Dish the Dirt: NYC Restaurants that Embrace The Dirty Vegan Lifestyle

*Article from Lexington Line’s Spring/Summer 2022 Issue, pages 24-26

Check out the full issue here

When you think of veganism, what comes to mind? Bland tofu? Boring salads? What about chili cheese fries, tacos and pizza?

As veganism grows in popularity, many people have begun to challenge what it truly means to be vegan, resulting in the concept of dirty veganism: that is, eating junk food that is free of animal products.

In New York City, more and more restaurants are surfacing whose menus exclusively serve delectably dirty vegan dishes. I decided to go out and try these unique eats—as a meat eater—and see just what the dirty vegan lifestyle is all about.

Spicy Moon

The first restaurant on our roster is Spicy Moon Szechuan, a vegetarian restaurant with locations in both the West and East Villages. Spicy Moon serves up classic Szechuan cuisine with very limited use of animal products.

When I first entered the neon pink dining room, I was warmly welcomed by the staff and seated promptly. The restaurant's overall ambiance was youthful and eclectic, with fun art on the walls and modern pop songs playing. The walls feature numerous collages possessing their own whimsical themes—my personal favorite was the disco-themed nook with reflective streamers and strobe lights.

The menu offers everything from a Spicy Tofu Bao Bun to your classic Veggie Fried Rice with Beyond Meat. I opted for the Kung Pao Style—which comes with either tofu or fried mixed vegetables—as well as Cold Sesame noodles and Fried vegetable Dumplings.

As they brought out the Kung Pao Style plate, I couldn't help but notice its enticingly tangy scent. When I dug in, I was struck by the crispiness of the fried breading immediately. The sauce had a subtle kick that complemented the fried food nicely without making the dish soggy. Each bite had me coming back for more and made me forget that I wasn’t eating meat.

The Fried Vegetable Dumplings—with a kale-based filling—had a light and refreshing, yet flavorful taste. A zesty aftertaste made it the perfect palette cleanser—despite being greasy and fried. The overall combination of greasiness and zestiness combined to encapsulate a perfect dirty vegan dish.

The dish that ended up being a disappointment, however, was the Cold Sesame Noodles, which were bland and rather dry. The sauce used for the noodles had a rather peculiar and scratchy texture that had me reaching for my water. Skip this one.

Spicy Moon is fairly affordable, with prices ranging from $3.50 for a quick bite to $19.95 for a full-sized dish. The portion sizes are also perfect for sharing.

Overall, Spicy Moon’s indulgent menu is the perfect introduction to dirty veganism and will make any meat-eater forget that they’re eating a plant-based meal.

Marty’s VBurgers

Next up, we have the small yet illustrious Marty’s VBurgers, a fast food spot in Midtown East that is home to a variety of greasy all-American classics that are 100% vegan. If you are wondering, Marty is actually a real person who’s dedicated his life to making veganism more accessible.

MartyV’s is quaint—to be expected from a fast-food-style establishment—with fairly simplistic theming. The only place to sit is a cozy two-seat table just outside. The staff was very kind and quite accommodating towards customers.

With tons of mouth-watering options like animal style fries, drumsticks, and chick’n sandwiches, I had plenty of deliciousness to choose from. In the end I of course had to go with their World Famous Burger as well as their Cajun Mac.

The highly anticipated burger lived up to its name, with a rich smoky flavor with a subtle sweetness which surprisingly fit well with the overall burger. The patty itself is an in-house made Beyond burger—which you can also purchase in-store to make at home—that has a fantastically smooth texture that many veggie patties often lack. The slight char of the patty in combination with the gooey vegan cheese and crispy lettuce made for an overall fantastic burger.

When it came to the Mac & “Cheese,” the flavor was quite unexpected. At first, the intoxicating aroma of cajun spices piqued my interest, but when I began digging in, something was amiss. Though the overall flavor was tasty—reminiscent of Knorr’s Herb and Butter Rice—it had no resemblance to the classic Mac and Cheese taste.

