Vegan in Lunenberg, Mahone Bay, and Blue Rocks

As a title 'Eating vegan in Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, and Blue Rocks' is a bit of a misnomer. You see, all of these places aren't particularly vegan friendly. They're known for scenery like this:


As you can see from the pic, they're all located on the coast, and all three were basically built off the back of Nova Scotia's fishing industry. While they might be more focused on tourism than fishing these days, they've all clung onto to the whole fish thing when it comes to eating out.

In short, don't come to any of these three places if you're looking for a rich smorgasbord of vegan places to eat, as you'll be disappointed.

Let's take Lunenburg first. As far as I can see, there's really only one place that expressly caters to vegans: Lincoln Street Food. It says on its website it can accommodate food sensitivities and allergies, and the shop front mentioned vegan food when we walked by. Alas, when we walked by, it was closed, so I can tell you how many vegan options there were or whether they were tasty, but it looked like a nice cosy place.

As for other options, I got the impression there are a few pizzerias that could leave you the cheese off, or cafes that could make you a sandwich and some chips, but nothing that looked wildly exciting.

We were self catering, and cooked for ourselves with stuff we picked up from the local supermarket, which I think is called independent. It's got a few useful vegan things in, like Earth Balance, lots of non-dairy milk, and even some vegan ice-cream, if memory serves.

Don't let me put you off visiting Lunenburg, by the way - it's a lovely little place to spend a weekend. Just don't expect incredible vegan feasts while you're there!

Mahone Bay is about 15 minutes drive away from Lunenburg (or about two hours if you walk, like we did!) but it has more in the way of vegan options.

Both Mateus Bistro and Rebecca's Restaurant are listed on Happy Cow as having vegan options, and quick look at their menus suggests that's the case, though only Rebecca's Restaurant has them actually marked out.

We went to the Biscuit Eater cafe and book shop, which also has a few vegan options on its paper menu, also clearly marked. The online version isn't so clear, but you can check it out here for reference.

We didn't stop for lunch (we'd brought our own picnic, being on a self-catering trip) but there's always room for coffee and cake, right?


I think this was called something like a caramellito, and it was unnaturally good. I could feel my blood sugar spiking and my arteries hardening with every bite, and it was all totally worth it. A truly gorgeous cake. It's rich enough that you might want to consider sharing it, but to be honest, I wouldn't advise it.

As a side note, if you're picking up some vegan food, may I recommend you go for eat in rather than takeaway? The Biscuit Eater is a lovely space. It how my dream front room would look, and just as comfy:


Onto Blue Rocks. Blue Rocks is a dinky little village and there's not much in the way of anything there - it's about the size of a postage stamp - so don't expect there to be a lot of food options, let alone a lot of vegan food options.

There's one dinky place that does takeaway coffee and other bits and pieces (I think it's called the Point General), which I'll recommend for two reasons: one, they make a cracking cup of tea (Earl Grey with almond milk, in my case) and two, they're the site of the only public toilet we came across in the village. Also, the lady who runs it was super friendly. I didn't enquire about whether any of their food is vegan, but I can confirm there are vegan tea options!

We walked from Lunenburg to Blue Rocks, and while it wasn't the best walk, the place itself is lovely. And the tea's not bad either.

Comments

  1. Very nice scenery for a visit and a walk, but 2 hours!?! After a walk like that, you deserve the vegan cake and tea. :-)

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  2. Lunenburg is incredibly vegan-friendly! Lincoln Street Food is only open for dinner, but they make the most incredible vegan dishes on their rotating menu, including vegan fish and cheap with the "fish" made from maritime gourmet mushrooms, and local chanterelles grown in nearby Keji National Park. Any restaurant will cater to you, even the fishy places, there's a cafe that is 100% vegan (mostly raw), Salt Shaker Deli has vegan pizza (good stuff, not just Daiya covered crap), vegan banh mi, a number of the ice cream shops have vegan options, there's an indie local food shop that stocks locally-made vegan treats (and an entire case of local kombuchas), Fleur de Sea will make you a five course vegan menu with advanced notice...it's one of my favourite places in NS to both eat and hang out in. We don't really use Happy Cow in NS as religiously as they do in other places, so it's all about asking the locals! Mahone Bay has plenty of other options too. Next time!!! :) Almost every rural city in the province will surprised you, and Halifax has waaaay more than listed on Happy Cow...seitan donair at a traditional donair shop (Johnny K's) the best vegan ramen at Water & Bone, even off-menu masterpieces at the cider pub just steps from Envie.

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  3. Oh and the Annapolis Valley, where I live, has some amazing unique vegan stuff too! :)

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  4. wow I want the biscuit eater as my front room too - so cosy and comfy. I am a bit wary of fishing places too but sounds like you did ok with eating with your own food.

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  5. That would be an amazing living room! I'm always torn on holidays and day trips: is it worth going to really pretty places if they have no good vegan options? Sounds like you struck the right balance. I like the sound of that caramellito!

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