Bare Burger - Vegan Dreams DO Come True!

Our neighborhood in the Upper East Side (East of Lexington Ave, 70's-80's) is teeming with bistros, pubs, taquerias, pizza parlors, and countless more eateries with cuisines from all around the world. It's pretty awesome to have so many options nearby and finding the time and money to try them out has been an exciting adventure.

Most recently we went to Bare Burger, (a NY-based franchise) burger joint on 1st Ave. We were super stoked to see numerous veggie options. Most of the items on the menu are made with organic ingredients and explicitly state the meat is "humanely raised" blahblahblah. The vibe is overall pretty cute - candy-colored chairs, outdoor seating, charming-but-not-too-kitchy décor, etc.

The whole experience is pretty fun - you pick your protein, your bun (or lettuce wrap), your toppings (which range from the classic lettuce and tomato to avocado and roasted red peppers), your cheese, and your sauce. They carry Daiya vegan cheddar cheese and even feature a vegan carrot cake for dessert. Other veg-friendly options include satisfying-seeming salads, fried classic sides (zucchini sticks, onion-rings), and 3 different veggie burgers - Quiona and Veggie, Black Bean, and Portobello. Everything on the menu is labeled so you can easily spot what's vegan, gluten-free, etc.

Oh, I forgot to mention that THEY ALSO HAVE THE QUINOA VEGGIE BURGERS IN SLIDER FORM. I'm not kidding. IT'S A VEGAN CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! I have been waiting for this for pretty much the past ten years, and I'm over the moon. Obsessed, actually.

I ordered the sliders despite knowing the gluten buns would hurt my IBS-tastic tummy. I figured living the vegan slider dream was worth bloating and yucky poops later on. The sliders came out on an adorable little metal platter, piled high with gooey melted Daiya, chopped sautéed onions, slices of garlic dill pickle, all held together with very aesthetically-pleasing metal skewers. The fresh cut fries were abundant despite being a "small" order and very tasty - crisp, salty, not too oily. I gobbled up my three sliders and I honestly haven't been able to stop thinking about them since. I keep thinking of excuses to go back and eat them for like every meal of every day.

UPDATE: I was misinformed on my first visit to Bareburger. The slider brioche buns are NOT vegan. However, they do have vegan buns available. Be sure to talk to your server about the buns if this is a concern for you.

Our whole meal of 2 root beers, a small order of fries, veggie sliders, and a black bean burger was just over $30 with tip. No over-the-top NYC prices here! If you're vegan and your friends and family are not, this is definitely the perfect place to make everyone happy. If you're vegan and love fun and happiness and magic, you should definitely go eat the sliders as soon as humanly possible.

Fort Tyron Park, near the Cloisters. We went there on Sunday before Bare Burger.