Vegan Reviews - Niagara Falls

I spent Valentines Day weekend in Niagara Falls and tried out a couple places I read about on Happy Cow. I was very pleased with the results!

We arrived on Sunday and found that very few places were open. The Bad Vuggum sounded like a great vegan cafe. It was the first stop we tried, and the cafe had closed. Next we tried 4Triple5 Wine Bar and Eatery which was described as an artist hangout with vegetarian options. When we got there there were no tables and the staff were setting up for an event. After seeing a big flashing Taco N Tequila sign, I had a serious craving for guacamole.

I was so disappointed by the guacamole, that I did not even take a photo. Maybe they had run out of avocados, because it was a bland mix of tomatoes that dominated the guacamole. The corn chips however were freshly fried and satisfying. I was very disappointed that a Mexican place which was this highly decorative did not really deliver authentic flavour. Nothing beats the guacamole at Mariachis in Toronto.

There was a Valentines Special on Fajitas for two, and as you can see the vegetarian version is pretty much just peppers. The flavor was great, but if you go there I recommended asking for beans and rice to fill up on. What saved my utter disappointment was slathering these in their homemade beer based hot sauce which was amazing. My partner is a huge fan of peppers and had no complaints. I have about 8+ years of being vegetarian on him though so my displeasure had bias. I will say however that the service was good and I liked the atmosphere.

For lunch on Monday we tried New York Chinese Food near the main strip, and could not be more happy with our experience!

Look how many options you have on the menu! The owner served us and was very nice, as well as knowledgeable about vegetarianism which is always a major bonus.

After reading great reviews about the Sweet & Sour Pork I came in dying to try it, and I was not disappointed!

Here you can see some of the chewy texture inside. Some parts were crunchy, some soft, some alarmingly hard. It was one of those mock meats that kind of scares you in texture and may slightly take away from the eating experience. However the flavour was so good and I loved the soft stringy parts.

The "Beef" dish was also delicious. I've had this kind of tvp/seitan before but NY Chinese got the texture to be much softer. The sauce was light and perfectly salty which complemented the greens very well. We ordered a side of rice which was nice and fluffy, and enough for two.

I was very happy after our experience at New York Chinese and recommend checking it out.

On Valentines Day we caught a late dinner at The Guru Fine Indian Cuisine. The atmosphere is cozy and romantic. In the photo you can see my vegan & gluten-free poppadoms (lentil crackers). Absolutely fresh and delicious.

Albeit small, I was pleased to see a vegan section on the menu. The restaurant owner is a longtime vegetarian with a vegan daughter. It was refreshing to order from someone who knew the vegan options inside & out, and made great suggestions. I absolutely adored the woman and talking with her started off our experience with big smiles.

I had the Aloo Gobi. It was incredibly flavorful with the best blend of spices I have ever experienced at an Indian restaurant. It was slightly over my spice threshold, yet manageable and none of the flavour was covered by the hotness.

Our naan - vegan wholewheat on the left, garlic butter naan on the right. In the background you can see a raita dish which was also greatly enjoyed.

Although portions look small, together with the naan and spice combination, you definitely leave feeling full. We were both delighted with our experience at The Guru and even took home a tiny leftover bag, and we're both huge eaters! If you love Indian food, I can't recommend this place enough. GO THERE!

On our drive back to Toronto we stopped at Vita Health foods. I stocked up on Earth Balance for $3.60 and we got some organic juice on clearance. They have frozen Tofurkey sausages and most of their tofu items are frozen which may not work well for a short hotel visit to Niagara. They had a great selection on gluten-free items such as my favorite and only delicious frozen bread, and an excellent selection of fresh gluten-free sweets. I found Vegenaise which is a staple in my kitchen, but no soy cheese. Although their prices on natural cosmetics & toiletries were high, they had the best prices I have seen on Cliff Bars and other energy bars. I would stop in for snacks and desserts to keep in your hotel room.

I was pleased to see this in the entrance of the Urban Planet store! Excellent.
On our way home we stopped by the supposed outlet mall which had high prices and many designer labels we had no interest in. The Adidas and Reebok store did have a lot of vegan shoe options and I am still kicking myself because I didn't get the new Reebok Zig Fuel shoes for $30 less.