By Clarissa Hauber, VRG Intern

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan living in the Baltimore area, there’s little doubt you’ve heard of One World Café. The quaint café, bakery, bar, and sit-down restaurant is located conveniently on the corner of Canterbury Road, steps away from the Johns Hopkins University campus. Whether you need a quiet study spot, a mid-workday lunch stop, or a place to gather and dine with friends and family, One World Café has become a go-to place for students and families in and outside of the Hopkins area.

     My first visit to One World Café was in 2018. My parents and I had been driving through Baltimore searching for a restaurant we would all enjoy – they being omnivores, me being a vegetarian. After spending a substantial amount of time driving through Baltimore, we spotted a dimly lit One World Café. We entered through the corner door, made our way towards the hostess area, past a shelf of colorful vegan desserts, then past the small bar where the “regulars” mingled. The hostess took us down two steps into a moody, purple-painted dining area and sat us at a corner booth decorated with colorful “boho” pillows. She introduced herself, asked if we had been to One World Café before, and passed us each a menu. She was incredibly friendly and, in our future visits to the café, would become a waitress with whom we would regularly find ourselves chatting. After handing us our menus, she delved into the seasonal specials – it was winter, so the specials encompassed a variety of soups, stews, and other sorts of “comfort foods.”  Being newly vegetarian, I was still reluctant to try anything that involved meat alternatives, so I opted for a simple cheese and veggie quesadilla. The quesadilla came plated with chips, salsa, and guac – it was delicious and tasted almost as if it came from an authentic Mexican restaurant. We were delighted with our meal; we ate fast and anticipated ending our night with a dessert from the One World Café bakery. Little did we know, the dessert we ordered would become a family favorite and one we would order each time we went to the café – a slice of vegan “funfetti” birthday cake. It was our first time eating vegan cake, and we spent the next ten minutes in awe of the perfect consistency – dense yet still moist. After that night, I was ecstatic about returning to One World Café again to try some of the exciting dishes and seasonal specials they had to offer.

     Three years later, I now a vegan, One World Café remains one of my favorite Baltimore restaurants. Not only is it a go-to dinner spot for me, it has become my favorite place to grab breakfast. Throughout a year of COVID-19, my friend and I have relied on breakfast take-out from the café to get us through. It’s important to note that One World Café has done a fantastic job following CDC guidelines – offering delivery and curbside pickup, keeping customers at a distance, and sanitizing credit cards and pens after contact. During our regular Sunday morning gatherings, my friend and I order brunch from One World Café and have a small feast in the car. Thus far, my favorite item on the brunch menu has been the Tofu Scrambled – plated with a side of toast, sprouts, and an orange slice – which I usually order alongside a medium iced coffee with almond milk. The vegan scramble is a combination of veggies, tofu, and (likely) nutritional yeast to give it a cheesy flavor. My friend’s go-to breakfast dish is the same tofu scrambled, but in burrito form, filled with vegan cheese, salsa, and guac. While I regularly opt for their savory breakfast options, the sweet breakfasts, such as vegan waffles and pancakes – especially with chocolate chips – are also delicious.

     If you haven’t been to One World Café or you don’t live in Baltimore, whenever you find yourself in this city looking for a healthy place to dine, with an expansive menu, and welcoming service, I highly suggest you give One World Café a chance.

For more on this restaurant, visit One world Cafe  

For information about other restaurants throughout the USA and Canada, go to vrg.org/restaurant/index.php