Yes, Vegan Virginia, veggie burgers do exist in Manila, 10 versions of it, in fact. As more and more people explore healthier lifestyles by going vegetarian or even vegan, many are still unaware of the meatless options available here.
"There are as many fast and delicious veggie burger options as there are reasons to choose a veggie option," shares People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Director Jason Baker. "Making it meatless–and better yet, vegan–is good for your health, the environment, and especially animals." Baker, also PETA's resident food critic, along with a panel of hungry PETA staff, also sought out the best of the country's vegetarian burgers with their "Golden Buns Awards."
Whether you've gone the vegan route or just want to go easy on the meat, Spot.ph and PETA have rounded up a list of veggie burgers in Manila that are worth chowing down on:
1. Boca Burger from Healthy Kitchen
Where: Healthy Kitchen, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Tel. No.: 900-6514
Price: P420
Healthy Kitchen, a resto keen on promoting a healthy lifestyle, gets props for their veggie burger and was hailed by PETA as the "Best-tasting Veggie Burger" in their recent "Golden Buns Awards".
According to Russel Saradpon, store manager for Healthy Kitchen, their meatless burger is made of soy, wheat and sesame and is packed with protein, fiber and iron even if it's completely meat-free. Healthy Kitchen also delivers for vegans in the Serendra area.
2. The Vegan Tofu Walnut Burger at Corner Tree Café
Where: Corner Tree Café, 150 Jupiter Street, Bel-Air Village, Makati City
Tel. No.: 897-0295, (0917) 848-1004
Price: P260
Made entirely of tofu and walnuts, the burger patty is baked instead of fried, and is Corner Tree Café's bestseller. Served with organic greens or sweet potato fries, they'll also give you organic Heinz ketchup on the side.
Shares Chiqui Mabanta, owner of Corner Tree Café, they do not use vege-meat. "We do not make food that pretends to be meat. We want to attract meat-eaters to a new way of eating vegetables without being intimidated or turned off." The Vegan Tofu Walnut Burger also gets a thumbs-up from PETA as the "Healthiest Veggie Burger" in town.
In any case, i like vegemeat and i wanna try out the dining spots mentioned here.