VegiTerranean

Chrissy.
Come back. We need you.

VERY sad this place closed. Chrissie Hynde– PLEASE consider re-​opening in Cleveland! NOT a slam to Akron at all… I just think there are more veg-​heads and (I hate this word) «foodies».
As a vegetarian, I miss being able to look a menu and know I can safely order ANYTHING!!!

It wasn’t always easy making the trip out to Akron to eat here, but every time was well worth it. I’m really glad I was able to introduce my vegetarian gf to this place before it closed as her options around town are pretty slim.
I hope this place or the concept gets resurrected again and hopefully closer to Cleveland.

*I* really liked it, as did my gf. But others in our lunch party (non-​vegetarians/​omnivores) weren’t as crazy about it. We had a party of 10, and overall, we were very impressed with the service. I had the Greek Avgolemono Soup plus a «meatball» sandwich with fries – tasty & filling. Also tried the North Hill Pizza — Italian «Sausage,» Caramelized Onions, Wild Mushrooms, Sautéed Peppers, Banana Peppers, Roasted Garlic, Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella – excellent! I also tried a «burger” – very tasty – and the Gnocchi – okay – and the «chicken» fingers – very good. But some in our party were not into the fake «meat.» Tried the tiramisu, which didn’t blow me away.
A couple notes about service & atmosphere – we had a gentleman stop by our table & ask how everything was. Our resident 4-​year old critic said that she didn’t like her burger, so she was brought a complimentary plate of chicken fingers. The two kids were also brought complimentary (?) mini-​desserts – pic to follow – a nice touch. Service in general was quite good, though a bit curt at times.
The restaurant is not unpleasant as far as atmosphere, but the abundance of hard surfaces make the acoustics loud, regardless of the number of people present. It’s a shame for those who like to dine in a bit of quiet. But overall, it was a good experience (IMHO).
Posthumous comments: They did rely a lot on the fake meat, much of which («Gardein») is available direct to the consumer at places like Whole Foods and even Target. Still – sorry to see them go. (Ms. Hynde & I went to the same high school, though not at the same time.)

I am not a vegetarian but I date one. Ha! Seriously though, I have been to the VegiTerranean restaurant four times. I am from Cleveland and it’s well worth the 45 minute drive and whatever wait time is necessary to get a table. The restaurant itself is very clean, modern and well lit. There is a patio outside for seasonal months and cozy seating inside. This is not a restaurant for large groups from what I can tell. There are high bar style seats and regular tables. Reservations are recommended, especially if you want a seat by a window or by a picture of your favorite musician.
I have had quite a few items on the menu from appetizers to entrée’s. The food is on the expensive side so this to me is for «special occasion» eating out. I’ve had the fake chicken, I’ve had the fake steak and the Chrissy Fries are as good as they say they are. I have not tried the bakery — one time they were out before 6 PM which was disappointing.
The service is always great and the wait staff is very knowledgeable and attentive. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like — I think they are used to veggie tourists trying new things.
While your down in Akron visit the contemporary art museum… it’s also amazing and you can get through it in 2 – 3 hours tops.

My wife and I make a special trip once every three months two hours just to have lunch or dinner here. This is an amazing vegan restaurant.
If you are a omnivore don’t be scared off. The first time I went there I was too. The food is delicious and the service was awesome. The menu is seasonal and they do a good job of changing things up as well as keeping some good regulars.
All I can say is that we love this place and you should give it a shot with an open mind.
The only reason I give it 4 stars is due to the two hour drive from where we live.

An all-​vegan restaurant in Akron? Colour me happy, right? I really want to give this place 5 stars. But it has a few hang-​ups that I just can’t get over.
1. The menu is very, very heavy on faux meats. Which completely makes sense due to the fact that it is located in a fairly small city and has to appeal to the masses, as well as the vegans. I would love to see more dishes that feature seasonal vegetables, legumes, and grains.
2. The décor is very sleek and shiny, and I just can’t decide if I like it. Also, those chairs at the short tables are SO UNCOMFORTABLE. Seriously. Pick the tall tables.
3. Over the several times I’ve eaten here, service has run the gamut from wonderful to absolutely rude and pretentious. I’m paying enough to eat here (see point #4…); I would like to be treated with respect. Maybe a smile, even. Just a thought.
4. Wow, this place is expensive. The food is usually reasonably good, but still. A full dinner for 4 with appetizers and desserts will run you more than $ 100. Add drinks and you’re looking at quite a bill. It’s a nice special occasion restaurant, but don’t expect to eat here every week without going broke.
Nice things:
— The patio is lovely. One of the best in Akron.
— Try the Chrissie fries! They’re delish.

