The V-Spot Cafe

We recently checked out The V-Spot Café. It’s a 100% vegan restaurant in Park Slope Brooklyn located at 156 5th Ave. It was a birthday celebration for our friend Isa from the PPK! Also, big upz to Isa for being guest photographer for this review. Yes, it was her birthday and we made her take all the pictures.

Chicken Noodle Soup

It was a chilly day and I was paranoid I was getting sick so I went with the good ol’ cure-all, chicken noodle soup. Though a little sweeter than most soups I’ve had, I really enjoyed this. The broth was light, the celery was sweet, and the noodles were nice & chewy. The chicken provided a nice heartiness without overwhelming the other ingredients. -Ev

Nachos

Nachos are one of the great inventions of mankind. The chips are salty and crunchy, and the toppings can be savory, sweet, sour, creamy, saucy, chunky or pretty much anything else. I love ‘em. So when I review Nachos, the question I’m asking isn’t “Are these Nachos good?”, because the answer is almost always yes. I’m asking, “Are these Nachos especially good?” Well guess what? The Nachos at V-Spot are especially good. They’re topped with salsa, guac, sour cream, beans and ground veggie beef. The toppings are pretty standard and they’re pretty decent, but they are not what make the V Spot nachos stand out. It’s the homemade chips. They fry their own at V Spot and it shows. These three-color chips have the perfect crunchiness and a wonderful toasty flavor. I could definitely see myself ordering nachos again next time I’m here. -Jim

Breaded Chicken Cutlet

I really enjoyed this dish. The mashed potatoes were chunky but not dry at all. They had great texture and flavor. The spinach was absolutely delicious, especially when mixed with the other parts of the meal. I liked how it was soft but still really green and fresh-tasting. Also it was well oiled without being greasy. The chicken was really crunchy and almost flaky inside. I want to say it was more reminiscent of fish than chicken, but maybe that’s because I was more used to fried fish dishes growing up. Regardless, it was delicious and made a great snack later on in the car ride home and again at midnight. Yum. -Ev

Chorizo

The Chorizo entrée is the most expensive item on the menu at $14. In addition to the Chorizo, you get brown rice, beans, plantain and avocado slices. I wasn’t particularly keen on the chorizo itself. It was smoky and salty, but texturally it was a little tough and chewy. The rice and avocado were pretty basic. The real stars of this dish were the beans and the plantains. V-Spot’s homemade black beans are cooked with tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and spices. Very tasty. And the plantains were deep-fried to sweet perfection. Overall, this dish was decent, but the awesomeness of the beans and plantains doesn’t quite make it totally worthwhile. I sampled other dishes that our friends got and I’d say there’s definitely better food to be had at V-Spot. So I recommend getting a side of the beans and/or plantains but maybe passing on this entrée. -Jim

The Bottom Line

I didn’t know what to expect coming to the V-spot, having heard mixed reviews from friends. I was first surprised by the really cute décor- high ceilings and funky art in a warmly painted space. I was also surprised by the variety on the menu- you could get staples like fried chicken dishes and burgers, or empanadas, plantains, and even pastas. I really liked everything I tried here. Especially, those slammin’ nachos and plantains. They even stuck a candle in Isa’s brownie (no, that’s not a euphemism) and sang Happy Birthday. YAY! -Ev
I’ll be a little more blunt than Ev: when V-Spot first opened up, we heard it was really bad. We heard it from first-hand accounts and internet reviews. This made me sad, because anyone who opens a 100% vegan restaurant obviously has a passion for vegan food. And that means that, if they were indeed really bad, it was probably just as disappointing for them as it was for their customers. But the good news is that we recently heard reviews that they’d gotten better, so we gave it a shot and I think it was pretty good. The food was tasty, and I definitely see myself coming back here again next time I’m in the neighborhood (probably ordering what Ev got, or maybe the Meatloaf that Isa got, with a side of those plantains!). -Jim