When we first started this blog 4 1/2 months ago, I said I would include restaurant reviews in with our vegan/compassion theme. However, every time Josh and I go out to eat, I either don’t bring my phone or I don’t think about taking pictures while I’m there. It would be nice to include photos if I’m going to praise a restaurant we love. So, I recently made a point to take a few photos so I can properly shout out a favorite local restaurant of ours!
This is how our conversation went, “Where should we eat on your birthday?” “Hmmm Fiction Kitchen is fine.” “I want you to have plenty of options and they don’t take reservations…I don’t want you to wait on your birthday!” “Living Kitchen is fine.” “We just ate there. Is that OK?” Then I got excited, “IRREGARDLESS!! And they have gluten free, vegan strawberry cake!” “They have a lot of soy free options for you. And they have those appetizers we love.” “I’ll make reservations!” Note* the excitement was real.
Irregardless is a local sustainable organic farm to table restaurant located in Raleigh, NC. When they first opened in 1975, they were the communities first vegetarian restaurant. Now, they’re not solely vegetarian or vegan, but they have options for everyone. Have an allergy? Your options are not limited on this menu. They have it all. If you’re having dinner, you can enjoy live music every night.
We forgot to take a picture of our appetizer, which was fresh cut salt and vinegar fries dipped in vegan chipotle dressing (everything is made in house.) The photos you see above and below are what Josh ordered for dinner. They are a seasonal special, which is cauliflower steak with black bean puree, sauteed spinach, jalapeno coulis, and garnished with rainbow microgreens.
I ordered the portobello stack, which I will describe and feature below. Everything we ate was gluten free, soy free, and vegan of course. I had potato cake and portobello mushrooms stacked on sauteed arugula, beets, and carrots. It was garnished with jalapeno coulis as well, and drizzled with a balsamic glaze. 
We were full and couldn’t finish our entrees. So, we decided to take leftovers as well as our dessert home. 
If you are in the Raleigh area, we highly recommend stopping by Irregardless Cafe for lunch or dinner. We ate there (they have seating outside during warm months,) when we first moved to Raleigh. We also ate there the day we got married! Our whole party sat at a round table for lunch. It was intimate, seeing everyone’s face as they spoke, and very special. They cater to everyone’s dietary needs. Plus, the food is exceptional!
Since March of 2017, we’ve been a few times, always a pleasure. The one and only complaint I have is that my birthday slice of strawberry cake wasn’t as good as it was the first time I had it. It was stale. I ended up eating everything but the couple bites of bread I took. I don’t know if it was because I asked for it to go…I mean, I ate it later that night. It is much better fresh! So, next time I’ll ask if it’s fresh and if I’m taking it home, I’ll taste test it first.
If you’re interested in exploring the restaurant’s website, which includes a link regarding their garden, click here. Thank you so much for reading and maybe we’ll see you next time at Irregardless Cafe! What’s your favorite local restaurant?
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