Wow. We soooooo wanted to love this place. Vegan = yay! Chrissie Hyndes = phenomenal. But you know what they say about first impressions… it’s true. The hostess was so shockingly RUDE we were still laughing about it by the time our check (finally) arrived. Very simple and common questions and requests were met with contempt and sarcasm. We know her name was Kim because she was shouting across the length of the restaurant and flirting with the musician playing Loggins and Messina. Kim, working for a rock star doesn’t make you a rock star.
The rest of the service was okay. Slow but friendly.
The food was excellent.
Unfortunately, her behavior was so distracting it undermined the rest of the experience.

To help you understand this review, here are a few facts:
1. I’m very cautious about giving 5 stars on Unilocal.
2. I’m a carnivore.
3. The fact that this place is vegetarian made me want to avoid it like the plague (see fact #2) until someone sitting next to me on the plane said it was her only positive experience during her business trip to Akron.
Well, then. Let’s proceed.
My wife and I came here despite some of the very negative reviews on here. Unfortunately, it seems that many have limited range in their reviews and tend to only give 1 star or 5 stars which really hurts Unilocal and the Unilocal community.
Anyway, we walked in and immediately liked the look of the place. I’m still confused why some think a vegan restaurant should be decorated in wood and old school style. The reason this confuses me is two-​fold. First, vegan restaurants are still pretty new and cutting edge which fits with a clean, modern décor. Second, the owner is literally a rock star. I don’t see much Amish furniture on MTV Cribs, even if the home is owned by a 70s rockstar from Akron.
Now to the food: Amazing. My wife had the fettuccine with wild mushrooms and I had one of the specials of the day which was vegetarian (VT) chicken w/​morels. Both were excellent although my dish was light on the morels but at $ 20-​$ 50/​pound I wasn’t too disappointed or surprised. The taste and texture of the chicken was dead on, and if you hadn’t told me it was fake chicken I wouldn’t have known.
The service was fine. I would definitely recommend making a reservation. Even on a Sunday night, walk-​ins were told they had to wait an hour or more. They are one of the few restaurants on OpenTable in Akron, so I’d recommend starting there.
Keep in mind that it’s loud in this place (due to talking, not music or TVs), so it’s not a place for a first date or a romantic evening.
The desserts were okay. My tiramisu had way too much cream in it which made it kind of bad, but I’m not really a dessert guy, so that didn’t affect my 5-​star rating.
We definitely want to go back.

This place is heaven for veggies and omnivores alike. The food is awesome. First awesome thing — they bring out pickles instead of bread. How genius. Healthy and yummy! (it is widely known that I could eat my weight in pickles each day.) The menu has a lot of choices without being overwhelming and ranges from soups/​salads to pizzas to «burgers» and Chrissie’s famous fries to fancy pastas and entrees. I had the home made potato gnocchi with broccoli and lemon parsley pesto cream sauce and my boo had the grilled portobello mushroom and asparagus wrap with spinach and local horseradish. Both were yummy.
The décor is absolutely lovely. Very modern black and white, clean and minimalist. The perfect spot for a fancy work lunch. The patio is awesome too for a nice summer day. Finally, the prices are very good. Both of our lunch entrees were less than $ 10 a plate.
My only complaint — and this is a personal preference — is that a lot of their food options include things masquerading as meat and cheese. I truly enjoy some (very few) meat and cheese substitutes but not most. Also, if we ever want to encourage omnis to try more vegan/​vegetarian food, we have to shy away from those awful substitutes. They don’t taste like the real thing and they’re kinda scary. Vegan food can be fancy and delicious without fake meat and cheese. Whole foods like beans, vegetables, and grains are lovely enough on their own. With that being said, the food is still excellent. My compliments to the chef.
If you ever find yourself in Chrissie Hynde’s hometown, you must give Vegiterranean a try.

