A Couple of Vegans started when the local food website Smash Toledo was launched. Smash Toledo is a positive video and photo hub showcasing local restaurants and bars, so when they asked us to feature local vegan food on their website we jumped at the chance. We are a vegan couple that loves to eat and explore what the Toledo food scene has to offer those of us that like our meals animal product free. Smash Toledo has given us an outlet to share these delicious finds with other people. We like to think we are here for the dedicated animal rights activists, vegan foodies, diners that enjoy the occasional meatless meal or the people that are just curious about a vegan lifestyle.
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We are both Toledo born and after marriage we decided to stay in Toledo because we could see that there were exciting things happening. There is a vibrant community in Toledo, especially when it comes to food, and we wanted to be a part of it. Becoming vegan wasn’t an overnight decision. We had been uneasy about supporting the meat industry, and as we see it the exploitation of animals, for a while. We took our time reading up on nutrition and the necessary supplements that went along with our lifestyle change. Ultimately our convictions made the decision for us and we haven’t looked back since. We have been vegan for years now and though we love to cook we also love going out to eat. It didn’t take long for us to realize that if we were going to find a good vegan meal we had to leave chain restaurants behind. The care and attention we receive at our local restaurants in Toledo has been unparalleled by any chain.
Recently we have noticed a shift in our servers and chef’s responses to our request for a vegan meal. Our servers were once asking, “what does vegan mean?” and now they are not only knowledgeable but they’re offering great suggestions. Many local restaurants are putting vegan and gluten free options on their menu. Even when there isn’t a dish for us on the menu we have found that our chefs are excited by the challenge. We think our society is starting to get used to the idea of veganism, people are seeing it as less of a hippy thing and more of a healthy thing as research supporting the lifestyle is becoming more mainstream. As a whole, we are starting to ask more questions about what we’re eating and where it comes from.
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It seems like everywhere we go we hear people talking about Balance Grille. We think that’s because at Balance the ingredients are fresh and paired perfectly with unique sauces making every dish a flavorsome experience. The knowledgeable staff knows exactly what dishes can be made vegan and the website has a Vegan Option section that makes ordering takeout simple. With seasonal specials, Build Your Own Bowls and an ever-changing menu our taste buds never get bored. We always start out our Balance meals with the Vegan Pot Stickers that are filled with a mix of veggies, wrapped in a seaweed purse and flash-fried. The Bangin’ Noodles is a classic favorite of ours. With vegan noodles, carrots, mushrooms, pea-pods, caramelized onions, peanuts, scallions, cilantro, lime and tofu there is a lot to love about this dish. A new item on the menu that we’re loving is the Thai Guy that has tofu, brown rice, carrots, pea-pods, spicy Fresno peppers, bean sprouts, and an amazing, creamy peanut sauce. Balance is also known for their awesome tea bar, which is vegan friendly as well. We are currently hooked on the strawberry green tea with blueberry poppers!
Open Everyday 11am-9pm
5860 W. Central Ave. · 419-578-7777.
514 The Blvd., Maumee. · 419-893-9999
balancegrille.com.
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A menu we have had fun getting familiar with is at Degagé Express/Degagé Jazz Café. There is a whole page dedicated to vegetarian and vegan options. One of our favorites is the Vegan Cheezy Weezy grilled cheese, which is incredible whether you are vegan or not! It’s only on the lunch menu but it’s worth missing work for. This sandwich has a combination of melted vegan cheeses, braised onions, fresh spinach, heirloom tomatoes, and is served on locally sourced cracked wheat bread. Our favorite dish on the dinner menu is the Vegan Hot Mess that is a sandwich with locally sourced seitan (a vegan meat substitute), vegan apple slaw, vegan cheese and their house vegan barbeque sauce served on a toasted bun.
Monday-Closed
Tuesday-Thursday 5pm-10pm Bar open until 12am
Friday-Saturday 5pm-11pm Bar open until 1am
Sunday-CLOSED
historiccommercialbuilding.com/degage.php
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For the downtown vegan we recommend Grumpy’s Homemade Sweet Potato Vegan Burger with kale chips. This burger is like everything from Grumpy’s: fresh and perfected. The burger patty is made of sweet potatoes and comes with avocado, red onion and Dijon mustard on a whole-wheat bun. A tip to all the vegans out there: vegan and gluten free pies can be made to order! We were lucky enough to be there during a test run of an outstanding vegan blueberry and nectarine pie.
Monday-Friday 8am-2pm
34 S Huron St · (419) 241-6728
grumpys.net
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When we are in need of cake for an occasion, cookies for a friend, or a pastry for no good reason, Organic Bliss Deli and Bakery meets our needs. Organic Bliss’ bakery is entirely gluten free but not entirely vegan. They use as many local, natural, and organic ingredients as possible and seem to welcome the challenge of food restrictions and allergies. Vegan cake and cookie cakes can be made to order to meet size and flavor specifications. We have tried their vegan chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, the vegan vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting, vegan cinnamon swirl bread and vegan sugar cookies to name a few and we loved them all! While they seem to always have vegan options available it doesn’t hurt to call ahead and see what’s been made that day.
Storefront
Monday-Friday 10am-6pm
Saturday 10am-5pm
Drive-Thru
Monday-Friday 7am-6pm
Saturday 10am-5pm
3723 King Road Sylvania
419-517-7799
organicblissmarket.com
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One Mexican restaurant that is making an effort to be accommodating to vegans is Cocina de Carlos. At Cocina De Carlos they are making freshness a priority. They are intentional about cooking with water instead of oil allowing the flavor of the ingredients to stand out. We order the Vegetarian Don Charly with no cheese, which is half of a ripe pineapple grilled and filled with grilled mushrooms, onions, pineapple chunks and vegan chorizo. We love that they have a vegan protein substitute and the grilled Portobello mushroom that comes on top may be one of the best we’ve ever had. They also have corn tortillas that are gluten free and delicious.
Monday-Friday 11am-9:30pm
Saturday 11am-10:30pm
Sunday 11am-9pm
27072 Carronade Dr, Perrysburg
(419) 872-0200
cocinadecarlos.com
We are making an effort to find animal product free meals but we obviously don’t know everything that is out there. If you have a good tip, feedback or have discovered an awesome vegan meal contact us at Smashtoledo.com or follow us on Instagram @acoupleofvegans!
