Wayward Vegan Café

No, I am not vegan, but I am a picky pescatarian who mostly eats vegan. When I say picky, I mean it. This is why I mostly like to eat vegan because I feel LESS picky when I am eating plant-based (except for the few plants I don't like: mushrooms and olives).

My kids are not vegan, not even vegetarian, though my daughter informed me a few days ago she wants to be vegetarian because it makes her sad when she thinks about eating animals (this did not come from me as this is not a reason I have voiced for eating mostly plant-based). When I am home, I eat vegetarian, mostly vegan, though I am having a hard time giving up real butter, cheese, and the delicious eggs we get from our friend who has hens. I have found myself, however, turning to plant-based options more often and even having some plant-based cheese in the house, which I don't hate! My son is a meat eater, and I encourage that. His body wants meat, so the meat he gets! I try to give him meat as much as I can, although I still am not comfortable cooking a steak in my house (though outside on the grill is perfectly doable). I think you see where this is going...my house is like a restaurant, and I usually make 2-3 meals at mealtime. Which I am okay with! I want my kids to eat what their body is telling them it needs, and I love that no matter what, my kids want a salad, broccoli, or edamame. :)

Since I am more drawn to a completely plant-based diet, I love exploring new vegan restaurants, and living in Seattle, we have a lot!

Last night, before the Lauryn Hill and Fugees concert (yes, it was spectacular. And yes, I will write about it soon, head on over to my IG stories RIGHT NOW to see some highlights), I drove in rush hour traffic to The Wayward Vegan Café. I had some time to kill and I didn't mind making the trek.

The restaurant is in the Roosevelt neighborhood of Seattle, north of downtown Seattle. It is on the corner of 65th and 8th Ave NE, which is a very busy intersection. There is a small parking lot behind the restaurant, which was full when I went, so I had to circle a few times before I found a (paid) street spot. Of course, when I walked by the parking lot, someone was leaving. Oh well!

I arrived at 5:15 and the restaurant was deserted.

It was early for dinner, and the weather was horrendous, but I was there a full hour and was the only customer the entire time. When I arrived, I was greeted by a friendly server, and she asked me to choose wherever I wanted to sit. She gave me a few minutes to look over the menu, asked me if I had any questions, and then was ready to take my order.

I ordered a strawberry lemonade, tofu fries for an appetizer, and their infamous bowl. I asked for homestyle gravy instead of mushroom gravy, because, as I mentioned earlier, mushrooms are one of the few plants I do not like to eat.

My lemonade came out first, and it was perfectly sweet and quite pretty:

Next came the tofu fries. "Fried tofu with Thai chili sweet mayo" (from their website). I wasn't sure what to expect, and was excited when tofu Jenga arrived!

Miraculously, the tofu fries never toppled over even after my best attempts. There is a Jenga pro in the kitchen! These fries were delicious! Let me rephrase that: the fries tasted like tofu. There wasn't much to them. They had a nice crunchy texture on the outside, and were warm and soft on the inside. But, trust me when I say this: you don't want the fries tasting like much because they are just a catalyst for the heavenly, sweet and creamy thai chili sauce. YUM!!! I had to stop myself from just dipping a spoon in and drinking it up. So good. I was very hungry and could have eaten the entire order of fries, but I had to remind myself that I still had a main course coming. The appetizer size is perfect for two people to share before a main course.

About half way through my makeout session with the fries, the infamous Bowl arrived. "(GF) Popcorn chiggen, mashed potatoes, dillseasoned corn, mushroom gravy, and cheddar cheese sauce." (from their website, but I subbed homestyle gravy for the mushroom gravy).

Infamous Bowl (with homestyle gravy instead of mushroom gravy) $18.25

I think I have fallen in love. For reals, this time. This chiggen is so crispy and flavorful and the combination of crispy chiggen with mashed potatoes and corn and gravy is perfection. I started to get full about halfway through the good-sized portion, but I couldn't stop. I slowed down, but I ate every last bite. I would have licked the bowl if I was at home. It was one of the best bowls I have ever eaten. It was the epitome of comfort food. I loved every single bite.

I was worried that the food would be reflective of the empty tables, but I was pleasantly surprised. Oh. My. Goodness. This is some delicious food. Not just good VEGAN food, but damn good food in general! I enjoyed every single bite I ate. My mouth is watering as I write this, wishing this restaurant was not so far away from me.

Me, all alone, and full, in my new favorite vegan restaurant.

If you want some damn good vegan food, please go check out Wayward Vegan Café. I really hope I went during an abnormally slow time/day because I would cry and cry and cry if this delicious spot every closed down. :( PLEASE go support them!!

I have a new craving meal, which is not going to be easy to satisfy since the restaurant is 35 minutes from me when there is minimal traffic, proabbly an hour with traffic. UGH!

BUUUUUUUUT, I did have a similar dining experience recently at a locale a bit closer to me. Read here for more.