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Students looking for vegan or vegan-friendly meals don’t have to limit themselves to Syracuse University’s dining halls. The Daily Orange compiled a list of restaurants in Syracuse for vegan and vegan-curious students who are looking to try foods outside of campus.

Strong Hearts

Joel Capolongo and Nicholas Ryan opened Strong Hearts in 2008 to make good food available to vegans, while also appealing to those who aren’t vegan but are curious about the lifestyle, general manager of Strong Hearts Stephanie Ford said.

The restaurant is 100% vegan and specializes in comfort foods, like the Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich, “chicken” wings and milkshakes named after historical figures such as Harriet Tubman and Albert Einstein. While the menu tends to change seasonally, some staples include the Sweet Sassy Molassy and the Earth Crisis milkshake, she said.

Strong Hearts’ all-vegan menu includes sandwiches, burgers and milkshakes.
Courtesy of Strong Hearts

Since the Marshall Square Mall location, Strong Hearts On The Hill, closed in May, SU students no longer have quick access to the vegan comfort food from campus. But Strong Hearts’ Fayette Street location remains open, and this year, the restaurant will also have a pop-up at the New York State Fair through Sept. 6.

“It’s a wonderful way to show people that our food is absolutely delicious while still being vegan,” Ford said. “The stereotype that vegans eat ‘rabbit food’ is long over.”

Razzle Dazzle: Our Vegan Corner

Rev. Curtis Levy founded Razzle Dazzle: Our Vegan Corner — originally just an Italian ice cart — to fund his transitional housing service Last House On The Block Ministries. The completely vegan restaurant is located in downtown Syracuse at 140 Walton St., with a second location at Destiny USA that exclusively sells Italian ices.

Razzle Dazzle: Our Vegan Corner in downtown Syracuse makes these 100% vegan ribs as well as other meat-free soul food specialties.
Courtesy of Razzle Dazzle: Our Vegan Corner

The restaurant’s food truck runs seven days a week at Onondaga Lake Park, and it will be at the New York State Fair. Even after the restaurant struck success, Levy continues to run his housing business as well, which helps people struggling with homelessness, substance misuse and mental health issues.

Razzle Dazzle: Our Vegan Corner specializes in Southern soul food dishes like collard greens and mac and cheese, as well as Mexican dishes like tacos and nachos. Popular menu items include ribs and oyster mushroom fried chicken, Levy said. The restaurant also serves vegan soft serve ice cream, Italian ices and gelati in various flavors.

“We do soul food, so if you like it bland that’s definitely not where we’re at,” Levy said. “We want to get your mouth watering.”

Byblos Mediterranean Cafe

Byblos Mediterranean Cafe on 223 N Clinton St. isn’t fully vegan, but the restaurant offers Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine, which is made up of a large array of vegan-friendly dishes.

Guy Fieri’s Food Network show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” featured the cafe in an episode and Fieri enjoyed the falafel sandwich. Byblos offers food made fresh daily with no processed ingredients, said Violette Khabbaz, co-owner of Byblos Mediterranean Cafe.

Baba ghanouj, veggie kebabs and hummus are some of the vegan menu options available. But, one of the most popular items on the menu is vegan — the mujadara, a lentil-based dish mixed with rice and topped with onions and spices.

“If they have a choice they need to try it, because they don’t know what they’re missing,” Khabbaz said. “Byblos has a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian food. It’s not just vegan, but it’s very healthy.”

Published on August 22, 2021 at 6:57 pm

Contact Siron: sthoma10@syr.edu | @sironthomas