Plant Based Boss — Restaurant in Hickory

Plant-Based Boss was out of this world! I almost don’t want to write a review because I don’t want this fantastic secret to get out.

I discovered Plant-Based Boss by searching for vegan restaurants in Hickory, NC, fully expecting to see the typical places with one or two vegetarian options. But then! But then Plant-Based Boss popped up, and I wasn’t sure it indeed was what it looked like. The menu mentioned things like spare ribs and chorizo. What?!

So, my husband and a couple of friends planned a couple’s date night and drove an hour and a half to try the food. Surprisingly and to our delight, we got so much more than hoped for. The ambiance was fresh and inviting. A charming and friendly lady greeted us and took our orders. She explained the menu, that almost everything was made in-house, including their veggie “meats,” vegan cheeses, and sauces. The offerings included tacos, burritos, boats, and more. And yet, this food was like no tacos, burritos, or boats I’ve ever experienced.

When our food arrived, it blew our minds. We were enthralled with our choices. We oohed and aahed at each other’s meal. The flavors were fantastic! I ordered one of the bowls. I won’t try to describe everything, but I have shared a few pics for your enjoyment.

Although I hope the popularity of this beautiful new find doesn’t grow so big and fast as not to have room for us when we visit again, I hope everyone will try it because we need them and more places like them.

My new favorite place to eat is...

Edit: I typically only leave positive reviews and just don't mention the poor experiences. To any interested folks reading this review, go ahead and consider the vendor's response. It was prompt, but I think we can all catch the tone, readers will obviously choose to patronize or not. I am editing this review down to a single star for service. The cook seemed pleasant but this lady responding seems stressed and not handling it well. Very limited menu (black sharpie over some of the menu items). We were the only customers at dinnertime. This eatery offers vegan sandwiches and sides but is not very allergen friendly. The "kids' menu" is a cheese quesadilla meal with no dairy and soy free cheese option. We didn't feel our expectations were met or exceeded with value or food quality. The staff presented friendly and welcoming but became very protective of months old reading material (free local arts magazines of which they had over ten copies of a single issue were asked to be returned), it was odd. PAPER MENUS were also not allowed to be taken home (I was originally hoping to share it with gluten free people I know as we are always looking to $upport local small business). Maybe there is a sentimental connection? Flipping through while we waited for our food we didn't note any special ads or articles for the restaurant -- no grand opening info that might be a reason to hold onto so many. The music was pleasant, the decor is really hip and fun, but the FOOD aspect didn't seem...

Found a gem while visiting Hickory NC! I'd been craving a good ham sandwich since my visit to Miami this past summer and they did not disappoint with the Goin' Ham Sandwich. Stacked with just the right amount of protein, simple yet super filling. Ashley the owner suggested I go with Swiss cheese since it's not commonly found on vegan menus. Man she was right. Their macaroni salad was nothing extravagant but again just right! The tacos were delicious, we had one of each protein to get a good taste and were blown away with texture and flavor. Only downside is we like spice and since they were just getting situated at their new location there was not a good salsa.Ashley tried to accommodate us with some jalapeños cause she's just awesome but tacos just need a salsa in my book. Gluten-free was a perk on all the "taco meats"

We also came back and bought a pound of each the "chicken" which we used to make some chicken in salsa verde Tamales.. totally recommend this hidden gem. Parking is in downtown hickory so it can be a pain but we found a free parking garage just a 2 minute...