Veg-O-Rama!

A while back, I heard about Veg-O-Rama. Then I noticed its presence on Central, a restaurant all dolled up inside, but devoid of customers. I'm not sure of the actual time line, but it seemed like it sat empy for a while, and rumors spread about its possible death before birth.

Now, after all the confusion and anticipation, I'm glad to say I finally ate there yesterday for a late lunch. I'm very happy to see it open, for the sake of my vegetarian friends and also, for the sake of North Knoxville. It's so cute, I might even become a vegetarian. (Not likely, but worth a shot)

I wasn't feeling very hungry, so I ordered a Greek Salad and cup of French Onion Soup, and my dining companion ordered the Tofu Reuben.

I've tried to like tofu in the past and never thought it was going to happen for me, until I tried Veg-O-Rama's Tofu Reuben. It was delicious. This may have been due to the fact that it was smothered in melted cheese and a tomato tahini sauce, but that's beside the point. I also tried my friend's side of potato salad which was really good as well.

My salad, on the other hand, was confusing- a Greek salad with all the usual ingredients, but with a lemon vinaigrette. My French Onion Soup was sweet, which was not bad, but as I mentioned during our Lindsay Beeson Bacon Cookie post, I don't like when salty things try to be sweet and vice versa. I just wanted my soup to be cheesy, hot, and salty, and it was not.

Even though my food wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be, I am a maturing optimist and realize Veg-O-Rama's potential. Supposedly the menu will keep a few staples but change items every now and then to provide even more vegetarian options for Knoxville.


In the categories of ambiance, service, and location, I thought Veg-O-Rama was wonderful. It even has a little bar in the back corner, from which they sell organic (and non-organic) wine and beer. The set-up of the restaurant reminded me of cafés in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, South Africa where I spent some time "studying" a few years back. This is a grand compliment as they were some of the most enjoyable places I've ever eaten.



So, vegetarian or not, please go get your veggie on at Veg-O-Rama. If you haven't been to that part of Central in a while, it's very up-and-coming and could be the location of great things for Knoxville's art and food scene. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

1204 N Central St
Knoxville, TN 37917-6311
(865) 540-8346

all photos by Tracy Jackson