'sNice

Last Thursday we went to 'sNice at 45 8th Avenue in Manhattan to hang out with a bunch of folks from the PPK community. We ate and were merry.

Side of Coleslaw

Jim was jealous that my sandwich was going to come with slaw so we got an extra side order of it. So frikkin’ good. It was just the right balance of creamy/vinegary flavor and the cabbage was crunchy and fresh. –Ev
I found it to be good but not great. My favorite thing about Coleslaw is the texture, and this didn’t disappoint in that department, but I thought the flavor wasn’t anything special. On the other hand, looking at the picture I find myself craving more, so I guess it couldn’t have been too bad. -Jim

BBQ Seitan Sandwich

I got the BBQ Seitan Sandwich with coleslaw. It came with salad on the side. ‘sNice has the best bread. It’s so yummy and they grill it so it’s all warm and toasty. The BBQ sauce was good but the seitan was a little tough. I think what saved this sandwich for me was the coleslaw on it. The pairing of the two worked well. I liked Jim’s Philly Cheesesteak better, though. -Ev

Philly Seitan Sandwich

As you can probably guess, this sandwich is a vegan take on the traditional Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. I agree with Ev that the toasted bread is one of the highlights of ‘sNice’s snandwiches (snorry). It seemed slightly denser than regular hero bread, but not too dense, and they toast it just right. The seitan was very satisfying and the onions and peppers were yummy. The soy cheese they use at ‘sNice seems to be your standard vegan soy cheese, meaning it “melts” a little weirdly and smells a little funky. If you’re used to vegan cheese, though, it won’t bother you. The only weird thing about this sandwich was the “salad” on the side. I felt like it couldn’t make up it’s mind whether it wanted to be a salad or a garnish. It was basically some mixed lettuce topped with red cabbage and a tiny amount of dressing. Not much flavor there. -Jim

Red Velvet Cupcake

I’ll say it now, ‘sNice has the best vegan cupcakes in the city. Though the chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing is still my favorite here, the Red Velvet is a close second. It tastes like a homemade cake only cup-sized, which I would imagine is the whole idea behind a cupcake. Their icing is hands-down the best I’ve had. Just thick enough, sweet enough, smooth enough. YUM! And they sprinkle on cute widdle baby stars. Make sure you grab some napkins though because these cuppies are big and there is no graceful way to eat them. -Ev

Ice Cream Sandwich

‘sNice not only makes you a vegan Ice Cream Sandwich, they let you choose the cookie. I went for the “Kitchen Sink” cookie, which had walnuts and chips and a bunch of other stuff in it. I’m not sure what to say about this except that it tasted like vanilla ice cream between two awesome cookies. If you can imagine that taste, then you can imagine this dessert, and you can understand why I’m getting it again next time I’m at ‘sNice. -Jim

The Bottom Line

I love ‘sNice. It has a nice open layout, yummy food, and friendly service. It’s one of those feel-good places you want to come back to again and again. They have tons of vegan food and great options for beverages. The one disappointment was our pre-dinner milkshake. It was meh. It was like your ice cream melted and you added some soymilk to it- not thick at all. But everything else was great and you should definitely brave the confusing streets of the West Village to check it out. (FYI- It’s counter service, so finding a seat can be tough.) - Ev
Word. I totally wish ‘sNice wasn’t way over on 8th avenue because I’d like to go there more often. The food is good, but what I really like is the laid-back, coffee shop vibe. They have everything from meals to snacks to desserts to coffee and tea, so ‘sNice is a good place to hang out no matter how hungry you are. -Jim