Readers: Hey, we heard you reviewed a new restaurant in Downtown Lafayette. Tell us, where did you go?
Divas & Dudes: KNOW
Readers: Why not?
Divas & Dudes: What do you mean?
Readers: Why won’t you tell us where you ate?
Divas & Dudes: We said KNOW!
Readers: Fine, be wise guys then!
Divas & Dudes: No! We said KNOW! Read our vegan lips.
We. Ate. At. KNOW Eatery on 8th St, behind Sassy Fitness Studio at 8th and Main.
Readers: Oh!! Ok, We thought auto correct was changing your answer ;)
Zach Kannal’s story behind the family restaurant’s name is intended to be a play on words andlets customers with dietary and/or allergy restrictions “know” they can order anything off their menu because they use “no” animal products or ingredients common to 9 allergens.
And what a menu! Full of surprises from nondairy parfaits and burgers to spicy chili with sweet corn bread crumbles. But don’t be fooled into thinking this gem of a restaurant is for vegans only. Everyone is welcome and no one will leave hungry. In fact, both Jo and Ken mentioned more than once, they were amazed by their lunches, fully expecting to be under whelmed by vegan food! So, let’s start with their reviews.
The truffle burger caught Jo’s eye but with no bun. Not a problem, it can be served in a lettuce wrap! “No way! That is rarely an option!”. The mushrooms that she thought would be unusual made a great burger, and the sauce perfect, needing no extra seasoning. Best part, she ordered straight from the menu without having to ask for anything to be taken off. That’s a first!
Ken ordered tacos with soft shells. “Totally not distinguishable from a beef meat taco.” The spice level of the pico was perfect and 3 tacos later, he was won over, happy and full.
Linda ordered tacos too, although she opted for hard shell to mix it up. “Spicy but not too spicy and loaded.” Linda ended up only able to finish 2 of her 3 tacos. Turns out this worked well for Whitney since she wasn’t able to make it to lunch and cashed in on several to-go boxes. Nice!
Speaking of Whitney, lets get her next. In addition to Linda’s taco to go, there was a generous take-out box of the desert parfait everyone loved but were too full to finish. I heard her review from 5 blocks away! “Omgggg am I vegan now?! I already feel healthier. Thanks so much! That was deeeelicious!” Sounds like we won over another carnivorous biped. ;)
Kay, our all-American girl, ordered up the classic burger with all the fixings which included a gluten free bun. “My first time eating a no-meat burger and it was good, very convincing and the toppings were nice.”
Iseral, not feeling super hungry, opted for something off the appetizers list. Oh boy! Was that a mistake!! The nachos were even more generous than a sandwich order. “Great spices, and the vegan meat and cheese were so good. You would not have known the food was beef and diary free!”
Jerry, at the opposite end of the table and hungry scale from Iseral, decided a soup AND sandwich combo sounded like a winner. The chili with sweet cornbread crumbles, which came highly recommended, teamed up with a taco burger put a big smile on his face and belly!
Margy, our vegan queen, was back at KNOW Eatery for her 4th visit!! Having already tried the kabobs with sweet chili sauce, mushroom burger and chili with cornbread; she gave them a combined one-word review (in all caps) AWESOME!!! This time around she ordered the Chickpea Sando. The texture and flavor were a throw back to your mom’s best egg salad sandwich. And the Gluten free bread was soooo good. Easy to report she added another entrée to her AWESOME review list.
So go check out KNOW Eatery and while you’re there, ask to see their back room for larger groups. The front space where you order holds almost 30 people but the back room, which includes a stage for speakers and performances, can accommodate a group of 40! These guys are full of surprises. We scored them an easy 10 out of 10 and we think you will too. KNOW kidding!!
