Farmacy Vegan Kitchen makes food-loving vegans happy
Inside of the Farmacy Vegan Kitchen is a seating area, open ceilings and a bistro. Next to the bistro, there are shelves with various packaged goods for sale, and a seating area with large windows nearby.
When I first made the decision to go vegan a little under a year ago, my friends and parents assured me I was out of my mind – mostly due to the assumption of it being difficult to find places I would be able to eat.
Although I have been vegan for a while and know my way around menus, it’s hard to find a place where I can order anything without having to worry about it having animal products in it. For anyone in a similar situation as me – or just anyone looking for a modern restaurant with savory food and lovely atmosphere – Farmacy Vegan Kitchen in downtown Tampa is the place to go.
Although I don’t get to go downtown often, this restaurant is my first choice to dine at when I do go. The numerous amounts of baked goods they have are so good, and the bistro is to die for – the best part being that every single item on the menu is vegan. To others, this may not be as big of a deal, but to a long-time vegan, finding a restaurant that has more than one or two options (which tend to usually be dry salads) is a godsend.
One of the many food options at the Farmacy Vegan Kitchen is the Jerk Tofu Wrap which contains baked tofu, corn, mango salsa, broccoli slaw and an avocado cream on a wheat tortilla. Everything ordered from this restaurant is made with no animal products.
My personal favorites from the menu are the Avocado BLT Wrap and the California Cuban. From the bakery, I usually get the strawberry coconut donut if they have it. If you’re more of a smoothie kind of person, they have a good amount of those on the menu, too. Although the items are slightly pricey – the lighter fare ranges around $10, and the bistro around $12 – the cost is well worth the high-quality food you get.
Alongside the savory food choices, the atmosphere in the restaurant is pleasant as well. It’s located inside the Duckweed Grocery Store, which mostly carries health-based or organic foods, (which is exciting to a useless vegan like me). The high-rising, open ceilings and cozy seating arrangements add to the many reasons I love eating there. Potted plants decorate the exterior and inside the restaurant, and there is a softly-bubbling fish tank in the seating area. There’s also the fact that it’s located next to Kahwa Coffee, and if you’re a caffeine addict like I am, you’ll want to stop in and get a coffee after you eat.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this restaurant for anyone – vegan or otherwise – looking for a new food stop to frequent. The rest of Tampa could do well learning from the example set by Farmacy – hopefully setting an example for more vegan restaurants to come.