Toronto-area vegan comfort food restaurant Doomie’s is continuing to make headlines, as the newly opened eatery is attracting hours-long lines of hungry diners waiting to get their hands on its indulgent fare—including a notorious spin on a McDonald’s Big Mac. “We are trying to defy all vegan stereotypes,” communications and event manager Cara Galloway said. “We have a contemporary space, great cocktails, top 40s and ‘90s hip-hop music, and we offer comfort food everyone wants to eat.” In addition to an array of arcade games, Doomie’s also boasts “the world’s first vegan selfie room,” complete with popular Vegan Sidekick comics as wallpaper. Top sellers so far include fried mac ‘n’ cheese balls served with ranch and barbecue sauces, a pickle-pulled pork-mac and cheese sandwich, a veganized cookie-pizza pie hybrid, and boozy Oreo milkshakes. The big draw, however, is the Vegan Mac Daddy—a “secret menu” item made with two non-beef patties, a vegan mayonnaise-based special sauce, shredded lettuce, house-made vegan American cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun, all served in familiar red-and-white paper box alongside French fries and a drink. Doomie’s is just one of the latest vegan fast-food establishments setting out to revolutionize the way America eats, following Veggie Grill, Middle Eastern eatery Shouk, and mega-popular fast-casual concept by CHLOE.

Photo courtesy of Gabby Frank