The Clever Rabbit Vegetarian Cafe

The food was good, I found the prices high — almost 18 $ for there pulled pork sandwich and choice of side. Lunch for two was 48 $+ with tea and one shared dessert. Not exactly a everyday lunch price.
While I am all for supporting local business, I did find the place not as clean as it could be, and the baked goods just out in the open and the glass in front covered in finger prints. And the service just OK. Neither good nor great.
I felt as if a attention to detail was missing. Cleaning of the tables, the ketchup bottles the walls could be whipped down, the floors cleaner. It makes me wonder what the kitchen is like and that is not a pleasant thought when eating.
The zucchini loaf was delish — good for two to share.
I do give them props for making almost everything in house!

Please allow me to state for the record that I am not a vegan. I’m not even a full-​time vegetarian, but after watching «Cowspiracy» on Netflix, my wife & I decided to go vegetarian for 15 days just to see what it’s like. Seven days in, we discovered The Clever Rabbit.
First, the atmosphere: fantastic. Diner-​casual with maché Rabbits on the simple wooden tables, grandma’s orange sofa against a wall, original animal art hanging everywhere and a collection of terrific, new music on the stereo. Urban bohemians and button-​down suburbanites are equally comfortable here, and our server made us feel completely at home.
Next, the menu: A great selection of diner and casual-​restaurant standards, but with a twist: the bread is made in-​house and all of the vegan «meats» are as well, save the «pork» and the «steak». We were recommended the clubhouse sandwich to share, with a green salad on the side.
And the food. Oh, the food! Again, I’m not a vegan, nor am I a confirmed vegetarian, but my word, if all vegan food was this good, I’d happily jump ship. Amazing. Phenomenal. I cannot come up with enough positive adjectives to describe how brilliant the food was. Not just that, but the portion size was quite generous: the single sandwich and salad were enough for both of us … in fact we had to take dessert home. Which brings me to …
The dessert. The massive vegan Oreo. After the meal we had I didn’t think it could get better, but somehow it did. Later that evening when we tucked into our take-​away treat we were both amazed that somehow the genius who is The Clever Rabbit’s chef managed to make a stunning pastry without the use of butter, eggs or cream.
This is Alberta, I know, and beef rules all. I get it, and I like a good burger as much as the next guy but do yourself a favour: give The Clever Rabbit a try. It’s not a preachy, too-​hipster-​cool-​for-​the-​room place but instead a comfortable, welcoming vegan diner with food that rivals any casual restaurant I’ve ever stepped foot in.

Some people are willing to pay a lot of money to be stylish, fashionable and hip. I am not one of those people. This place has to offer some of the most overpriced doughnuts known to man. Pass.

Nice homemade vegetarian food. I have not had any of their vegan dessert but I hear from many people that it is great.

Quaint little place along 124^st, offering an all vegan menu that is diverse for everyone to enjoy. The woman on shift was very outgoing and pleasant, she made a few suggestions for a non-​vegan like me to ensure I enjoyed my meal. She even gave us a free same of their bacon that goes into their BLT sandwich all I’m going to have to say is you gotta try it. I decided on the chicken and waffles, hands down the best vegan dish of my life. My only comment is if your going to head down during the week plan to get there a little early as they close at 8:00pm. Bön appetite tout le monde!

This is such a little gem for Edmonton. We went for a Saturday brunch: it wasn’t busy or noisy and had a nice, quaint atmosphere.
The coffee was tasty and you can add to your drinks as you want at their self-​service table (milk, milk alternatives, natural sugar, etc.).
I got the tofu scramble: a take on scramble eggs with a light curry flavour and seasoning. It came with a light tea biscuit (I’m told all their baked goods are vegan). I added on vegan sausages for about $ 3 and they were brilliant! I recommend them.
Their baked goods looked phenomenal! They had cookies, cinnamon buns, sweet bars and more. We were too full to have any but I’ll be back to try them

We went here recently because we heard they’re great for vegan food. I was surprised that the sign on the counter said «Yes, everything is vegan» but they list whole milk and yoghurt as options in the menu. Other than that I had pretty good chick’n and waffles with a side of potato dill soup. My husband enjoyed his burger, but the patty crumbled all over his plate and he was forced to use a fork. I donno, it wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t bad. I will definitely give it another chance and I am looking forward trying their lentil loaf.

