Vegan Bodega - Hartford

The food is really excellent, although I wish they had a bigger menu! They list a lot of great vegan proteins to add on to Mac and cheese but you can’t order them separately. I loved the vegan Caesar salad but it could really have used more dressing!

This restaurant is a vegan's paradise! My boyfriend and I tried it for the first time and were immediately impressed. We loved the Mac and cheese with crispy chicken, as well as the buffalo wings. The food was incredible, with the Mac and cheese being creamy and well-seasoned, and the chicken being perfectly crispy. We ended up ordering more to take home for dinner, including rice and beans with chicken and empanadas. The food was so good that we came back a few days later for more Mac and cheese and a tofu banh mi. The service was also excellent, with the staff greeting us warmly and showing pure kindness. Thank you, vegan bodega!

LOVE vegan bodega. Owners are so nice and friendly, food is always delicious and made promptly. My favorite is the chopped cheese, and their fries are better than any other ones at Parkville Market.

I had been hearing great things about Vegan Bodega so I decided to give it a try. It is located in Parkville Market in Hartford and is the only completely vegan vendor there, although there are a few others that offer vegan options along with other options. It is one of the busiest places in the market. I ordered a set of empanadas, and although some of the other interesting options I wanted to try were sold out, the empanadas were delicious. The baked crust was flaky and the filling with vegan cheese was impressive. I wanted to order more empanadas but the owner, who seemed to be very busy, couldn't hear me properly so I decided to wait. I will definitely come back another day to try more options. I highly recommend this place for anyone looking for vegan indulgence.

Parkville Marketplace (PM) is integral to experiencing Vegan Bodega (VB). If you'll try anything once and nothing twice, do visit PM at least once. Unlike typical food courts in indoor shopping malls, PM is more like Faneuil Hall in Boston. Newer, smaller, more compact, and more festive, PM packs an amazing variety of food stalls. All local vendors, no national franchises here. Even without the allure of one all-vegan food stall, PM is worth visiting. If you're wary of exposure to Covid in closed quarters, know that its modern HVAC filtration system addresses viruses. Its effectiveness is attested by the odors of burning meat, not even of odiferous grilled steak, from the other food stalls' kitchens hardly permeating the dining area. An upper-level area offers private enclaves where you can retreat from the crowd and its din. And ample seating awaits outside. Just as PM offers a wide selection of ethnic cuisines, so does VB. As you'd expect from its name, VB adds a Latinx flair but is still international in scope. Sadly, mock meats and fried foods predominate. I shun both, yet I found just enough choice among its other dishes. Salads and Juices offer a nutritional boost. The portions of each Plate or Special serve enough to feed two people, so prices are quite reasonable. I tried the Mixed Veg and (brown) Rice. Of its 5 protein choices, 3 are mock meats, so I settled for General Tso's Tofu, way too sugary sweet. If I try it again I will select Salt Pepper Tofu. Even if you dine there, it's all served for takeout. Other reviewers complain about the plastic containers. I prefer it as much more efficient than flimsy aluminum that easily collapses or paperboard gets soaked and drips. Most people just trash those anyway, whereas VB's deep and sturdy plastic containers with secure lids drip nothing and can be repurposed at home. VB's kitchen is small. When it's busy, be prepared to wait for your order, during which you can wander around to explore other food stalls to marvel at what others eat. Oxtails! Curry Goat! Fried Oreos! Twisted Meatballs! BLT Dog! Lobster Pasta! Crab Legs! Nutella Banana Fried Dough! Fried Dough Pizza! Chicken N Waffles! Salted Caramel Espresso Martini! Unfortunately, chaos reigns in the parking lot. Its sloped layout is hodgepodge and its painted lines already faded. Rules go unenforced, so flouting is widespread. Sociopaths park in nearby spaces reserved for service vehicles, or for the handicapped, or for electric vehicle charging. Civilized drivers are relegated to far corners, and then as pedestrians risk injury from cars backing up willy-nilly. PM management does a commendable job of maintaining order and cleanliness inside. It needs to extend its thoroughness outdoors too. I was there mid-afternoon on a weekday, yet parking posed danger. I shudder to imagine it on a weekend. For just one food vendor, I hesitate to subject myself to the deplorable parking lot twice, so will probably try VB only this once.