We never, ever miss a visit to VegiTerranean when we visit the Akron/​Canton area, in fact, we typically eat there no less than twice each time. I love all the gnocchi dishes, the «steaks» are great, the hot banana pepper appetizer, the chickpea cakes, the salads, and the deserts! Our non-​veg family members love to eat here as well — they go nuts over the frito misto and just about everything else too. They have great drinks too — my favorite is the Pickle Martini!
We’ve had the pleasure of meeting Chrissie on one visit, and we see her there pretty frequently.
Everyone needs to try VegiTerranean at least once in their lifetime, so if you find yourself in Akron, even if you are just driving through, make plans to stop by and experience the food and the atmosphere for yourself. I think most people will not be disappointed.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, this is supposed to be The Place in Akron. The Holy Grail. The G-​Spot Orgasm.
It’s okay. Below average food, decent service, average atmosphere.
For an appetizer, we ordered the bruschetta with roasted red pepper pesto. I got the Pomodoro with Gardein Chicken and whole wheat pasta; the gal I went with got a Quinoa wrap with arugula and a side slaw. We split each meal, so I happily got to taste both.
The bruschetta was so close to fantastic. Crispy bread, caramelized onions. The fake cheese, however, ruined it. It was bland, texturally difficult to enjoy, and just looked plain odd (yes, I am that shallow).
The Pomodoro, honestly, looked SO good and ended up being SO bad. The sauce looked creamy but ended up with a slightly gritty edge. The proclaimed «wild» mushrooms were regular white cap mushrooms (excuse me?! WTF?!). And the «chicken» tasted fishy. The texture was completely wrong, the taste, if possible, was even worse. I don’t know what kind of person can’t tell the difference, but I sure as hell am not taking their advice on food.
The wrap was probably the best out of all the dishes. I think I liked it best because it wasn’t trying to be something it wasn’t. It was nutty from the quinoa, sweet and tangy from the balsamic, and peppery and fresh from the arugula. The slaw was simply beautiful. It was clean, fresh the way a good slaw should be. Had ALL of the dishes been like this, I’d eat at VegiTerranean every day. But this pretend food can just go on pretending I’m going to eat there again.
If you insist on trying this restaurant out, take some advice: Don’t order anything that is pretending to be something else. It’s not worth it.

Hubby and I are omnivores.
Although, if I didn’t like BBQ ribs so much, I could go vegetarian. My husband would definitely choose carnivore exclusively, if his cholesterol wasn’t an issue (and his wife didn’t make him eat veggies).
One thing that is true about both of us is that we love trying different styles of restaurants and enjoy a varied diet that includes meat substitutes as well as meat from animals.
I heard about VegiTerranean from fellow Unilocalers last year and knew it was where I wanted to spend my birthday. I anticipated this dining experience for months and finally, my special day came.
We arrived in time for our reservation and were met by two hostesses and a waiter who chose their conversation over us. It took a few minutes, but they finally acknowledged us and showed us to our table. We were greeted promptly by our server, but found that his service became more distant as the night went on. We still can’t figure out why, but thankfully the food was sent straight from Heaven to our plates.
Hubby and I enjoyed a glass each of prosecco, followed by the butternut squash soup and truffled wild mushrooms bruschetta. The entrees we chose were their two specials: the harvest risotto (perfect texture, needed more seasoning), and the spinach fettucini with roasted artichokes & vegan sausage (hubby said the sausage tasted really close to the real thing). Plus, they served us cute little cubes of foccacia bread with garlic & rosemary oil for dipping. We would have stayed for dessert, except my man had friends surprise me with cake when we got home.
My four star rating is for the ambiance and food. My compliments to the chef! The rest of the personnel needs help.

Keep looking!
Very disappointing. We drove from Cleveland to try this restaurant mainly due to the reviews here.
We arrived early on a Sunday and the place was empty. The rather snobby hostess said that we must have a reservation but could seat us in the café in the front window. It was cold being near the door, but since we traveled so far we said OK.
Throughout the dinner we continued to wonder why we were treated differently that the other guests. We were well dressed and sober. Maybe because we’re over 40. Whatever he reason successful businesses don’t treat customers like second class citizens. Good luck with this one Chrissy. You might want to keep an eye on the help.
During our time there only a handful of people walked in with reservations and she proceeded to seat other people in the dining room without one. Shame on me for not being insistent but shame on her for not being more accommodating.
The food was just OK and the service was average. But then it was difficult for the server who had to leave her other tables in the dining room to take care of us.
When we left the dining room was less than half full. I didn’t bother to comment about this to the hostess (she was busy talking to her friends anyway).
Too bad. We had high expectations and were let down.
If you’re looking for a good meal in the area, go to Luigi’s. It’s not vegan, but they treat you like a customer not an interruption. But if you want vegan look for an alternative. This one isn’t worth the time or money.

