A few times a year I take a holiday weekend in sunny The North, where I mostly drink wine and sit under a blanket at my friend Liz’s house while she cooks for me and I avoid being gutted by her laser eyes cat.
Anyway, did you open this thinking it was a mean trick, like this would be a blank page or something? Well the joke is on you, because Stoke-on-Trent is moving up in the vegan scene. Sort of. There are a few ace vegan finds in neighbouring towns that Liz introduced me to, so if you happen to be in the area then check them out.
Incidentally I talk smack, but I love it up there really. Everybody is friendly (they even do things like say hello and hold doors) and it’s inexpensive to eat and drink out. Plus Staffordshire oatcakes, which are the greatest.
The Grind – Newcastle-under-Lyme
The Grind Cafe is closed permanently
The Grind is a cute cafe that not only dishes up a mean vegan fry up (the addition of roast/fried veg to the plate is ingenious), but also runs vegan supper clubs from time to time. They're a community spirited outfit and the space doubles for other events like jam sessions too. It's a cosy spot, reasonably priced, and the owner is one of the friendliest people you'll ever meet.
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Rawr – Newcastle-under-Lyme
RAWR Juice & Superfood Bar is a recent addition to the local scene, and they seem to be doing a jumping business. What I love most about this place is that it isn't all raw and they use gluten sometimes. I also love the decoration and attention to detail – a lot of thought has gone into both the presentation and the menu, which includes a variety of vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and wheat free items.
I had a chocolate peanut butter brownie and a snickerdoodle dandy smoothie and both were excellent. We bought some beetroot bread for tea, and I'm just going to write over and over again now that I appreciate gluten.
I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten. I appreciate gluten.
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Chico's – Stone
Chico's isn't going to win any awards for authenticity when it comes to Mexican food. It's a typical British take on tex mex, but who cares when it's so good? Comfort food heaven. The vegan menu isn't on the main website yet, but you can find it in their Facebook photos.
The portion sizes are obscene and they use cucumber in the side salad, but those are my only complaints. Practically everything is deep fried and the prices are reasonable. The starters are generally better than the mains, I think, so if I go back I'll just order a couple of appetizers (tip: no matter how hungry you are, you will not be able to eat a starter and a main, but they have doggy bags). The flat bread is sublime, so don't forget to eat that if you go.
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More vegan options in and around Stoke-on-Trent
I haven't tried the following restaurants, but they have vegan menus.