Review The Hogtown Vegan - Toronto

Edit: My original review was for Hogtown Vegan. Loved it so much. But Hunny although it has a nice vibe and decor it was nothing like the hogtown vegan experience I loved. The quality of the food was okay but honestly I could cook better at home in the microwave. I really love this place so I hope this is growing pains of a new restaurant or location. Original review: Loved the food here! All vegan all good! Easily the best thing we tasted was the vegan chicken wings! We had them with barbecue sauce but they also offer them in buffalo sauce. I hate salads...but I loved the one with tofu, avacodo and sprouted beans(alfalfa?). The philly cheese stake sandwich was messy and the Mrs and I were sharing it. But in all honesty the server told us it would get messy so that's on us. The best way I can describe this place is that I can't wait to go back!

Loved the decor and overall vibe, super cute place to grab a drink with a friend. The menu itself however is a bit underwhelming and could be improved upon, I have no problem with a small snack bar style menu, but I think they could have some better option. The cocktails were cute tho!

I only came here because my friend visiting Toronto is vegan. I was resigned to being hungry after... but boy was I surprised! The food looked great, tasted fantastic, and we were stuffed! UnChicken wings were amazing - buffalo sauce FTW. Mac and not Cheese tasted like the best regular Mac I have found... how is it not cheese? What am i eating if it's not chicken? Mind blown.

I have been wanting to try this place for quite a long time now. For a drink I ordered dark and stormy, which was very well made. Loved the taste of ginger beer which was quite strong. For appetizer I got Shiitake Fried Clams. I had no idea what to expect but I actually ended up liking it. The dip for it however wasn't my cup of tea. For main course I ordered unchicken and waffle. The waffle was very delicious and loved the mashed sweet potato. The tofu chicken was good, I added hot sauce for more flavour. I wasn't the big fan of the greens but they did taste good. Overall experience, I do recommend this place. The food is good, the staff is very friendly and whether you're vegetarian or not, this is a good place to try. Price-wise: it's like any other restaurant in the area. My entire bill came to $35 I think, which included a drink, appetizer and a main course. Not cheap for one person but I also wanted to try different things.

Went here for brunch recently. The “Chicken” & Waffles here were great! Honestly one of the better vegan versions of “chicken” I’ve had. It had a similar texture to chicken fingers, and the taste was pretty convincing too. I’m not a vegan, but I do enjoy the occasional vegan meal. The waffle wasn’t the greatest, too dense for my liking. I might be back to try other “chicken” options. The scrambled “eggs” had a bit of a weird aftertaste, but the texture was pretty bang-on to the real deal. The potatoes were pretty good also!

My first impression of The Hogtown Vegan was a good one. The server was friendly and accommodating. She explained the menu to me and recommended items for me to try. The place was quiet and clean. Once ordered the meals came out in less than 10 minutes. These three meal items from THV were excellent. The whipped cinnamon butter went well with the waffles. The Collard greens tasted good. You can't go wrong with maple Syrup. The unchicken and seitan Chicken-Fried were cooked well, crunchy to the bite but they could use more seasoning. Mashed potato was served with the Seitan Chicken-Fried with gravy. Again more seasoning could improve the taste. I really enjoyed the Fries Supremacy appetizer. I could have eaten as the meal. Loved the taste and overall presentation. I also like the fact that every thing in the establishment was fully vegan. I didn't have to worry about cross contamination All three meals cost $44.07. They do provide takeout containers. More often than not vegan establishments will cost more. I will be returning to try the other meal items. I recommend this establishment to everyone interested in healthy eating. 4 out of 5 because no one is perfect. 😁

The staff at Hogtown vegan is so friendly and attentive! This coupled with the vegan (with gluten free options) comfort food makes the Hogtown vegan one of my favourite brunch and lunch places. The food is always good, but not a healthy meal at all. As their websites says, it's vegan comfort food so expect it to be heavier, oilier and saltier than other light options. The being said Hogtown is more of a treat. The Mac and cheese is very lacking and tastes just like Diaya cheese style shreds (very oily and bad aftertaste) but everything else has been great. I wish that they would also do lunch menus during the weekend, because while brunch is great it's not as extensive as the full lunch menu. Lastly, on weekends there is no reservations and you will not be seated until your entire party arrives. So make sure you aren't late!

