Benevolence
Hours
Profile
$ - inexpensive
American
All vegetarian cafe.
Some vegan options - all bread is vegan, half of their soups are vegan, and they have vegan options during Sunday Brunch.
Near North Market
- Brunch
Added by v.e.g.a.n. on Oct 3 04 (updated Jul 28 08)
Reviews
Let me start by saying that their spinach salad has become a staple for my evening meal although I now make it myself at home with organic ingredients. I have not had much luck with their soups, but have always enjoyed their sandwiches and salads. The "enlightened one" is a really tasty drink although I still wonder with the group they cater to why they do not use more organic ingredients. That criticism could be spread across all restaurants in Columbus though. The place is quaint and a really good place to meet a couple vegetarian/vegan friends to get some foods. The food is really good but the recipes are really simple and easy to replicate.
Benevolence Cafe is one of my favorites. There's a couple of seats on the sides but main seating area is a couple of long tables with benches as seats. There's books and other interesting things on the walls but most important is the food. It's all vegan except for some of the salads, which can be made vegan, very fresh ingredients, and always leaves me with a good feeling. The staff is nice, and food is usually out within 10 minutes of ordering. Prices are decent but if you've got a big appetite like me they can run a little high.
Preface: I've never been to Benevolence for dinner or for Sunday brunch, so my review is solely based on the lunch options.
The food at Benevolence is decent but not particularly exciting for vegans. I've had some good dairy-free soups and the homemade bread is wonderful, but the other vegan lunch options are pretty uninspiring (and you have to make sure to mention that you're vegan when ordering - I once ordered a vegetable salad which came with sliced hard boiled eggs on top, even though eggs were not mentioned anywhere on the menu). I've had pretty mixed experiences with the baked goods at Benevolence, which tend to be a little closer to "health food" than I normally like in a dessert (but some of them are still quite good).
Pros: The ambience at Benevolence is fun - you end up eating in the middle of an environmentalist/leftist bookstore and the food isn't too expensive.
Cons: The seating is limited and most of the tables are fairly large, so you're likely to end up sitting with strangers (which is good if you like meeting people, but bad if you're socially awkward).