I was recently introduced to the concept of vegan “fast food” restaurants. I knew that they existed in various locations in Europe. However, I had not realized that such a place exists in The United States.

My goal this past weekend was to take a quick, day trip by bus to New York City to experience this interesting phenomenon. Foodswings is an all-vegan, fast food restaurant in the Brooklyn neighborhood of New York.

It brought me back to my youth. As a vegetarian child, I was unable to find much to eat at the typical fast food restaurants. French fries were my only option, not knowing that they may have been cooked in animal fat. I could not partake in a full meal with my family or classmates at these establishments.

However, during my summertime jaunts to the beach or ocean, I had a bit of envy. It seemed like everyone around me was enjoying seafood or clams. Living fairly close to the New England coastline, there was little for me to eat while at the oceanside with family or friends.

When I first heard of Foodswings, I knew that this was a place I just had to visit and see for myself! Upon arrival, I noticed its cool atmosphere and being a “step up” in eclectic value from your average fast food joint! The menu was vast and I mean EXTREMELY huge selections!! I was so ecstatic to find this place!!

What to choose..My oh My!! ..Diners can select from such items as chicken nuggets, buffalo wings, potato skins, nachos, sausage hero subs, burgers, hot dogs, rueben sandwiches, egg sandwiches, and on and on!! Of course, every item is vegan. It is the vegan version of standard, fast food fare that carnivores have been enjoying for years but for which vegans have been deprived until now. For example, the idea of a meat hot dog is replaced by a soy version.They even serve desserts such as vegan coconut cake and several vegan soymilk shakes. Each of the vegan items even resemble their carnivorous couterparts. This is a great restaurant for former carnivores new to the vegan scene and  for long time vegans too!

After much review of this expansive, wonderful menu, I made my decisions. For lunch, I selected the vegan, “A Diggity” hot dog with cheese, saurkraut, and relish and a side order of potato skins with bacon and sour cream. Words can not express how delicious everything was! Each morsel of the hot dog was a bite of tasty goodness which was only made even better with the great toppings. I am convinced that carnivores would love it and not even crave its counterpart! The potato skins were wonderfully cheesy and melted in your mouth. It was a wonderful lunch!

At dinnertime, I opted for the Fish N Chips and Buffalo Wings. The fish sticks were neither too moist or too dry. They were done just right! The tartar sauce was a nice complement to the meal and very tasty indeed. The side order of fries was healthier and tastier than what you would find at your average fast food joint! I chose two varieties of wings, including the buffalo wings and BBQ wings. They were served with an amazing vegan, blue cheese sauce. The breaded buffalo wings were delicious. The BBQ wings were smoothered in a wonderfully spicy sauce. I loved both!! I was extremely pleased with all of my selections this day!

All I can say is W-O-W!!

Foodswings (www.foodswings.net) is an absolutely fantastic fast food restaurant!! It gets an A-1 rating in my book!! I highly recommend it. No vegan should visit New York with making a stop at this wonderfully unique place with the most scrumptious vegan, fast food!!

Foodswings:

Address:

295 Grand Street Brooklyn, New York

Hours:

 Sunday – Monday 11:30am to 11pm. Tuesday – Thurs 11:30am to 12am. Fri – Sat 11:30am to 2am. Sunday 11:30am to 11pm

a