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Vegan
American
Fast food
Gluten-free
A plant-based all-vegan restaurant opened Summer 2018. Serves lunch & dinner and offers burgers, sandwiches, milkshakes, mac & cheese, salads, and more. Relocated from 609 Capitol Way S down the street. Open Tue-Thu 12:00pm-3:00pm, Fri-Sun 12:00pm-7:00pm.
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500 Capitol Way S, Olympia, Washington, USA, 98501
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- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 16 Jun 2026 by ih8philly
Update business info -
Added by catnip on 21 Jul 2018
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123 Reviews
First Review by guyettjeff
BoiledKale
Points +820
Wayside more like Bae-side - Edit
Sad to see it go but glad we stopped by!
Read moreAn extensive menu with solid sides (mashed potato gravy and Mac n cheese). Plenty of baked sweets too! Wonderful atmosphere. A pay it forward program! Terrific staff!
Only down side can be wait times as it does get busy!
Updated from previous review on 2026-06-30
Pros: Extensive menu
Cons: Wait times can get long during peak hours
Guest
ystuff
Points +173
vegan comfort food, closing July 18th - Edit
The Wayside has always been a tasty treat on the occasional Portland-Seattle drive and it just happened to work out with my trip on Sunday that I was able to grab a meal. Sad to learn a few days later that they will be closing next month. They are a very community-minded business and Olympia doesn’t have many vegan establishments. The food is made with care and is flavorful. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-06-12
Guest
leibatt
Points +155
I love this restaurant! - Edit
Delicious comfort food. It's expensive but you get a lot of food and it's arguably the tastiest vegan food in Olympia. I highly recommend the desserts as well. I've had cookies, cake, and cheesecake from here and all of it has been delicious.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-06-09
Pros: Great side dishes, Incredible desserts, Generous serving sizes
Cons: No parking, More on the expensive side
Guest
lmcaldx
Points +30
Love! - Edit
Food here is always fantastic. I love the seitan buffalo wings and Mac and cheese but everything I’ve tried has been great.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-05-30
Guest
Laurawms
Points +142
Totally Delicious! - Edit
It's very rare, in fact this is probably the first time I was able to have a bite of everyone's meal and everything was fantastic.
Read moreI'm the only vegan in our group of 4.
I had the Hulk Hoagie w/ mashed potatoes & gravy and an Oreo milkshake. Also a side of mac & cheese to go.
Husband had The Dip w/ green chili beans. One friend had the BBQ Jackfruit & salad. Other friend had the Almost Famous Bowl.
We shared the 2 orders of Tacos (It was Tuesday, 3 tacos for $8)
I tried a bite of everything except husbands' soy curl dip because it was extremely messy.
My meal was a 10. Loved every bite. Took half sandwich & about half the potatoes with. The tacos were perfectly spicy. Definitely too spicy for someone who doesn't love spice. Same w/ the BBQ Jackfruit. Yum! Though my friend who ordered it didn't seem to enjoy it much. The Almost Famous Bowl was interesting. It really looked like a bowl of mush. Our friend really enjoyed it, but it was the least appealing of all of our items in my opinion. Still, I know it was really good.
I forgot about ordering the Oreo milkshake, so I went back to the counter and said, "I forgot I ordered the milkshake" and she said, "You're right. I'll bring it right over to you."
I ate the mac & cheese cold, taking it out of the fridge & having a few bites here and there. I loved it and would've like to have had some heated but oh well.
This place is a 2-hour drive from where I live, and it's been several decades since I've been in Olympia. I wish this place was closer to home, I'd definitely be a regular.
The only disappointment was my friends side choice was salad. All it consisted of was lettuce. We expected a salad would have maybe some carrot, tomato...something besides just lettuce.
Very friendly staff & exceptional food. Vegans in Olympia are lucky!
Pros: Really friendly service, Perfectly spicy tacos, 100% vegan
Cons: Finding parking sucks, Salad consists of lettuce only
Guest
HappyCow34
Points +13
Awesome Vegan Food! - Edit
Every dish we had was amazing. The side dishes were remarkable. Whenever we travel through Olympia we make sure to stop ther to eat. Tell your friends, share this place they are geniuses.