If your looking for vegan comfort food than this is the place! Seriously delicious and trendy! We polished off everything we ordered and we can't wait to go back. Not only was it vegan but they also had a variety of gluten free options and a great selection of desserts. One of my favorite vegan restaurants so far!

I had the Caesar salad and it was amazing! I wish I had got ‘chicken’ in it too. The Poutine tasted great, but it didn’t look very appetising. Great portion sizes.<br/><br/>The restaurant was in a great location, really easy to find and the service was super quick!

Not sure why a vegetarian/vegan would like to eat a "faux"burger, dog or fish when the real veg options such as Tofu, Tempeh, lentils and other pulses are so lovely being  themselves. Anyways, I guess The Hogtown Vegan goes to tickle our funny bones with such crossover options such as the pictured "faux"fish & chips (tempeh steaks)  while I stuck to the real McCoy of Tofu salad.  The marketing gimmick aside, the food was delicious, the service attentive, the locale not too crowded as we came for lunch around 14:00. (I've posted as well their current (May 2019) Salad & Mains menu for the items chosen.

I go back regularly and have a couple of favourites! I love that this place mainly because it is 100% vegan and does not make money from animal exploitation in addition to having yummy comfort foods. Thank you Hogtown Vegan! End speciesism. Live vegan!

Wow! If you want a great place to explore just how tasty vegan food can be, this is your place. <br/><br/>My recommendation: try the pulled “pork” and fresh cut fries! I think I devoured mine in 7mins 🙊<br/><br/>Thank you Hogtown Vegan for providing this delicious gem on Bloor!

I have a friend who is a carnivore dedicant. However, they also love vegan food. Everyone so often, they'll get a hankering for some tasty, tasty tofu wings and when they do, we go to the Hogtown Vegan. <br/><br/>We've had some great meals there and the prices are really fair. I like their range of drinks and the variety of fun vegan food they serve. The service is always friendly and reasonably quick considering how busy they are every time I go.<br/>My friend swears by their buffalo unchicken wings and I've had some great sandwiches and burgers there. Their fries are super tasty, too! Overall, highly recommended!

Had the unchicken and waffles. Didn’t expect it to actually taste like chicken but it did, and was very good! Side of Mac and cheese was really great too! Could have done with some more syrup to really marry the chicken and waffle together, but was still very good!

Their chicken and waffles were amazing, especially compared to a few places I've been to, and their mac and cheese is one of the best I've had so far, even had a little bit of that grease feeling I've been craving so much. This place is amazing for comfort food!

Love this place. The unchicken sandwich and southern combo are my favourites. The portion sizes are also quite generous. Vegan comfort food at its best!

Came from out of town to check this place out because I had heard so much. Did not disappoint. One thing I miss since going vegetarian is having everyday food that isn't just expensive vegetables. This place filled that craving 🖤

Had "Bacon cheeseburger".<br/>- Amazing taste ! What I like most was Burger petty was less rubbery compare to other Vegan restaurants.<br/>- Fries were a let down, not at all crispy!

First time here. I ordered their Un-chicken burger with a side of poutine. The burger is tasty. Good portion size. I strongly recommend upgrading your fries to poutine. Reasonable prices.<br/><br/>Very friendly service. Nice music playing in the background. Overall this is a great diner / bar regardless if you are vegan or non-vegan. I'm surely coming back for more.

