First Place: Taco Tontos

When Emily and Kevin Yohn bought Taco Tontos in 2012, they started offering a lot of new specials and alternatives, making their menu accessible to anyone vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free. 

Located downtown at 123 Franklin Ave., Taco Tontos has been a community staple since 1972. The couple worked there before owning it and, since then, have had a lot of fun carrying on the tradition. 

Emily Yohn said the restaurant’s always had a great response to menu options, and she has enjoyed adding more food that everyone can enjoy.

“You can be gluten-free and vegan at the same time and still eat lots of our really, really good food,” she said. 

Taco Tontos’ corn chips and tortillas are gluten-free and vegan as well. One item that has always been on the menu, and is consistently popular, is the sweet potato and black bean taco, which can easily be vegan by replacing the cheese with guacamole, vegan sour cream or vegan queso.

Both the vegan sour cream and vegan queso are made in-house. The vegan sour cream is tofu-based, and the vegan queso is carrot-based. It originally was made with cashews, but was switched to carrots to avoid allergens. 

The guacamole, vegan sour cream and queso can be substituted for any dairy products at no additional charge. 

Another vegan alternative is their house-made seitan, a meat alternative made from wheat gluten. 

The alternatives give customers a wider range of combinations and options that meet their dietary needs.

“Adding in with the specials and more variety, it shows people the different things you can do with our main menu,” Yohn said. “There’s so many ways that you can just use our regular menu as vegetarian or vegan.”

Aside from tacos, the restaurant offers nachos, quesadillas, tostadas, walking tacos, enchiladas, bowls and burritos. It also offers a fully vegan brunch burrito, with vegan eggs and a tofu seitan mix with vegan chorizo. 

Yohn said she is excited that the community is taking notice of different options for everybody. 

“We’re just really proud that they all love us and keep coming back and enjoying our food,” she said. 

Taco Tontos is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

Second Place: Wild Goats Cafe

Wild Goats Cafe, a breakfast diner with an expanded menu for those eating vegetarian or gluten-free, offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

Justin Rogers, owner of Wild Goats, said he started noticing the demand for gluten-free options due to those with celiac disease or other dietary restrictions. 

The diner offer gluten-free bread, muffins and buns, so that any signature sandwiches can be made gluten-free. The gluten-free pancakes have become one of its most popular menu items. 

Rogers added how he wanted to give gluten-free people the same variety that everyone else has, and he is happy customers are recognizing those additions. 

“I’m so excited that we’re getting recognized for the changes that we’ve been making,” Rogers said. “One thing that we always try to do is win over our community.”

Along with their accessible menu, Wild Goats have specials throughout the week to switch things up and keep people excited to come back. 

Wednesdays are Roger’s Secret Recipe, where the cafe serves a three-course dinner and drink for under $20. The food changes from week to week and allows the eatery to experiment with different recipes. 

Thursdays give life to a special that’s been at Wild Goats for over 10 years, the Buck Buck Special. Every breakfast item is just $2 all day long, and customers are incentivized to eat as much as they can to become the Buck Buck Champion. The winner eats free every Wednesday until they are dethroned. 

Wild Goats is now open until 9 p.m. on weekdays. 

“If you ever have a hankering for a pancake at 7 p.m., this is the place to be,” Rogers said. 

Wild Goats is located over the bridge downtown at 319 W. Main St., and it’s open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Third Place: Erie Street Kitchen

This year, Erie Street Kitchen is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and it serves primarily southern-style food with plenty of gluten-free and vegetarian options. 

Charlotte Crowe, assistant manager of Erie Street, said it is heartwarming to see so many people with dietary restrictions come in and still be able to get a good meal. 

“There are so many people that just go about life without having many options, especially with the gluten-free,” she said. 

All of Erie Street’s fried food is gluten-free, and it offers tofu plantain bowls and Beyond Burgers for vegetarians. 

She said she’s heard so many stories of people who haven’t been able to eat a meal outside of their house in a long time due to their restrictions. 

“It’s kind of amazing how many people you talk to that are gluten-free,” she said. “Almost every table has usually one person that needs gluten-free bread or a gluten-free alternative, and they haven’t been able to have a regular meal at a restaurant in however many years.” 

Crowe’s dad, Jeff Crowe, opened Erie Street. He grew up in Georgia and wanted to bring a taste of that food here. 

She said the environment is “homey” with the original wood still in the building from the 40s and a mural, done by a local artist, across the wall telling the story of the original owners coming from Italy to Kent.

She said there are so many options for everyone, even those without dietary restrictions. The restaurant sources from local vendors as much as possible, such as its grass-fed beef. 

“You know where you’re eating from,” she said. 

Erie Street Kitchen is located downtown at 163 W Erie St., and it’s are open Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

Savana Capp is a beat reporter. Contact her at [email protected].