The new vegan café is a sign of changing times and mainstream acceptance of plant-based cuisine.
Laughing Man Coffee backed by actor Hugh Jackman has opened a new vegan café in NYC.
The company’s new venture is called Laughing V cafe and is located on Duane Street in the exclusive Tribeca neighbourhood.
The café is a small vegan market and sandwich shop offering a platter of house-made vegan sandwiches, sweets, pantry items, and more.
The concept of Laughing V came from Chef Lauren Evans, a local resident and lifelong vegan. Being an ardent advocate of plant-based foods after she “went vegan for the animals and fell in love with the food”, Evans has always urged local Tribeca restaurants to add vegan options.
She also visited Laughing Man’s coffee popular shop on Duane Street and lobbied the owners for more vegan options.
Evans told VegNews that co-founders David and Barry Steingard were open to Evans’ plant-based requests, and asked for some vegan suggestions.
Making the most of the opportunity, Evans developed a complete restaurant menu of vegan appetisers, entreés, desserts, and more.
The Steingards were so taken with the idea that they decided to open a separate vegan cafe next door to Laughing Man and even appointed Evans as the new chef.
Although the new café cannot cater Evan’s upscale menu, the chef has whipped up a more practical menu that includes Tofu Caprese Sandwiches, Philly Cheesesteaks, Spicy Sweet Potato Sandwiches and (her favourite) Portobello Mushroom Wraps with Pistachio Pesto.
The chef also bakes her own vegan palmiers, Linzer cookies and whole wheat focaccia.
‘Beyond excited’
The cafe has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Within a few days of opening, Laughing V was sold out of its signature sandwiches in just a few hours.
However, Evans says she is only getting started in making Tribeca a much more vegan-friendly area and while she is working on developing new menu items, her original elaborate menu may still feature in future pop-ups
Peter Nussbaum, who lives on Duane Street with his wife Gabrielle, told VegNews that they were ‘beyond excited’ to have Laughin V in their neighbourhood. Both are dedicated vegans and founders of Tamerlaine Sanctuary, a shelter for rescue animals from the food industry. “When I moved here 25 years ago, egg and butter trucks were parked on this block every night,” Nussbaum said.
“We were beyond excited to discover that an ethical vegan neighbour had opened a fully vegan café. I’ve already tried every sandwich on the menu and they’re all amazing.”
Share this story: Hugh Jackman backed Laughing Man Coffee launches all- vegan café.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Gordon Ramsay Ditches Vegan Hate and Backs Flora’s Plant-Based Butter in New ‘Skip the Cow’ Campaign
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 28th January 2025
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, once infamous for his digs at vegans, has taken a sharp turn in the kitchen. Ramsay has teamed up with Flora, the famous UK-based spread brand, as its global ambassador, marking a bold new chapter in Flora’s “Skip the Cow” campaign. Flora, established in 1964, has long been a household name …
The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 27th January 2025
Latin America is experiencing an extraordinary rise in plant-based dining options. A new study, spearheaded by Veganuary in partnership with the food discovery platform HappyCow, reveals that Latin America now boasts over 10,000 vegan, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly restaurants—an impressive 21.6% jump compared to last year. Brazil takes the crown as the number one country, with …
Continue reading “The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America”
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. [wpViralQuiz id=27203]
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. [wpViralQuiz id=33494]
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. [wpViralQuiz id=31281] Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God