I am so surprised that this THV has. It been reviewed by me as well. Was here with family about four years ago-so perhaps it was before I went social with Apps<br/><br/>So, on a Sunday evening of the Family Day long weekend, the five of us after a busy day of shopping headed to THV. There seemed to be quite a few people ahead of us and the staff told us it wouldn't take that long for our table. She was right, after about 10 minutes or so, we were seated. Not bad, considering we assumed it would take at 30-40 minutes. Seated in a booth, I was given a foldable chair. <br/><br/>Started of with a large of Chicken Wings with BBQ and Hot sauce as our flavours. The waitress had already told us that due to their menu being updated the wings were more like popcorn chicken. Which was true, the basket full of popcorn chicken arrived and we attacked on it as we were starving. The hot flavour was heat, but not flavoured hot. Just some heat. The BBQ was flavoured nicely and tasted much better. The carrot and celery sticks were an after thought. <br/><br/>Amongst the five of us we had a Hot Roast Beef Sandwich, a Bacon Cheese Burger, Pulled Pork Sandwich, Unchicken & Waffles and a Big Hog (a double burger). The fries in the Pulled Pork was replaced by Poutine. And the sweet potato mash was replaced by fries in the Waffles. <br/><br/>The Hot Roast Beef Sandwich was amazing. Nicely seasoned and overfilled with Beef with onions and mushrooms. The bread could be better. 4.5/5)<br/><br/>The Pulled Pork was a bit more in the sweeter side for us. Just needed the spice part kicked up a notch. The hot sauce provided did not do justice. The fries were replaced with a Poutine. The vegetarians missed the real cheese. The vegan cheese did not do the trick. 4/5)<br/><br/>The Waffle and Chicken were OK. The Waffle perfect, the Chicken was similar to the wings we had. The cinnamon syrup was great. The collard greens had loads of garlic. The mash was were replaced by fries which was a mistake. <br/><br/>The Bacon Cheese Burger and the Big Hog double burger were super. Mouthgasm! The burgers were so juicy and were made just right. I think this was one of the best vegan burger I have had. (5/5)<br/><br/>The fries - they are shoe string fries. Not great at all. They become too oily/greasy. Crispy, however we prefer the thick cut or fresh cut type fries. <br/><br/>The service was great, still a lineup when we left. No wonder why, they serve one of the best vegan foods!<br/>

Very good service, relaxed and cozy atmosphere, great food and reasonably priced. Their menu says the food they offer is 100% plant base whole foods. We will go back.

if you want vegan comfort food then this is the place to be. <br/><br/>they make you want to be vegan with the dishes they serve like the unchicken and waffles, and southern meal with collard greens. <br/><br/>they also have good dessert and other comfort food dishes. a must go even if ur not a vegan.

I've been here twice - it's quite a food experience and I've enjoyed visiting. Meat eaters will be impressed at how convincing a lot of the food tastes.<br/><br/>The wings were superb, particularly the buffalo sauce ones. We enjoyed the mac and cheese nachos as well (a special I believe), which mixed a lot of flavour and some imitation meat. The pulled pork sandwich wasn't quite as convincing, and might have been on the saucy side. Hogtown sometimes overcompensates with excessive sauces and flavours. <br/><br/>All in all, we really enjoyed the food and found it unique and enjoyable enough to recommend.

Amazing, just amazing. Wish the place was a bit bigger but still amazing and the food is unbelievable. One of the BEST vegan places in TO hands down

+decent prices +good beer +chicken and waffles was pretty good +apps were tasty<br/>-service was so-so, sometimes hard to flag a waitress even though it wasn't that busy<br/>-we were served all our apps and entrees at the same time so food got cold<br/>-caesar salad came with gross slimy lettuce and was disappointing

Went for Sunday Brunch menu. Didn't have to wait for a table which was nice. Excellent French toast and unfriend chicken and waffles. Definitely going back, great price point and service very fast.

I've only been here once, as I'm not from Toronto. I was craving good comfort food that I could eat as a vegan. And this served exactly that! Delicious, classic food, with a vegan spin. Would love to come back to try more!

Went in for a bite after having ate a bit elsewhere. I ordered Fries Supremacy and they were great. My friend got a side Mac n cheese - she enjoyed it. Didn't get a chance to have more but worth a visit.

