Vegitalian — Restaurant in Utrecht

You might be thinking: "Italian vegetarian and vegan food in a nice cosy spot in the heart of Utrecht... what could go wrong?" Well, unfortunately, apparently a lot. Yesterday I had dinner at Vegitalian and it was a big disappointment (for me as well as for the two others I was with). We had ordered cocktails/drinks in advance and also specified our main courses on request, but because of the clumsy service, we had almost finished our food when our drinks finally arrived. And then the food: we ordered large portions and got small ones. The vegetarian meal had no cheese (even though we had ordered extra) and the "vegan meal" turned out to have cheese made from cow's milk (great if you are lactose intolerant). To err is human and I could have lived with all this, but then, to top it all off, just before our desserts were ordered, someone from the service came by to tell us we should leave our table. Apparently, they had promised the table at the window to a reservation, but had also explicitly assigned it to us, and now that the other guests had arrived, they wanted us to leave our table, in the midst of our meal. Adding insult to injury, the waiter suggested that we could finish our desserts and coffee at the bar. We paid and walked away. It is a pity, because the food was nice, but because of this bad experience I would advise everybody to stay away...

Gluten free and vegan pizza options?  Sign me up!  We were so happy that Google led us to this wonderful restaurant.  We went on a Friday and it was packed.  We originally got turned away because they were full but it quickly turned into a wait of 10 minutes for a table. We would have even waited longer if it meant a chance to eat here. It was only a 5 minute walk from the Dom Tower, which was just by our hotel, so a great location. We sat inside, at a table by the bar and started off with an Amaretto Sour while we decided on our pizza. I had the FIG & BALSAMIC (Red tomato base - mozzarella - figs - caramelized onions - rocket - balsamic glaze) gluten free and plant based. Trevor had the NO PEPPERONI (Red tomato base - plant based pepperoni - grilled paprika - jalapeño - mozzarella - scamorza) this had all the gluten and the pepperoni tasted just like the real thing. The pizzas were mouthwateringly delicious.  The gluten free crust was perfect (not all gluten free crusts are made equally). If you’re in Utrecht, definitely give Vegitalian a try (perhaps call and make a reservation first). Even if you’re not into gluten free or vegan food (thanks, Trevor for being so supportive) it’s worth it. The atmosphere was bright and cheerful and very well priced. Most restaurants charge extra for GFO or VG options...

Don't go here if you are Black. The staff either ignored us or was rude. We had to wait a very long time to order because no one would make eye contact with us even if they were in our area. I had accidentally dropped a bottle of olive oil from my packed table, which made a mess on top of it being Christmas eve - all possible reasons for a chilly reception. But I noticed our neighbours to either side of us (White) were getting a very different, much more friendly and welcoming treatment from the same people. When trying to order the vegan options listed on their holiday menu, we were met with a curt 'dat kan niet' ('that is not possible) and an audible sigh with subsequent orders. It turned out to be possible after all. The same person returned with our plates and slammed them on our table on top of my cutlery before rushing off. Since we ordered the holiday menu, we stayed to finish our meal, but I regret the choice. Some of the servers were friendly enough, but two people in our area stood out in the worst way possible. If you are in a mixed race company, your experience may have been or will be different, but if you are in an all Black group like my brother and I tonight, casual racism might be served along...