Vegetarian or vegan? No problem at Pappalecco!

Although Italians are well-known for their love of savory meals — many of which include meat and dairy products — the conscientious vegetarian or vegan still has options when they visit Pappalecco. Karina, a barista at the Hillcrest location, explains the options.

Karina, a barista at our Hillcrest shop (Photo: Richie Edquid)

“We can make any of these vegetarian,” she says of the menu items. “We can substitute meat and cheese with extra vegetables and greens.”

Karina explains that the best way to go about ordering vegetarian or vegan is to first look for options that have no meat, then talk to a barista about making sure that the dish is prepared without meat or dairy.

“Nothing is pre-made before it’s ordered,” she says. “Everything is made fresh. The cook will specialize almost any meal item for our guests.”

There are already plenty of options for vegetarians in the menu. For instance, the caprese salad is made up of tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil; this can also be made into a panini, pizza, bruschetta, or breakfast entrée. Even the dishes that include meat can be modified.

Vegans aren’t left out at Pappalecco, either — there are salad options and even gelato available for vegan guests.

“Our non-dairy gelatos come in three flavors: blood orange, strawberry, and lemon,” adds Karina. “They’re refreshing on a hot summer day and are low in fat, considering they are made up of all-natural flavors.”

Photo: Richie Edquid

Vegan guests can also ask that cheese or sauces be excluded from a dish, as the green, pink, and tuna sauces include dairy and fish products.

“We are happy to accommodate our guests and make sure they are happy,” Karina says. “These are our friends. If a friend comes over to your house for a meal, wouldn’t you accommodate their diet?”

As for drink options, we can make any drink with soy milk.

Pappalecco is also happy to help  our heart-conscious guests; patrons concerned about cholesterol can ask that any egg dishes be made with egg whites only.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 26th, 2010 at 10:11 am and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.