Vegan in Cincinnati & Dayton Ohio – Just Passing Through

Cincinnati is only about one and a half to two hours north of Louisville so the drive was quick and painless. My fist stop was at the only all-vegan restaurant in the city, though there are a few restaurants that have some great vegan options.

Loving Hut – 100% vegan

6227 Montgomery Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45213

This Loving Hut has become one of my favorites. They’ve got a lot of raw food options but also much of the chain’s traditional fare. The staff is quite varied and extremely friendly too. I had the Pho, the Summer Rolls (their peanut sauce is amazing!), and a drumstick – which you can get in pairs or individually.

In looking up their address for this post I noticed that their URL is TheLovingHut.com. Huh. How ’bout that. I wonder if they were the very first US location or if they just lucked out. The other Loving Hut’s have a URL that’s something like LovingHut.us./[name of city]. Interesting.

For breakfast the next day I went to this place that came pretty highly recommended via Yelp!. I’ve been using Yelp! a lot lately to figure out what I should get at a restaurant since the app includes quick tips from people who have been there. Super helpful! Now if only Yelp! would ensure that restaurant hours are correct. I’ve found that they almost never are.

Melt Eclectic Deli – 25% vegetarian/vegan

416 Hamilton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45223

I had a tempeh bacon cheddar melt – housemade tempeh “bacon”, smokey vegan “cheese,” and pesto baked on shadeau’s multigrain, with fresh tomato and romaine after bake.

The restaurant itself is cute, great vibe, friendly staff, and was incredibly busy on the day I stopped in.

Now for my favorite place in Cincinnati! Vegan stores are a rare find, even in the most vegan-friendly of places. So you can imagine my surprise when I learned of Park + Vine, an all-vegan general store that sells vegan/eco-friendly clothing and food, gardening supplies, stationary, and almost everything in between. Their website sums it up best:

Park + Vine offers a wide variety of eco-friendly merchandise that minimizes the use of natural resources and animal byproducts. Products include reusable bottles, bags and food carriers, non-toxic cleaning and paint supplies, natural baby and parenting supplies, a growing selection of foodstuff, and lots more.

Park + Vine – 100% vegan general store & cafe

1202 Main St
Cincinnati, OH 45202

It was difficult to get pictures of everything, I felt like a kid in a candy store, so many things, so many thiiiiiinnnngggsss!!!! Oh and I chatted for a bit with Sarah, who was working at Park + Vine on this day. She had made her own cupcakes and gave me one for the road. So sweet! If the employees are any indication of the quality of products and type of ownership, this place has got it goin’ on in all the right ways. :)

What a cool place! You can shop for a new t-shirt, get your tub(s) of EatPastry, shop away, shop away, and then grab a bite to eat in the cafe section before you gleefully skip out and on to your next adventure.

After my ethereal walk through Park + Vine I stumbled upon Sidewinder Coffee which not only has free wifi but also carries some vegan snacks. Perfecto!

I got some writing done at Sidewinder and then headed to Dayton for some more vegan noms, and to meet up with Michelle from Vegan Dayton.  I headed straight to Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery where Michelle and I were scheduled to have dinner and chat about vegan stuff and things. :)

Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery – 25% vegetarian/vegan

530 East 5th St.
Dayton, OH 45402

Michelle and I shared a fried pickles appetizer and I had a grilled cheese. Nom! I had gone back again the next day for lunch and had a build-your-own burger with guac, Diaya, and a side of sweet potato fries. Yums.

Dayton is a cute and quiet city, I had no problem with overnight street parking, and driving around was quite easy. On my last day in Dayton I met up with Michelle and Shelley, both from the Vegan Dayton Meetup group, for lunch at Fusian – a Chipotle- / Subway-style fast food sushi restaurant. What a cool concept! You select your wrap, your “protein” (they have tofu), veggies, and sauces. They have a roll former thing that ensures the roll will be rolled up perfectly, and then they place the whole roll in a machine that chops it into perfect slices. It takes just a few seconds from order to a beautifully formed roll, ready to be nommed on. Kinda neat.

We had a great meal and then I had to grab a couple pics of Michelle’s “VegElement.” I have never seen so many bumper stinks on one vehicle. Haha. Awesome.

Thank you so much to Michelle and Shelley for great company in Dayton. And thanks so much for this awesome t-shirt!!! :)

Columbus, OH is next!!