Monster Vegan
1229 Spruce St
July 6, 2024
Philadelphia
As we walked into Monster Vegan, a mom and her two young children followed behind us.
“I just picked up food, but they want to see the decorations. Is it all right if we walk around?” she asked.
“Of course!” the hostess responded as the boys entered the pink neon lit horror movie-themed restaurant, their eyes wide with awe.
My husband, Alex, and I made a reservation for 6 p.m. on a Saturday. It wasn’t necessary, but if we came an hour later that could’ve been a different story, as the restaurant started to become comfortably packed with date nighters, friends out to dinner with friends, bar sitters, and families.
The artwork on the black walls pays homage to different genres of horror movies, with portraits of Frankenstein’s monster, his wife, and the creature from the deep, among others. The whole place played into the dark vibe with only pink neon and sparsely hanging Edison bulbs to illuminate your dinner. In previous interviews, the owners/operators of Monster Vegan — husband-and-wife team and horror movie lovers Ron Tadeo and Lauren Margaretta — said they felt confident enough in their vegan takes on Italian comfort food to lean heavily into the kitsch of the themed restaurant. And I’m happy to report that I agree.
While I was taking in the scene, Alex ordered drinks for us. He selected the “Death by Stereo” for me, which admittedly is not what I would have chosen for myself on this 96° day, but isn’t that what this review gig is all about? He picked it because it consists of elements that, in non-alcoholic settings, I am quite the fan of: oat milk, chocolate, and coffee. The drink uses coffee liqueur, creme de cacao, oat milk, along with vegan egg whites and some chocolate with a vodka base. It tasted exactly like a YooHoo, not even an adult version, but just like the classic chocolate milk in that yellow box. I savored the drink throughout the meal, thinking of it as a dessert in each sip.
What did my husband order for himself? Exactly what I’d order for him too if he had been away when the waiter came around: Rum with fruit. He got the “Trick or Tiki: Death Punch,” which arrived in a ceramic, spooky-looking Jack-O-Lantern filled to the brim with a spiced and coconut rum-based punch plus cherry liqueur, pineapple, grapefruit, lime, and island spice simple syrup.
“Oh this is great,” he turned to say to me after his first sip. I had to try it too, of course. The pineapple packed the biggest punch, perfectly refreshing if a bit too sweet on a super hot day. Alex reported that he would definitely order it again, or the frozen rum drink they have on the specials. The menu also offers many mocktails as well.
On screen in front of our booth, and on at least four other screens around the various dining rooms, played a compilation of old horror and horror-adjacent movie clips as classic rock and spooky surf rock plays over the speakers at a noticeable but not intrusive volume. Everyone we encountered working at the restaurant was kind and friendly and fit the spooky vibes. On Fridays, the restaurant plays double features of full-length horror movies on these screens.
The menu is described as comfort Italian food, so we decided to order items that felt classically Italian, or at least Italian-American, starting with an appetizer to go along with a sandwich and pasta dish.
For the appetizer, I wanted to get something that was fresh and light, so among the wings and fries options, I landed on the grilled pear ricotta. I also chose this app because I wanted to see what they could do with this “cheesy” dish as opposed to another seitan dupe. On first taste I got notes of matzah balls, not joking, and also not mad about it. It was less cheesy that I was hoping for and a little grittier as well, but the dish’s star was the pear and aged balsamic which brought the “cheese” together with the toasted almonds adding another texture all on a satisfying baguette.
For our sandwich dish, Alex chose “The Argento” sandwich. That’s the restaurant’s take on a chicken parm sub, with its two fried “chicken” cutlets, whipped ricotta, prosciutto, alla vodka sauce, parmesan, roasted long hots and pesto mayo on a baguette.
I think the sandwich is a solid pass for a chicken sandwich. Alex had a different take: “It tastes like fake chicken … but I like fake chicken.” The tomato sauce was the best part for him, high in flavor, low in heartburn. For me, the baguette was a bit much for the sandwich, but it was fitting for the type of sandwich they were going for.
For our pasta dish, we got The Giallo, one of their newer items on offer. This spaghetti dish is paired with a parmesan sauce, bacon, asparagus, kale, peas, and dollop of pesto with some bread crumbs sprinkled on top. While I eat cheese and dairy in my everyday diet, I don’t eat pork products, so having a dish with bacon on it was a treat for me. And, wow, this dish did not disappoint! The cheese flavor was so believable with the bacon bits adding the perfect smoked umami flavoring, almost like a smoked gouda. Even the pasta itself was not lacking any flavor for being an egg free noodle. The vegetables brought the dish full circle with the bite size asparagus offering a satisfying crunch. The dish was very filling. My husband offered to finish my pasta, but I chose a box and am looking forward to reheating it for lunch!
In the booth next to us were four friends out to dinner. Two of them came into the city from Chesterbrook, a 40-minute drive into the city. Their two friends were visiting from Arlington, Virginia. The locals had been to Monster Vegan a few times before, even though they don’t follow a vegan diet: “We love to come here because the menu has so many options to choose from. You’re not just going out and getting the same thing every time.” One of them mentioned that they’re a horror movie fan, which they said makes the spooky scary vibe a draw rather than a restaurant ruiner.
What do their visitors think? “Wow, it’s delicious” one says. The other chimes in: “It’s all so good! I’m more of a desperate housewives girlie, but this place is just so much fun.”
I rate this spot four out of five stars. This was my second time here; I’ll definitely come back to keep trying different menu items. There’s a rye whiskey and Pinot Noir mixed drink on the menu that I can’t stop thinking about. Great kitschy vibe. The meat substitute is traditional seitan or Impossible plant produce, but it’s still flavorful.
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Monster Vegan is open Monday through Thursday from 5 to 10, on Fridays from 5 to 11:30, and on Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 11:30. They’re closed Sundays. Check out their website for upcoming events; during the summer, they host double feature horror movie nights every Friday evening.
