My First Visit to Slutty Vegan in Birmingham AL

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Click here to see the Slutty Vegan website

Bama Q Tamales at Delta Blues Hot Tamales in Birmingham AL

Because my last visit was more than satisfactory, I returned to Delta Blues Hot Tamales in Birmingham AL. This time I got the Bama Q tamales. This was excellent! It was so good it made me wish I had grown an extra stomach.

The Bama Q tamales are vegan if ordered with black bean filling. My black bean tamales were topped with spicy barbecue sauce, tangy slaw, and pickle slices, and they were served on corn husks. My choice of side was the slaw. This was all vegan! While Delta Blues Hot Tamales is not a vegetarian restaurant, they do have some vegan and vegetarian foods. I believe two more visits will conclude my exploration of the vegan options available at Delta Blues. So I'll be back!

Click here to see the Delta Blues Hot Tamales menu

A Vegan Pizza at Your Pie in Birmingham AL

I accidentally ended up at Your Pie in downtown Birmingham AL, and I ended up with a delicious meal that I would gladly repeat. Your Pie is another brick oven build-your-own style pizza restaurant. I chose regular crust, regular marinara sauce, vegan cheese, black olives, fresh garlic, and onions.

This was a clean restaurant with good service at the time of my visit. I was surprised to see they have vegan meat and cheese. They have plenty of other toppings for omnivores. The crew behind the counter casually made the food at a slower pace than other places, but that's probably why the restaurant was so clean and organized. Some places are in such a rush that they make a mess of the makeline. This slower pace let the crew keep things nice and neat. I appreciate mindful food building. This meal was excellent! They did accidentally give me a piece of green pepper, but it's okay. It's all vegan!

Your Pie restaurants can presently be found in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, but I expect more locations in the future.

Click here to see the Your Pie website

Black Bean Holy Chipotle Tamale Plate at Delta Blues Hot Tamales in Birmingham AL

One of several good vegan options at Delta Blues Hot Tamales in Birmingham AL is the Black Bean Holy Chipotle Tamale Plate. This is two black bean tamales smothered with chipotle-lime sauce, topped with charred corn and tomatoes. I chose the potato salad as my side item.

This meal was fantastic! The tamales were soft on the outside with a pleasantly seasoned black bean paste on the inside. The creamy chipotle-lime sauce doubled the deliciousness of this heavenly basket of plant-based food. To make it even better, the charred corn gave it a nice roasted corn flavor and a little bit of smokey crunch. This was a spicy pair of tamales, but don't let me scare you away. They weren't as hot as the Tabasco sauce on the table. It was a medium heat level. The potato salad was cool and chunky with a hint of mustard and Vegenaise. It was an excellent choice to calm the heat of the tamales.

This meal was so good I would have licked the plate, but it was on corn husks and limp paper. The flavors stayed with me for a while after the meal was over. There's noting about this meal I would change.

Keep in mind this place offers food for special dietary needs, but this is not a vegan or vegetarian restaurant. Order carefully with the help of the friendly staff. They have many choices for herbivores and even more choices for omnivores. This is a great place to share a meal.

Delta Blues Hot Tamales specializes in tamales for people with special dietary needs. They have gluten-free non-GMO foods with several vegan and vegetarian options. This place is in what appears to be the rear basement of a 1920s apartment building. It's hidden in the alley behind a wall of bamboo. Upon arrival, the place looks like a normal cafe with exterior seating. At the main door, things start to look a bit funky and weird.

The well-used front door leads to what looks like a neighborhood dive bar. The dining area stretches along a walkway to quieter areas with pillow-lined benches. Empty picture frames, books, and bottles create a comfortable atmosphere with a creative vibe. The exposed pipes, electrical conduit, A.C. unit, and thick support columns remind visitors that they are in fact in an old basement. At first, this well-used place looks unclean, but I noticed the important parts were actually cleaner than average. It's just funky and artsy like the rest of the neighborhood. During this visit, the music of choice was a collection of Motown favorites and was played at a comfortable sound level. Plenty of parking was available next door. Delta Blues offers a cozy atmosphere and great food. The service was friendly and fast. The food was excellent.

Click here to see the Delta Blues Hot Tamales menu

Tropicaleo Puerto Rican Kitchen in Birmingham AL

I stopped by Tropicaleo Puerto Rican Kitchen and found some vegan treasures.


This is the Tropibowl with the beans and rice option plus two vegan sauces. The house sauce is Vegenaise and ketchup. The tamarind vinaigrette was mild and slightly sweet. This bowl included white rice and kidney beans topped with grilled eggplant. This tasted fresh with mild flavors. The beans had some other delicious plant material in there, but I couldn't tell what it was. It looked like carrots or potatoes.

The Tropibowl also has a spinach option. This one is just grilled eggplant and spinach with tamarind sauce.

I also tried the Pineapple Slaw. This was crunchy, tangy, and slightly sweet. This was excellent.

This was my first visit to Tropicaleo Puerto Rican Kitchen. My lunch was very good, so I may be back if I'm in the area. It's in an older shopping center in the Avondale community. The surrounding area is interesting with huge abandoned 100 year old houses and modern pubs. Tropicaleo's dining area looks much like an ice cream shop. It's neat and clean with pastel colors. The menu has gluten free and vegan items clearly marked with GF and V, and there's plenty of vegan options. Fried plantains seem to be a big part of the menu. This is not a vegetarian restaurant, so there's pork and chicken items for the meat eaters. The service was friendly and helpful. This seems to be a cozy, peaceful place to eat. There was no music playing and no loud kitchen noises during my visit. Overall, this was a good visit and I would recommend this place to anyone.