By Audrey Hunt, VRG Intern

Located right in the middle of Anchorage, Alaska lays a small community of restaurants with vegan and vegetarian menus. Middle Way Café is one of many that I tend to visit occasionally. The small, but busy café has been open since 1994. They opened with their mission being, “Contribute to a healthy, balanced, and sustainable life through good food and drink.” First impressions include that the atmosphere is quite welcoming and provides a warm feeling. The light orange painted walls, the hanging wall lights, and local Alaskan art decor brings the café to feel like a home. When walking in you will always find somebody studying on a laptop or reading a book at a table. Now a days, most people have decided to go the Grubhub route, and ditch the dine-in due to the coronavirus pandemic. Besides that, the restaurant always stays busy from the morning to late lunch.

     Middle Way Café is known to have one of the most extensive vegan menus in Anchorage; making it a common hang-out spot for most plant-based eaters. When going into this food review, I wanted to really try everything that they had to offer. I also invited my sister, Ali,  (a non-vegan/vegetarian) to help me review the items. I ordered a variety of different dishes on their vegan menu such as the Red Devil beetroot cake, their gluten-free and vegan chili with multigrain bread, their vegan “Middle Way Café Reuben,” the Baja bowl, their vegan lentil burger, the vegan breakfast burrito, and their famous “Summer Breeze” smoothie.

     Dessert is first! Starting with the Red Devil beetroot cake, it is made vegan and gluten-free (as is most of their desserts). It won high points for presentation. It is a clean cut and very appetizing looking dessert. Their desserts in general, are always nice and moist, and this particular one was exceptional. It was simple, but also rich. All in all, it was a well-rounded and super chocolatey dessert. From a non-vegan stand-point, it was described as having a slight flavor after taste. Other than that it was given a solid 7.5/10.

     Next was the vegan chili with the multigrain bread on the side. For a take-out soup, the presentation was rated high, along with it still staying hot after the drive home. More than anything else, the flavor was immaculate. It is made with spicy Cajun spices that were the perfect amount of heat to warm me up on a cold afternoon. It had a beautiful color, between the squash, carrots, and celery, I definitely recommend this perfect fall comfort food. My sister and my grandpa who are both non-vegetarian, also loved the flavor of the chili. Overall, it was rated an 8.2/10.

     Next up, we tried the vegan “Middle Way Café Reuben.” I was most excited to try this one because a Reuben sandwich is something I haven’t been able to eat since I went vegetarian. The Reuben was made with spiced curry tofu with sauerkraut and vegan Thousand Island dressing on rye bread. It had a beautiful color with the sauerkraut and tofu put together. Most importantly, the flavor was to die for. I could say it was one of the best vegan sandwiches I’ve had. Even people who aren’t that fond of tofu, including my sister, could take down a sandwich like this. The sourness of the sauerkraut with the curry spices in the tofu complimented each other very nicely and made a great, tangy lunch. Overall, it captured the traditional Reuben without the meat! Its total rating was an 8.5/10.

     Next was the Baja bowl, which had everything you needed in a well-balanced meal; however, it was the simplest item on the menu. It’s made with a generous serving of black beans, brown rice, lettuce, tomatoes, homemade cashew nacho cheese, and vegan sour cream. All the ingredients came together nicely, and it is the perfect meal when you are hungry and need something to fill you up. The nacho cheese made all the difference when it came to the flavor factor. Spicy, but also creamy when placed with the vegan sour cream. Overall, it was given an 8/10.

     The lentil burger was next, which was the highest rated item! It was so good that I didn’t even come home with leftovers. Both my sister and I described it as having a “Thanksgiving” flavor to it. “The lentil patty reminds me of stuffing a little bit, and I love stuffing,” Ali said. The lentil patty was on the softer side, but it was served with vegan mayo, sprouts, tomatoes, and lettuce on a whole wheat bun. It was a definite recommend and get again. Between its presentation, the flavor, and the overall experience it received a 10/10.

     The vegan breakfast burrito was a classic hardy breakfast that you will find many early risers getting at Middle Way. However, the flavor wasn’t entirely there and I felt like it could have been better with some seasonings or perhaps a sauce on the tofu on the inside. Other than that it came with a great presentation, and was perfectly filling. The burrito was made with spinach, tofu, scallions, vegan mozzarella, and black beans served with a side of Pico de Gallo. “It’s a tad bland but definitely not bad,” said Ali. Overall, the burrito was given a 7.3/10.

     Lastly, the “Summer Breeze” smoothie is on the menu. Middle Way Café has always been a favorite place to purchase smoothies. I have to get one every time I go there, and over half the time, it is a “Summer Breeze.” The smoothie is made with banana, strawberries, and orange juice. All their smoothies are juice-based, making them a tart and sour tasting smoothie, a perfect drink to perk you up in the morning. I never have any complaints about their fruit smoothies. I am a sucker for them, along with my whole family. This one is for sure a 10/10 and my most recommended beverage on their menu.

     Stumbling upon a vegan food joint is hard to come by in Anchorage; however, restaurants offering vegetarian/vegan menus have been growing. It’s always a treat to find a restaurant like Middle Way Café. Though not all vegetarian, it provides extensive options for a vegan or vegetarian. If you want to learn more about Middle Way Café’s menu, just visit them at this link and try them out for when you come to Alaska!

http://www.middlewaycafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Menu-change-9-23-19.pdf – menu

http://www.middlewaycafe.com/ – website

For information on other veg restaurants, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php