David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi debuted a veggie burger for meat eaters Wednesday, and so far opinions are divided between incredulous and disgusted

There was no blood at the worldwide debut of the Impossible Burger, a fake meat startup’s $80m investment to see if a meat-free burger substitute could convince meat eaters to choose plants over animals.

The burger is not meant for vegetarians like me. It is meant to sway carnivores towards a more environmentally friendly, plant-based product.

And at lunchtime on Wednesday, Impossible Foods seemed to have achieved its goal. John Falco, a self-described burger snob, said the burger was “close enough and good enough” to a meat burger. “Absolutely, I would eat it again,” he said.

Darren Gruber, who also eats meat, agreed. “If I could have this without eating an animal, that’s great,” he said.

It was fitting that a veggie burger for meat eaters launched at Momofuku Nishi in New York City, a part of chef David Chang’s trendy Momofuku empire, which includes a restaurant whose menu once proudly declared: “We do not serve vegetarian-friendly items here.”

Momofuku Nishi presented the burger, which is $12, in a classic 1950s style – wrapped in paper topped with tomato, pickle, American cheese and special sauce.

It looks like a burger, tastes like a burger – but it's a plant Read more

The server asked if I wanted mine pink or cooked through, and while I opted for rare, the burger was not bloody (though spurts of ruby red faux blood were mixed into the muscle-like fibers).

After the first bite, I felt like I had ended a more than six-year-long streak of not eating meat. The sear was thick and crunchy and I experienced that familiar, salty, fatty taste that I believed could only come from an animal. The saltiness lingered after a handful of french fries, and well after leaving the restaurant.

I was so distressed by the salty aftertaste – how could a plant-based food taste like this! – that I checked in with Gruber, who said he did not notice it, confirming my response was psychosomatic.

But not everyone was impressed.

The New York Post’s Steve Cuozzo, who tried the burger a day before the worldwide debut, said the sandwich was “a burger I wouldn’t pay 80 cents for”.



Cuozzo said the “crumbly, thin patty” had “a slightly gristly texture, meh mouth feel and scarcely more bogus-beef quality than that of common veggie burgers made from grains and legumes”.

But if the opening day is any indication, the scales look to be tilting in Impossible Foods’ favor. The chatter inside Nishi was about what the company could make next. And Chang told reporters on Tuesday that he had also experimented with the faux meat in dumplings and meatloaf.

Gruber said the burger was delicious but wanted to try the product in his own kitchen, where he could mold it to his own personal burger liking.

And if Impossible Foods were to successfully expand its culinary offerings, Falco was happy to choose a more sustainable, healthier product over meat items. He said: “If they could make a steak, I’m sold.”