Had the best (un)chicken and waffles ever! With collard greens and sweet potato mash. Amazing place for vegan comfort food. Portion size was a little too big, left feeling pretty stuffed. And service was a little slow but honestly it was worth the wait :)

First time visit and was impressed with the extensive menu. The service is fast and friendly. My dish was the Beef Stew with Dumplings and the portion was ample and enough to feed too. Talk about flavorful! Was very delicious and the collard greens was amazing. Would definitely come by again soon as I want to try everything on the menu!. Great food guys!

Came here today I am not exaggerating I waited almost 45 min to be seated. But the food wasn't too bad that must have taken like 15 min. So don't come starving. They give you water which is nice. I ordered the meal I forget what it's called but it came with macaroni and " cheese " , green stuff , bbq sauce and unchicken. It was rather disappointing. The mac n cheese was best part but I wasn't too fond of the chicken or the sauce. It kind of reminded me of the "grasshopper" restaurant. I didn't like their chicken either. Actually that's where I went first but they were closed because I was craving pulled pork. But there was pulled pork at hog town vegan. However I am thankful I didn't get it if the sauce they use is that bbq sauce. Also the coleslaw was odd it almost tasted like horse radish but the tolerable kind. That would have been on the pulled pork as well. The beer was a light one it was ok. I just wished I was eating real chicken nuggets and mayonnaise based coleslaw and subway bbq sauce and Kraft dinner LOL I suck at this vegan thing. It doesn't taste that great to me. I wish it did. Next time I'll get the chicken and waffles because in the pic of the chicken and waffles the chicken looks lighter than the chicken strips. And I'll try other things. The presentation and service were lovely.

This was the first vegan restaurant I've tried and this was an amazing experience. <br/><br/>I had the veggie burger, tofu bacon and an iced tea. Both the burger and the bacon tasted surprisingly like the real thing. I swear they must have added some sort of meat flavouring to it cuz that was the best veggie burger and bacon I've ever tasted. The tea that I got has a strong aftertaste that was bitter, but it was nothing too bad. Hell, even the fries were good without salt or ketchup.<br/><br/>would definitetly recommend

One of the best vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Toronto right now. The food satisfies even the most avid meat-eaters and should be tried by everyone! The staff is super friendly, there are a variety of interesting drinks and the service is fast. There was a downfall to this restaurant as it was in a smaller location with no AC but the restaurant has moved to a bigger/better location at 1056 Bloor St West.

This is the place that every vegan that's craving meaty, cheesy, and juicy burgers and chicken needs to go. The philly cheese steak sandwich is ridiculous. The mushroom oysters were also a delicious fried and crunchy treat. I need to go here every time I visit Toronto.

Okay..... So my friends and I tried this place the other day.  I have a group of meat-eaters as friends so it surprised me that they would even consider this place.  Their concern was that the lack of meat equates to increase in hunger but I guess they learnt their lesson!<br/>Not only was the food eye-catching but it was equally delicious and FILLING! The plate size was massive (at least for me) AND did I say delicious already?!<br/>It's affordable ESPECIALLY for the quality you get!

Terrible service. Great fries. Horrible HORRIBLE service

DEEEEEEEEEE-licious!. DEEEEEEEEE-licious faux-meat meals! <br/>I really enjoyed the "no-chicken" wings and the "pulled pork". My partner was a fan of the "reuben" sandwich.They carry also carry some of our favorite beverages: Spirit Tree Cider and Flying Monkey lagers. Our meal was about $60, not bad!<br/>A must for veg and veg-curious Torontonians alike!

The southern combo is my favourite. Mac and cheese is the best thing on the menu. The chicken sandwich tastes like an upgraded mcchicken from mcdonalds. The coleslaw is ok, and so is their steak. I would however not recommend the bacon cheeseburger, they use tofu as the bacon and is not what I expected. It's a soggy texture that kind of ruins the burger. We do eat here regularly and love this place though. Very friendly service too.

