I honestly should've left this review many years ago- Green Owl is such a staple in Madison for those that don't eat meat or fish, which I haven't for over 11 years. Their recipes are so unique and genuinely good, and they have new yummy specials weekly. I've brought many people here that do still eat meat/fish & they've loved everything! I wish the restaurant itself was bigger, because it is a pretty small location, but regardless I really love this place. read more

The food was pretty decent. Especially for Gluten free and vegan. But service was absolutely horrible! We placed our order at 5:45 we didn't get our food till after 6:35. And some of it was cold! It's order at the counter, clean up after yourselves and get your own boxes ect. The only thing the server does is take the order at the counter and bring the food out. Small inside dining area and decent area outside. Our 3 meals a kids meal, an appetizer, 2 canned sodas and a lemon aid was just shy of $90. So not great for the service and style of restaurant. They charged $2 for GF bread for a burger (not a bun) but only $1 for GF bread on the kids sandwich. I thought that was kinda crappy. It was literally the exact same amount of bread. All in all not a great experience especially because we were on a time crunch. read more

This is a great little vegan/vegetarian restaurant with lots of fun options, including sandwiches, burgers, pastas, wraps, and more. I got the TLT with avocado, which comes on perfectly toasted Madison sourdough bread and includes their delicious tempeh "bacon" and garlic aioli. The roasted red potatoes side was so tasty as well, perfectly crispy and seasoned. The meal was very filling and I even had some leftovers! The service was pretty good, the food was a little slow to come out but it was very fresh and servers were very friendly. It's a great place to come if you need good vegetarian/vegan options, or if you just want a great meal! read more

The Green Owl Cafe - TLT with avocado, side of roasted red potatoes - Vegetarian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

They have real tasty food here. The Italian cold cut sandwich is the last thing I had and it was great. I don't remember ever having anything I wasn't into here though. read more

Their food is amazing. I've been there many times. Food is fresh and tasty. I'd eat there ever day if I could afford it. It's a nice treat when I want to eat clean. They serve alcohol and good dessert too. read more

A vegan staple! The two times I've been here it has been pretty tasty. The house burger has wonderful flavor, and the owl fries are a decent vegan take on animal fries. The mushroom burger was a bit dry and lacking on the mushrooms, and the roasted potato's could've used some more seasoning. Would recommend overall if you're looking for a solid vegan meal. read more

The Green Owl Cafe - House burger, mushroom burger, owl fries, potatoes - Vegetarian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I've been coming to Green Owl for years and I find myself ordering it pretty much once a week. My favorites off the base menu are the Steak Bomb and Banh Mi. The fries are killer, but I love the kale crisps too. They also have rotating soups and a variety of desserts that are delicious. But my favorite thing is checking in every week to see what they've cooked up for the Sammy of the Week and Burger of the Week. Or any number of tasty weekend specials/pop ups. I don't think I've ever had a dud. There isn't a ton of seating and it can get pretty cramped with people waiting for take out orders. In the warmer months there's quite a bit more seating with the patio open. It's counter style and dine-in service is generally pretty speedy. My only qualm is that they're essentially a vegan restaurant--all desserts are vegan and all dishes come vegan by default--but they still offer dairy cheese and eggs(?) I would really love to see them fully commit to being a vegan restaurant. I love this place (they even have cute merch) and I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates a hearty sandwich/burger and a menu that stays interesting. read more

See all

I had my lunch here on a Sunday. The place was busy, but I still got a seat right away. jambalaya was my favorite item here. It was a sesonal specialty. It was nice and flavorful. Barbecue jackfruit berger was another special. It was a good item as well. Kids chicken nuggets was just ok. read more

See all

Amazing peanut chicken sandwich and the Philly sandwich was so good too. We ordered too much food but it didn't go to waste. The group enjoyed the loaded owl fries too read more

