Former squat turned into an alternative/leftist bar, cafe and music venue. Fully volunteer operated and hosts concerts, DJ nights, an open stage, dance nights and more. On the weekends there are guest groups serving vegan food made mostly from skipped produce which is free but donations are accepted. The groups are “Taste Before you Waste” on Saturdays and “the Barricade” on Sundays. Can also bring food on weekdays (only vegetarian and vegan allowed) and can request a plate and cutlery. Check the schedule on website for up to date info. Reopened September 2021. Open Tue 20:00-00:00, Wed 19:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 20:00-03:00, Sat-Sun 18:00-00:00, Sun 18:00-23:00.
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Voorstraat 71, Utrecht, Netherlands
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 11 Aug 2024 by alexandraemjly
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Added by kris on 01 Aug 2007
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34 Reviews
First Review by yvo
HelenaS
Points +46
Will definitely come back. - Edit
I had dinner in this place tonight, because I already went there once and the volunteers explained me that everything was vegan, they where very friendly.
Read moreI had the three starters together- 9 euros-, mushrooms, seitan cutlets,and a kind of pie with mashed potatoes inside and bittersweet spicey sauce, it also comes with a great fresh salad.
All of them were very nice, but If you're only going for one of them, definitely go for the mushrooms! They were delicious. The curry in the mashed potatoes was not very easy to notice, but I ended up eating it without the sauce and used that for the seitan instead... I left the plate empty.
After that I saw someone sitting next to my non-vegan-but-very-pleased friend, eating pineapple/ananas vegan cake, so I was tempted, and my veredict is also positive: For three more euros its the kind of dessert you cant really resist, even if you're too full. It was soft, sweet and tasted delicious.
Also, by the other reviews I was concerned about the time it will take... Not extremely fast, but not long enough to get us wondering where our food was, so I would not say it took too long.
Im sure I will come back!
Pros: Great menu and even better dessert, Friendly people and interesting place, Inexpensive
Guest
Renee1137
Points +74
My favorite place - Edit
This is my favorite vegan/vegetarian food place in the Netherlands. What you get is lots of great food for very little money indeed. It amazes me how a staff of volunteers manage to turn out a new and extremely creative menu every month. The atmosphere is informal, relaxed, a little bit 'alternative', but not as much that you wouldn't want to bring your parents there. Well, depends on your parents maybe.
Read moreI also like that your tip goes to charity, they have vegan chocolate milk (hot or cold), and they have a lovely dessert every time (no fruit platters here - vegan cheesecake, apfelstrüdel...)
Pros: great food for a ridiculously low price, new menu every month, creative cooks
Cons: if you're allergic: dogs are allowed
Guest
j8)st
Points +53
Great food for small price - Edit
Fair portions of quite good vegan food for a fair price. The staff is no-nonsense, friendly and often international. Oh, and they also have good beers most of the time.
Read morePros: Nice atmosphere, Diverse clientele
Guest
V
Points +37
Really sad to write this... - Edit
All I needed tonight was a good vegan meal for me (I've had a long day of work and have a bad cold and definitely don't need to stay out late or fill the time I'm waiting for food by drinking) and the friend I had (dubiously on my part) persuaded to test the waters outside his normal completely non-vegan completely non-'hippy' world. I'd been looking forward to trying out the one listed vegan restaurant in Utrecht for a couple of months to be honest. Loved the punky-ness (reminds me of being 10 years younger), and totally loved the idea they only had a few menu items to choose from even though I know that risks ending up with a soy-focussed, onion-, wheat- or bean-based meal that won't agree with me for the next few days.
Read moreInstead... OK so we didn't reserve, but my mildly anarchistic background doesn't let me do that sort of thing. We should have ordered as soon as we walked through the door but we didn't cause I, perhaps mistakenly, got the impression we should wait for a table... so maybe its my fault they ran out of the only dish we both wanted to eat. But they should maybe not have served the same dish to people who came in after us (sorry if I assessed this wrongly but that's what it looked like), and should maybe have just told us earlier to order something new - not after we'd been waiting 3/4 of an hour. The food we did get, when it arrived, was pretty good... but you can't make up for the disappointment of watching 20 people eat the meal you are keen on then being given soy sausages and dumplings and veganaise.
