Vegan

Katerina Seigel, who's turned blogging about her plant-based lifestyle into a career, shares her favorite spots to grab a bite to eat in Philly.

Philly-based influencer and blogger Katerina Seigel gave us her top local vegan spots to dine out in Philly. / Photograph courtesy of Katerina Seigel

Ever since I can remember, I have struggled with stomach issues.

From the time I was a young kid up until college, I felt sick all the time. I visited a lot of doctors, and each time they found nothing wrong. I became so frustrated and convinced that I would always feel this way. Once I entered college, however, I had had enough and decided to get down to the root of the problem. I had suffered through years of feeling tired, sluggish, and unhealthy, and I knew I had to make a change.

Thats when I decided to visit an integrated medicine doctor at Jefferson, hoping she could provide me with some sort of solution. Once we met and I told her about the issues I was having, she put me on an elimination diet and told me to implement it ASAP. This meant completelygetting rid of gluten AND dairy for six whole months.

Sounds kind of weird and scary, right? At least thats what I thought. Since I lived on a typical junk food diet of mac n cheese and pizza, I felt at a loss for what I was going to eat. I distinctly remember saying, Im going to starve. When I first changed my diet, I had NO idea what I was doing. When I say I was a novice in terms of food, I mean I could make boxed pancakes, maybe an egg. And this doctor was expecting me to stay away from all of my favorite foods?

Little did I know at the time, this would be a turning point in my life and would change me in so many ways. After the six months were up, I felt great.* I was eating more whole foods than I ever had in my life and loads of fruits and vegetables. I quickly became addicted to cooking and was hitting up all of the healthy restaurants here in the city. It had become my new passion.

Thats when I discovered plant-based and vegan eating. Through all of the healthy cookbooks I was buying and recipe blogs I was following, I saw people eating tons of fruits, vegetables, and crazy delicious meals. I was so intrigued and jumped in to try it myself. I became obsessed with local favorites like Blackbird Pizzeria, HipCityVeg, and Sweetgreen. My eyes were truly opened to the fact that I could have my cake and eat it, too. I felt amazing and was enjoying my childhood faves like pizza, chicken sandwiches, and milkshakes just vegan.

Now almost six years later, I am so happy I took that leap. I feel blessed to live in a city that makes it easy to follow a plant-based diet and has such a huge array of vegan restaurants. So many of these restaurants really inspired me to make the change and make such delicious food vegan or not. Over the past few years,Ive made it my goal to search out the places you just cant miss in Phillys vegan eating space.In honor of World Vegan Day this Friday, I give you my favorites.

*As always, you should consult a dietitian and/or physician before making any serious dietary changes.

For a fancy date night out:

The ricotta dip at Vedge is one of Seigels go-tos. / Photograph courtesy of Katerina Seigel

Comfort food:

Tattooed Moms Meatless Mondays are a draw for the vegan crowd. / Photograph courtesy of Katerina Seigel

When youre craving something sweet:

The Franklin Fountain usually has several vegan ice cream flavors available. / Photograph courtesy of Katerina Seigel

Excerpt from:

Where to Eat the Best Vegan Food in Philadelphia, According to a Local Influencer - phillymag.com