Opening a vegan restaurant inherently offers plenty of inherent benefits. Primarily, they allow an opportunity to cater to a variety of dietary needs without requiring substitutions in a menu.
Although most vegan restaurants aren’t kosher, the process to gaining a hechsher isn’t nearly as intensive as meat or dairy restaurants. Nat Milner, who has been part of the restaurant scene for 25 years noticed that although many restaurants are moving towards more efficient business models, vegan restaurants haven’t joined the trend.
With the help of Chef Hiranth Jaysinghe, the two decided to offer a plant-based restaurant that operates efficiently while maintaining quality ingredients. Most notably, the pair decided to open Plant Junkie as a kosher establishment. The restaurant offers American comfort food with Sri Lankan roots that is environmentally-conscious in Lower Manhattan, just outside the South Street Seaport area.
Plant Junkie offers a variety of bowls, sandwiches and salads. Notable dishes include the Sri Lankan Karma Bowl, which is seitan and chickpea curry with yellow basmati rice, coconut kale, and crispy papadum, in addition to a low country bowl, which is a pile of buffalo nuggets with cornbread, coleslaw, garlic broccoli and crispy shallots.
Sandwiches include flavors from all over the country like the Po Boy Swag, which is southern-fried sietan, lettuce, tomato, chipotle mayo, onion, and pickles served on a vegan pretzel bun and the urban junkie, which is a classic pea protein burger with vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and ketchup on a vegan pretzel bun.
It’s open Tuesday – Thursday from noon to 8 p.m., and Friday. It is kosher certified by the International Kosher Council. Plant Junkie is located at 226 Front St. in New York, in Lower Manhattan’s South Street Seaport district.
The restaurant’s food is available via online ordering apps including Clover, UberEats, GrubHub, and DoorDash.
