The Lemon Tree - St. Catharines

A1-395 Ontario Street
St. Catharines, ON

Phone: 289-362-4000

My first thought is just to say "wow". This little gem has been in this location for 2-1/2 years, and somehow, I had never ventured in. I'm so glad that I finally did.

The Lemon Tree is a Mediterranean bistro with a decidedly Greek leaning. Greek salad, hummus, tzatziki, pita bread. All kinds of deliciousness. Check out their menu.

I started off sharing the bruschetta and really enjoyed it.  I don't know the brand of mozzarella that was used, but it was delicious; no chemical aftertaste. For my main entree, I had the veggie skewers. They were perfectly caramelized on the grill and especially tasty when I dipped them in the tzatziki sauce. The meal also came with roasted lemon potatoes (my favourite), and steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower).

The lunch options were even more plentiful:

Apps:
Bruschetta, cheese platter, hummus dip, tzatziki dip, and Mediterranean pizza.
Salads, Soups, and Fries:
Soup of the day, Caesar salad, Greek salad, Garden salad, fries, poutine.
Lunch:
Vegan wrap, Chick'n wrap, Open chick'n sub, vegan burger.

The service was great (thanks Nicole), just the right tempo.

We didn't stay for coffee and dessert, but they do offer soy milk if you want.

Washrooms were ample and clean. Parking is mall parking, free and plentiful.

They also have takeout (phone as above) and delivery as well.

Hours:
Sunday to Thursday - 11am to 9 pm
Friday & Saturday - 11am to 10 pm

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Fiddler's Pour House - St. Catharines

149 St. Paul Street
St. Catharines
905-345-1225

Though some in our party weren't as happy with the ambience as I was (college kids were playing euchre at the table,...gasp, said the curmudgeons),.....we all agreed that the food was fabulous.

I helped with the samosas for a starter with some awesome peanutty dipping sauce,...then followed up with roasted cauliflower and fries. Delish. The roasted cauliflower came with vegan cheese, dried cranberries and almonds. I thought this sounded like a strange combo, but it totally worked. The cauliflower would have been equally good without the cheese.

Fiddlers has a menu with many specific vegan-option available items, including:

Appetizers:
Samosas
Kettle Chips
Battered Pickle Fries
Sweet Potato Fries

Mains:
Chicken Wings
Nachos
Chicken Tenders
Fiddlers Salad`
Garden Salad
Roast Cauliflower
Grilled Cheese

There are also many gluten-free options and vegan chicken and pulled pork can be added to most dishes, if desired. I asked about non-dairy options for coffee or tea and was told that although they do not have them usually, if I were to call ahead, they would make a point of picking some up and having it on hand. Pretty cool.

Parking is street parking with a somewhat pricey lot two doors down.

Hours:
Tuesday to Sunday: 11:30am to 11pm
Monday: 3pm to 11pm
(last call 2am)

Ways to Connect:
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Kully's Original Sports Bar - St. Catharines

223 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines
905-684-1771

Kully's Original Sports Bar

We wandered into Kully’s after our initial restaurant choice was discovered to be closed for lunch, so I hadn’t prepped and called ahead and mapped out a plan. That’s something I always like to do, given a chance. No worries though, Kully’s did not disappoint.

This was a just a quick lunch, and I noticed a veggie wrap on the menu that looked close to vegan. Though it listed goat cheese, I was assured that sans cheese, it was vegan. The wrap was pretty good, made with peppers, onions, roasted beets (nice unique touch), and a balsamic vinaigrette. I prefer my wraps to be warm, so I should have asked, as this is served cold. Still, it was delicious and filling. The fries were exceptionally good, obviously hand-cut, and cooked to perfection just slightly on the dark side.

Some of the other choices that could be made vegan:

Kully’s classic salad - romaine, iceberg, spring mix, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, balsamic dressing - $8.99 (ask for no croutons and cheese)
Stir-fry - peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli with rice and teriyaki sauce - $11.49
Veggie burger - black bean and veggie patty with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle (hold the Kully’s sauce) - $11.49
 - Additional burger toppings: grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, jalapeños, banana peppers, and avocado at $0.99 each

House-cut fries - $4.49
Kettle chips - $5.99
Sweet potato fries - $5.99
All three of these come with dips, but none of the dips in the restaurant are vegan. Ketchup or vinegar are probably your go-tos.

When I called it was also suggested that the white pizza could be made vegan by dropping the cheese option. A note to keep in mind is that the red sauce for the pasta and pizza both have parmesan cheese right in the sauce and so, obviously, are a no-go.

Kully’s is a typical sports bar - “Let’s raise a glass to the game.” Though the lunch crowd on Monday was moderate, I can imagine that game days in the city are hopping. If that’s your thing (or perhaps more poignantly, if that isn’t your thing), you might want to check the schedule of the local teams, especially the Ice Dogs, to see if there is a game or not before booking your reservation.

Kully’s decor is classic: deep rich woods accented by ebony chairs and fixtures. TVs abound so everyone in the bar gets a good view of the game. Walls are adorned with the smiling faces of athletes (Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, Joe Montana, and Michael Jordan, to name a few), plus a wall-sized chalkboard near the front windows shows what’s happening every night of the week. And something is always happening here.

Hopefully, you fill up on your entree because there is no dessert option there at the present that could be made vegan. Also, they did not have any non-dairy creamer or milk for coffee or tea.

Washrooms: Sorry, didn’t need to check them out here.
Parking: Street parking, pretty busy.

