After years of waiting for the right time, today I finally had the opportunity to try Slutty Vegan. This is my documentation and first impression of my experience.
Finding Slutty Vegan is pretty easy. Just find Sloss Furnaces and go east on 1st Ave a couple miles to 55th Pl and look for the brightly colored signs. 55th St is one block away from 55th Pl, so be sure you're on the correct 55th.
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| Slutty Vegan in Birmingham AL |
Upon entry, the crew playfully welcomed us by announcing loudly that sluts have entered the building. The interior was bright and clean with bold graphic design and text all over the place. Slutty Vegan is known for its slightly vulgar corporate identity and advertising. It was so fun being part of Slutty Vegan's naughty world.
Slutty Vegan has a take-out counter for ordering food, but there is no seating area or drink station. It's very similar to a Pizza Hut or Dominos take out location. The kitchen appeared to be very clean. The crew was friendly. At the time of my visit, one of my favorite jams, No Ordinary Love by Sade, was the smooth groove bumping loudly on the apparently high-quality sound system, giving the place a cool nightclub vibe. I was dancing at the counter as the bass riff and Sade's smooth voice distracted me from the menu.
I had a travel companion during this visit, so we both ordered multiple items to share. We had to eat in the car.
Here's what we ordered:
Super Slut
A plant-based burger patty with vegan cheese, onions, tomato, lettuce, guacamole, and jalapeños on a vegan Hawaiian bun.
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| Super Slut at Slutty Vegan |
This was scary. This burger tasted just like the real thing. It had the grilled flavor and chunky texture of a real beef patty. Even omnivores would never know this is a plant-based burger. And the creamy melted cheese was just like real cheese too. This burger was a bit messy. It had guacamole and sauce oozing out. The jalapeños gave it just a little bit of heat. The advertising shows burgers with more toppings, so the amount of real veggies was just slightly disappointing because of my personal preferences. This was one of the best vegan burgers I've had. I just prefer more veggies.
Personally, I'm nervous about vegan food that tastes like real meat. I really could not say for sure they didn't accidentally feed me real beef. While this was very good, I'm still afraid of this. I must trust them. Based on the taste and texture, I'd say it was beef.
Slutty Fries
Thick crinkle cut fries tossed in Slutty dust seasoning.
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| Slutty Fries at Slutty Vegan |
These thick fries were excellent with a crispy exterior, soft interior, and a perfect amount of seasoning. These are some of the best fries I've had lately. I was given a good amount of ketchup to go with them. The portion size was good. This could be a satisfying smaller meal by itself, however it would be difficult to visit this place and stop with the fries. I saved some of these fries for later. They held up well and did not get soggy.
Side Heaux
New Orleans style crispy vegan shrimp tossed in buffalo sauce with a side of Slutty Fries and sweet and spicy coleslaw with house made ranch dipping sauce.
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| Side Heaux at Slutty Vegan |
This was my first time trying vegan shrimp. Decades ago, as an omnivore, I was never a big fan of seafood, with the exception of an occasional flounder dinner. The last time I ate shrimp was when I was a small child, so my ability to compare this to real shrimp is limited. The batter was mostly crispy. As expected, the bold buffalo sauce was slightly hot and tangy. The interior texture was unexpected and really odd for me. I imagine this was similar to the texture of real shrimp; slightly rubbery, but soft, juicy, and delicate. There was a mild hint of funk to make it taste like seafood. The flavor was good, especially with the ranch dipping sauce added. This is just not my kind of thing with the weird texture, but it was good enough that I can imagine possibly wanting to order this again in the future. The side of sweet slaw makes this a more complete meal.
Hawt Toddy
A bowl of vegan chili.
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| Hawt Toddy at Slutty Vegan |
This was a fine bowl of chunky, tomato-based chili with whole kidney beans and an oily finish. The heat level was mild, but the taste was completely satisfying. This can be a meal by itself. I also used this as a dip for my Slutty Fries, and it was a great combination.
One Night Stand
Plant-based patty loaded with vegan bacon, vegan cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, and slut sauce on a vegan Hawaiian bun.
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| One Night Stand at Slutty Vegan |
My travel companion had this one and said it was good. But as you can see, it was very messy because of the Slut Sauce. Things get really nasty at Slutty Vegan, but that's part of the fun. I may try this one next time I visit. That vegan bacon looked good.
My over-all opinion of Slutty Vegan is that it's as good as all the hype. I really enjoyed every bite of the food. Every city should have a Slutty Vegan, and with the recent growth, I can see that possibly happening. This was a really fun experience.
The only slight disappointments I have is that I would prefer a self serve drink station in the lobby with free refills, and I didn't have a place to sit and eat. I had to order a single can of expensive root beer, which was really great, but I really needed a big cup of sweet iced tea. I didn't see a way to order that. Also, I don't like eating in my car, so having a place to sit would be better. But take-out only locations just are the way they are. No big deal. This was still one of the best meals I've had in a while. I plan to return ASAP.