Carnivores will not be disappointed!. Too often vegetarians and vegans get the short end of the stick for taste and texture... but not here. Even as a carnivore I absolutely loved the meal.<br/><br/>We ordered the Unchicken & Waffles and Tofu Rancheros, both of which were excellent. The Unchicken had a great mouth feel and taste and I was impressed with the vegan waffle (I am skeptic of vegan and gluten free baking). Tofu Rancheros was a delicious mess as it should be, although I could have done without the tofu "egg" since it didn't add to the experience. It is still awesome but perhaps switching up the "egg" would've made it a home-run.<br/><br/>Friendly and attentive service. Would definitely recommend (even for carnivores like me) and come back!!

Favourite. Ever.. As a vegan, best place for junk food. Wings are amazing! 100% recommend - come here!!!!! Love love love it.

Vegan Yes...healthy no!. So I am attempting to try all the vegan restaurants in Toronto. I came to Hogtown Vegan for brunch and was interested by the their vegan take on classic comfort cuisine. Unfried chicken and waffles and the PB and banana french toast was ordered as the brunch menu is much smaller than the dinner menu we saw on the website. What we received were two plates of very heavy vegan dishes...definitely not healthy at all..mostly deep fried. The food was very tasty..there is no arguments there..but sure left me with full stomach full of oil for hours later.<br/><br/>The service was good... Friendly staff. The place is small and simple..not high end. <br/><br/>Glad I tried Hogtown Vegan. Was an interesting meal, but will need to review the menu in greater detail if I go back..to try and find something perhaps a little lighter on the digestive system. If comfort food is your thing...recommend you try it.

Love this place. I'm not a vegan but I love this place. The 'wings' are a must try. I'm sure I could fool my 72 year old Irish cop father (who has had many a wing) and convince him they are boneless wings and he'd happily chow down. Then unchicken and waffles, mmmm....mmmmm....mmmm. I love that they serve Flying Monkey beer.<br/>Not a fan of the pepper steak and mushrooms. Pulled pork sandwich is very good. The prices are very reasonable. If they stay that way, vegan or no vegan I will keep frequenting this place.

Vegan food isn't always about being healthy. This is comfort food. Sandwiches, but and excellent fries. You might have to wait, but it is worth it.

Pretty good place. Both Jay and Dee enjoy vegetarian and try not to eat too much meat in general. Got wind of this place through, you gotta eat here. Looked pretty good. Indeed, the unchicken is really suprising. The waffle was very good to our taste too. Nice original place. Had to wait a bit but it was worth it. Looking forward to returning and trying other items.

Went here on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed. We didn't have to wait very long to get a table. I had the unchicken and waffles. I really like the chicken, it was surprisingly similar to chicken in both texture and taste. The waffles were simple and covered and syrup; they were ok. The collars greens that came as a side weren't stewed long enough and were rather tough, but they tasted great will all the garlic. The sweet potato mash was nasty. The texture was gross and it had they had a strange tang to them, no one at our table ate them. Though the food was decent and the prices are very reasonable I cannot say the same about the service. There was a single person serving the entire restaurant and he was clearly struggling. And she became rather rude when we asked for our bill to be split. She refused to do it, so when my eating companion asked (just to know for next time) if we had asked before being served would they split the bill she got a very rude "maybe" as a response. I understand if you're slammed, but no need to respond in such a ridiculous manner. Anyways, that pretty much sealed the deal for me...won't be coming back simply because of this young lady.

Came here for the unchicken and waffles and ended up ordering the "wings", Mac & cheese, pulled "pork" sandwich with Poutine and Unchicken and Waffles. The whole meal was delicious! The pulled pork sandwich has a kick and the unchicken - tastes like chicken!! Picture a juicy bite into a tender chicken thigh :)the collard greens that accompany the unchicken and waffles was a wonderful side dish and tasted marvelous. Service was great! Will come again to try the phillysteak.

It is good to know that there is a place for vegans who still crave greasy comfort food. <br/>The place itself isn't very impressive and the space and comfort are satisfactory but with food this good, who really cares? <br/>The prices were good and the service was friendly. I suppose my one complaint is that there was no debit payment option but I will return... with cash.

Nothing great. I was disappointed, food was decent- not great, menu was boring.

