People have odd trepidation when it comes to vegan food. I think that may be due in part to a culture that at times makes itself inaccessible to outsiders. Most vegan restaurants I’ve been to cater to a sort of neo-punk atmosphere that could easily make omnivorous tourists uncomfortable. Enter Flora, a restaurant that touts itself as the restaurant that is “as vegan as you want to be,” a remedy to the dilemma.

As I walk up the stairs and through the entryway, the whole space feels bright and inviting. The bright walls and sparse furniture, lit naturally on one side by large glass windows overlooking the bustling Whole Foods, play to my affinity for contemporary minimalism. Accenting the room all over are vibrant green plants- a sort of indoor garden atmosphere that makes the atmosphere seem not only visually clean, but healthy.

The greeter smiles as I enter, and asks a waiter to bring me to my table. The whole staff speaks softly and quietly, in a way that’s oddly reminiscent of a health spa. As we leave the foyer and journey into the main dining hall, I feel as if I am walking through the opening credits to a movie. The room is filled with people chatting about nothing in particular, in a way that is pleasing rather than overwhelming. Behind a full cocktail bar on the far wall in lush, mossy green letters is the restaurant’s namesake: Flora.

I’m seated in another dining hall, just beyond the first. It’s around the same size, but slightly quieter, save for the crackle of a fireplace just by the entrance. A copy of the Atlas Obscura lays on the mantle, and a big brown sofa sits across the front, with a neutral-looking throw draped immaculately haphazardly across one side. My companion arrives shortly thereafter, and all I can do is remark on how cozy and inviting the whole place seems. I feel more like I’ve been invited into someone’s living room than an actual restaurant.

“The thing about vegan restaurants is that they don’t have laurels to rest on,” my companion muses over his meal, a grilled ‘cheese,’ toasted and gooey, filling even just to look at. “They won’t mess up because they don’t have the option. You don’t get the benefit of knowing how something is supposed to taste, it just has to be good.”

In a sense, I guess he’s right. Although it’s common to see vegan substitutes for non-vegan foods, most meals I’ve had hold qualities that seem unmistakably vegan; the pleasant sponginess of mushrooms and tofu and seitan, the moist grittiness of ground chickpeas, the surprisingly extra earthiness that the greens seem to exhibit. Flora’s menu may contain names that are familiar to omnivores, but it caters to the vegan flavor palette, and it does it well. The falafel wrap I’ve ordered is one of the better ones I’ve had; warm and grainy, but not dry or overly crunchy, and amazingly tasting and feeling like something that might actually be good for me (if it isn’t, please don’t tell me. I want to maintain the illusion).

Flora has a couple extra dollar signs on yelp, but its clean, domestic atmosphere makes it a lovely place for a date, or to catch up with friends.

45 Raymond Rd, West Hartford, CT 06107

floraweha.net