The answer for me is to give up. As a picky vegan I'm never going to have a good meal out. This was better than the time I got steamed mushrooms and boiled mixed veges in Colorado! But I should just assume eating out will always be horrible and look forward to the nights I can cook for myself.
That said... if the sole purpose of your night is a cultural and perhaps slow culinary experience at decent prices, definitely go here!
Pros: Cool atmosphere, Good prices , Friendly staff
Cons: Too soy-based, Slow, Staff don't tell you what's going on
Guest
Ribaldry
Points +49
Delicious vegan food in the Netherlands!? - Edit
I had read about this place on Happy Cow before going there. I was visiting a friend who lives in Gouda (20 mins away by train) and works in Utrecht, and she said that this was one of her favorite places to eat in Utrecht. (She is an omnivore, but likes veg food a lot.) The ACU has a charming, quirky interior, is run by friendly punks, and also has a concert hall for concerts and disco evenings. We didn't go to any shows while I was there, but we did hit the restaurant. The food is very reasonably priced -- starters are around 4 to 5 euros and main dishes around 8 to 10 euros. I didn't get anything to drink besides water, but their beer is always 2 or 3 euros and their coffee is about the same. We also didn't have room for dessert after our meal, which is a shame, because the desserts looked great. There is a daily special, but we just ordered of the menu. We split a tofu saté appetizer that was super good. We also split our meals. I got the "Asian fusion" meal of wonton soup with vegetables in broth, spring rolls full of fresh veggies, and jasmine rice with black sesame seeds on top. My friend got the stuffed zucchini (filled with fake ground beef-type stuff) with a tomato sauce and mashed potatoes, and a crisp, fresh green salad with a tasty vinaigrette on the side. The portions were generous and everything tasted great. We felt very comfortable in ACU -- it is a wonderful place for punk and alternative types like us: pleasant surroundings, cool music playing in the restaurant, the possibility of live music, reasonable prices... I hope we'll go there again next time I visit my good friends in Holland, and I recommend it to all of you. Be sure to make reservations beforehand if you can, though. We didn't, and we were told that if any parties who did have reservations came in and there were no tables for them, we would have to move to eat at the bar. That didn't end up happening, but it's worth noting for the future.
Read morePros: all vegan, guaranteed, reasonable prices for sit-down dining, charming environment
Cons: make reservations first, not an enormous selection
Guest
ostepop
Points +40
This place is great, but not for celiacs - Edit
When traveling around Europe, I try to visit as many squats as possible. At ACU, my boyfriend and I we're greeted by a friendly british guy. He guided us through the menu to try to find something that suits me and my gluten intolerance. They didn't have much for me, I'm afraid. The starter was a soup, supposed to be a cabbage soup, but it didn't have any cabbage in it? It was just a watery, boullion-like soup with nothing to it. Then, I had raw spring rolls (also a starter). Since I was really hungry and excpecting a huge dish, I was kinda dissapointed by it all. But my boyfriend ate the main dish, some chinese thing, and loved it. So I guess the food can be good, just not the best place for celiacs. At least then - the menu changes every month, though, so I guess it was just bad luck on my part. I loved ACU for so many other reasons, though, so I don't want to put people off from going there. It's a great place, with lots of activity (concerts, DJs).
Read morePros: Friendly staff, Cheap food, Tasty
Cons: Not many gluten free alternatives
Guest
yvo
Points +75
One of the best places in Holland... - Edit
I fell in love with the ACU the first time I stepped into this place. It's completely run by volunteers, everything they serve is vegan and they try to keep the prices as low as possible. I feel at home there.
Read moreNow about the food. They have a month menu with several different starters and main courses to choose from. Normally they have one dessert. It kinda depends on who is cooking, but the dessert differs from "really good" to "awesome!".
The drinks are cheap, mostly organic. They serve Zapatista coffee from Chiapas Mexico to support Zapatista struggle.
Pros: Diverse menu, Cheap for what you get!, Awesome atmosphere
Cons: Sometimes too busy
Guest
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