Delish! A great "comfort food" vegan place. Hubby and I are not vegan but our out of town friend is so we brought him while he was visiting. We ordered the nachos and the unchicken sandwich - both were so good - even by meat-eater standards (honestly the nachos were to die for)!! We left absolutely stuffed. The waitstaff was really helpful and friendly. We will be back!

A regular spot. Food is really tasty here, and I love taking hard-core meat eaters for their reaction. But the menus definitely have limited choices for gluten-free seekers. The chilli cheese fries are awesome but come served in paper within a basket of holes, which doesn't make sense 10 minutes into it when your sauce has made a pool around you and you are eating congealed paper. Service has always been fine.

Not really Gluten Free. For people who are actually celiac sufferers, be aware that although this place marks their menu items as gluten free when I asked about it the (very nice and helpful) waitress told me that everything is cooked in the same deep fryer and she wasn't sure about their tortilla chips - which means as usual, unless you want another salad - nothing on the menu is ACTUALLY gluten free. <br/><br/>They are really nice and the food s delicious but unfortunately I probably can't eat there again.

Pretty good actually. After reading the reviews I was kinda reluctant but I'm one of those people that likes to see for themself. I had the chips and guac which was average, but I mean, it was chips and guac. How fancy can you go. For an entree I had the Reuben which was pretty decent but the bread was a bit too wet in the middle I don't know I it was the sauce or whatever they spread on it but the middle was a bit soggy. Te overall taste and satisfaction was good however. Boyfriend had the unpork sandwich which was phenomenal. He's not vegan, I am, we both were surprised how good it was. The fries weren't too salty at all they were actually quite nice. The mushroom gravy unfortunately was really gross. Tastes like moldy bread. I've made mushroom gravy before and it was amazing so I hoped at a restaurant it would be the same if not better but.. Yeah defs don't order that. Wanted to get dessert when we came in but our meal was incredibly filling so we didn't. I like the place, although I'm more of an "alive" food kinda person. It's one of those places though that you're thankful it exists for those moments when you are vegan and craving a burger. Would go again if I get that feeling again.

Disappointed. Oily, oily, greasy, greasy! If you ate there daily, you would die sooner than eating meat dishes at any local greasy spoon! ! The server was extremely rude! Total denial! Total refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of my complaint. I simply said that the dish was a bit oily and was soundly told that it was fish and chips. Her stern implication being that in the world of fish and chips all dishes are completely and utterly saturated in oil. Deep fried does not mean saturated in oil. Home cut fries are only those pathetic slivers of potato in those cheap diners. In a quality place home cut fries have depth and width and are not 50% potato and 50% oil. Hogtown Vegan makes Fresh seem like gourmet and Live an absolute heaven!

Good but. My dish was excellent, I wouldn't have known it was vegan and frankly didn't care as it was as tasty as anything. Services was a little slow. Brunch menu is small and not exactly flexible for children. Can't pay by credit or debit, which is sort of shocking. Food was great though.

Kind of rude. I used to live around here and never ate here, so this review has nothing to do with the food - i've heard it's alright. I went in and asked if they had a menu to look at, or any take out options, and they just rolled their eyes. i think they could sense that i eat hot dogs. i never went back.

Amazing! This is the best thing to happen to the neighbourhood! Each meal I have had was fantastic. The service is wonderful.

Sodium overload!!!!! My first time here and perhaps I ordered the wrong items. Tried the faux chicken wings which were battered pieces of triangle shaped tofu. I would have preferred a denser tofu for simulated meat. The dill sauce and hot sauce for dipping were good. The battered crust could have been a bit thicker and was slightly on the salty side. For my main, I ordered the biscuit sliders which consisted of a faux sausage patty and mashed potatoes inside a biscuit topped with gravy and peas with a side of fries. The fries were similar to Swiss Chalet fries except with way way WAY too much salt. After getting about half way through the meal, the salt not only in the fries, but in all of the ingredients in the sliders as well overwhelmed me. There was nothing to cut through the saltiness except for the peas, and there weren't enough of them to balance the palette.

