Amazing! Pretty fancy and pricey (about $12-$15 for an entree, and sit down waiting service), but the quality was almost worth it. I've only been here twice so far but I know I'll always come back if I'm ever in the area! The first time I went, I had the seitan wings appetizer and the tourtiere, a lentil and mushroom pie with a side of roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts, and it was one of the best things I've had in a long time from a vegan restaurant. I appreciated that their menu wasn't full of processed alternatives, there were plenty of whole-foods and home-made options. read more

Absolutely love their baked goods and almost every entree menu item I have tried there! My absolute favourite are the sweet potato taquitos and my least favourite was the miso cauliflower steak however it was far from bad, just a bit bland. Also the decor and atmosphere are very airy, fresh and light. Love it! read more

This ia the best place for your vegan friend myself im not vegan but i still love the food best gnocchi and tomato sauce ive ever had the criapy seitan was also the best read more

Full disclose - I'm not vegan. Many of my friends and colleagues are, however, so I find myself seeking out vegan options on a regular basis. Rise Above, however, transcends this in that I would eat there even if alone. Everything on their menu is delicious, aesthetically pleasing, and quite reasonably priced. The staff is delightful and courteous. I recently went there with a large (and varied) group from out of town and everyone loved it. Their beer list is impressively diverse, too! read more

Came here from Hamilton for a friend's birthday dinner, and was not disappointed. I'd never eaten at a vegan restaurant before, and it was amazing. read more

Amazing food. We were looking for good vegetarian food. I would strongly recommend this place. Almost every item is unique

We were in the area for a quick get away to The Great Wolf Lodge and found this to be one of the few restaurants with vegan options near by so we gave it a try. The food turned out to be amazing! The service was great and they were able to accommodate two small children as well. I would highly recommend this place! read more

This is the best vegan restaurant I've ever been to. The ambiance is simple and cute and the service is pleasant to interact with. They can also make a lot of their items gluten free which is great for individuals who have more than one food allergy. I got a tofu wrap that was both filling but not too heavy, jam packed with delicious veggies. I also love that they try to source their beverages locally! It shows they have a great understanding of the complexity of the food system we have :) I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and if I'm ever back in Saint Catharine's I'll be back! read more

Fantastic. Beet and lentil burger + kale Caesar salad = one of the best vegan meals I've ever had. The prices are also super reasonable. Can't wait to go back! read more

Lunch was delicious. Dessert was even more delicious. We even brought two boxes of treats home. Prices were a little high for the portions, but worth it for being able to maintain (or try) a plant-based lifestyle! read more

I am not a vegan but think this is the best restaurant I have been to in months. We ordered the beet burger and wedges supreme and I was so impressed. I am usually turned off by vegan substitute items like cheese etc but I obviously never was exposed to this level of vegan cooking. The coffee and desserts were great too. The service was friendly, helpful and welcoming. read more

Hidden gem! Fresh, healthy, delicious, flavourful, amazing. Even my meat-loving, redneck, small town country boyfriend loved it. Now that says a lot as I could barely get him to try quinoa before... read more

Amazing food!! Even meat-eating family member loved her meal! Not great service, staff were grumpy. Make sure to make a reservation it was super busy and we didn't get a table. read more

The server was cold with air of pretentiousness, topped with extremely slow lunch service. I was with my child for my birthday lunch and was really looking forward to trying, since my daughter is a new vegetarian. She barely made eye contact and acted annoyed with asking any menu questions. Not impressed and will not be recommending to my local Niagara friends. read more

i LOVE this place! I've only been there once but the food I had (tofu thai curry bowl, i think?) was beyond my expectations. So full of flavour! They also serve organic bird-friendly coffee, which is rare! Bravo for being consistently animal-friendly! Aside from the food, I enjoyed the service, the artwork, the unique washrooms and the reasonably-priced menu. This wins hands down as my favourite restaurant in St Catharines. I'll definitely be back. read more

One of the better, including non-vegan restaurants, that I've been to in the last year. The Seitan Jerk dish was delicious and a fair serving. Other dish portions (Pasta, Kale Salad) were a bit small for the price but the flavours were worth it. Service was relaxed but servers were all smiles and we had everything we needed in the end. Wish I was in town longer to try more items. Next time! read more

The most delicious chocolate vegan shake I have ever had in my life. It tasted like they melted good quality chocolate themselves and added it in. It's pricey but worth it if you're a shake lover but don't do dairy... sometimes I dream of the shake it was so good. read more

I visited Rise Above for brunch with a couple of my vegan friends, and it was an interesting experience! The menu has lots of variety to choose from, and the service was quick and friendly. The food was very good, a bit different than I am used to, but it was fun to try something new! read more

On the whole, my wife and I really enjoyed this place! We didn't love everything we tried, but some of it was really quite good. The real standout was the saucy seitan. Although the buffalo sauce isn't really a buffalo sauce (more of a BBQ), it was still tasty and the seitan itself was very well prepared. I'd come back again and again for it, and I suspect the crispy seitan wrap is good, too. The sandwiches were a bit of a mixed bag (we liked the clubhouse much more than the cauliflower), but so it goes. The only real disappointment was the mushroom mac & cheese, which was surprisingly bland. So not uniformly excellent in my experience, but there is enough that I enjoyed that I could see myself becoming a regular if I lived nearer. read more