Vegan and veggie lovers UNITE!!! This place is dedicated to having several options (including a rotating seasonal menu and specials) that will appease the gluten free/friendly, vegan, dairy-free, and vegetarian appetites. They have classic cocktails for $5 (and can get them to-go) plus they have signature cocktails for $10. Wide variety of food to meet the pickiest of eaters needs. We tried the house burger and chick'n sandwich. Both were stacked with fresh ingredients and generous portions! BONUS: No credit card fee!!! Bring whatever payment you'd like! read more

See all

I love that there's vegan options, since that's the first thing I'm looking at while traveling. I ordered through the phone was told 30 minutes for the food which isn't too bad considering online it said about an hour wait. Once I showed up to pick it up they said a few more minutes. Almost 20 minutes pass by and 3 other people get their orders. I eventually got mine. I subtracted a star for that. As for the food, the banh mi was okay, I've had better and not as liquidly as this one. The "meat" is grilled tofu and I shouldn't have expected so much but it didn't have much flavor. Subtracted another star for that. The fries were pretty good. The vibes were very hipster and filled with plants, you order at the counter and seat yourself as well. Outdoor seating is nice. Not sure if I'll stop by again if I'm passing by. read more

The Green Owl Cafe - Vegetarian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

See all

Such a great cafe in the SASY neighborhood! It's great for a healthy (and even not so healthy) bite. During the summer the patio is lovely to sit on and nicely shaded by the trees! You order at the counter and then can sit anywhere you'd like. Even if you're not vegetarian, there are so many tasty food options for everyone. I personally like the peanut bowl but I also enjoy their weekly specials! Their fries are always super fresh and crispy. They also have great coffee drinks and cocktails that change seasonally. Overall a great place for a casual veggie-centric lunch in Madison! read more

The food and service is consistently great here! Love this place. So many different options and my non vegetarian friends have been impressed also read more

Atwood salad was delicious. I love the nut clusters. Prices reasonable. And the people there were super flexible and helpful. Best place of this genre in Madison. Nice vibe. read more

I got the sandwich and soup of the week, both were phenomenal and they came out quickly. This was a very good experience.

I love this place! It's usually a reliable spot for delicious food and friendly staff. I tried the BB Bowl for the first time last week, and unfortunately, I wasn't a fan. It was lacking flavor compared to other dishes I've had at Green Owl. I'm excited to try something different during my next visit. read more

The Green Owl Cafe - BB Bowl - Vegetarian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I've been wanting to try this place for so long. I finally stopped in for lunch. They have a good outdoor seating space in front of the restaurant and they are dog friendly so I was able to take my dog which was so nice. It's order at the counter inside. I loved all the plants throughout their space. I was excited about this place because of their vegan menu but unfortunately their food was very underwhelming. I ordered the vegan chicken sandwich. It came on a big bun that was very dry and the sandwich didn't have much flavor to it. The fries however tasted good. I was with my mom and she ordered a burger of the day that had mushrooms in it. It was better than the sandwich but pretty salty. Great location but overall unimpressed with the food. read more

See all

I placed a phone order today. I got there at the time the order was stated to be ready. It wasn't ready. I was told "a few more minutes." Each time I asked, I was told a few more minutes. Fifteen minutes later of standing, I received one order. I was told again, a few more minutes on the second order. Twenty-five minutes later, I found out they had completely forgotten to make it. I stood in the restaurant for over an hour waiting for my order. When the manager finally came out, she told me she was sorry, but that it's no one's fault and that "shit happens." I was comped for half my order. Although I agree that things happen, I don't think the situation was handled well at all. I was made to feel like I was wrong for being frustrated after waiting over an hour for a phone order and being told "a few more minutes" every time without any clear update or ETA. Other people who came after me received their food first. When I spoke up, I was rudely asked if I wanted to cancel the order. If it's no one's fault and "shit happens" why was I made to wait and lied to saying it would be ready any minute when it wasn't even in the system? It's not okay to lie to someone about timing and leave them standing there for almost 45 minutes. I've come here from Chicago many times because I've genuinely liked this place, but today I felt like I was being treated like an annoyance for simply wanting the food I ordered on time. There was no real remorse, and comping half the order felt like a shrug rather than an effort to make it right. Worst customer service I've experienced in a long time. read more

