Looking to escape the bitter cold and icy wind, Norse Starians Lily O’Hearn, Naomi Matthiesen, and Mercury Evans ventured down to Atwood Avenue to try out Green Owl Cafe. They can positively say that while parking is limited, Matthiesen’s worry about needing to parallel park was not an issue.
Green Owl Cafe has been a staple of Madison area vegans since 2009, as Madison’s only entirely vegan restaurant. The menu is well-rounded, offering a variety of lunch, dinner and dessert options along with a full-service bar. O’Hearn notes an appreciation for the restaurant’s vision.
“[As a vegetarian] It’s nice to see a place that offers only vegan/vegetarian options. Usually, I am only able to pick between two different menu items at other restaurants so it was really refreshing to be able to have a full page of options,” O’Hearn said.
Evans began the review with mixed feelings, “The mac and cheese was good, but it doesn’t taste like [traditional] mac and cheese. The sauce is more like a peanut buttery-soy sauce-cheese sauce because of the vegan cashew cheese.”
“The fries, though, are amazing. They are a 9/10, but I would’ve liked more salt,” Evans said.
Matthiesen shared her thoughts after, “I got the house [veggie] burger, and I really liked it. It didn’t taste like an actual burger, but that might be good for some people.”
Matthiesen also added, “They did give me a pickle on the side, which is good, I just don’t like pickles, so I didn’t eat it.”
O’Hearn ordered the Madison Philly, “I really liked it. The veggies, cheese, and seitan all complimented each other nicely, and the bread didn’t overpower everything else.”
“I also liked the marinade they used on the seitan because sometimes things like seitan and tofu can be bland if it isn’t seasoned properly,” O’Hearn added.
Evans agreed with O’Hearn after sampling her food, “The [Madison] Philly was really good, and I would definitely get that if I came back,” Evans said.
After enjoying their meals, Evans, Matthiesen, and O’Hearn split the vegan chocolate lava cake. While their meals received positive reviews, none of the Norse Starians enjoyed the lava cake. Evans noted an unexpected mint taste throughout the cake, filling, and frosting on top, with O’Hearn and Matthiesen agreeing.
It is not just the food that the group agreed gave Green Owl Cafe its charm, “The atmosphere is very fulfilling, and I like the dried fruit decorations and the lighting too,” Evans said.
After thoughtfully reviewing Green Owl Cafe, the group decided to give it 4 out of 5 stars. “Overall, for a vegan restaurant, I think they did a really good job,” Matthiesen said.