The following was submitted by guest author, Heather Strauss.
Ethos Vegan Kitchen be having a soft “preview” opening on Wednesday, December 26th, 2007. They will be starting out at five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday, for lunch and dinner. This soft opening is to help the kitchen staff master the timing and execution of the dishes.
Check out the website to view a picture and bio of the owners, husband and wife team of Kelly and Laina Shockley. It also has an FAQ about what it means to be vegan and what to expect when you dine there, and special events such as their Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, January 12th, 2008. At the Opening they will be featuring music, art, and a flurry of vegan culinary skills! Sign up for their mailing list to get special coupons and updates.
According to their website, they will feature a small menu that will change often depending on what is in season. I love the idea that the menu will change! It will be an adventure whenever I frequent the restaurant!
I will definitely be there for their preview on December 26th!
Heather co-owns Orlando Organics, Central Florida’s oldest organic produce home delivery company. Heather is married Dave and mom to absolutely amazing kids, Mira and Xander. She has been living in Florida for over 12 years and finally began eating and living a healthier life once she became responsible for someone other than herself (thanks Mira and Xander!) 
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That is so cool i will make sure i attend. That is just down the street from where I grew up I can walk there from my moms house.
We ate there Friday night and I was really impressed with the interior decor and the food was delicious! The place has a nice open floor plan with plenty of seating. We tried the Pecan encrusted Eggplant with mashed potatoes and gravy, a wrap sandwich, and the orange cake. The service was also quick and friendly! We’ll be going to the grand opening if I can make it there after running the Disney Half Marathon!
I was finally able to visit Ethos! It is counter-service… you walk up to the counter, place your order and then receive a number. There is ample seating to choose from, both inside and on the side patio. I chose to sit outside. Once you find a seat, then your order will be brought out to you. I ordered the Hippie Wrap, which is made with homemade hummus, sprouts, cucumbers, banana peppers, tomato, and lettuce. I had mine in a spinach tortilla, but you can chose any of their bread options to have it made on. For only $5.95, I received an ample portion. The hummus was especially yummy and I enjoyed the burst of sweetness from the banana peppers. For the side, you can choose from tortilla chips, fresh fruit, or spicy peanut pasta salad. I chose fresh fruit and was pleased with the quality and quantity of it. I noticed that another patron received the spicy peanut pasta salad and it looked scrumptious… I will have to try that next time. For my drink, I ordered coffee and a glass of water. They handed me my glass and cup and I filled them up myself. A cup of organic decaf coffee was only $1.75! and it was unlimited refills. That was definitely a plus! I would definitely consider it a family-friendly eating establishment and also a way to relax and just hang out with friends while getting delicious, healthy food. I really enjoyed it and look forward to going back and trying out some of their other menu items.
i visited ethos recently as well and loved it. i went with my boyfriend, his mom and sister - and we all got to sample around the table!
i had a small regular salad with orange and ginger dressing - everything was very fresh and the dressing was flavorful without being too heavy. i also got a bowl of the potato and broccoli soup (with some tasty olive bread) and it was good - the perfect comfort food on a cold day.
my boyfriend got the portobello sandwich with hummus and chips. i think out of all of the things ordered - this was the best i tasted. it was bursting with flavor. highly recommended!
his mom got the sheep’s pie. the mashed potatoes tasted good, but the rest of it didn’t have as much flavor as i hoped. she liked it, though.
his sister got a pizza. it tasted exactly like pizza. i don’t think she really believed that there wasn’t cheese on it. so, if you have someone that’s a little wary, they’d never notice the difference!
we also got a side of the spicy pasta salad. that, unfortunately, was not as good as the rest.
overall, though, spectacular food! i will be returning very very soon!!
This place is AMAZING. Since they have opened in late December I have been to the restaurant at least 10 times. Each visit I have tried a new dish or creation - all of which have been fantastic!!! It is a refrshing change and addition to have a VEGAN restaurant in Orlando. The atmosphere is very open and comfortable and the staff are extremely friendly. Make it a point to visit the restaurant, I can hardly wait for the Sunday brunch to start in March!!!
[...] 1 would be a fantastic way to get started. Looking for local vegan cuisine? Get info about Ethos Vegan Kitchen right here on the Central Florida Green [...]
We love Ethos frequenting at least weekly. The kids love to go around lunchtime since the train almost always passes by at this time. My husband and I enjoy the main fare as well as their delicious Sunday brunch. Also, wanted to update that they are now open on Mondays!
We went tonight for dinner!!! It was FANTASTIC!! I think I’m going to write a review soon since the original post was put up before it actually opened. EVERYTHING we ordered was yummy!!
YUMZ for the TUMZ!
We’ve been going several times a week and we love it. The staff is warm and friendly, Laina and Kelly have accomplished something wonderful here and we intend to support them with continued business. How hard can it be when the food, the value, and people are this on point!
We’ve had every sandwich, and each are great! The fungus among us can be a little moist on occasion, just be sure to eat it over a plate or a napkin. The black bean burger is most satisfying in texture and in taste. Love the choice of breads/wraps, cause options are what it’s all about. The philly blows my mind, I don’t know how or why, but the texture and flavor leave me thinking ’steak’, what’s that? Who Needs it!
Pizza’s are fresh, tasty and most satisfying far removed from the artificial goo laden fare in the frozen foods or delivery options most are familiar with. We aren’t petite fellas but found that one small salad each and splitting a pizza is a perfect Friday night dinner after work, or heck anytime! Grab a cookie for dessert or a quick sweet with lunch.
I’ll send off a couple suggestions directly via the website including:
I would like to see more soft drink options for insulin resistant or diabetic folks like myself (kudo’s on having Agave Nectar on hand by the way). Also some baked goods with whole wheat pastry flour and grain sweeteners (brown rice syrup for example) would also help maintain even blood chemistry for those of us nixing sugar and will still allow us to have sweets on occasion with no compromise in flavor and without artificial sweetener substitutes.
Brunch rocks! Best pancakes I’ve had since my Mom! Brown rice syrup on hand would make them a most healthy indulgence as well.
I can go on and on, however, the best thing you can do is go there NOW and order something then you’ll be tempted to write just as I was about how great it is to have such a satisfying and friendly place to eat, drink and be merry that’s based on solid healthy food and a smart clean business consciousness .
PEACE and POSITIVE VIBES TO ETHOS!
Thanks,
John and Lou