Read moreGuest
aureliadeleon
Points +42
The best - Edit
Highly recommend their weekend specials, they never miss! and the smore cookies are amazing. Love this place ❤️
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-12-23
Guest
raemi_lynn
Points +22
Best mashed potatoes and gravy - Edit
The Wayside is my favorite vegan restaurant in Olympia. I get the Dip and mashed potatoes and gravy on the side 😍 I went for my birthday this weekend and they so happened to have birthday cake in their sweets selection! Just a happy coincidence, but it was amazing! Their milkshake machine was down when I went, unfortunately. I guess I’ll just have to go back again soon 🙃
Read morePros: Baked goods, Portion sizes, Comfort food
Guest
RachelTheVegan
Points +83
Comfort food - Edit
Go-to spot for vegan comfort food. The Large Marge and the Norma are popular go-to dishes. The macaroni is a popular choice!
Read morePros: Friendly staff, All vegan , Doesn’t disappoint!
Cons: Bathroom
Guest
LillyHunt
Points +209
5*s no notes - Edit
Some of the best vegan junk food I’ve ever had (and I’ve travelled a good amount). The Mac and cheese was perfect, the unassuming creamed corn side was beyond incredible tasting. I had the tempeh blt (beautifully smoky and stacked) and my partner had the buffalo chickn sandwich - great spices! There’s a pay it forward scheme to help provide meals for people living on the street too if you have the spare money.
Read morePros: The mains, The sides, The vibe
Guest
KikoOla
Points +728
Great lunch - Edit
We'd not been here in quite some time. We had the Almost Famous Bowl and the Rice and Bean bowl plus slaw. Both were delicious and filling.
Read moreGuest
DeniseTiller
Points +44
Amazing all vegan! - Edit
We absolutely loved our meals at the wayside Café! And the Chunkie cookie was excellent! We like the lunch so much that we stopped back and did takeout for dinner. Totally recommend! 
Read morePros: Large selection of meals, Large selection of desserts, Large selection of appetizers and sides
Guest
mjaux
Points +584
TBLT and collard greens - Edit
Good people, good food, 100% vegan. Visiting Olympia, had the opportunity to eat there this evening. Food definitely satisfied. Look at the menu, if it’s what you’re looking for, you won’t be disappointed.
Read moreEdit- Went back a second time, this time brought my son. Stopped here for lunch on the way north to Seattle. Had another great experience. Really enjoyed the collard greens.
If you order one of the slaws, make sure you ask for a description, as the House Slaw is different than you would usually expect.
Updated from previous review on 2025-02-22
Pros: Always like a good vegan blt, Kind cashier , 100% vegan
Guest
indiecowan
Points +65
Lots of Options... - Edit
To be fair... I have a cold so I can't taste that well, but I was here with my partner who isn't sick. There's a diverse menu. We got a peanut sauce bowl and a cajun chicken burger with a side of mac, and potato balls. $10 to eat potato is wild. The mac n cheese tasted like nothing. Caijun burger just tasted like corn (is that normal? never had one before) and the bowl was apparently good according to my partner. Generally unimpressed with the yummy factor. Expensive too
Read moreGuest
lilvegancat
Points +2040
A bit overpriced but fine - Edit
I appreciate punk vibes in a vegan restaurant, but I don’t like how they blast music. So loud and echoey in there.
Read moreGot the hulk hoagie for $17.50 and a side of Mac and cheese and wasn’t really impressed by either. The sandwich seemed small for the price. Their cake was pretty good but a bit dry :(( Other things on the menu look good though so maybe just chose wrong.
Guest
sammsnow20
Points +166
Second time’s a charm! - Edit
I visited for the first time in January and got the French dip. Wasn’t impressed. Went back with my friends last week and got the fried tofu sandwich. WOW!!! I’ve been missing out these past few months. Went back à third time and got the Cajun chicken sandwich plus the Thai tea milkshake and OH MY GOD I transcended into heaven. I will definitely be visiting more regularly. Plus they accommodate GF.
Read morePros: Chicken sandwich!!, Gluten free options, Milkshakes are SO GOOD
Cons: A little pricey but I get it
Guest
NadavNaor
Points +16
Food was not to my liking - Edit
Would not recommend. The Mac and cheese was really not to my liking.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-04-19
Guest
KathyHardie
Points +25
All Vegan! - Edit
Their cake is always amazing. That is if you can find a parking place. This time I ordered a sort of cookie/muffin with drizzle frosting that was the ultimate! Hope this will be available all the time! My Tuesday taco trio special was way over the top hot/spicy/salty. I asked for chikn taco and it seemed like seitan??? I considered a milkshake as they make great ones. I dream of their ribz (which are incredible), mac, and mashed potatoes with dark gravy. Should have ordered.