Easy the best vegan food in town!! I've gotten the TLT avocado so many times and it always slaps. Don't event fret if you're new to the vegan scene. You'll seriously fall in love with this place and not even remember it's vegan! Now what makes the TLT special? Tempeh that is flavored and a little crisp, but it's the bread that is a real win here. Perfectly toasted with some type of aioli that really gives it a crunch, then the fresh tomato, arugula and more sauce. The chili has seitan in it and is packed with flavor. Seriously, this combo alone is fantastic, but then let's talk about the loaded fries! While you can't really fully replicate cheese, this cashew creation does a really good job. So definitely try it out for a great meal. Now, The location itself is in the middle of Atwood area. It's tough for parking and is a counter order to sit down place. It's small and be prepared the wait. While the staff is... nice, I wouldn't say they are overly friendly and the food does take a while to come out. But if you're looking for a low key spot with good food, just bring some friends and have some good conversations while you wait. They also have some good drink specials that change throughout the week and are as cheap as $5. Happy eating! read more

Food is to die for, service is always charming, and the whole place is the cute coffee shop! Definitely a gem during non-peak hours, gets a bit tight during the busier times. read more

This place is not my kind of food but some friends were going and I tagged along. I was surprised that it was counter service which I like. I had to spend some time deciphering the menu for something I might try. I finally settled on the vegan chicken(?) sandwich with fries. I got it with the Thai chili wing sauce. I grabbed a soda but if I had noticed the $5 cocktails I would have ordered one since that is a good deal. The sandwich was tasty - I guess you deep fry anything that is chicken-like and put on wing sauce it tastes pretty good. The fries were unfortunately limp and a bit soggy. Also it took a while for the food to come out given there were not many people present. I can see why this is a favorite among the vegan crowd. read more

We greatly enjoyed our lunch at Green Owl! The atmosphere was relaxed and the servers were gracious & friendly. We had the Banh Mi sandwiches, which were excellent. The highlight was their homemade bread, which had a slight chewiness that perfectly complimented the fresh greens inside the sandwich. I'm from Southern California where we have the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, so my standards for Banh Mi are pretty high. The Green Owl holds its own with the traditional & adds its own yummy spin! Highly recommend! read more

Wonderful food, great service and beautiful community! Buffalo wings are worth coming back for!

Generally the food is always great. They have an equivalent to a Poutine bowl in their appetizers. And a wonderful mushroom burger which felt and tasted thicker and better than a burger (like was the the last real burger I ate when I was a child and everything else is mainly dairy filled and less beef). read more

Sooooo good! I had the peanut bowl-- curried quinoa with lemony grilled tofu and a cabbage-carrot slaw salad, and steamed kale on the side, all drizzled with a peanut dressing and scallions. It really hit the spot, tasty and healthy. We had to wait a bit, but it was so fresh and hot when it arrived it was definitely worth the wait. I tried the kale chips and roasted potatoes, veggie burger from the others in my group-- all delicious. Highly recommend if you are looking for tasty healthy vegetarian food. read more

The Green Owl Cafe - Peanut bowl (it was even prettier, and more food before I dug in :-) - Vegetarian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Wasn't sure what to expect but this place exceeded my expectations! The chilli was on point and fully loaded options and so worth it. Children quesadilla with cashew cheese was in point. Atwood salad full of flavor. Buffalo chicken sandwich was quite the indulgence and left me full for the day! read more

