good. A very large portion, also. At lunch time, I enjoyed a panini with "gardien" chicken. It was loaded with delicious toppings including soy mozzarella. I had dessert both times I went (heehee!), and both were sooo moist and rich. I believe we had the chocolate cake with buttercream frosting the first time, and carrot cake the second. Both were better than any desserts I've ever had with dairy or eggs. And the presentation for all items, especially the dessert, was fabulous.
Service: 5/5
Both times, the servers were very knowledgeable about the menu and specials ... and there were a TON of specials! As a server myself, I was impressed with the knowledge, memorization, and pronunciation of all the items. They were very friendly as well. No complaints at all!
Atmosphere: 3/5
At first I really liked the modern, industrial look ... but I didn't find it very comfortable. The bar was awesome ... but I don't drink at all. The view was very nice though, looking out the large windows. But, I thought the tables were too close together for comfort and for some weird reason, both times we went, either the chair or the table was slightly wobbly. I would've enjoyed a more "natural" atmosphere ... I choose not to eat animals, but I felt like I was in a slaughterhouse. Sorry if that's harsh.
In summary, the only reason I don't go here more often is the atmosphere. I hope next time I go I get one of the more comfortable looking tables along the wall. The price was to be expected for the delicious food; no more, no less. And of course, it's a treat to be able to eat ANYTHING on the menu!!!
A tad expensive, but worth the presentation.
The first time I ate there I had the chicken piccata. That was incredible! The second time, I had the filet. It did have that charred taste (...the carcinogenic part) but tasted better heated up the next day.
The potatoes and brazed greens ARE incredible!
And there desserts are amazing as well!
I am not a vegitarian (anymore) nor a vegan. My hubby and I went with our vegitarian friends for a change of pace.
The atmosphere here is very clean mod with stainless steel tables and counters, white walls, and plenty of large windows. There is a deck area for dining which looked nice - we sat inside.
Our waiter was friendly and willing to wait for us to fumble through our choices and to answer all our questions about ingredients.
They're famous for their Mojito's (so we were told) and we ordered a Ginger Vanilla as well as a Blackberry for the table to share. The Ginger vanilla was awesome but the blackberry seemed to lack any sweetness. We ordered a bottle of a Pino Grigio and it was perfect.
Starting with the appetizer
Hot Italian Banana Peppers filled with fresh herb risotto and soy mozzarella, basil lime sauce - it was excellent and we argued how to split 3 peppers amongst 4 people. Wish our server had just asked for 4 pieces to be thoughful.
Salad/Soup
Hubby had the Gazpacho and thought it was good but wished there was more garlic involved and the rest of us had salads - two had the special which was tomato, red onions, house made croutons, on a bed of butter lettuce (so good) and the Wild Field Greens (which seemed too drenched so ask for dressing on the side).
Entree
Penne Putenesca - very spicy and excellent. Large portion and took the rest home
Penne Gratin - she didn't want the mushrooms so they replaced with broccoli. Wasn't stellar but hard to say if it was the substitution.
Spaghettini and Gardien Meatballs - just what the doctor ordered. He was satisfied with the meatballs and I tried one (as a meat eater) and found it similar enough to real meatballs. Sauce has a kick to it which adds to the enjoyment.
Grilled Vegitables over Polenta triangles - Good but the blandest dish there. We brought the rest home because it was tasty and with some salt it will improve (no salt on the table as you expect with a chef-heavy restaurant)
Dessert
Chocolate cake with "buttercream" frosting - each couple shared a cake and we ended up cutting it in half so the other person wouldn't accidentally eat more than their share. We couldn't figure out how they made the frosting without any dairy but it was very tasty and no crumbs were left on the plate.
Overall we enjoyed the night - the bill came to $45 each which wasn't cheap but not horribly expensive. All portions were large with the exception of the appetizer (only because we were sharing) and the Gazpacho. We didn't feel rushed or underserved so they've got that part down. Overall an enjoyable night and I would recommend to anyone - even if you aren't a vegetarian or vegan.
Their website: http://www.thevegiterr.../
A somewhat blurry picture of the restaurant: http://www.flickr.com/...
Vegiterranean has the capacity to be great... it's just not quite there yet.
I've visited two times. The decor from the dishes to the tables is very modern and cool. Parking can be a little difficult around lunch time since Luigi's is so popular and has most of the surrounding lots reserved for its patrons only.
On my first visit, I ordered a tomato and basil pizza which was served with a green salad. The pizza was delicious and the salad was the best I've eaten in my life (no joke). I raved about the food to anyone who would listen.
On my second visit, I ordered a pasta dish with tomato sauce. Unfortunately, this dish failed to deliver. It just didn't taste good.
When I visit an establishment like Vegiterranean, I'm looking for the best that this type of cuisine has to offer. When I looked through the menu I was disappointed at the number of items that were simple vegetables. The vast majority of the menu items contain meat or cheese substitutes. When Vegiterranean sticks to vegetables, it is sublime. When it dabbles with animal product substitutes, it fails.
I am giving the Vegiterranean 3 1/2. The food was good, but I was not floored. Very nice atmosphere. Knowledgeable staff. Nice patio and bar area. Everything is vegan (no dairy and no meat). I ordered the stuffed tomato and thought the portion was pretty small. I tasted my friend's risotto and it was pretty good. The potato gnocchi was very good and could have passed for dairy. I would definitely return for another shot if it was not so far from Shaker Heights.
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I was home from LA for Thanksgiving and took my parents to Vegiterranean. My mom is a hard-core carnivore - seriously, she can and often does have meat 3x/day. I was admittedly a bit nervous. The service was perfect - just the right mix of making sure we were happy & comfortable yet it was non-intrusive. Wine list was EXCELLENT!!!!! Food was simply incredible. I figured i'd go for what I thought was the toughest entre to pull off....filet mignon. i was effing KNOCKED out by the presentation - it looked completely authentic (I'm an ethical vegetarian - I love the taste of meat and yes, I miss it) down to what looked & TASTED like slight charring that you'd get with a real filet. The flavor & texture were fantastic. It was served on white bean mashed potatoes with braised greens and a killer drizzle. I nearly licked my plate! Dad had chicken picatta (loved it!) and mom had steak marsala and was floored! She is a pretty picky eater and they were both 'clean platers'! They were literally raving about the place. The chef came out talked to us (he made several rounds around the room that night) and my parents were so complimentary - it was really touching. My dad said he hadn't been that excited about food for a long, long time and felt it was a real "experience". They're both from NEO and they thought the prices were great.
Dessert was also fantastic - mixed berry pie and a berry creme brullee sp?).
So kudos to Chrissie and the Vegiterranean - you did it. I love Akron even more with the addition of this gem. Can't wait to go back at Christmas!
~WC