Read morePros: Muffin/cookie with drizzle
Cons: Taco Tuesday spicy taco
Guest
Passittowill
Points +3704
Wayside Is The Best Side - Edit
What a great spot. Straight to my favorite part, the carrot cake. I love carrot cake so much, and I've really only had a couple that were actually a perfect balance and not just smothered in nasty frosting. This was by far the best I've had! I would definitely travel the hours drive for another slice. You definitely get your money's worth with the portions, which is very nice. The rib plate is great, and the house seitan is a good texture. The mashed potatoes and gravy were ridiculously tasty, and the mac n cheese was nice. The greens were way too salty, tho. The creamed corn and potato balls are perfection. The hoagie misses the mark, tho a tad. The choice of chuncky white onion slices is a bad choice instead of red onion, and the bread was cold and hard. Definitely would be better toasted. The house seitan slices are nice, tho. Overall, I love this place and just sad It's not closer to me. The street parking is a pain. Can't wait to come back.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-04-07
Pros: Vegan, Cost to portions, Great food
Cons: Parking
dancingvegan
oh my gosh!! I love how thorough you are with your reviews of the food. If I ever go up there for a visit we are going to this place.
Read moreGuest
seal
Points +2505
delicious sandwiches and sides - Edit
Best TBLT I've ever had. The tempeh is moist and has great flavor, and the pretzel bun is a nice soft touch. Tasty mashed potatoes and gravy. Generous sizes/portions.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-03-09
Guest
IronJuice
Points +1587
Amazing burger and wings! - Edit
Norma tofu burger was soooooo good! Same with cauliflower wings! Loved both, will visit again!
Read more(Mac&cheese can use some improvements)
Guest
Birgit
Points +2356
Vegan soul food - Edit
This is really great vegan soul food with excellent flavor and made from fresh ingredients. The Chinese five spice chicken sandwich with a side of sesame coleslaw was crispy and spiced nicely. The rib plate had all the comfort food items to ask for. Overall the sodium levels were on the high side. Wonderful to find this gem in Olympia not far from the highway. Lovely staff and great drink selection too. I gave only 4 stars because of the unfortunately very dirty bathroom.
Read moreGuest
jollieduck
Points +3592
Soo good 🍔 - Edit
After several days in Olympic National Park with little access to food in general let alone vegan food, this place was magical! We loved everything but tbh the portions could be smaller.
Read moreThey have a cool program where you can donate money to a gift card used by people who need food but can’t pay for it.
Guest
ms_snow
Points +139
Good desserts - Edit
Vegan soft serve ice cream which is not easy to find and other great desserts.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-12-24
Guest
StealthBoyd
Points +1000
Olympic vegan restaurant! - Edit
This is actually my second visit. I had their Red Chili Jackfruit sandwich with their version of mac & cheese during my first visit. The sandwich was excellent but a bit too spicy. I loved their mac & cheese, so I walked several blocks to get that for my side with the Assyrian sub I ordered at other place earlier today. It was well worth the walk. This place has became my preferred vegan place in Olympia, although I don’t like going into the downtown.
Read morePros: Vegan exclusive restaurant!
Cons: It’s in downtown… (parking meter)
Guest
JustinCory
Points +1383
Fantasticheee - Edit
Soul nourishing comfort food, a lovely reprieve and mandatory stop everytime we pass through Olympia. The rib plate, mac and cheese, dip, and cauliflower wings are all the best.
Read morecaronjuneen
Ooooh! Looks yummy! Thanks for the review.
Read moreGuest
Zerthax
Points +20
Outstanding - Edit
Went there a few weeks ago while passing through Olympia.
Read moreThey have a diverse menu, and I was split between a few different choices. I ended up getting the bbq soy curl and sharing a side of the chikn wings. We also got a few slices of cake to have later, which ended up being a great decision. Each slice of cake ended up being enough for 2 servings.
I don't make it to Olympia very often, but I definitely plan on going back some time while I'm traveling through.
Pros: Generous portions, Great food, Quick service
Guest
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