Mex-i-can

107 James Street North

(905) 527-1554

 Summary
Atmosphere: 6.5/10
Service: 8/10
Vegan Literacy: 10/10  The word vegan is on the menu and the servers know what they are talking about!
Selection: 9.5/10 You can veganize most of the dishes
Food: 8/10
Pricing: 9/10 Great hearty servings for your money
Overall: 8.5/10 
Perks: Very filling, cheap, pleases everyone (vegan, gluten-free, and meaty options)


After multiple reccomendations I finally went out to Mex-i-can. I was not dissapointed. My friend told me that they had a lot of vegan food but when I first looked at the menu I thought the selection was quite small- until I learned that they will veganize anything on their menu. I ended up having the burrito and it was fantastic- filling with a bit of a kick.So yum that I forgot to take a photo until partway through.

Maybe the photo doesn't do it justice...so just go and see and eat and be merry.

 I've heard the wait times can get pretty long when they are packed so if you do decide to dine there when they're full be ready to wait a bit. It's worth it; great food that's not  pricy.

Community Vegan Potluck This Thursday

Anyone can come! Check out the facebook event page for details.

Sestres Coffeeshop...Vegan Pastries?!

Apparently so (see! ) but let's not trust the internet, we must go!  Investigate, eat and report!

Their facebook says they're open	everyday except Sunday from 8am- 5pm.

191 Ottawa Street North (905-545-5040)

Mac Veggie Club

Mcmaster has a vegan/vegetarian club. Seems fun! They meet today at 6:30 in the club space which is on the 2nd level of the Student Center.  Come by,  or check out their facebook group.

Union Market @ Mcmaster has Soymilk for your coffee!

TOMORROW: Choose your vegan adventure!

On Sunday September 4th, if you wanted, you could eat TWO vegan meals...for free!

Free vegan food from 4-7pm at Toronto's 27th Annual Vegetarian Festival at the Harbour Front Center

&

Free, open vegan potluck at Bayfront Park in Hamilton! Hurrah! Check out the facebook page. It goes from 5-8, don't forget to bring a plate! (And cup and cutlery)

PS. I'm sorry for the late notice with both of these events. 

Doesn't this scenery make you feel like eating and sharing?

Vegan Pizza, Flavoured Tempeh, Fake Bacon and Other Goodies at Main St. West Fortinoes

Fortinos provides all a vegan could want (minus nutritional yeast.) Okay, they have most of what a vegan can want. Today I found out how much the selection varies store to store. The Ancaster Fortinos is pretty good. It's always well stocked on vegan milk alternatives and icecreams and has a decent selection of fake meat and tofu but I've never seen a single vegan pizza there though. Or vegan bacon.(Edit: they totally re-organized the whole store and added a bunch of vegan-y things. PIZZAS even! All the time!) But they have it at the Fortinos on Main St. W, near Mcmaster!  No word on how often but they had a great selection of stuff.

Here is one of the types of vegan pizza offered at the Main St. W Fortinos.
It's $10, which isn't bad considering
a) it's made with Daiya cheese which can cost $5/bag
b) a regular take-out pizza can cost that much.

It doesn't look quite like cheese and it doesn't taste exactly like mozzarella. It's more like a softer, creamier cheese, but hey, it does melt. And tastes good. I wouldn't lie to you, it's actually good!

Anyway there are more than 5 Fortinos in the Hamilton area. Any tips on others' vegan selection?

News From the View

As a dedicated foodie & Hamiltonian I was flipping through the dining guide of The View. There was a lot of vegetarian friendly claims being made. Some of the restaurants boasted to accommodate vegans.  It's always a happy surprise to see the word vegan in mainstream media. I don't mean this in an advocate-y way either. It just feels like a "my existence is acknowledged in the world of eateries" moment of relief when you're assured that you can dine somewhere without explaining yourself as a vegan.


Anyway, the food!

Wass Ethiopian : I've heard multiple good reviews of this place. And they won most Vegan/Vegetarian Friendly in Hamilton's Best Food of 2011 I admit I haven't eaten there yet but it's reputed to be a unique experience and their vegetarian (vegan?) lunch special is only $7! I feel a review coming on.
207 James South (289-389-5294)

 Mex-i-can: Mixed reviews online.I've heard many good reviews through the grapevine though. A server there told me that they have a lot of vegan dishes. Also gluten-free if that perks your interest.
107 James Street North (905-527-1554)

Ole Gourmet : Also claims to have vegan options. Just by skimming the menu online I see 4 already vegan items and a lot of potential to veganize other dishes.
82 Locke St. (905-921-6502)

When hungry in Hamilton

Walk 10 paces and find a shwarma place and order a falafel.... no mayo please!

Toronto's Sadie's Diner

Okay, okay, so Toronto is clearly not in Hamilton and this blog is not about ogling all of Toronto's vegan spots but just in case you happen to be around those parts you should check out Sadie's Diner.

They have all day vegan brunch!