Overall, this burger joint is worth a visit. With an incredibly smoky burger and an overall price that won't break the bank, Marty’s will win you over and have you craving a v-burger rather than a real one.

Screamer’s Pizzeria

This Greenpoint pizza place opened in 2016 and is serving up all-vegan slices as well as other pizzeria staples like garlic knots and calzones.

When you walk into Screamer’s Pizzeria, you’ll get the vibe of any typical NY pizza joint, with the yeasty aroma of fresh pizza dough baking in the back. The staff was generally pleasant as well, offering their own recommendations for what to order.

The menu—written on a mirror wall—has a nice variety of all the classics as well as pies unique to the place, such as their Screamer slice. I decided on a slice of classic cheese and a slice of their Clean Slide Pizza—a regular base slice with long hot pepper, pesto, broccolini, and seitan sausage.

The crust was the perfect amount of golden brown, with a crispy exterior and fluffy interior. The cheese was also a big hit, retaining a relatively cheesy taste rarely found in vegan cheese. The sweetness of the tomato sauce was perhaps my favorite part of both slices, as it added a pleasantness to the overall eating experience.

The Clean Slide Slice had a very unique taste, with all of the toppings’ flavors melting together perfectly. Not to mention the little kick that comes from the pepper. My main quip with both slices, however, was that you could tell that the single slice pies had been sitting out for a while; I could taste the aging in the brittleness of the cheese.

Screamer’s is somewhat expensive at five dollars for a single slice. But the pricing is reflected in their food, as the immensely high quality ingredients used and the decently large size of the slice are undeniable.

Ultimately, I left Screamer’s Pizzeria with a sense of indifference. This is a fantastic spot for vegan individuals looking slice, but pales in comparison to a regular pizza place.

Van Leeuwen

The final stop on my dirty vegan tour is Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. Though not entirely vegan, this ice creamery carries over 20 different vegan flavors. With locations spanning across all cities, Van Leeuwen has quickly become every vegan's go-to scoop.

No matter which location you go to, the overall atmosphere is clean, yet colorful, with pastels and subtle ice cream motifs adorning the parlor. The sweet scent of vanilla from the waffle cones filled the space and set the mood. There are quite a few seating options both inside and outside, though this varies from location to location. The staff was also very accommodating when it came to taste testing flavors.

Van Leeuwen offers an immense list of flavors, but the vegan options were limited, and most were sold out, which I suppose is a good sign. There were only four flavors available, each with a base of either oat milk, coconut milk, or cashew milk.

The flavors I landed on were the Churro and Fudge made with oat milk and the Cookie Crumble Strawberry Jam made with cashew milk. Both were incredibly creamy and had a smooth, rich consistency. You can also tell that the ice cream is made with high quality ingredients.

Of the two, the absolute standout was the vegan Cookie Crumble Strawberry Jam scoop. This flavor is on the sweeter side but is balanced by refreshing strawberry clusters. This in combination with the crunch of the cookie chunks created an excellent texture, making this flavor shine.

The Churro and Fudge scoop, on the other hand, was more of a miss for me. The mixture of the super sweet fudge swirl and the cinnamon ice cream was a bit overbearing. Overall, this flavor was super heavy, and I was only able to have a few bites.

As expected, the pricing was quite high: around $6 for a single scoop. However, the high quality ingredients as well as the creamy and delicious flavors—rare for vegan ice cream—makes for a great option.

Unsurprisingly, Van Leeuwen lives up to its reputation, serving as a wonderful plant-based alternative for the sweet treat.

So, after tasting all that the dirty vegan diet has to offer, the question comes: Would I turn to veganism now that it can be dirty? To be frank, no. But this has definitely opened my eyes to the vastness of plant-based eating. Moving forward I will undoubtedly opt for vegan options every now and again.