One of the best vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Toronto right now. The food satisfies even the most avid meat-eaters and should be tried by everyone! The staff is super friendly, there are a variety of interesting drinks and the service is fast. There was a downfall to this restaurant as it was in a smaller location with no AC but the restaurant has moved to a bigger/better location at 1056 Bloor St West. The Dishes Wings ($9) Crispy fried soy “wings” tossed in your choice of buffalo or bbq sauce, served with carrots, celery sticks and chipotle ranch dipping sauce (5 per order) Tastes just like buffalo wings but a tiny bit softer texture on the inside The outside is crispy and the batter replicates the taste of chicken pretty well Shiitake Fried “Clams” ($8) Basket of breaded, fried shiitake mushroom “clams”, served with carrots, celery sticks and chipotle ranch dipping sauce Thinly sliced Shiitake mushrooms lightly battered One of the best appetizers here, tastes like thi

As a vegan establishment, everything on the menu is vegan, but lots of items pretend to be carnivorous. Options are the Rancheros, the omelet, BLT, PB & Banana French Toast (with tofu bacon), Unchicken and Waffles, Tortilla Salad, and Greek Salad.  They have soy and wheat-based proteins, among others. We braved the heat of construction-laddened Bloor street to find the new location of Hogtown Vegan. We nearly missed the chalkboard sign. Hogtown Vegan’s New Location When we found it, we decided on the French Toast for Natalie, the Huevos for Chris, and the Unchicken and Waffles for me. A very merry unchicken for you! Chicken and waffles was a dish I was unfamiliar with, even before becoming a vegetarian. However, I greatly enjoyed Hogtown Vegan’s interpretation.

As non-vegans we were quite impressed with our selections and very excited to come back and try their intriguing dinner menu.

Vegan food has never been to my go to choice for a meal as I would always prefer to have meat in my meal. Having said that, we all probably have a friend or two who is vegetarian and sometimes we feel bad they always end up choosing a salad from the menu.  The Hogtown Vegan is known for their take on restaurant favourites but with a vegan twist on it. I love that the restaurant gets creative and create dishes like " phish and chips " and "shitake fried clams" just to name a few. We went there for brunch on Sunday and loved that there was no line up even though we were there at prime brunch time around 12:30-1pm.  We were only offered the brunch menu but did see other tables with dishes that weren't on the brunch menu so you probably have to ask for it separately.  Tortilla Salad - crisp romaine, black beans, diced tomatoes, guacamole, corn tortillas, sunflower sour cream, and scallions in a chili lime dressing. Of all the dishes we had that day, this was probably my least favourite. I

One can defiantly keep it healthy at Hogtown, no doubt, but the both times I have been there I just threw caution to the wind. Life is too short and I work out too hard to not eat unchicken n waffles when they present themselves. Or vegan french toast for that matter, which Hogtown also offers ;)

I don't hate Vegans. Does this seem like a bad start to a review where the blogger is already in defensive mode? Let's try this again. I really love vegetables. I own some extraordinary recipe books on cooking vegetables that blow me away. Entertaining at home often forces me to consider my guests restrictions, likes and dislikes. There is a perversity that suggests that I will try to find a way for them to like a childhood nemesis. It often works. What I find perverse about veganism is this stretch to equate their food to taste better than meat by using meat substitutes. I'll try to explain as I go through what we ate.

Serving up "Southern Vegan Comfort Food", they really have an alternative for almost anything you can imagine. Plus, you can feel comfortable going there knowing that everything is 100% plant-sourced and/or plant-based. They also have a full gluten-free and kids' menu.

I feel that maybe more than any other place, the food at The Hogtown Vegan is on to something (it's just too bad about the horrible interior decorating!).

I first heard of this place on the TV show You Gotta Eat Here!  I've found the places recommended on that show to be VERY hit or miss.  When we lived on the west coast, we used to visit a lot of places on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and for the most part, the places lived up to the hype... Whereas, I think, You Gotta Eat Here! is largely based on visitor reccos.  Well, I visited and I would not recco.  I specifically even tried the dishes they covered on the show and feel like the show was describing another restaurant.