Good food but the portions were small. I have been there about 4 or 5 times and the service is very slow. No water refills, and a very long time to get the meals. I could hear a microwave going off in the back so that was a bit disheartening.
Wonderful baking and tasty meals. I really like the steak sandwich.

I ordered the battered tofu bowl with Thai peanut sauce and it was absoultley delicious. There was a good amount of vegetables, perfectly crispy tofu and rich peanut sauce. You get a choice of side with the dish and I choose the chips and fresh salsa. Everything tasted handmade, fresh and the price was awesome.
I ordered take out so unfortunately I cannot comment on service/​atmosphere but I will certainly be ordering from here again!

Oh my! A coworker and myself decided to try these guys out because they offered delivery. We ordered 2 meals to split: a chicken salad sandwich with a side of chili and the chickpea burger with the daily soup (it was cream of broccoli) as a side. Everything was so flavorful. Hands down the BEST chickpea burger I’ve ever tasted (1stRnd’s chickpea burger was my #1 previously). The chicken salad didn’t disappoint either! The chopped apple was a nice touch. The soup was the best cream of broccoli I’ve ever had. Wasn’t heavy on the stomach one bit! My only complaint was the chili was sweet :(. I would have preferred it be spicy as opposed to having a sweet taste to it. Would definitely recommend and I will be back to try more menu items! I believe the vegan donair is next on my list!

Just been there for the second time this week: their food is soooo delicious!
Don’t miss the battered tofu with rice and veggies!
Staff are very friendly and prices are great!

This place is okay, I guess, but not great. Nice menu. Nice atmosphere, with lots of animal themed artwork and ornamentation.
Service is alright. Friendly and reasonably attentive. I do understand it’s a café, but I found it weird that I was expected to get up and get my own cream, sugar and napkins, even though I ordered food.
The organic coffee was fantastic. The food average. I had the steak sandwich with a side salad. The salad was lovely and well thought out, but I think they forgot my dressing. I couldn’t tell if it was there or not. The sandwich tasted pretty much like sweet barbecue sauce. My sister had the donair, and I tried it, but that didn’t taste like much to me either. It WAS nice to have side options like chili, chips and salsa, salad or soup. I hate the standard french fry side, but the flavors on all the food seemed shy.
It was nice that my vegan sister had several dessert options, and she had her first donut in YEARS. I had a strawberry square. Both were pretty godawful. Both treats were stale, for one thing. The strawberry topping on my square was just a low quality jam that hurt my teeth.
Was this just a bad day for them? I don’t know. I does weird me out how quiet they were at the lunch hour. Maybe their quality is slipping? Everyone else seems to like them, but I’m not sure I’d eat here again. If I do, I’m not ordering any of the food I tried today.

I discovered this restaurant by accident while walking on 124 Street and my husband and I were delighted with the food and choices. I would describe many vegan/​vegetarian restaurants as gourmet and therefore use a lot of fat and salt to make the dishes come alive. This isn’t bad if your looking to get spoiled. However, when you want a great dish that is healthy as well the Clever Rabbit nailed it for us. I was so impressed that I ordered food for 12 people for my sisters birthday. None of them were vegan or vegetarian and they all loved it. They also made a chocolate cake that was perfect. The cake part was subtle and not overly sweet and was complimented by a sweet rich icing. I would recommend this place for a date, healthy dinner, and to feed a party. Amazing stuff. If I would recommend one dish you have to try I would suggest the tacos.

Great food and service. My friend and I enjoyed their wonderful coffee, vegan egg sandwich, and vegan sausages and practically licked our plates afterwards. A must for vegetarians and omnivores alike.