Chrissie Is A Real Pretender: Not «Strictly Vegan»!
We just got back from VegiTerranean and I thought the food was amazing. Being from LA and originally from Cleveland I loved seeing a vegan restaurant in Northeast Ohio. I went to dinner with my family and was able to try everything they ordered. My husband and I split the risotto cakes and the gnocchi — both outstanding and lots of flavor. My mom had the chicken piccata and it was one of my favorites. And I thought the fries lived up to their «best fries ever» claim.
Now here comes the but…
BUT!!! For a restaurant claiming to «strictly vegan» (according to the menu), they had at least two extremely non-​vegan beers at the bar. The first is Newcastle which is known to treat their beers with isinglass finings (a solution of collagen prepared from certain fish). And the second is the beloved Great Lakes Christmas Ale which is overtly non-​vegan as stated directly on the label: «A handcrafted ale made with spices and HONEY».
Chrissie really is the real pretender. Sorry dudes.

I decided to take my vegetarian girlfriend to this place after getting one of those great deals from LivingSocial. I was really excited to take her somewhere that she’d be able to easily find some quality vegetarian food beyond just a salad. Unfortunately, our experience could not have been further from my expectations.
First off, walking in to a restaurant named «Vegiterranean» I had expectations of décor that would remind me of something warm, and «natural». All dark-​colored wood, natural-​looking décor, something that looks like it’s straight out of nature. Instead, the place had a pseudo-​industrial look, with all of the tables appearing to be carved from a single chunk of metal. The movie quote that kept coming to mind was straight out of Gone in 60 seconds, «Metal. Steel. It’s cold. Ugly. Wood is warm. Clean. Provided by nature.» –Raymond Calitri
Service was awful. My girlfriend and I came in mid-​afternoon on a beautiful day after calling ahead for reservations, and were asked if we would prefer to sit inside or out. Since it was beautiful out, we indicated we would prefer to sit out there. We were told it wouldn’t be a problem at all, and to just wait a minute. A few minutes later, a different hostess came back and told us that there was no outdoor seating available. On the way to our seat indoors, we looked out the window behind the bar and saw that every single table outside was open, and had umbrellas there for seating.
After waiting for about 10 minutes after being seated, our waiter finally showed up to see what we wanted to drink. By that time, we had already looked through the menu and decided what we wanted to eat as well, but he practically ran off to get our drinks without asking, and didn’t show up for another 10 minutes.
By this point we were starving, so we ordered the «Best fries you’ve ever had» as promised by «Chrissie» (the owner), figuring they would be out quick and we’d have something to take the edge off. 40 minutes later, I find myself pestering our ever-​elusive server as to the whereabouts of our fries. Five minutes later, he’s managed to locate them, and they make their arrival at our table. These were so far from the «best fries ever», words cannot describe. My comment after my first fry, «These need a lot of salt… they’re totally bland.» My girlfriend’s comment was just the opposite, so I try one from the other side of the fry dish. Her side was perfectly seasoned. They managed to only salt HALF of the fry dish. To top it off, they were lukewarm at best, and had probably been sitting there for about 30 minutes waiting on our server to bring them to us.
Finally our meals came, an hour and 15 minutes after being seated, and my girlfriend’s Spaghettini with Italian Vegan «sausage» was just awful. I didn’t have high hopes for vegan «sausage» in the first place, but figured it would likely be redeemed by pasta (how can you screw that up!?) Boy was I wrong. The sauce was just inedible. It seemed very water-​down, and thin to the point where it barely even covered the noodles. She ate about a half dozen bites, and refused to eat the rest of it. I tried a few bites, and didn’t blame her one bit. To quote Randy Moss, «I wouldn’t even feed this to my dog!» (And I don’t even own a dog!)
I ordered the Grilled Gardein «Chicken», but was instead served Country Fried «chicken». My meal was pretty decent (probably 3.5−4÷5), but the fact of the matter is that they still did manage to get it wrong. I figured I would wait to complain about my meal until I had at least tried it to see if I liked it or not. The mashed potatoes were very flavorful and delicious, which added to the taste.
We did order dessert to go, in an effort to salvage the evening, while not sticking around any longer than necessary. We also had a little extra money left to spend on the Groupon. The lemon cake with raspberry topping was the second saving grace for this place, though not enough in my mind to lift it from the depths of a 1 star review. One of my worst experiences ever with a restaurant. I will never be back.

