…That I’ve had so far. I won’t get carried away and call it the best in the entire city when I haven’t tasted ALL of the vegan comfort food here but, my gawd, it is good. For the tastebuds and the soul.
The Hogtown Vegan is located on Bloor St. W. and Havelock St. It’s a hip little spot with turquoise painted walls, interesting art adorning those bright walls and a big bar taking up most of the floor space. Booths and tables are spread out throughout and on the tables are little signs explaining the vegan substitutions. Handy for those who aren’t well acquainted with vegan takes on classic animal-based dishes and wouldn’t know what tempeh or cashew cheeze are.
Like I said earlier, it’s a small spot so I imagine seating is limited when it gets to more popular dining hours. As it was, my friends and I were meeting for dinner there at 5:30 p.m. on a Monday so there was plenty of seating available. We were able to snag a booth in the corner next to the bar. By the time we left at around 6:30 p.m. almost all the tables were filled.
I was really excited to be eating dinner there because I’d heard great things about its mac ‘n’ “cheese” and have yet to have a decent mac ‘n’ cheese dish that is entirely vegan. Also, I adore comfort food (who doesn’t?!) so I couldn’t wait to try it out for myself.
I’ve eaten there before but it was for brunch and wasn’t a dining experience that was particularly noteworthy. I had the BLT with a side of homefries and everything was decent. Good but not great.
But dinner is a whole other ball game. And it was one I’d heard Hogtown Vegan knew how to execute on so I was amped to give it a shot.
The restaurant bills itself on its comfort food and so the menu is rife with southern-inspired dishes: mac ‘n’ “cheese”, pulled “pork” sandwich, “chicken” and waffles… Right away I knew I had to get a dish that honoured the inspiration and would best represent the restaurant.
Although the unchicken & waffles is noted on the menu as Hogtown Vegan’s signature dish, I wasn’t really in the mood for waffles. Instead I went with the Southern combo: breaded soy “chicken” strips, mac ‘n’ “cheese” and sautéed garlic collard greens with a side of BBQ sauce.
Look at that beauty. It is 100% as good as it looks. Actually, better. Because that mac ‘n’ “cheese” is some of the best I’ve ever had in my life – including my pre-vegan days. It doesn’t even taste like fake cheese. I actually wondered if this “100% plant-based menu” thing was all a trick and they used real cheese in it because it was that authentic tasting.
My friend got the pulled “pork” sandwich with a side of fries and her meal was really good too. I would order that sandwich for sure. And the fries were great – perfectly crispy, not overly salty and generally made just the way fries should be. My other friend got the Southern combo too.
The dessert menu was compelling but we were short on time. We were headed to a Raptors game and, with a 7:30 p.m. start, wanted to get there with ample time to buy beverages before tip-off. Priorities, you know. But I think on my next visit I will make sure to sample it because that fried apple pie with soy ice cream was just calling my name.
When it was all said and done my bill came to $25. I’d indulged and got a (large) glass of the red wine sangria. I’d like to take a moment on that:
In my experience sangria is rarely done well, or properly for that matter. Most restaurants and home bartenders usually half-ass it and it ends up tasting overly sweet or like a glass of wine mixed with ginger ale and cut up fruit. I would like to say that Hogtown Vegan does not do that. Its sangria was fantastic. You can tell effort goes into making it and honouring what the drink is supposed to be. Thumbs up to the bartender!
Anyway, almost a week later and my friends and I are still talking about the mac ‘n’ “cheese” so I think another dinner at Hogtown Vegan is in our (near) future… Maybe it’s in yours too?
Note: Hogtown Vegan offers a gluten-free menu (which includes the mac ‘n’ “cheese”… just sayin’) and accepts payment in the form debit and credit, along with cash. Just wanted to point those things out because a friend who’d been there awhile ago said neither of those were true when she went so they must be new additions.
Vegan in the City 