See all

This was my first time at the Green Owl Cafe, so I was a little surprised to discover that there was no inside seating, and it was certainly chilly outside when we went, but we ate outside instead of taking our food to go anyway. Moving on... I ordered the Buffalo Wrap, thinking that the "veggie nuggets" would be like Buffalo cauliflower and the like? They were not. At all. They were much more similar to soy curls. Not terrible, but not at all what I was expecting. Then the Buffalo sauce was very, very runny, and very hot!! So hot! I mean, not the hottest thing I've eaten, but it definitely needed something to cool it down and add more to the flavor profile, like ranch or bleu cheese. I think maybe the menu even said it was supposed to have ranch? But it absolutely, undoubtedly did not! I ate probably one eighth of the wrap, and thought that it was rather disappointing, and regretted ordering it. Fortunately, my dinner companion agreed to go halfsies on the entrées with me, with the two things I was debating choosing the most. So the other thing I got to eat was the TLT. The menu describes it as: Tempeh bac'un served on madison sourdough's sour-dough with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and garlic aioli. And oh my word, is it amazing!!!! It is so, so, SO very good! Everything about this sandwich was killer. The tempeh had a great texture and great flavor, the vegetables were ripe and tasty, the garlic aoli was a taste sensation, and that grilled sourdough bread just was the chef's kiss bringing this delightful concoction to the pinnacle of sandwich heaven. Bless! So as you can see from the photos, we got French fries, but the sides offered are salad, soup, chili, red potatoes, kale crisps, quinoa salad or french fries. I was truly surprised by how good their fries were, AND how plentiful they were! These were some damn good fries, and they're so generous with the helpings of them that even though what I had basically eaten otherwise was half of a sandwich, I wound up not even finishing all of them! I had a couple left. And that half of a sandwich and fries that I ate that day kept me full all day! Great meal! I also ordered an infused rum iced tea before our food came, but they were out of the lavender infusion stuff, so it was essentially just an extra pricey unsweetened tea with rum in it. Haha. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. I had to ask for sugar to put in it to make it slightly more palatable, and it was very weak. I'm not too hung up on it. I definitely look forward to going back again sometime. read more

See all

I'd known about Green Owl as a vegan-friendly place for years but finally made my first visit after skiing on the lake. I rarely eat seitan so can't say how it compares to other samples, but I found it a surprisingly good stand-in for shaved beef. I prefer chewier bread but not taking any points off for that. It is greasier than expected. They use olives in this sandwich which isn't typical of a Philly cheese steak. I'm not really a fan of the taste of olives but mainly just noticed that it had an unexpected dark flavor I couldn't quite pin down until I found the olives. Still a solid vegan sandwich that left me satisfied. You can also buy the seitan slices from the fridge. read more

This unique spot offers and full menu of vegetarian and vegan friendly meals. With a member of our dining party following a vegetarian diet this was a great spot for all involved to try something new and support every diet within our group. I tried multiple items on the menu and they were all tasty. I personally enjoyed the chili the most. I added the grilled tofu to my meal and enjoyed it as well. The venue is small so seating can be tricky. But otherwise this is a great little spot. read more

Honestly I've lived near Green Owl for almost 2 decades and during the pandemic I started checking them out. Since that time I have been back 3-4 times a month and can vouch that everything on the menu is fantastic! My most favorite dishes are the Philly cheese steak, jackfruit burrito and spicy chicken wrap. Last year we ordered thanksgiving through them and it was the best thanksgiving meal I've ever had. Vegan or not, I super highly recommend this restaurant! One of the only setbacks is if you want to dine in, it's seat yourself in a small dining area as well as get your own plate, water and clean up after yourself. This is no big deal for the excellent service and food at this locale. read more

I love eating vegan but find it hard to find a good vegan restaurant. No joke, the fries were the star of the show. best french fries I've ever put into my mouth. I'm not sure if it's because I was super hungry and had been on the road for hours before, but seriously. Best french fries ever. The sandwich was good, but nothing special. I could've easily made it on my own. The price wasn't going to break my bank, but I wouldn't call it a cheap place. I wish vegan restaurants would become more affordable! Overall, a good vegan place. read more

The Green Owl Cafe - Cajun Tofu with Avocado - Vegetarian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

See all

Adorable and delicious stop whilst passing through Madison! Delectable vegetarian fare with some GF options and beer/cider/hard sellers as well as soda... the staff is Uber friendly and the vibe is eclectic. At present, food is ordered indoors for either takeout or patio dining only. I chose the Green Owl Salad featuring tangy spice green sauce dressing, lemon tofu, and artichoke hearts and purple onion. My husband ordered a "fish" special sandwich with homemade kale chips.... We enjoyed a quick stop in a great little neighborhood and were (regrettably) on our way in under a half hour.... Parking may pose a challenge but otherwise, this is a vegan MUST and omnivores will find goodies here too! read more