Vegan Bakesale

From now on you will be updated about any vegan bake sale under my radar. But for now I can only tease you with photos from previous bake sales. Pictured here are delicious chocolate cupcakes, chocolate peanut butter cookies and a vegan macaroon.  And the whole bake sale was done for charity to benefit Animal Freedom Day

Vegan Hamilton Networking, These People Love Potlucks!

Hamilton has a fairly present vegan community. For example there are (mostly) monthly community potlucks. I'll keep you filled in, as they are open to anyone who is capable of making, or bringing a vegan dish. Usually hosted at the Jamesville community they are on hold for awhile while the organizers are moving.  There is a Facebook Group to keep everyone in touch but it is a closed group. Leave me a comment or send me off a message on facebook or at nickivarkevisser@yahoo.com if you want in and come eat some grub with us. The attendees very pretty widely in age, diet, and level of activism and it's a very welcoming mix of people. We usually eat then have some tea and sometimes watch a movie. The organizers (I'm not stating their names as I don't know if they want it on the internet) are very dedicated animal rights activists and run tons of demos if you're into that scene. Either way potlucks are an awesome way to get some great vegan cooking ideas and to enjoy a plate filled with a variety of different dishes and treats made by a variety of different people. It truly demonstrates that veganism is what you make it, you can go raw and be a health nut, or you can delve into the world of wondrously fatty and sweet vegan treats, or both. Variety is the spice of life. Here is a sample photo of my fully loaded plate from a vegan potluck.

CLICK to enlarge the photo

Vegan Find #1 : Affinity Vegetarian Resturaunt

Affinity is pretty much Hamilton's vegan mecca. 

Website 
Facebook
87 John Street South in Hamilton
905-529-2598

Summary
Atmosphere: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Vegan Literacy: 10/10  They have all the dishes coded with a little vegan symbol so you it feels like your on a treasure map for vegan booty, (and there is a lot of it).
Selection: 9.5/10 The majority of their dishes are vegan, just a few vegetarian exceptions.
Food: 10/10*
Pricing: 7/10 The entrees are well priced, but the appetizers are a bit pricy for their portions. Or at least pricy for a cheap student.
Overall: 8.5333333/10  This is an exact calculation folks. But honestly, when the food is a 10, does anything really matter?
Perks: No MSG, large menu, vegan ice cream, tons of tea!
*10 for everything I've tried in my 4 dining experiences at least

Their menu is large and has mostly Chinese style dishes. They have a great selection of appetizers, 5 different Asian soups, lots of noodle dishes and faux meats including soy ham, steak, beef and chicken. A big attraction seems to be their buffet which is available for lunch and dinner. At lunch the buffet is a bit smaller and costs $10.50. At dinner time it costs $15.99, or $17.99 on Fridays and weekends. They have kids and senior prices as well. Another plus is their amazing tea selection. They have over 40 different types of teas to enjoy in the restaurant or to buy in packets to take home. They even offer faux meat to bring home which is awesome because some of their faux meats are really incomparable to most of the supermarket stuff. Admittedly I haven't bought any yet so I can't attest to how easy to prepare it is.

Vegan Nuggets

I hope to get some more photos to add to this review because these are just from an iPhone, and because it gives me an excuse to come back for more! These are the vegan nuggets which are succulent on the inside and crispy on the outside. So, so delicious and so so tiny...if I recall correctly they cost $3.99.

They have a great selection of entrees. I had the Pan-Fried Sun-kissed Veggie Chicken a long time ago and it was memorably tasty. This venture I shared the Sweet and Sour Soy Chicken and it is a new favorite. It comes like a stir fry, with cooked veggies (peppers, baby corn,celery,snow peas), saucy tofu and  faux chicken that are both covered in perfectly tangy sweet and sour sauce. The soy chicken really makes it. My omnivorous dining partner agrees. It was surprisingly filling, we split the entree and nuggets and nothing else yet my food baby was busting out. It actually unbuttoned my rompers. I thought that only happened in cartoons. So satisfying. It was especially nice because even though I was full I didn't feel icky-full like I do if food is too heavy or oily.

Sweet and Sour Soy Chicken

They also offer soy ice cream, bubble tea and smoothies if you have room for it. The ice cream is pricy, but the best soy ice cream I have ever tasted. And vegan ice cream is always expensive. I had it years before I was vegan and remember my surprise at how ice-creamy it is. They have a lot of flavors: chocolate, mango, pistachio, and coconut are the ones I remember.

Overall this is a vegan haven. Especially, but not exclusively for Asian food lovers.

Why Vegan Hamilton?

For selfish reasons! I made this blog and appointed myself head investigator of vegan going-ons in Hamilton in order to motivate myself to go explore what vegan options my city holds. I know this blog is looking a little bit empty at the moment but I do promise to fill it with what ever findings I have.

Also I just wanted to share whatever vegan goodness we have in Hamilton with the internet masses. 

If you live in/near Hamilton Ontario and care to give any tips/guest blog email me at nickivarkevisser@yahoo.com I'd love to make this a community effort.