Restaurants / Reviews
Eat Your Greens – restaurant review
Another day, another vegan venue in Bristol. What was once viewed as the dietary choice of a relatively small minority is fast becoming mainstream in a city that prides itself on its diverse culinary offerings – and luckily, there’s a growing number of eateries to meet demand.
It is only a couple of days since Eat Your Greens threw open its doors in the building that was formerly home to The Eating Room and little has really changed in the appearance of the cheerful, airy café on Wells Road.
The coffee machine is hard at work behind a counter laden with appetising pastries and several plants and pictures adorn walls and shelves, creating a cheerful and calming atmosphere. A large, hand-written board outlines the daytime menu.
is needed now More than ever
While the name of Bristol’s newest vegan venue may bring back memories of nagging school dinner staff, there is nothing preachy about this welcoming café, with the emphasis on wholesome and hearty food – and a few sweet treats thrown in for good measure.
All-day breakfast options range from £3 for toast and toppings to £9.50 for the ‘Beasty Breakfast’, or there’s a choice of soup, salad or a lunch bowl.
The ‘EYG’ breakfast of garlic mushrooms, sauted greens, avocado, rocket, truffle oil and local sourdough toast (£7.50) sounds too good to resist, with the recommended ‘EYG’ smoothie to accompany it – a health-filled combination of kale, spinach, spirulina and apple juice (£4.10).
A steady stream of customers begin to fill the tables and the two-woman team working the front of house and kitchen areas operate like a well-oiled machine, politely and efficiently serving and patiently explaining that, yes, the menu is entirely vegan.
“Do you have normal milk?” asks one guy who’s just ordered a latte. He is given a choice of non-dairy alternatives but opts for a berry smoothie instead.
Relaxing music can be heard in between bursts of noise as the blender works overtime to keep up with the demand for freshly mixed smoothies and shakes.
The ‘EYG’ special arrives, artfully sprinkled with petals and sporting a stripy, hard plastic reusable straw, but there’s no detracting from the fact that it is an alarming vibrant green sludge colour. Appearances can be deceptive, for the taste is light, refreshing and sweet, leaving a delicate tang on the tongue.
A heady aroma of garlic heralds the arrival of breakfast – another green fusion, as the café lives up to its name.
The plate is attractively piled with a heap of fat, glistening mushrooms, interspersed with delicate broccolini on crispy slices of sourdough toast, topped with a generous portion of rocket and sliced avocado to the side.
Hot, fresh and perfectly seasoned, the meal is a winning combination of flavours and textures that hits the spot from the first bite to the last. Although not an ungenerous portion, it is a fairly light bite that leaves you wanting more and diners after a really hearty meal would be advised to opt for the beasty breakfast, which, if looks are anything to go by, could satisfy the heartiest of appetites.
“Do you do non-dairy milk?” asks a woman, venturing in and taking a seat with her partner, prompting yet another explanation that it is a purely vegan café.
With an entirely separate menu for the evening, this new, fully-licensed venture on Wells Road bring an exciting alternative for food lovers in Bristol – vegan or not.
And no, they don’t have dairy milk.
Eat Your Greens, 156 Wells Road, Totterdown, Bristol, BS4 2AG
0117 239 8704
www.facebook.com/eatyourgreensbristol
Read more: The Bristol Cookhouse – restaurant review
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
