By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

It was a happy day when my family and I stopped by The Original Plantwich sandwich shop in Glen Rock, NJ. This newly-opened restaurant has a menu filled with vegan sandwiches along with sides including hash browns and daily specials like black bean kale slaw. They also have a refrigerator stocked with grab and go dishes that vary day to day but could include overnight oats, chickpea salad, and coconut oat balls.

The Original Plantwich’s owners are super friendly and told us about their initial idea of having a food truck mainly serving sandwiches. When their current space in Glen Rock became available, they changed their plans and opened a storefront shop. They are open for take-out only but there are shady benches nearby for a picnic lunch.

My sandwich, Gone in Sixty, was simple and delicious – vegan egg and cheese on a toasted English muffin.  My daughter enjoyed the Marvelous Maple, a creative sandwich, which included vegan sausage, egg, and cheese on a pretzel bun with a smoky maple sauce. She described it as a mix of tastes that worked well together. My husband tried one of the daily specials, the TLT Dynamite, a classic featuring tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado on an English muffin.

If I were to go back, I’d want to try a PBC (peanut butter, banana jam, and chocolate chips on an English muffin) or maybe the Manipesto (vegan egg, bacon, tomato, and pesto on an English muffin).

You can find The Original Plantwich at 251 Rock Road 1D Glen Rock, NJ.

Visit their website at https://www.theoriginalplantwich.com/

To find a list of veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada visit: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php