I’ve been back a few times since my last review and just want to say that the baking has definitely gone up-​hill, I have been coming in earlier than usual (on weekends) so maybe their baking is just better/​fresher and with more selection earlier on.
I had their cinnamon buns for the first time in a while and it reminded me just how delicious they are. They had a vegan eggs-​benny on special that weekend that was «o.k», it was kind of dry to be honest but that’s because they served it on a biscuit instead of a english muffin. They also had some winter-​spiced latte but I would skip it in the future, it tastes like something I could easily make at home.

Well by reading everyone else’s reviews on this place I had to try it out because it seemed most people liked the Clever Rabbit. Was I shocked when I walked out of there… Clever Rabbit indeed! The restaurant is very nice inside… quaint and clean. They obviously have a love for animals which is good and may be their downside… I’ll explain later. We ordered a couple of sandwiches with sides of lettuce and a chili. My sandwich wasn’t bad, it was a BLT club, but my wife’s sandwich was awful! She had the chicken club sandwich. Now remember this place is vegetarian so all these sandwiches have «fake» meat in them. The chicken sandwich had these dark «things» in it that I believe was the chicken. It looked quite unappealing and the whole sandwich was incredible dry. The top of my mouth was sore after trying to saw through this dry, crusty concoction! The chili I had actually tasted quite good! I delved into this tasty dish until… I saw hair. It was not human. You see this restaurant shares its kitchen with another business that is right next door. That business is a bakery that makes treats for pets. They have an enjoining door which you can see inside to this bakery. As you look you can see they have 2 cages with cats. Well I put 2 & 2 together and I realized there was probably cat hair in my chili! Yarghh! Well that threw off my appetite right there! We paid our bill which by the way was not cheap…$ 30 for 2 sandwiches!!! Also forgot to mention we waited a half hour for these very expensive sandwiches! It was almost so bad we were going to leave but luckily the waiter came with our hairball remedy dishes… meeoow!
All in all I was disappointed. I expected a way better experience cause I like vegetarian and any business that is pro animal/​vegan. I hope the Clever Rabbit sweeps up their hairy mess and improves. Think I’ll go play catch the yarn with my cat now!

Such delicious vegan food! My favorite restaurant in the city. I love the quirky feel of the café, and the staff are really friendly and remember familiar faces. I’ve tried most of the items on the menu and haven’t yet been disappointed by anything. They do their own vegan baking which is amazing. As a vegan, it’s so lovely to actually have options of what to eat in a restaurant. AND they’re right next door to an animal rescue pet store. So you can pet the cats after you eat a delicious meal. Things just don’t get any better than that.

At this homie feeling, café style restaurant, the food outshines the quirky, free-​spirited décor and laid back, no-​frills service.
I came here for a late brunch on a Saturday. Breakfasts were set at $ 9 a plate, and lunches were $ 12, with some sides and smaller dishes available for various prices. I ordered the vegan egg and tofu biscuit sandwiches. Very filling and very satisfying, the vegan egg was soft and squishy which was a nice change from the usual dry, crumbled tofu you get subbing egg at most other veg restaurants. The tofu slabs were well formed and browned perfectly on the outside. The biscuits were dense and heavy like any good tea biscuit. I thought the sandwich might be too dry and was tempted to ask for ketchup, but the vegan egg mix proved to be «creamy» enough to balance out the biscuit and fried tofu. It is not often I don’t reach for ketchup and hot sauce with my savoury breakfasts so this was a plus. Though there is a server who takes your order and brings you your food and drinks, you must go up to the till to pay your bill after your meal and there is a station for you to fix up your own coffee. They offered dairy milk and coconut creamer. The coconut creamer was heavy on the coconut flavour making my java a tropical caffeine kick. It is not the coconut creamer I am familiar with, and while I wouldn’t want my coffee like that every day, it was a welcome alternative to black coffee at the time. All the baking they sell is vegan (there is a sign that says so) but it was not explicitly clear how much of the menu was vegan. Given that they offer dairy creamer, I think it’s best to ask, clarify, and request just to be safe.
Clever Rabbit gets 4 stars because the coconut creamer interfered with my coffee’s flavour, because my picky friend said her French Toast was soggy, and because it was such a fast meal and my first time there that I can’t feel confident saying they are 5 stars for sure.
I only wish I’d had the opportunity to sample the baking as it looked inviting. If it is anything like the biscuit in my meal, than it must be yummy.

