Erin McDowell/Business Insider
This is what it's like to eat at the only Veggie Grill in New York City.
- Veggie Grill opened its first location in Irvine, California, in 2006. Readers of VegNews voted Veggie Grill their favorite vegan chain in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and it has developed a huge following on the West Coast.
- The chain has since expanded to include locations in and around northern and southern California; Chicago, Illinois; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Portland, Oregon; and now New York City.
- I paid a visit to Veggie Grill's new location in the Flatiron District of New York City to see what all the fuss was about - and whether the food could actually convince me to go vegan.
- Overall, I was impressed by the food and welcoming, clean atmosphere. However, I was surprised that although the food looked and tasted healthy, some of the menu items ended up having a higher calorie count than I was expecting.
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Veggie Grill has amassed a collection of famous fans since the vegan fast-casual chain first opened its doors in 2006.
From television stars to well-known vegan celebrities, the West Coast-based vegan food spot has a dedicated following.
Perhaps a testament to the quality of the chain's food, many Veggie Grill customers don't follow a strictly vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based diet.
"Many people ask me if there are enough vegetarians to go to Veggie Grill. But 70% to 80% of any of our restaurants' business is not vegetarian. We don't expect you to come to Veggie Grill all the time. You'll go have your fish sandwiches or burgers, but you'll come to Veggie Grill on your rotation. We get people who just want to eat in the better-for-you space. This is a theme in America, now, I think," Veggie Grill's former chief energizing officer Greg Dollarhyde said in a 2016 interview with Nation's Restaurant News.
As Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods products further expand into fast-food establishments, restaurants, and grocery stores nationwide, it should come as no surprise that Veggie Grill is similarly expanding its locations eastward to Chicago, Boston, and now New York.
I paid a visit to Veggie Grill's new location in the Flatiron District of New York City to see whether the vegan fast-casual chain lives up to the hype - and whether the food is so good, it could convince an everyday meat-eater like myself to eat vegan more often.
Here's what it's like to eat at Veggie Grill's newest East Coast location.