With its cozy atmosphere and delicious plant-based meals, Parlor City Vegan offers an exceptional dining experience to anyone looking for some vegan comfort food in the Binghamton area.

Located at 81 Clinton St., the restaurant and plant-based food company established itself as Binghamton’s first fully vegan eatery back in 2016. Since then, it has quickly become a staple in the Binghamton community for vegans and non-vegans alike, providing customers with mouth-watering comfort foods and seasonal dishes made with locally sourced produce.

Upon entering Parlor City Vegan, my photographer, Blake, and I were immediately greeted by friendly and attentive wait staff and seated at a two-person table. The restaurant wasn’t too crowded at first, but that quickly changed as the dinner rush time hit and customers arrived, eager to finish their day with a delicious vegan meal. There is a fresh, clean and comfortable vibe to the place, with string lights overhead creating a warm and welcoming ambience. The Restaurant Week dinner menu consisted of a three-course meal with an array of options to choose from for the price of $30.

For the first course, Blake decided to sample the scratch-made vegan crab cakes, while I opted for a fresh salad with house-made creamy vegan bacon dressing. Surprised by the quick service, we were able to dive into our appetizers in no time and appreciate how well-presented and flavorful the two starting dishes were. Blake’s plant-based appetizer came out freshly cooked with garnish on top, lemon aioli that added coolness to the dish and an identical texture to non-vegan crab cakes. My salad was a tasty blend of locally grown vegetables with the distinct flavor of bacon in the sauce, which I was thoroughly impressed by.

After the first round of food, our rising expectations were exceeded when the second course came out. While there were two other options which included spring curry and tacos, Blake and I both decided to try the fried tofu chicken sandwich, named “KFC.” Another wonderful dish bursting with flavors, the fried tofu was topped with Korean BBQ sauce, kimchi, carrots, pickles and herbs on a brioche bun. The sandwich seemed to take inspiration from typical fast food sandwiches, but was undoubtedly superior in quality and taste. The crispiness of the tofu tied together with the tangy BBQ sauce was a delicious combination, making our second course a hearty and flavor-packed entree with a satisfying texture.

For dessert, we both chose to sample the cake slice of the day. As someone who absolutely loves chocolate, I was delighted when our third course turned out to be a simple yet delicious vegan chocolate cake. The cake was perfectly moist with a rich chocolate flavor that wasn’t overly sweet, and I was astonished by the fact that a plant-based chocolate dessert could be so tasty.

Overall, dinner at Parlor City Vegan was a great experience. With its kind and attentive staff, great atmosphere and delicious food, it is undoubtedly the go-to place for a 100 percent vegan meal. If you are a Binghamton University student looking to try something new, I would highly recommend trying it out. Approximately 10 minutes from campus by car, a meal at Parlor City Vegan is well worth the trip whether you’re a vegan or not, because you’re bound to find something on the menu that you’ll love.