“Are you a vegetarian in desperate need of a local restaurant you can actually eat, or are you just someone who is looking for a new, healthy restaurant to go to? Thanks to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Akron native Chrissy Hynde, both problems are solved in her new vegetarian restaurant, Vegeterranean.”
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Are you a vegetarian in desperate need of a local restaurant you can actually eat at, or are you just someone who is looking for a new, healthy restaurant to go to?

Thanks to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Akron native Chrissy Hynde, both problems are solved in her new vegetarian restaurant, Vegiterranean.

Located in downtown Akron on 21 Furnace St., it is conveniently placed for students at the University of Akron.

Vegiterrarean is a hybrid between vegetarian and Mediterranean, says Hynde, the owner of the restaurant and lead singer of the 70s band, The Pretenders.

A completely vegetarian menu features Mediterranean styled foods with a twist.

The restaurant is complete with an urbanized and chic interior, which has pictures of famous vegetarian celebrities displayed throughout the restaurants walls.

But how did this restaurant come along?

Having been a vegetarian most of my life and coming back to Akron, there was nowhere to eat, Hynde said.

True vegetarians don’t typically eat in restaurants where meat and animal products are served, and since there are no vegetarian restaurants in Akron, Hynde decided to change that.

Dan Duplain, who owns restaurant Fideli in Canton, and Scott Jones, the Executive Chef, teamed up with Hynde to create this new, classy joint.

Two years ago Chrissy was in town and saw the new development go up. She wanted a Vegan restaurant, Jones said.

Although the initial plan was to go vegetarian, which includes some animal products, the final plans were to have the entire restaurant vegan, and without animal products.

Duplain and Jones run and maintain the restaurant when Hynde returns to her home in London.

The position of the restaurant was strategically placed. After returning to Akron, Chrissy felt that Downtown Akron just wasn’t what it used to be, and she felt obligated to change that.

I wanted to come to Akron and not feel like I was in the sticks, Hynde said.

She hopes that the restaurant will help build up the area, so it can return to how it was in the 60s, when Akron was more alive.

Being an avid vegetarian the majority of her life, Hynde’s main concern is the animals.

Vegan lifestyle is the future, Hynde said.

Her interest is in stopping the animal slaughterhouses and farm factories. In support of Hynde and the restaurant, the Vice President of PETA came to Akron to dine at Vegiterranean.

The doors opened on Nov. 9 and there has been nothing but great reception from the public. There is also a possibility of other restaurants being opened next door in the same complex.

No worries if you’re on a low budget, entrees range from $7-$20, and even the cheapest thing on the menu is filling.

From gardein chicken to gardein burgers, one would be surprised at how real the meat tastes.

When it comes to dessert, make no mistake, order the carrot cake. With no milk, butter, or anything animalesque in it, it’s probably one of the most amazing things you could sink your chomper into.

There are high quality meals at a decent price, University of Akron student Stephanie Klein said.

I had the gardein chicken panini and I was thoroughly impressed.Akron is building up its art district, and the modern look and feel of Vegiterranean really adds to it, Klein said.

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