Looking For A 100% Vegan Restaurant? There’s one in Lewiston!

Dining out in Maine can be a challenge when you’re vegan sometimes. In Portland, Silly’s, Green Elephant and Local Sprouts offer vegan options, but if you’re looking for a restaurant serving nothing but plant-based food, the options are limited.

There is Taste of Eden in Norway and in Lewiston, check out The Olive Branch.OLIVE WINDOW

Located on the south side of Lewiston, on Lisbon street, in an old Pizza Hut, is a restaurant serving up a menu that includes no meat, no eggs, no dairy and no GMO’S.
OLIVE SIGN

The Olive Branch just finished a facelift and it’s safe to say, they are keeping busy. “Business has picked up dramatically since the remodel in the fall,” said Director Tony Cuffori. “It is now a cafe style restaurant that features around 25 dishes where our goal is to prepare the food for customers in 20 minutes or less.”
OLIVE DINING ROOM

The all vegan menu includes veggie burgers, pizza with non-dairy cheese and some mock-meat dishes. “The vegans that come in just love it,” claimed Cuffori. “But we have a lot of non-vegans come in as well. They are really surprised how good the food is.”
OLIVE MENU

I had a chance to try several dishes. First up was a meatless beef, carrot and potato stew made with soy curls. I loved it.olive stew

Next up was a quesadilla. Inside of the tortillas were red onions, broccoli, vegan sour cream, non-dairy cheese, guacamole, and salsa. It is one of the most popular menu items and tough to tell it’s vegan.OLIVE QUESADILLAS

I also tried something called a haystack. It’s kind of like ordering nachos. The ingredients included organic corn chips, chili, cheese sauce made with cashews, tomatoes, lettuce and red onions all piled up together. It was kind of messy, but well worth using about 7 napkins.OLIVE HAYSTACK

The chickless stuffed tomato got me stuffed. It included a tomato stuffed with a chickpea spread on top of a bed of lettuce. I downed that dish in about 6 bites.OLIVE CHICKPEA DISH

The Olive Branch is run by the the local Seventh-day Adventists. Because the restaurant is non-profit, around 90% percent of the workers are volunteers. They’re only open for lunch Sunday through Thursday 11am – 3pm and Fridays 11am – 2pm. That keeps the evenings open so they can offer special cooking classes and health lectures.OLIVE PEOPLE

I made the drive from Portland to Lewiston and back and to say it was well worth it would be an understatement. When it comes to delicious and healthy food, The Olive Branch is a diamond in the rough for vegans and non-vegans. Just ask customers or director Tony Cuffori. “We want to show that eating healthy can taste great too.”olive building

Check out the menu. Here is a link

Jeff Peterson

About Jeff Peterson

Jeff Peterson anchors Good Day Maine on CBS 13 from 4:30-7:00a.m and on FOX 23 from 7:00-8:00am. Back in 2012, he decided to become vegan. Jeff has lost over 50 pounds and his cholesterol has dropped dramatically. Besides having kids, It's the best decision he's ever made.