The Lunch Room (a 100% vegan restaurant located on 5th Avenue in downtown Ann Arbor) has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants. They offer 100% plant based whole foods, and only the freshest, local, organic produce. Their restaurant is quaint and cozy, and their meals and daily prepared baked goods are out of this world! The restaurant’s earth friendly decor is just as fresh as the food, and very sightly. As soon as you walk through their doors, you know you’re about to experience some good home cooking. Here are 10 must have items from their menu. (Be sure to check out the pictures of some of these hot menu items in the upper right hand corner of the screen).
1.) Pastie
Friday is Pastie night at the Lunch Room. I highly recommend this menu choice! This savory pastie is filled with sweet potato, seitan, and other delightful vegetables like carrots, roasted beets, and daikon radishes, then, they top it off with a delicious home cooked onion-sage gravy. The outer crust of the Lunch Room pastie is flaky and crisp and the gravy just melts in your mouth with tons of flavor. This item is definitely a must have, and a top favorite! For a few dollars more, you can also order a salad with your pastie. This salad is by far the best salad I’ve ever had while eating out anywhere. You know that a restaurant is great if they can make a mean salad! This salad was prepared with only the finest and freshest ingredients. The dressing was tahini based and the greens were as fresh as they come. Topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and the freshest, greenest avocado I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting, this salad was definitely one to brag about.
2.) Biscuit “Sausage” and Gravy
Featured on their Sunday brunch menu, The Lunch Room’s Biscuit “Sausage” and Gravy features an herb seitan sausage pattie and sage gravy on a housemade biscuit. Trust me when I say it will taste even better than your Grandma’s best Southern cooking. (and, I should probably mention that I had two grandmothers from the South, and this dish could definitely compete against their homemade biscuit and gravy recipes). For two more dollars, you can add a side of curry roasted potatoes to the mix. Yum! Make your way to brunch in a hurry though, because this hot seller is so delicious that it sells out quickly!
3.) Tuck & Roll Burrito
This Burrito is called Tuck & Roll for a reason. By the time your done eating it, you’re going to be so full and pleased with the flavor that you’re going to have to tuck and roll yourself right out of the restaurant. This 12″ whole wheat tortilla is packed with cumin-lime rice, Cuban black beans, pico de gallo, lettuce, avocado, and only the best cashew sour cream. For $8, this burrito is sure to please your pallette, and satisfy your appetite.
4.) Mac & Cheese
The Lunch Room’s ultimate comfort food, their Mac & Cheese features “cheese” made from rich, butternut squash and red peppers. Baked to perfection with a crunchy almasen (almonds, lemon zest, and sesame seed) topping. This Mac & Cheese is like none you’ve ever tried before, and is sure to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
5.) Lunch Room Hash
Another favorite from their Sunday Brunch menu, The Lunch Room Hash is a decent sized bowl of only the freshest vegetables alongside curry roasted potatoes, and zesty, flavorful seitan chorizo. For $7, this Hash is warm and comforting as it slides down your throat, and pleases your taste buds with a burst of flavor unlike any you’ve ever experienced. For just $2 more, you can add a side of fresh fruit.
6.) Pancakes
The Lunch Room’s pancakes are simply to die for! This stack of three, light and fluffy cakes is served with real maple syrup and the best fruit I’ve ever had. Garnished with toasted coconut and lime juice, this fruit is unlike any fresh fruit you’ve tasted before, the apples in the mix tasted like a candy apple, and combined with the taste of real maple syrup, its one flavor combination you just don’t want to miss– Absolutely delicious! I only wish there had been more! This meal is superb!
7.) BBQ Torta
This sandwich is made on housemade pan talera bread and piled high with barbeque soy curls, made from whole bean non-GMO soy. Also featuring pickled red onions, cabbage, and an avocado spread, this zesty, flavor packed sandwich is messy and delicious down to the very last bite. Definitely a must have for any lunch.
8.) Ice Cream Sandwich On Lunch Room Cookies
The Lunch Room’s ice cream sandwich is seriously the best vegan ice cream sandwich I’ve ever tasted! You get to choose from two of their fresh daily baked cookies, and then coconut milk ice cream is smothered between them into an ooey gooey sandwich from vegan heaven. You can even mix and match your cookies. We had a chocolate chip cookie and an oatmeal molasses ginger snap on our ice cream sandwich. Yum!
9.) Donuts Of Assorted Flavors
The Lunch Room’s fresh baked donuts are a must have to eat in or carry out! It seems we can’t ever have a meal without taking home a few of their delicious donuts to snack on, on the way home. I’ve never had a Lunch Room donut I didn’t love, and there are so many flavors to choose from that I can’t pick just one. Choose from flavors like raspberry glazed double chocolate, maple glazed donuts and longjohns, boston creme, piña colada, almond joy, triple chocolate espresso, peppermint-chocolate, trail mix, vanilla latte, and many more. You can’t go wrong with a Lunch Room Donut.
10.) TLT
This sandwich featuring Brinery tempeh, lettuce and tomato is served on housemade rye with a delicious herbed mayo. For only $7, you just can’t beat the price of this sandwich when taking the flavor into account. There are plenty of vegan versions of the traditional “BLT” in restaurants today, but The Lunch Room does it right, and for a great price, at that. This TLT is awesome!
