Every now and then, I find a place meant for general consumers (aka omnivores) that actually puts some effort into their vegan options beyond the standard “yay, I can have a salad and fries, or if I’m lucky, hummus.” Delux at 32nd Street and Camelback Road is just such a place. Delux is a trendy spot, known for its menu of high-quality burgers, fries, panini and sushi. However, with some slight adjustments, vegans can dine in style as well!
They have a few decent salads that are great to share as a starter (even in the junior size is huge). For this visit, we had a beet salad, minus the blue cheese and with a balsamic reduction dressing instead of the creamy balsamic vinaigrette dressing (which is not vegan).
The salad barely needed dressing, because the beets were flavorful enough on their own. Also on the menu is an organic field of greens salad that is vegan if you change the dressing to the balsamic reduction. I haven’t asked if their gazpacho or miso soups are vegan yet, but they might be options. They also have a sliced and toasted hand crafted demi baguette that looks tempting, since it’s served with basil-infused olive oil and the balsamic dressing.
The grilled vegetable panini sandwich can be made vegan if you leave off the mozzarella and pesto mayo. I’ve enjoyed it in the past, but a grilled veggie sandwiches tends to leave me bored.
However, the delux veggie burger is a hearty vegan burger that you can really sink your teeth into!
The burger is big enough to split, and is vegan as long as you set aside the aioli. It holds together fairly well, and is grilled to a nice crisp. The sunflower, cashews and sesame seeds give it a good mouth crunch as well.
It wouldn’t be a trip to Delux without sampling their cute shopping cart of fries.
I always go for the mix (sweet potato and French). Delux is one of the few places that knows how to make crispy sweet potato fries that don’t just taste like grease. Although, on our most recent visit they were a touch soggy, so you may want to ask for them to be extra crispy.
Another area to explore at Delux is their sushi menu. They have a section of vegetarian rolls that might we worth a try. I doubt I’ll stray from the burger any time soon, so if you find some vegan delights on that menu, let me know!
It’s also important to note that the service at Delux is excellent. The restaurant managers are very engaged and friendly, and even though it’s a hip place with late-night hours and a bar scene, it also has the feel of a friendly neighborhood restaurant. Our waiter was willing to get answers to our “is it vegan?” questions without being grumpy, and the service was very quick. It’s the kind of place that can easily be “a regular” whenever the urge for a vegan burger and fries hits you!