I have tried to give Rise Above 'another chance' on numerous occasions because I love the atmosphere of the place. Unfortunately, I have been consistently let down. In a total of about six or seven visits, my order has usually come cold and/or undercooked - on my last visit, my potato wedges were literally solid and crunchy in the middle and my burger was virtually uncooked. The gnocchi is probably the best bet on the menu, but portions seem to have decreased dramatically. Soups and homemade drinks are over-sweetened. I always have the feeling that either the chefs are slipping up in order to the food on the floor faster, or perhaps are in the middle of being trained. The baked goods are a treat. Rise Above was excellent as a bakery. As a restaurant, not so much. I think I'll be giving up on the second chances. read more

For me it's between 3&4 stars. The restaurant is very welcoming even though it's in an off putting location. The walls are decorated with paintings and such and its fun but (not being a vegan) the food isn't all that great. Some dishes are very yummy and I love their cupcakes but I usually have trouble finding a dish that I would like. read more

Went here for brunch on a Sunday morning. Their brunch options are very delicious and freshly made! I will definitely be back to try their lunch or dinner menu in the future. read more

Best vegan lunch we've ever had!! We had the beet burger, chicken pot pie, penne salsiccia, the lentil soup, and pomegranate salad and all were incredible! We did have to wait for a table, but you can call in to make a reservation before your visit. Overall, a fantastic restaurant just outside of Niagara Falls! read more

Great casual lunch spot (and dinner too) that is delicious enough for non-vegans to enjoy. Generous portions of well-prepared favorites and an easy-going atmosphere make Rise Above worth a detour. I didn't give a second thought to the fact that my wrap was made with seitan - it just tasted good. The big crisped potato wedges were served with a nice barbeque-flavored dip. I also loved the beet salad with arugula, potato, and mustard seed dressing. It was a step Above what one would usually find at a casual lunch spot. Glad we found it. read more

I've been a couple of times and it was disappointing. Maybe I'm just ordering the wrong things, but meh, not so much.

Had a pretty bad experience. The server with tattoos isn't nice. The tall guy at the front desk isn't nice neither. The tattoo girl hurried us to order. The guy tried to kick us out because the next customers were waiting. Didn't say sorry when he attempted to ask us to leave. Didn't say thank you when we were leaving. read more

Excellent meal. Loved the sweet potato burger and tomato soup. Also enjoyed the potato wedges. Glad we stopped at rise above for dinner.

Always wonderful! Love the Satan - oops Seitan and the mac and cheese. Cheesecake to die for. Love that they change their wall art. Funky place. Taking non-vegans there usually works out really well!! read more

I love this restaurant. The food is delicious and fresh and it's the best vegan / vegetarian food I've ever eaten. It's not exceptionally low-priced but you really get what you pay for, and they have different menu items at different times which provides nice variety. Don't leave without tasting the vegan cheesecake, it will change your life. read more

Amazing!!! I can't say enough great things about this place! From the friendly staff to the amazing food, this place is on par with any vegan restaurant in NYC or LA! Actually, it's on par with any restaurant I've ever been to! I could go on and on about how wonderful of an experience it was for us, instead you should go and experience it for yourself. If you're staying in the Niagara area or within a 45 minute drive do not miss this one! Enjoy! read more

I'm not vegan but thoroughly enjoyed the food. Ordered one of the rice bowls and it was yummy. Also tried the wings, the mac & cheese, and one of the burgers. Dessert was awesome as well. The cafe itself is super cute. read more

EDIT: So, about a year ago I had posted an incredibly negative review based on a awful experience I had at Rise above. I was contacted by the owner shortly after and he apologised for it and explained that it was a bad night and the staff involved no longer work there. He was very polite and even offered us free dinner as a way of apologising, but I never responded because I simply wasn't interested. Fast-forward to a few months ago, and my Girlfriend and I are in the area. She is hungry and there aren't a lot of options in the area for good Vegan food, and so I reluctantly agreed to go back. I'm glad I did, because what a difference. I am not Vegan, but the food is honestly really good. The Wedges are absolutely the best wedges I've ever had, Bar none. And the service has been terrific every single time we've been back since, no matter how busy the restaurant gets. Really friendly, personable, and attentive without being obtrusive. Therefore, I felt it necessary to edit this review to reflect how great my experiences at Rise Above have been since last year. I would absolutely recommend Rise Above to anybody who wants good Vegan food, as well as to anybody who really likes Potato Wedges. read more

Arrived just after opening on Saturday-one table occupied but told they may not be any seating for our party of 3 because all the tables were reserved. When my daughter asked if two of the single tables could be moved together; the waitress did seat us. Next we were told that there were no menus available- but a glance over at the "reserved tables" and you could plainly see where all the menus were--still no people filling up those tables but OK. Next we were given menus by a different server which included some brunch selections. When we tried to order; the waitress told us brunch was only available on Sundays and she didn't know how we had gotten those menus! I would say that the presence of any menus was near miraculous! OK so no brunch; we looked at the other menu and decided on the Grilled Cheese. When the waitress returned; she said that she had a few items that were not available-the grill cheese being one of them! OK-no grilled cheese. At this point we opted for smoothies; because we had been denied the other items on the menu. When we ordered the smoothies; the waitress told us that since we were only ordering drinks; we may be asked to sit in the lounge area if they got busy. Sooooo....no seat, no menu, no brunch, no grilled cheese and no seat if we get a smoothie. Needless to say we opted for NOTHING-told the waitress to forget it. These people have forgotten common courtesy to their clientele. We ended up down the street at the Sunset Grill-had a big ol' plate of deliciousness; minus the pretentious hipster nonsense! read more