My mom and I stopped here on our way back from Canal Fulton on a Saturday. She is a big fan of the Pretenders.
I knew she would like the food and appreciate the rock n roll décor.
Before even ordering water, my mom jumped at the chance to order the asparagus fries and horseradish appetizer. It was hearty portion but we finished the whole plate because they were so good.
My mom had the Whole wheat penne with wild mushrooms, asparagus, and pine nuts. She said her meal was VERY good and is looking forward to taking my step-​father there.
I had the spinach pasta special with «sausage», asparagus, summer squash and a «cream» sauce. Delicious. Eat meal is thoughtfully created.
An Akron Beacon journal article sparked our conversation about Ms. Chrissie Hynde and JJones. Then we shared memories of the Pretenders and B52’s concert we went to years ago. Good times.
The service was friendly and attentive as always. The portions are large but leftovers are a treat.
I love having so many delicious vegetarian menu options. I also love this place because I know non vegetarians will enjoy it too. The food is that good.
The fake meat isn’t necessary but I appreciate it. The dishes stand well on their own.
We can’t wait to go back.

VegiTerranean is a sexy, smart and high-​end vegan restaurant/​bar worth a trip from Cleveland. In fact, skip Cleveland dining all-​together and go straight to Akron. While it’s a good place on a whole, an a net positive for foodies, vegans and Akronites, it could stand to make a few improvements which I’ll outline below.
First, while I was seated promptly by the friendly hostess, my waiter didn’t acknowledge my presence for a good 7 or 8 minutes. The hostess seemed to do double-​duty to try to pick up the slack. It took another 10+ minutes for the waiter to take my order. Then I waited another 30 minutes or so for my food to arrive. In summary, the service speed and quality were sorely lacking, which was weird, given that it was busy, but not exactly bursting-​at-​the-​seams busy. Lastly, I waited another 10 minutes to get my bill.
The friendly, attentive hostess gave me some high-​grade bread and olive oil to apologize for the wait (I didn’t even ask), which was a nice gesture.
I started off with an order of Chrissie’s «Best Fries» ($ 4). While she promises they’re the best I’d ever have, I have to disagree. They were good, but not great, and I wouldn’t order them again; while I appreciated the cleverness of the tofu ricotta dressing that came with the fries, I thought the flavors didn’t come together (the ricotta was cold and not seasoned enough, whereas the fries were scalding hot and the skins on them don’t mesh with the subtle nature of the ricotta).
For my main course it was a tough decision but I went with a «spinach fettucine with wild mushrooms and smoked Gardein chicken in a roasted tomato cream sauce» ($ 17). Again, the dish was decent, but not great. I appreciated the large portion size, but the dish felt thrown together haphazardly in a big mash of food. It certainly lacked the sophisticated presentation I would have expected given the price and the ambience of the restaurant.
Finally, for dessert, I had a slice of tiramisu ($ 8). Once again, the portion size impressed me (if you’re there with a date, get a single dessert to share). The texture was about right, but not quite as soft/​fluffy as I remember tiramisu being. The coffee flavor could have stood to have been stronger.
The place attracts a slightly older, well-​dressed crowd (that said, I showed up in jeans and a t-​shirt and wasn’t made to feel awkward). If you have a larger group, I would recommend making reservations beforehand.
In conclusion, I applaud Chrissie Hynde for having the guts to open such a cool place in Akron. VegiTerranean isn’t perfect, but it shows signs of promise and I look forward to returning.

Even though I am an Akron native and have visited 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 décor, 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, décor 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…