Welcome to the fourth stop of the Princeton Plant-Based Food Tour! This week we are hitting it off by exploring the vegetarian and vegan on-the-go options, as always highlighting the accessibility, cost, taste, plant-based ‘friendliness’ and creativity of the different restaurants on Nassau and in the vicinity. We hope that reading this post may inspire you to venture out to get some plant-based goodness, and next week we will be bringing you a review of Princeton’s high-end restaurants!
Jammin’ Crepes – Most Locally-Sourced Food
Price: $$
Bang for Your Buck: ★★★★★
Creativity: ★★★★
Plant Forward: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★★
Jammin’ Crepes is, hands down, one of the best, coolest places on Nassau. For starters, they sell homemade preserves – how cool is that? Jammin’ Crepes also have a great focus on sustainability: for example, they source from local farmers and food artisans, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the food that they serve. As I stood in the restaurant waiting for my order of a vegan veggie kimchee crepe, I noticed several posters about reusing and recycling and eating locally on the walls, reflecting the overall sustainability focus of the establishment. The Jammin’ Crepes indoor space is amazing – with wooden decor, their menu displayed on wooden-framed blackboards hanging from the tall ceiling, jars of preserves lining the walls, it is like a funky countryside house in the middle of pretentious Princeton architecture.
The vegan veggie kimchee crepe that I got had roasted cauliflower, kale, kimchee and baby spinach (the cauliflower and kale being the ‘seasonal vegetables’ components of the crepe). A little skeptical about this combination at first, I was astonished at how finger-licking yummy the crepe was. While the kimchee spoke to the pickle- and preserves-making skill of Jammin’ Crepes suppliers, the other greens worked very well together to make this crepe taste more like a home-made savoury pie. Although vegan and hence not containing cheese, the filling was soft and stringy and went well with the crepe itself, which, by the way, despite being gluten-free, was absolutely delicious. The portion size was very big; the kimchee made the crepe moderately spicy and also quite messy to eat, so I was glad I was back in my dorm, able to help myself with a knife and fork. Overall, would 10/10 recommend Jammin’ Crepes as a cool sustainability-focused place on Nassau that serves fantastic crepes!
Small Bites by Local Greek – The Biggest Small Bites
Price: $
Bang for Your Buck: ★★★★★
Plant Forward: ★★★
Taste: ★★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★★
Too tired to make the trek to Local Greek? No worries, Small Bites by Local Greek can satisfy your gyro cravings right on Nassau Street. They offer a vegan gyro that will easily fill you up. It was delicious too, featuring an assortment of vegetables and hummus. It even came with a bonus side dish. I also ordered a side of Greek fries which you can never go wrong with. On top of all this, they gave me a student discount as well, bringing my total to $12 which, for the amount of food I got, was a steal. I would highly recommend checking out Small Bites, especially on a sunny day when you can sit outside while you enjoy your gyro!
Princeton Soup and Sandwich – Cutest Restaurant and Most Complete Meal
Price: $$
Bang for Your Buck: ★★★★
Plant Forward: ★★★
Taste: ★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★★
Despite being located just behind the Nassau Inn in Palmer Square, Princeton Soup and Sandwich is undoubtedly a hidden gem. I ordered my meal (their soup and half sandwich combo, with fresh made lemonade) and immediately received a text saying that it would be ready in 10. I rolled up to the restaurant, which has a really cute little outside seating area, and found my food already ready and waiting for me. My soup was tomato and basil with rice, twinned with their vegetarian gazpacho sandwich. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these items and the tomato soup was especially delicious. Their freshly made lemonade was a really nice addition to the meal, which was finished off with one of their chocolate chip cookies. Ultimately I was left feeling very satisfied with my order; I mean, what more could I have asked for? Overall the Princeton Soup and Sandwich menu doesn’t have a huge amount of vegetarian/vegan options but those that they do have are extremely good. I would definitely urge you to check it out; if not for the food, then for the vibes of the restaurant, which are honestly immaculate!
Say Cheez – Most Cheese Options
Price: $
Bang for Your Buck: ★★★★
Creativity: ★★
Plant Forward: ★★
Taste: ★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★
This week on the plant-based food tour, I went to Say Cheez Cafe. This restaurant primarily serves grilled cheese sandwiches, but offers mac and cheese, empanadas, and soups as well.
There are various grilled cheese sandwiches on the menu, but I chose to build my own. This option means selecting one bread, two cheeses, one topping, and a sauce for a total of $4.95. I chose white bread, pepper jack, mozzarella, and Daiya vegan cheddar cheeses with jalapeno toppings and oil and vinegar sauce. The jalapenos were the highlight of my sandwich. The vegan cheese fell a little short of my expectations, but it was inoffensive and I appreciate it being an option for an extra $1.65. The bread was nicely grilled, the vinegar sauce added a nice acidity, and the sandwich was nicely wrapped for eating wherever.
