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In celebration of November as World Wide Vegan Month, I decided to get my veganism on. South Florida is slowly crawling its way into vegan territory. The Hungry Black Man team has noticed that locales outside of our native Miami have embraced vegetarianism and now veganism as a natural part of their culinary landscapes. For years, I’ve enjoyed vegetarian meals from my Rastafarian friends, whose diets embrace a healthier style of eating, but even their delicious entrees did not touch The New Vegan in Delray Beach with a 6 foot pole.

Just steps away from the inter-coastal, The New Vegan is inside a swagged out shopping plaza at 528 NE 2nd St, Delray Beach, FL 33483. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with wood work throughout with LED screens that double as both television and computer monitors with a keyboard for surfing the web with free wifi.

Rahein and Patricia Jones, who have been happily married for 19 blessed years, opened this eatery almost 4 years ago with the intent to bring their home cooking for 5 kids to the masses. Yes, you heard right, they were very fruitful. I was ready to get right into eating because you know if they’re able to feed 5 kids vegan food daily, this s#@% is going to be good.

Rahein passionately explained that he and his wife decided to become vegan to be more health conscious. Originally from New York, the couple relocated to South Florida in hopes of creating a better life for their little ones.

“The process was real hard for me at first. My bathroom usage was crazy, and I was not liking the vegan food I was eating, so I decided to do something about it and create meals that I would enjoy, and not just force myself to eat,” Rahein confessed as I looked at the dishes rolling out the kitchen. Because I had a great vegan experience at Detroit Vegan Soul, I had a reference point to judge this new spot.

The menu is surprisingly extensive as far as vegan options are concerned. I felt like starting with something to open my palate and stomach, so I ordered the House Fruit Smoothie ($8), made with absolutely NO ICE and packed with frozen pineapples, strawberries, and mangoes with a splash of fresh pressed apple juice. Taking one sip of this, I felt like King Mansa Musa!

I asked Cameraman Korey to snap a shot so I could burn this memory and taste in my mind. Lord have mercy, I wish I had some Toast Vodka or Hendricks Gin to add to this masterpiece. It would have had me walking my black ass to the water (which is literally walking distance from the restaurant) to contemplate my life. This MUST HAVE is more sorbet than smoothie.

I ordered the half portion of the Belgian Waffles ($7) from the brunch menu. Made with quinoa and brown rice flour, these waffles were served with fruits, veg butter and drizzled w/ organic maple syrup. The texture of the waffles is a little different because they are gluten free. The taste was a natural sweet with hits of cinnamon and vanilla. Everything in this spot is free of everything that kills you or may be allergic to, including soy, gluten, artificial flavorings and thankfully, they use no tofu – of which I am not a fan. Anyway, I would order this daily for breakfast with a side of bacon or sausage, oh s%$@, I’m sorry, a side of chickpea sausage. (Forgive me swine, I will be back to your glorious light shortly….just kidding…or am I?)

Next we moved on to the half portion of the Cinnamon French Toast ($7) made with two slices of gluten free bread dipped in a creamy almond milk cinnamon batter-topped with fruits and drizzled w/ organic maple syrup. Yep, you guessed it! AMAZING! Both brunch items were on the sweet side, but I absolutely love sweets. If you aren’t a sugar bear, ask for the syrup on the side. The French toast was a great meshing of cinnamon flavors and buttery heartiness. Both the French Toast and the waffles are MUST HAVES. I enjoyed both, but the French Toast was fie!

Now it was time to get real. The place is so nice that I asked the staff of the family operated business to share a meal with me, given that they were about to close. They obliged and our team had a phenomenal meal with these amazing people. I was happy that we were able to discuss in detail their business along with an amazing product that they created, which deserves an entirely new article by itself. I’ll just say it is truly groundbreaking and these people will be on their way to the big leagues when this product permeates the market.

I love to go to family run businesses and have meals with the creators themselves because it’s so rewarding to hear the stories behind the food. This lovable group made us feel like family. Patricia’s brother and Chef Bishme Williams and his lovely wife General Manager Michele Hayes walked around the place greeting customers and making sure they’re enjoying their food.

I ordered the Falafel Pasta Salad ($16) (served warm w/ salad) which consists of quinoa pasta, organic spring mix, tomato, vegenaise, sun dried tomatoes, blend of herbs and chopped falafel. By the way all meals are served with a delicious Organic Curry Brown Rice or salad, but I would recommend the rice. The pasta was incredible. Again, each fresh ingredient was present and kicked the hell out of my taste buds. The pasta texture was nice and consistent with a unique taste that reminded me of an Italian green pesto based pasta. This is a MUST HAVE. So much so that I went to the restroom to pray as I normally do because I knew The Hungry Black Man was about to start gorging and embarrass myself in front of this beautiful family:

Lord, I bind that gluttonous spirit right now! I will not be embarrassed because of my lack of control in front of these people. The Hungry Black Man will be successful and respected for my commentary, and not because I can’t control myself around awesome food. My mother raised me better than this, and this is nothing but the Devil. I thank you for your deliverance and continued grace.

I returned to the table, only to find the pasta gone. Cameraman Korey allowed the Devil to use him in devouring the entire thing. The family laughed as he wiped the last piece from his possessed mouth. It was okay, because I had been delivered and continued on my review. I put in an order for two separate burgers. The first was their Patty Palm Cakes ($17) which was Palm Toona grilled into a perfect patty served w/ our spicy boom boom sauce…crab cakes vegan style! This tastes like a crab cake, plain and simple. I enjoyed it along with the rice it comes with.

The next burger was the show stopper that actually won The Boca Raton Burger Festival – even stacked against carnivore blessed options. The Grill Master Burger ($16) made with chickpeas and topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and a house made mayo served with the curry rice. It can be ordered with a salad, but I stuck with the rice because it’s delicious. I can honestly see why this burger is an award winning burger. It was refreshing that it was so tasty without trying to imitate meat, but to what it is, a BURGER OF THE EARTH! Yes, this scrumptious, juicy, moist entrée will have you coming back again and again because it’s good as f#%@. An important note, you can build your own burger and even add toppings like: zucchini bacon, vegan cheese, onion, tomatoes, pickles, and any of your favorite homemade condiments.

Finally for dessert we ordered the Walnut Brownie Delight ($11) made with flax seed and cacao, walnuts, w/ ice cream & fresh nuts. You can taste the pure cacao and the freshness of this dessert. It was decadent and had pieces of raspberries throughout that, when incorporated with the chocolate, was heavenly. It also included sprinkles of shaved coconut that I absolutely loved. I ordered a scoop of ice cream on the top to really set it off. Definitely a MUST HAVE!

The New Vegan provides great service, good food and is one of the best vegan cuisine I’ve had in South Florida. The family atmosphere and caring staff makes you feel welcomed – like family. The restaurant offers cooking classes for newly converted vegans and veterans who want to try different recipes and cooking techniques. You can find a wealth of educational information, cooking tips, and their groundbreaking product at their website, www.thenewvegan.com. They also have a food truck that attends events throughout the state, just recently traveling to an outdoor vegetarian festival. If you’re in Miami-Dade or Broward County, it is definitely worth the drive. And with the free parking and the beach just steps away, you can make a weekend out of it. This place gets 10 out of 10 from The Hungry Black Man and is definitely Hungry Black Man Approved.

The New Vegan Restaurant

Phone: (561) 404-5301

Address: 528 NE 2nd St, Delray Beach, FL 33483