Hours:
Daily: 11am - 2am

How to Connect:
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Phone: 905-684-1771

The Office, Tap & Grill - St. Catharines

22 James Street
St. Catharines

905-984-4440, Reservations recommended.

The Office, Tap & Grill

The Office is a casual, comfortable restaurant. Wooden booths, warm colours, soft lighting, and interesting art work. It has a hip vibe, but we saw customers that ran the gamut from toddlers to senior citizens, all appearing equally at home. If you are a vegan who may dine with an omnivore, the menu would have you both covered.

The vegan menu had some great-looking choices on it for both appetizers and entrees:

Frites and dip $6
Kale Caesar $12
Spinach Salad $12
Meze Platter $13
Buffalo Cauliflower $9
Quinoa Falafels $9

Veggie Burger $14
Penne Puttanesca $12
Zen Noodles $12
Tofu Caesar Wrap $14

I started with the buffalo cauliflower. It arrived on a slender platter with mixed greens in the middle and a thick drizzle of peanut sauce. The cauliflower pieces were a moderate size, easy to pick up with a fork, and lightly spicy. Dredged through the peanut sauce, they were delicious and addictive. With salad or fries, there was enough to make an entree.

For my main meal, I had the veggie burger. It was made with quinoa and lentils. The patty held together fairly well but was a little on the dry side. The burger was served with a corn cilantro salsa that was not memorable, but did add some needed moisture along with tomatoes and pickle. I had it with the fries which were also good, a nice crispiness and good flavour. All in all, both orders were a success.

To go along with your meal, they have some fun wine and beer options. You can bring your own wine for a corkage fee (Mon-Wed = free; Thurs = $5; weekends = $12) or choose from the wine list. They offer reds from California, Argentina, and the Niagara Region; whites from Ontario. Additionally, they offer ‘cheap and cheerful’ wines that they change up for $1/ounce. The beer is typically from micro breweries and runs $5.55 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

On the down side, they only offered dairy milk/creamer for the coffee and tea, though one of the proprietors (Greg Pearson) mentioned that “as the vegan menu rises in popularity, I'm sure it (a non-dairy option) is something we can add.” We were too full to order dessert and I didn’t think to check the menu, but Pearson mentioned that, “We currently have a vegan pumpkin pie on the menu with a cashew filling and rolled oat and date crust. It has yet to be added to the menu full time, but is getting very good reviews.” Sounds yummy.

The washrooms were decorated in a shabby chic style, leaning just slightly too far toward the shabby. The stalls were tight, requiring a bit of a gymnastic move to get out of the way of the door to close it. The taps were too small for the basin and barely stuck out far enough to get my hands under for washing. Having said that, the washroom was very clean and sported the coolest vanity top positioned under a large mirror; a perfect place to rest your purse for touchups, yet out of the way of the sink.

The Office is located in downtown St. Catharines a block up from the market and half a block from St. Paul Street. In addition to street parking, there is a paid parking lot directly across the street that still had many available spots when we left at 7pm on a Saturday night. Reservations are recommended, and by 6:00, the place was pretty much full. Would definitely recommend the food at The Office, but the lack of dairy substitute was a negative.

Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - 5pm to 12am
Thursday - 11:30am to 12am
Friday - 11:30 to 2am
Saturday - 5pm to 2am
Closed: Sundays, holidays

The Vegan Hippie Chick - St. Catharines

54 Church Street
St. Catharines, ON
905-978-1536

Mandy, the Vegan Hippie Chick, is an absolute doll. I know, I know, that shouldn’t matter when we’re talking about eating vegan, but it had to be said. I met her at the Sweet Street Cafe located in the St. Catharines library building, and she made me the best lunch. If you enter from the James Street side, the cafe is right there, housed in a greenhouse-like vestibule that is airy and light (see below). Check out the cute cafe-style table and chairs in the photo above. Adorable.

The Sweet Street Cafe has other offerings, but Mandy takes care of the vegan items. Today there were veggie wraps, eggless salad sandwiches, and raw protein balls. I opted for the sandwich and, ahem, balls. Wowza. That’s what I am actually going to say about it - wowza.

The sandwich was on the freshest of bread and full of flavour. The not-so-secret ingredient is chick peas. I’ve made this at home, but not nearly as delicious as this one. The protein balls came in pumpkin, walnut and almond. Of course I had to have one of each. These were sweet without being sickening and really filled me up. I was only able to eat two, and saved the other one for later. I also had a coffee with soy milk. It was exceptionally good. I wished I had bought the larger size.

The menu changes so it’s best to check her Facebook page for the daily specials and when she will be at the cafe. Typically she is there most days, but her schedule can vary.

Parking is street as well as several lots in the area, one right at the library, underground parking at the library, and the market lot. I didn’t have any trouble finding a spot at noon on a weekday, $1.50/hour.

Washrooms were the library washrooms; sparse, utilitarian, but very clean.

In addition to the cafe menu, Mandy also has a catering branch, and she also sets up a space at the St. Catharines market (typically Thursday and Saturday). Her catering menu includes appetizers (zucchini fritters, stuffed mushrooms), burgers (quinoa, lentil), flat breads, salads (caesar, creamy potato), soups (potato leek, quinoa minestrone), mains (lasagna, shepherd’s pie), savoury pies (tortierre), and sweets. Oh my, the list of sweets is amazing: brownies, cakes, croissants, pies, cookies, and muffins. Plus, she will deliver for free in the Niagara region on all orders over $150.


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