Ike's

I am a regular at Ikes because it is so close to my work. They can veganize anything. My favorites are the vegan Handsome Owl (extra teriyaki) and the vegan Pirates of the Caribbean. They offer vegan cheeses and meats.
The staff is kind and very informative of their vegan options. Their whole grain wheat bread contains honey. Very nice and energetic. Delicious giant sandwiches with incredible chips and unique bottled drinks. Great for your whole crew- no matter their diet.

I ordered the Handsome Owl (sans cheese): vegan chicken, teriyaki, Wasabi Mayo, lettuce, onions, pickles, & banana peppers, on Ike’s World Famous Dutch Crunch bread. OMG! I don’t know what sorcery they used to conjure up that bread’s amazing and unique flavor, but it is phenomenal! The combination of all the flavors that encompass the sandwich is ingenious. I was amazed. It’s a $10 sandwich, but it’s huge, and worth every single penny. I will return to try more of the vegan combinations.

They sell Zapp’s potato chips, which come in a variety of colorfully named flavors, like “Voodoo Heat,” “Hotter’N Hot Jalapeño,”Sweet Creole Onion,” etc. Looking at the ingredients on the bags (and I have since checked Zapp’s website), it appears that only the Salt & Vinegar, and BBQ Ranch chips are not vegan (they contain a milk product). And all except the Mesquite BBQ are gluten-free. However, the sources of the natural smoke flavor and “natural flavor” needs to be confirmed. I also spotted MSG in at least one flavor.

I tried the Hotter’N Hot Jalapeño chips. I wasn’t impressed. 0 heat factor; not even a hit of hot. And the taste was a little off; sorta on the stale side, but the bag showed a November expiration date. Not sure what that was about. Next time I’ll try a different flavor to see if there’s any change.


Management informed me of the following:

50% of the veggie sandwiches can be made vegan upon request.
They use Daiya for the vegan cheese, Tofurkey for the vegan turkey, and Gardein for the vegan chicken and meatballs.
All of their breads are vegan except for the wheat (it’s honey wheat).
The wasabi mayo is automatically vegan, so no need to request a vegan version.
CORRECTION: Their Dirty Sauce is not vegan, but they offer a vegan version (which is delicious, btw!), so just ask for vegan Dirty.
Tater tots & fries (called “Air Fries”) are vegan; they are baked, not fried

Not vegan:
pesto, & honey mustard sauces, the fried foods, like onion rings & beer battered zucchini (egg based batter), and the obvious (meats and non-vegan cheeses).
CORRECTION: Sun-Devil sauce is NOT vegan & there is no vegan version.

Veggie bacon is vegetarian; not vegan.

Cool decor, w/ a warm, happy, & welcoming vibe. Friendly & vegan-knowledgable employees. Fountain drinks or bottled drinks available. Open late on Fri/Sat. There are a few outside tables. Located in the heart of Tempe, next to the Bank of America off Mill, between 6th & 7th. Street parking.

UPDATED REVIEW