I also tried the Tiger fries from Say Cheez. These are the standard fries dressed with “homemade Tiger sauce.” I liked the sauce, but it didn’t blow me away. It was creamy and slightly spicy. I mixed the ketchup packets in my takeout bag with the Tiger sauce and I much preferred that combo. The fries themselves were fine, though I would have preferred them to be a little more crispy and salty.
At Say Cheez, there is an acceptable amount of vegetarian options, but the only vegan one is to build a grilled cheese with only the vegan cheese. For non-vegans, two cheeses are free with extras costing more. Moreover, there is no vegetarian or vegan protein option. I received a plastic fork in my takeout bag without asking for one, so comment if you’re able to use reusable utensils.
Say Cheez Cafe is located on the campus side of Nassau Street in the same building as Thomas Sweet. There is outdoor seating, takeout, and delivery. Try the Daiya vegan cheddar cheese to see if you can replace dairy.
Ficus – Best Boba!
Food:
Price: $$$
Bang For Your Buck: ★★
Creativity: ★★★
Plant Forward: ★★
Taste: ★★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★
Boba:
Price: $$
Bang For Your Buck: ★★
Creativity: ★★★
Plant Forward: ★★
Taste: ★★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★
Since we came back to campus, Ficus has been my favourite location to catch up with friends over a drink. This restaurant/cafe opened in January 2021, and so it is most well-known as “the new boba place”. The menu is indeed pretty drink-focused, but they do also offer some light lunch options e.g. ‘lifestyle bowls’ and sandwiches. For instance, a vegan friend of mine whole-heartedly recommends the eggplant sandwich. Sadly, I avoid gluten, so when I went to do the review, I got a Beet and Orange Salad, a Chocolate Croissant (for a friend) and Brown Sugar Boba Milk Tea. The combination was a little strange, due to the limited vegetarian gluten-free options.
The salad came with some goat cheese to sprinkle on top and a zesty dressing that brought out the freshness of the arugula leaves. Not salty, but rather sweet and flavorful, it reminded me of the RoMa beets salad (for those who know it). It was not very filling though, so I probably would not recommend making it your lunch if you are hungry. As for the dessert, my friend said that she really enjoyed the chocolate croissant and to me the boba was, as always, supreme. I will definitely keep coming back to Ficus for the amazing bubble tea that they offer – while they have fewer options than Kung Fu Tea and slightly higher prices, I much prefer Ficus boba and I also love the friendly service and the general atmosphere at Ficus. There is a cafe/serving area on the ground floor, with a seating area for dine-in upstairs and one outside. The restaurant is a good 10 min walk past Green Hall on Nassau, but the yummy drinks more than make up for it and especially on a sunny day the walk provides even more time to chat with friends!
Diesel and Duke – Most Likely to be Cheap and Meatless on Mondays!!
Price: $
Bang for Your Buck: ★★★★★
Creativity: ★★★
Plant Forward: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★★★
Next Monday I highly recommend checking out the Meatless Monday deal at Diesel and Duke. Ordering online I was able to get a Beyond® Burger as a part of their Meatless Monday deal for just $5, a Kale Krunch salad for $3.28, and FREE order of fries! I was satisfied with the amount of food for a low price. The Beyond® Burger didn’t completely fool me like other plant-based burgers, but with all the toppings it gave me the feeling that I was eating a hearty burger. The kale krunch salad was not the freshest, but I appreciated the healthy side option. The free fries were a nice added treat! Overall, they have a variety of plant-based options and on any day of the week their regular burgers can be replaced with a Beyond® patty for just $3. It was super easy to order online and the food was ready in no time.
Olives – Most Options & Best Tasting!
Price: $$
Bang for Your Buck: ★★★★
Creativity: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★★★
Ease of Access: ★★★★★
Olives is a small but reliable stop for grab-and-go, located a short walk down Witherspoon. With a rather large menu, they are sure to have something for both vegetarians and vegans. I ordered the Santa Monica wrap ($9) on the vegetarian specials menu, as well as the baklava ($3), which was described as “the best in town”. I was extremely satisfied with both items. The wrap had an ample filling of hummus and vegetables. The baklava was also surprisingly good, and was not overly sweet, which is a common flaw I find in baklava. I will definitely be coming back to try some of their other menu items, and for the baklava too. Altogether Olives is possibly a somewhat hidden gem on Witherspoon and is definitely worth giving a try despite it being a small shop.
*** We are not food critics, but food enthusiasts. This is in no way intended to be a formal critique or review of any restaurant in Princeton, merely a way to encourage students to try more plant-based options when dining out.