Amazing food on the east coast, Part 2 Philly

I’m a little behind on getting out this post! I’ve been back a month now from my 5 week book tour, but I’m still dreaming about all the delish food I had on the east coast! Philly really surprised me with it’s variety of vegan options. When I first got to Philly I was greeted by the cozy home of Allyson of Manifest Vegan. She had a variety of dishes for us along with some chocolate cupcakes. Now that was a special welcome (Did you know her book is available now? You better run over to Amazon and get you one)!

Mi Lah in Philadelphia was one of my favorite places on my whole trip. I had the pleasure of having brunch with the From A to Vegan team before our interview. Then I grabbed a quick lunch there with Kate before my interview with WHYY (a PBS show which will air in July sometime). Their menu is very creative, bridging many different ethnicities. The brunch was especially delicious with waffles, french toast, biscuits and gravy and pancakes filling the menu.

I try not to eat pizza too much because all the gluten and Daiya cheese makes me bloated, but you can’t leave the east coast without trying pizza! Blackbird Pizzeria has the best pizza I’ve yet to try in my life. We went with the Haymaker which had perfectly thin crust, layers of cheese and seitan, garlic butter, and red sauce.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Jennifer from Kidoing.com while in Philly and she took me to Memphis Taproom (if you are a parent you must subscribe to her blog!). She said it was a pub with vegan options (clearly marked on the menu). I had no idea what I was getting myself into going to a pub with 2 kids in the middle of the afternoon, but I trusted her. We started with the Hefeweizen Hummus (picture below). Dare I say it’s the best hummus I’ve had in my life? It could have been the battered and deep-fried chickpeas served on top and the lovely array of veggies along side the pita bread. For entrees I had the seitan shepherd pie and Jennifer had the Smoke Coconut Club. Her sandwich had marinated and fried coconut strips for the bacon. She let me have a bite and it was most definitely the best club I’ve ever had. Note to self: make coconut bacon asap!

And I went to Sweet Freedom Bakery twice while in Philly. I couldn’t resist their guiltless treats! Check out this interview I did with them for the HappyCow Blog and a video with the co-owner Heather. Each visit I tried many things, all of which I loved. If you are used to sugar-laden white flour baked goods you may not be a fan of their healthier counterparts. Since I bake at home with whole grain and gluten-free flours and alternative sweeteners I felt right at home. Below you’ll see their cinnamon roll, banana chocolate cupcake, and the samoa cupcake in the back (my favorite!).

I ate at SO many places on my trip, many of which didn’t get a mention. Philly was a very close second to New York City during my travels. Just know that if you are traveling on the east coast you will be set for vegan food! Don’t forget to visit HappyCow when planning your next trip!

How you been to Philly before? What is your favorite place to eat? What are your favorite touristy things to do there? Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to get your free Cooking With The Seasons eBook!