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• A welcome addition to Urbana, but a way to go

I am writing this review because I am invested in Dancing Dog's longevity in downtown Urbana. I have lived in CU for 7 years. I was beyond excited for this to open, and have visited once for breakfast and twice for lunch over the past month. Each time I am disappointed with the menu BUT I will continue to give Dancing Dog my business because I believe in what they are doing. I want my feedback to help them grow as a business and be here for the long haul, not just a short-lived novelty as a vegan place *finally* open in town. The best parts about Dancing Dog are: location, price point for most dishes, atmosphere, the staff, new regular hours, the soup portions, and the dessert menu (YUM). I cannot comment on juices or dinner, but I have seen the menus. My biggest concern is about their menu: the majority of dishes are just veganified traditional diner food. Nachos and quesadillas with vegan cheese, faux fish and chips, pasta and meatballs, etc. I understand that to appeal to a wider non-vegan audience you need to have a few of these items, but they should not be the bulk of a vegan menu. Vegans should be the main audience. I'd hoped to see innovative vegan dishes that prove food doesn't have to be meat/cheese-like to be a good meal. I worry many of the "traditional" carnivorous-style dishes lack balanced nutrition and honestly, I feel like it kind of makes veganism look bad. I eat a vegan diet for many reasons, but one is that I choose not to eat animal products. So why would I want to go to a VEGAN restaurant only to find everything on the menu is trying to be like meat? A vegan-only restaurant should mean whole foods and creative, delicious cuisine, not processed soy products (even if they're organic) that are assembled to look like meat dishes. Additionally, the taste of most of the food has been lacking, but I believe this is not due to culinary skills, but the level of the dishes being made. Again, basic meat-style sandwiches and wraps can't be too exciting, because it is soy product trying to imitate meat. My ongoing disappointment with the cuisine at Dancing Dog is that I end up asking about every item on the menu, nothing sounds that great, I order anyway, and I end up leaving thinking about how I make better vegan dishes at home daily. I have faith that Dancing Dog can improve, but I fear that people are giving them 5 stars to generate business and no one is being honest that their "vegan" menu is severely lacking.