A Day Adventure to Little Choc' Apothecary

New York City is one of the most vegan-friendly places in the world. While strolling through the Lower East Side, you can expect to encounter vegan Latin-American food, a vegetarian/vegan burger joint, delicious chocolates and macaroons, and even a cozy doughnut shop. As veganism becomes more mainstream, the possibilities to eat delicious food in this funky city are endless.

Because of this, a group of vegan and vegetarian friends and I decided to make a bucket list filled with vegan restaurants across the five boroughs. The first place we decided to go to was Little Choc' Apothecary. This cozy all-vegan creperie, located on a quiet street in Williamsburg, is all of your dreams come true. Upon entering, the smell of sweet, warm crepes fills the air. On the first floor, you can view the gluten-free treats in the making and can buy grab-and-go items such as coffee, juice, crepes, and homemade baked goods. On the second floor, a seating area is presented for customers who want to stay awhile. Little Choc' Apothecary has a very trendy atmosphere, with wooden furniture, many plants,  natural lighting, and even a large display of spices and teas, which rest on a wall covered in a chalkboard illustration of Alice in Wonderland. My friends and I proceeded to take a seat, and order the majority of the items listed on the menu.

Together we bought:

• Room for Mushroom ($12): Herb roasted mushrooms, spinach, walnuts and tahini basil sauce.
• The Masala ($13): Mango curried white bean tempeh and sliced almonds.
• The Breakfast ($11): Scrambled tofu, homemade coconut bacon, spinach and cucumber.
• The Pizza ($10): Homemade marinara sauce, cashew cheese, fresh basil and hot pepper flakes.
• Sweet Crepe ($9.50): Choc' Butter Newtella with Strawberries and Banana Slices.
• PB and J Açai Bowl ($13): Acai, peanut butter, homemade chia jam, banana, date, coconut milk, Anita's yogurt and homemade buckwheat granola.
• Almond Milk Cappuccinos ($4)

Because this was a special occasion, we decided to go all out on a food ordering spree. Honesty comes into play here, because we waited quite some time for this food. When I say quite some time, I mean thirty minutes before my friends received their cappuccinos, and almost an hour until we received the rest of our food. We went around lunch time, and had not eaten breakfast, so when the food came it looked like a crime scene. We inhaled everything before we had time to even think about it. The PB and J Açai bowl was the best açai bowl I have ever eaten. The peanut butter flavor was present but not overwhelming, and was not heavy. On top rested a big scoop of Anitas Yogurt, which is surprisingly amazing, as well as cacao sauce, banana slices, and the most delicious homemade buckwheat granola I have ever tasted. In terms of the crepes, we appreciated the unique flavors of all of them, my favorites being the Masala, and the Pizza crepe. The Newtella crepe was the last thing we tackled, and we were disappointed in ourselves for not ordering more of the sweet crepes. Although the Newtella crepe had more of a chocolate flavor rather than a hazelnut flavor, it was a burst of sweet deliciousness. We were pleasantly surprised when we found out that not only are the crepes gluten-free, but that they also contain tofu! You could never guess that this was the case. The dough was crispy and mouthwatering, and each crepe was aesthetically pleasing. 

Conclusively, Little Choc' Apothecary was a pleasant way to spend a spring afternoon. The restaurant was a beautiful space, which complemented perfectly the delicious, uniquely flavored, and artistic food it served. I highly recommend all vegans and non-vegans to come here, as it is a wonderful experience! If you bring a little extra cash, and are okay with waiting a while for these artisan vegan crepes, this is the place for you!