The Green Owl Cafe - Sidewalk seating - Vegetarian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This is a very Unique place kind of old school outdated great food pretty decent service. The places just average I really don't have much to say because the words are not flowing for this place. read more

We stopped in this past weekend on a road trip. The price is a bit dear--about $50 for two adults and 1 kid and that's with a single glass of lemonade aside from water which is free. The food was good, but not great. As another reviewer mentioned the fries are the star of the show. Be warned everything is super salty. All in all I enjoyed the cajun tofu sandwich although it wasn't super spicy. The "chicken" wasn't really to my liking, but my family liked it. I don't particularly care for meat substitutes that are too close to the real thing, so I may just be biased against these. Would I stop again? Sure. Is it a great value? Not really, but there aren't many vegan / vegetarian restaurants out there. Staff were friendly for what little interaction we had with them and it was a nice day, and this place has a nice outdoor seating area. There's plenty of on street parking nearby and this was easy to get to even though it was slightly out of our way, as we were just passing by Madison. read more

Okay. I was so grateful to have found this gem in Madison. This plant-based restaurant is a vegan haven. I got the buffalo wrap with fries and it was amazing. Fries were crispy and fresh. They make the vegan ranch dressing in house and it was perfection in the wrap. The host that served me was kind and gave great recommendations. I sat outside in the patio area because it was a beautiful day and loved my experience. Would highly recommend!! read more

The Green Owl Cafe - Buffalo wrap with fries - Vegetarian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I am not a person who ever leaves yelp reviews but I want to stand on top of a mountain and YELL about how much I love this place. Everything on the menu is thoughtful and delightful and VEGAN (or vegetarian). The kind of place to take a skeptical relative who thinks refusing to exploit animals means eating grey mush. It's a rotating/seasonal menu, so make sure you hurry up and try the Pesto Alfredo with tofu & curry tofu wrap while you still can. Both were filling but not too heavy. The cheese sauce on the pasta was the bomb, and the wrap is, to quote my partner, "the best I've ever had". Light, refreshing, and well-constructed. Every bite was a delight, and the patio is wonderful. Make a point to visit before it gets too cold -- and make sure you try the lava cake :-) read more

Stopped on the way home during a road trip and am so happy we did! This is A+ food--homemade sauces full of flavor, jackfruit that was cooked perfectly, amazing Mac and cheese and the Cajun tofu, whoa. I'd drive back from Michigan just for another meal here. SO good! read more

The Green Owl Cafe - Nachos with walnut chorizo and jackfruit - Vegetarian Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

See all

The worst vegan hamburger I have ever had. First time I have left a review, but this was so bad it is worth a comment. The patty was one quarter inch at best. It was also scorched and dry. They serve it in an enormous roll, so when you take a bite you mostly get bread. Don read more

It's always a pleasure eating here. Amazing food, amazing service, a great rotation of drinks and desserts, amazing GF options. You cannot go wrong. If anyone says they don't like what they ordered, they just ordered wrong for themselves. Try it all!!! I dare you. :) read more

This was one of the first places I wanted to try when I first took a job in Madison. I am happy to have tried most of the things on their menu, as we started getting takeout from here roughly once a week. Everything is as good as it sounds (some of it even moreso). My personal favorite was the Banh Mi with sriracha, which, once I tried, I immediately couldn't wait to have it again. Fortunately my coworkers kept wanting to go back as much as I did, and I enjoyed many of these sandwiches during my stay. The "chicken wings" and peanut macro bowl are also excellent, as was the crabby cake po' boy, the romaine tacos, the jackfruit quesadilla.. I could go on and on. I'm vegetarian, but even my omnivorous co-workers kept wanting to come back to this place. All in all, Green Owl never disappointed us. When I'm back in Madison again, this will be a stop on my list. read more

See all