Rise Above

Even though I now live in Quebec, Rise Above keeps me coming back to Niagara to enjoy all my delicious favourites and the chance to sample new seasonal items. The staff is incredible, from the thoughtful management to the attention to detail from the kitchen staff to the professional service from the wait staff. The atmosphere at Rise Above is cozy, heart warming and fresh and the special events put this location on the map. Highly recommend!

Honestly they do best vegan wings we got sriracha lime they had the perfect amount of flavour and great texture & although they were deep fried they we not excessively oily. The mushroom caps were also a banger because they are able to make a great vegan pesto with all the flavour that’s nice & smooth. The beet salad also great. And the gnocchi although slightly mushy was made with really good ingredients (leeks, asparagus, peas). They have lots of drink options too only regret is that there was no room for dessert which just means we will be back. I also appreciated that our server although the only one working was still attentive and checked in throughout our meal. Highly recommend this place for very clean & delicious v food which I’m sure anyone would enjoy regardless if their diet.

MUST GO for vegans visiting Niagara Falls or the area. They were out of the mushroom appetizer when we went, so we got the seitan wings instead, and I'm so glad we did- they were some of the best vegan wings I've had, the maple garlic sauce was incredible. The mac and cheese was also very comforting and exactly what we wanted. I try to find vegan restaurants when I'm travelling and this is definitely one of my favorites and can't wait to come back to the area and go again.

On my only day off from the grueling federal campaign, I had my sights set on Rise above for a few days. In the week leading up, I had explored some of the nearby vegan establishments on the Happy Cow app. I was delighted to discover the litany of plant-based options in the Hamilton area. It had seemed that Hamilton was perhaps in fact the vegan mecca of the golden Horseshoe. I did extensive research and was ultimately impressed by the offering of a plant-based substitute for the infamous wing. When the day finally came, I embarked on my journey in midafternoon. Being in dispossession of any motorized vehicle, the weather cooperated as I rode my bicycle 20 kilometres from my house at the top of Brant Street in Burlington. The entire journey a pedaled with a smile across my face, thinking about the delicious food I was going to have. I arrived minutes before they officially opened and was redeemed immediately. In all my years I have eaten countless vegan pizzas and vegan burgers, but the vegan wing had until this point escaped me. I ordered one order of seitan wings and waited outside while I read my book. By the time my food arrived, my previous thoughts were confirmed. There is simply nothing that plant-based can not do better than it’s animal counterpart. The seitan wings were delectable. I decided to follow up with a slice of Pizza. Again, I was reminded of the glorious future that awaits all of us, as we transition our food system to be wholly plant derived. For a moment I glanced around and realized that this had been the peak of my life, culminating over 26 years. The best part about that realization, was understanding that it will only get better. I have lived 26 years before I encountered seitan wings. Now I get to live an eternity with them. I returned home that day with a profound sense of belonging. A few weeks later there had been a mixup, where I was bestowed the custody of my sister’s CRV for one evening. Having ridden there by bicycle, I knew the way and travelled the same distance in a fraction of the time. I once again indulged in Seitan wings, Garlic bread and a slice of pizza. I have since been counting the days until I can return.