A Gluten Free Vegan’s Review of Forage Kitchen in Madison, WI

Forage Kitchen is a health focused, casual restaurant that specializes in bowls and salads. They use seasonal organic ingredients from small, local farms.

Their State Street location was first opened in 2015 by Doug Hamaker and Henry Aschauer, who are both UW Madison alumni.

A lot of their ingredients are naturally vegan and gluten free. You can make modifications to any bowl and even pick your own ingredients for a custom bowl.

This review is based on their Middleton location, but they have four locations across the greater Madison area.

Continue reading to learn about my visit to Forage Kitchen.

Entrance to Forage Kitchen in Madison, WI, Dec. 26th, ‘22 [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Details

Designation: Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Price Range: $ - $$

Style: American, Bowls

Meals Served: Lunch, Dinner

Location:

Middleton

 

• Located on Old Sauk Road near the W Beltline Highway.

• No bike racks close by, objects you can lock a bike to (benches, light poles)

• Multiple bus stops within walking distance

• Parking lot serving multiple businesses

• On the south side of Middleton, near Verona. West side of greater Madison

• Wheelchair accessible, no automatic door

• Patio seating

• Free Wifi

Atmosphere

Counter and line at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

The dining room at Forage Kitchen’s Middleton location is modern and casual. They have multiple smaller tables along the wall and a bigger table in the front near the windows.

I went for lunch around 1:00 pm on a Monday and they were moderately busy. A few people were dining in and several customers were getting to-go orders.

Even with multiple people in line, we had no trouble having a nice conversation.

Entrance and dining room at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

They have several large windows at the front of the restaurant which let in lots of light.

Counter and to-go area at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

They have a fun, colorful mural that covers most of the walls.

Menu

Menu at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Forage Kitchen has many different bowls and salads on the menu.

The menu is well marked and shows which are vegan and gluten free by default. All of the bowls can be modified to remove or add specific ingredients.

You also have the option to add roasted tofu to any bowl or salad for $3.50.

They have seasonal bowls and you can also make your own bowl or salad.

House made dressing ingredients at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

They also have a list of each of their house made dressings and their ingredients. All of the dressings are gluten free and the vegan options are labeled.

Forage Kitchen also has their own brand of canned, organic kombucha with a number of different flavors.

If you would like, you can take a look at their full menu here.

Food

My order

Thai Bowl at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Thai Bowl ($10)

Black rice, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted broccoli, carrots, sweet potato curry, cilantro, thai basil pesto

Naturally vegan and gluten free

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My MIL’s Order

Power Bowl at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Power Bowl ($9.75)

Black rice, rosemary lentils, roasted sweet potatoes, poblano cabbage slaw, guacamole, green onion

Modified to be vegan by choosing a vegan dressing

Grapefruit and Tropical flavor Forage Kombucha at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Forage Kombucha ($2.95)

Organic Grapefruit Kombucha

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Taste: ★★★★★

My bowl was great! All of the roasted vegetables were perfectly cooked and the thai basil pesto mixed in with the rice and vegetables was super tasty.

I love the curry with this bowl! The curry is not spicy and all of the flavors go really well together.

My MIL really enjoyed her power bowl as well.

Quality: ★★★★★

The ingredients are all fresh and prepared the same day. All of their ingredients are organic and sourced from local farms and vendors.

Variety: ★★★★★

There are a couple options on the menu that are vegan and gluten free by default. All of the bowls can easily be modified to remove or add certain ingredients.

You can also make your own bowl and choose your own base, toppings, and dressing.

Quantity: ★★★★★

Forage Kitchen’s bowls are a good size. Even though they offer healthier options, there is plenty of food.

Value: ★★★★★

I think Forage Kitchen has great prices. They give you a good amount of high quality, organic food that is still very affordable.

Service

Hospitality: ★★★★★

All of the staff we interacted with were nice and helpful.

Efficiency: ★★★★★

Our food was ready in only a few minutes.

Accuracy: ★★★★★

Everything came out as ordered.

Safety

Staff knowledge: ★★★★★

Staff is knowledgeable about celiac disease and gluten.

The staff can tell you which ingredients are vegan and gluten free.

Food prep area and ingredients at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Preparation: ★★★★☆

• Staff is trained on cross contamination

• Change gloves between orders

• Each order is mixed in a clean bowl

• Each ingredient has its own scoop

At Forage Kitchen, the bowls are made in front of you. This lets you watch exactly what’s going into your bowl and if they were to touch anything with gluten.

While I was there, each worker changed their gloves between orders. They also have a dedicated scoop for each ingredient, which reduces the likelihood of cross contamination of the ingredients from their hands.

Also, when my MIL got a slice of bread with her bowl, the worker took off their gloves before touching my bowl at the register.

They are not a dedicated gluten free kitchen, so there is always a risk of cross contamination.

Always tell staff you are vegan and have celiac disease, or a gluten intolerance, to make sure they take extra precautions and prepare your food with clean surfaces.

Did I get *glutened? No

*Glutened  (verb, past tense)

When a person who has celiac disease, or a gluten intolerance, consumes gluten accidentally and experiences gluten induced symptoms.

Assembly line and food prep area at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Overall

★★★★★

Would I go back? Yes

I’ve been to Forage Kitchen multiple times and have personally never had any issues. I realize not everyone with celiac disease will be comfortable at assembly line style restaurants though.

Based on my experiences, they obviously train their staff well on cross contamination. There are several options for gluten free vegans and I love that they have the option to build your own bowl.

Lighting and wall art at Forage Kitchen [Photo by Courtney Vanorio]

Other Locations

Hilldale

 

• Located in Hilldale shopping area

• Bike racks nearby but not right outside

• Multiple bus stops within walking distance

• Parking lot serving multiple businesses

• Near UW Madison

• Wheelchair accessible, no automatic door

• Patio seating

• Free Wifi

State Street

 

• Located on State Street

• Bike racks right outside

• Multiple bus stops within walking distance

• Street parking on neighboring streets

• Near UW Madison and Capital

• Wheelchair accessible, no automatic door

• Patio seating

• Free Wifi

Monona

 

• Located in Monona

• Bike racks right outside and nearby

• Multiple bus stops within walking distance

• Parking lot serving multiple businesses

• Near McFarland, Capital Springs State Recreation Area, and South side of Lake Monona

• Wheelchair accessible, no automatic door

• Patio seating

• Free Wifi

Want to learn more about eating vegan and gluten free in Madison, WI? Check out my article listed below.

Have you been to Forage Kitchen? What was your experience and what did you order? Add your thoughts below!