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Waffle Frolic Ithaca NY: Best Vegan Waffles & Vegan Breakfast

Waffle Frolic in Ithaca, New York is a solid bet for vegans in search of delicious breakfast food. When we visited Ithaca many years ago, this was the sole vegan option in the downtown core. While there are many vegan, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly restaurants nowadays, Waffle Frolic continues to serve delicious vegan waffles.

Waffle Frolic is located in Ithaca Commons, which is close to Cornell University so I am sure it is a popular place among the students. Opening in 2010 and founded by two Ithaca College students, it offers yummy and ethically sourced meals, including vegan and gluten-free options.

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Waffle Frolic Ithaca

It’s the best option for breakfast and brunch in Ithaca for every taste. Of course, waffles are the main feature at Waffle Frolic with all kinds of flavor combinations. There are other breakfast items on the menu, including waffle sandwiches, and non-waffle dishes. There are also sandwiches and burgers if you’re dining for lunch.

Dining at Waffle Frolic

Waffle Frolic Ithaca NY

As this is a vegan blog and we only sampled the vegan fare, we will be focusing specifically on the plant-based meals at Waffle Frolic. Waffle Frolic serves single or double-sized waffles with your choice of toppings. The vegan waffle is also gluten-free, and it comes served with powdered sugar and Earth Balance vegan margarine. You can also choose to add the following vegan toppings:

  • Apple butter
  • Bananas
  • Cinnamon Sugar
  • Granola
  • Peanut Butter
  • Walnuts
  • Shredded coconut
  • Agave
  • Almond Butter
  • Compote of the day
  • Fried banana
  • Fresh strawberries
  • Local maple syrup
  • Vegan ice cream

Justin and I were absolutely starving after our hikes at Taughannock Falls and Robert H. Treman State Park, so we were drooling at the prospect of ordering all kinds of yummy dishes. In hindsight, yes, we ordered way too much food.

Vegan Waffles and Grilled Cheese at Waffle Frolic

Vegan waffles - Waffle Frolic

We should have ordered single-sized waffles instead of the double-sized waffles that we did order because we were unable to finish all of our food. To be fair, the picture of the waffle didn’t look that big on the wall, plus the server did admit afterwards that the vegan/gluten-free waffles are a bit thicker and heavier than the regular waffles there.

Vegan waffles - Waffle Frolic

I ordered my waffle with maple syrup. They source real maple syrup locally from Schoolyard Sugarbush in Moravia, New York. You can also buy this maple syrup at the Ithaca Farmers Market. It’s 100% local and organic. You do need to pay a little extra for this real maple syrup because it is expensive. Regular “table syrup” is free, but I suggest you splurge for the real thing (maybe it’s the Canadian in me, but trust me on this one!).

Justin ordered his waffle with a big scoop of vanilla soy ice cream, which came dusted with powdered sugar. As you can see, these waffles are huge, bigger than the plate!

Vegan grilled cheese

We also ordered two vegan grilled cheese sandwiches (made vegan by using Daiya brand vegan cheese): Roasted Garlic & Portobello and Mediterranean (Spinach, Artichoke, and Kalamata Olive Spread). Other vegan options at Waffle Frolic include a black bean burger on a waffle bun, or a waffle dog (a vegan hotdog dipped in vegan waffle batter and fried).

Justin dining in Ithaca NY
Lauren dining in Ithaca NY

Explore Ithaca Commons

In downtown Ithaca, Ithaca Commons is a four-block pedestrian shopping area, home to over 100 stores, restaurants, cafes and pubs. After eating your waffles at Waffle Frolic, why not go for a wander around Ithaca Commons like we did?

We went to a really cute shop called Home Green Home, which focuses on sustainable living and organic housewares. Buffalo Street Books is another great shop for book lovers – it’s Ithaca’s community-owned independent bookstore. There are also popular downtown events at Ithaca Commons, like the Downtown Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival in the fall.

The legendary Moosewood Restaurant (of the famed vegetarian cookbooks) is right here in Ithaca. Back in 2014 when we visited Ithaca, we avoided Moosewood Restaurant because there weren’t any vegan items on the menu, and they served a lot of fish surprisingly! Nowadays, it is a completely vegetarian and vegan restaurant (yay!), but there are likely some better vegan restaurants in town to check out. I’d likely still hit up Waffle Frolic over this one, actually!

More Things to Do in the Finger Lakes

If you’re in Ithaca, be sure to dine at Waffle Frolic for breakfast or lunch. Here are all of the other great things to do in the region, including waterfalls, hiking trails and so much more.

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Joseff

Tuesday 30th of September 2014

The reason why I love traveling is because the food on each place I visit are just so irresistible. Traveling gives me so much learnings on different places as well as learning different cuisines that suit my tummy.

Samantha Hussey

Sunday 10th of August 2014

Wow those waffles are huge!!! Thats me sorted if I visit New York!

Lauren | Justin Plus Lauren

Saturday 16th of August 2014

You could get them in a half size or full size...I probably should have gotten the half size bc they were so big!

Bianca @ItsAllBee

Sunday 10th of August 2014

I havent had waffles in a while, those look good!

Windy City: 48 Hours in Chicago

Lauren | Justin Plus Lauren

Saturday 16th of August 2014

They were delicious!! :)

Sumit Surai

Saturday 9th of August 2014

Those waffles look really big. And delicious too.

Lauren | Justin Plus Lauren

Saturday 16th of August 2014

The waffles were so good...makes me want them right now!

Holly Rosen Fink

Friday 8th of August 2014

I'm hungry - great post.

Lauren | Justin Plus Lauren

Saturday 16th of August 2014

Thank you! :)