Let me start by apologizing for not having any photos, my phone died just as we ordered! <br/><br/>Hogtown Vegan is a cute Dovercourt spot with a a definite diner feel. <br/><br/>Between the two of us we ordered the Wings, crispy fried soy 'wings' tossed in buffalo sauce. The sauce is what made this dish! The tofu was nice and soft and went well with the chipotle ranch dipping sauce.<br/><br/>For mains we ordered the 'Peppersteak' and Dumplings and the Philly 'Cheesesteak'. Both were good, but I definitely preferred the 'Peppersteak'. The gravy was nicely seasoned and the dumplings were a perfect texture. The accompanying sautéed garlic collard greens and the sweet potato mash were both super tasty, worth the $14 price point in my opinion. <br/><br/>The 'Cheesesteak' on the other hand I wouldn't really recommend unless you absolutely love the taste of seitan. The more you ate, the more the seitan overpowered anything else in the sandwich. <br/><br/>The dishes were also a bit cold by the time they reached our table. We did go on New Year's Day so perhaps they were a little understaffed with one waiter and one host and guests at every table, but man was the service slow!<br/><br/>Our total after tax came to $40, pretty reasonable for two mains and an app. <br/><br/>I was eager to try this place and I'm glad I did, but would I go back? Maybe if I was in the area, but I wouldn't make a special trip. I generally try and limit the amount of soy products I consume and I did not expect so many of the items on the menu to contain so much of it. <br/><br/>Eventhough it has vegan in its name, it's not the healthiest meal you'll eat, but if you're in the mood for comfort food then you're in luck!

For some reason, it seems like every other restaurant in Toronto has independently come to the idea of using our city’s obscure moniker “Hogtown” in their name. Maybe it’s nostalgia for a time none of us can remember, who knows? What I do know, is that the most confusing one of them all has got to be Hogtown Vegan.<br/><br/>Despite the name, I rather enjoyed this little restaurant. Serving up “Southern Vegan Comfort Food”, they really have an alternative for almost anything you can imagine. Plus, you can feel comfortable going there knowing that everything is 100% plant-sourced and/or plant-based. They also have a full gluten-free and kids’ menu.<br/><br/>The first dish I will show off is the “Southern Combo”. As one of the most popular choices, this dish is comprised of mac n’ (vegan) cheese, “unchicken” and sweet potato mash (or other choice of side). Jessica enjoyed it greatly even though the portion was much bigger than she could polish off on her own. One of the joys of eating vegan cheese dishes is that you are able to feel satisfied without the insanely heavy food coma that you might get from a rich bechamel and cheddar alternative.<br/><br/>I went for one of my favourite Southern dishes, known at Hogtown Vegan as the “Unchicken and Waffles”. The same unchicken and mash was accompanied by collard greens and house-made waffles. I thought that the chicken rendition was pretty darn good, although the waffles were a little “Eggo-like” for my liking.<br/><br/>We finished off the dinner by sharing their “Fried Apple Pie” served with soy vanilla ice-cream.<br/><br/>At first, I thought that the texture was a bit of a departure from the traditional but that the flavours were decent. But then on second thought…I actually don’t believe that I liked it that much at all (much to my disappointment).<br/><br/>For one, I think that the treatment of the pie (ie. deep-frying) takes away from the healthy aspect of the restaurant. Furthermore, I think that the dough-to-filling ratio is really quite disproportionate, and I wish I could have tasted more of the apple. Finally, as the consistency of soy ice-cream changes dramatically when it melts, and the pie is served very hot, the juxtaposition of the two temperatures and textures was just a bit off-putting.<br/><br/>Final Note: With all that being said, this restaurant still gets my stamp of approval and I think it’s a nice little spot to go with veg-friendly friends. However, I would caution against advertising this as “totally the same thing” to your meat and potato friends, as it may appear a bit sterile for those who are used to the rich, salty, carnivorous aspects of fried chicken, pulled pork and baby back ribs. Keep in mind that they do not take reservations (so try to arrive as early as you can, especially if there is a yoga convention nearby…) and they take cash only.