| The Vegetable Hunter 614 N 2nd St | Harrisburg, PA 17101 (717) 695-6229 thevegetablehunter.com |
The Vegetable Hunter is a vegan/vegetarian cafe and boutique brewery located in the historic section of Restaurant Row in Harrisburg, PA. The award winning restaurant opened on June 16, 2014 by wife and husband, Kristin Messner-Baker and John Baker.
The menu at The Vegetable Hunter offers visionary multicultural vegan and vegetarian homemade food and drinks. Appetizers include soup, vegan mac & cheese, and a variety of hummus options. Large plates include a black bean and quinoa burger, “crab cake” sandwich, and a tempeh reuben sandwich. Entrees include an Asian noodle bowl, a superfood protein bowel, and tacos.
Handcrafted cocktails are available, including Strawberry Fields made with fresh strawberry puree, Mid State Distillery Vodka, and seltzer water. A variety of handcrafted cold and hot drinks, kombucha, and smoothies are also available.
The Vegetable Hunter won Harrisburg Magazine’s 2016 Simply the Best Vegetarian Restaurant and Central Penn Magazine’s 2016 Best Vegetarian Restaurant.
Looking for something different, new, and exciting, The Vegetable Hunter added a boutique brewery in early 2017. They brew small batch beers using fresh and unexpected ingredients. The beer recipes are crafted to complement the seasonal food featured in the restaurant.
Award-winning homebrewer, Timothy Myers, began brewing for The Vegetable Hunter in June 2017. Tim has been homebrewing for almost 5 years. He has won several awards for his Jalapeño Lime Kölsch, as well as a first place nod for the Bent Propeller Competition for Harrisburg Beer Week in 2016. Tim previously brewed two collaboration beers with Pizza Boy Brewing in Enola, PA.
Jeff Thompson is the other brewer on the staff. Jeff and Tim alternate weekends brewing, and they brew their own recipes and create their own beers. The pair look forward to brewing together in the future. Also, Brandon Piper was the brewing intern during the past semester.
Tim and Jeff brew on a 30 gallon SS Brewtech brew system on site, brewing about 15 gallons of beer per batch. When talking about brewing at The Vegetable Hunter, Tim says, “It’s a great experience. Kristin and John are great to work with.” Tim says that together they come up great original beer and some classics. The small system allows for a good bit of freedom.
The beers on tap during our visit included…
- Devil Inside
5.2% ABV Kiwi Kölsch with Ghost Scorpion Pepper - Be Grateful
6.8% ABV Double Dry Hopped with Mosaic and El Dorado
- Haulin’ Oats
7.1% ABV Sweet Honey Beer - Eat a Peach
6.0% ABV Peach Cobbler Amber Ale
Upcoming beers include a Grodziskie, an old world polish smoked wheat. Additionally, there will be a stout on oak, bourbon, and vanilla beans, as well as an Imperial Belgian.
The Vegetable Hunter is open Monday and Tuesday from 10 AM to 2:30 PM, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 AM to 8 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 10 PM. They are closed on Sunday. There is metered street parking out front.