I’m not a vegetarian, but I always feel sorry for vegetarians and vegans who get stuck going to a restaurant where the only food option for them is a salad or some bland pasta. So I am quite happy to see that there’s another vegetarian restaurant in town (with several vegan options).
The Clever Rabbit is on 124 Street right next to Duchess. If I remember there were about eight tables, four seats each table. It’s not huge, but it seems quite open. It’s nicely decorated and bright inside. At the counter, there are several desserts that you can pick up to go. I decided to stay in and have lunch.
The menu is small, but I overheard the waiter tell another table that aside from the tofu they make all the food in the restaurant. There are a few breakfast options. The lunch menu is $ 12 for an entrée, which comes with a side. I ordered the donair and the soup, which that day was potato cauliflower. I also got one of the organic juices (raspberry lemonade). The juice was good, but it was carbonated, and I’ve been cutting out carbonated drinks from my diet (aside from the occasional craft beer). I was surprised at how full this juice made me feel. It was good, and healthier than pop, but next time I would just order water or tea.
The soup was served in the cute ceramic dish which had a little rabbit for the handle on the lid. I thought it was clever (get it because it’s The Clever Rabbit?). It was pretty good, warm, lots of potatoes and a few cauliflowers. I think it was vegan, although I didn’t ask. The donair was vegan and had seitan, vegan cheese, tomatoes, onions and lettuce plus donair sauce. The seitan had a good flavour. The donair wasn’t too saucy, but there was still a lot of flavours. Unlike many donairs, I’ve had I wasn’t overwhelmed by onions. The only negative about the donair was that it was folded in half like a taco, rather than rolled up like a donair usually is, so it was a bit messy. The flatbread for the donair was delicious, nice and soft.
I was full after I finished eating, but I picked up a dessert to have later, the chocolate cookie sandwich, and I did have it later, and it was quite good.
The food was delicious and filling, the service was quick and friendly, and the price was reasonable (around $ 18 before tip). If you’re looking for a good local restaurant to eat at The Clever Rabbit is a nice choice. I’ll certainly come back again.

The Clever Rabbit is yet another character business opening on 124 Street. There is now no chance that you would recognize where you were, if you stood on this street two years ago. Believe me… that’s a good thing.
The restaurant fits right in with the posh, French Duchess and home-​y, Italian Tiramisu with its own pair of adjectives: funky and Vegetarian. There are a handfull of tables for people to eat in, and a selection of baked goods at their front counter. I forgot to ask if they were vegan or not, but they looked amazing. Operated by a young staff, a few of them do double-​duty with the gourmet pet food bakery, Food Dish Wishes, next door. As an aside, FDW is a treat to walk by, often being full of playful puppies and glaring cats. The owners also do animal-​rescue work in third-​world countries… ask about it if you get a chance.
TCR is new and clean with a great-​looking menu and exceptionally friendly staff. They don’t pull any vegetarian punches with their dishes, if something is textured vegetable protein, they call it textured vegetable protein (or TVP in the case of the tacos).
The TVP Tacos happened to be what I ordered along with their split pea soup of the day. The split-​pea soup was fantastic: thick and rich and still piping hot, even after walking it back to my office. Carrot flecks kept it from looking like baby food, and its consistancy leaned towards a «cream of…» instead of mashed peas.
The soft-​shelled tacos had perfectly seasoned TVP… just enough heat to make them interesting, but not enough to turn off people that don’t like hot spices. The avocados were fresh (I can’t count how often I’ve had brown avocados on takeout food), salad crispy, and shredded cheddar delicious. They even asked if I wanted vegan sour cream instead of the regular stuff. I will say that the presentation left something to be desired. I fully admit that tacos are difficult to present at the best of times, especially in a take out box. But I hope they accept the challenge, and come up with a better way, as I could see people being turned off by paying that price for a couple tacos dropped in a box. Either way, I got past it, and I’m glad I did… they were delicious.
This restaurant has a lot of potential, and I’m very excited to see where it goes.