Vol. CI | Spring | Issue II

Hello everyone, and welcome to our column: plant-Based, where we, as vegetarians, are going to talk about the foods and restaurants near us! Our specific brand of vegetarian is no meat (no fish and marshmallows!) and no egg if it is visible (no to omelets, yes to cookies). For this issue, we’re going to give you our top restaurants — ones that we recommend everyone try, even if you have no dietary restrictions at all. 

Brick City Vegan

Brick City Vegan is a 100% vegan, American-style restaurant located on Broad Street. While writing this spread, we started craving it and absolutely had to order it for lunch. What we love most about this place — besides the fact everything is made from scratch every day — is their commitment to flavor. We’ve unfortunately had MANY bland and dry “veggie burgers” from other restaurants, but Brick City Vegan’s food completely redefined burgers for us. Our favorite is their iconic Black-Eyed Pea burger, which is drenched in their homemade sauces, making every bite so savorable. The burger also comes with a side of salad, which is a hit or miss depending on whether or not they remember to put dressing or vegetables (we literally got a box of plain spring mix leaves once!) Now, we’re not Beyond Meat people (it’s just a little too real), but those options are available as well. They also offer power bowls, smoothies, teas, biscuits, sandwiches, and delicious cookies. We highly recommend the mint tea! The only downside to this place is that it can be pricey, but we recommend you give it a shot and let it change your life!

The Green Chicpea

The Green Chicpea is a delicious local Mediterranean spot on Halsey Street. Now, while you can get a platter from the various food trucks on campus, THESE hit differently. Aakanksha’s regular order is a veggie platter with falafel, hummus, tabouli salad, Moroccan potato salad, and a side of pita with garlic mayo sauce and spicy green S’chug. Shout out to them for having a stacked combo and never skimping on portions! Falafel can fall victim to being dry and crumbly, but not this one! This falafel is consistently soft, moist, and well-seasoned. Now let’s talk about all these sides. The hummus could use slightly more salt, but amidst the combination of the falafel, pita, and other sides, you don’t really notice. Tabouli salad is quite a polarizing dish, but the acidity and tang elevate a simple bite of pita bread with falafel and hummus smeared on it. Now, the most unique thing in my platter is the Moroccan potato salad. We are not potato salad people, but this one is spiced and NOT mayo-based (we’re big mayo haters, sorry!) However, the garlic mayo here is not like other girls. It’s more of a thin sauce that, when combined with the green S’chug (which has a considerable kick to it), is great on the platter. Lastly, they also have fun house-made lemonades, such as a piña colada lemonade, that are also delicious. Overall, the Green Chicpea is a great vegetarian value spot with meat options as well, so it’s perfect for all of your friends!

Veggie Heaven

Veggie Heaven is the OG vegan restaurant for us. Rashi’s 16th birthday was hosted there, because I wanted everyone to experience it. What this place specializes in is Asian food, but more importantly, DUPES of classic dishes everyone knows and loves. This is where you go if you’ve ever wanted to know what General Tso’s tastes like! Now, we mentioned earlier that we’re not Beyond Meat people, but something about this place is just different. We’ve gone here so many times we’ve lost count, and there are multiple locations for y’all to try, though our favorite is Denville! Their menu has endless options, but the most noteworthy item is their sushi. We can NEVER have sushi for obvious reasons, and we think vegetarian/vegan people deserve more than just an avocado/cucumber/carrot roll. At Veggie Heaven, we can get anything from a Philadelphia Roll to a Crispy Veggie Crab Roll to one of their house special Fireball Rolls, which contains spicy tuna, avocado, Thai spicy sauce, and spicy mayo. The entrees are all unique and delicious, and they’re great value because you’ll almost always have leftovers. Don’t skip the starters here, because who doesn’t love dumplings? We’ve been going to Veggie Heaven for nearly a decade, and there’s still so much of the menu left to try, so we recommend you start exploring it yourself the next time you’re craving some Asian food. It’s worth the drive!

We hope you all enjoyed reading about the range that vegetarian food can have ⏤ it’s not just sad salads, we swear! Check in next time to read about new places we’re trying with our honest reviews. Also, if y’all want to keep up with more of our eats, feel free to follow us on the app Beli (@aakankshaa and @rashimatha)! Let us know if you try any of our recommendations or have any for us on the app!