Goddess Cafe Linden
44 1st Ave, Linden, Johannesburg, 2194, South Africa
Last time I went to the Goddess cafe, I ordered this same dish which is literally titled “VEGAN smashed avo toast”. When I order I make sure to emphasis the vegan part (in a friendly, yet assertive manner). I took a bite of the avo toast only to be smacked in the face with the taste of butter. I then inquired and they told me it was in fact butter. I politely informed the manager that there needed to be better communication in the kitchen.
Fast forward today, I met someone at the Goddess Cafe and since the last ordeal there is a massive sticker next to the vegan smashed avo toasted saying “100% vegan”. The person I was with also ordered this dish. I specifically told our waitress that I didn’t want any butter on the dish and ordered the vegan feta (which is already comes with). I also ordered this because I thought it was the safest option to be able to see if there was any animal products on it. When the dish arrives, the person I was with got vegan feta and I received the toast with dairy.
The concept of the restaurant is very nice but they simply fail to execute. I can’t stand restaurants that proudly display that a dish is vegan and then proceed to be ignorant and add non-vegan items. It feels incredibly inauthentic.
I wish more than anything I didn’t have to go back, but a friend has booked a birthday party there. They have specifically ordered a vegan option, but I’m quite terrified. I’m going to take this opportunity to educate the cafe so that hopefully this doesn’t happen to another innocent vegan.
Ps. The bread was also stale. Yes, I asked for it not to be fried, but I still expect it to be fresh.
3件のコメント
It is sad they respect it more as an allergy request than as an ethical lifestyle choice.
Thank you for posting another brutally honest review! Places like these need to be called out, especially as so many unsuspecting patrons who may be new to veganism are likely being duped into unwittingly betraying their ethics.
Sadly this seems to happen more often than not, which is yet another reason behind why my partner and I choose to make nearly everything we eat from scratch—right down to the gluten-free flour we use for various products we sell to others. We are super staunch and dedicated toward actually HELPING animals by helping other vegans to make healthful, nourishing choices toward sustainable maintenance of ethical lifestyle choices.
Lately it really does seem as if veganism has become a “trend” market saturated with dodgy nonsense which is barely classifiable as vegan, which makes me sad since I’ve been vegan since long before truly vegan options were readily available. Situations such as the one you’ve outlined above mainly lead me to feel as if we’ve gone backward in time, but to a place where everyone is lying to make money from those who do not yet know any better. 😞
