Where to get vegan wings in Philadelphia
The city has a lot of great deep-fried, Buffalo-sauce-slathered vegan wings, made of seitan, cauliflower or tofu. Here's where to find them.
Why should meat-eaters have all the wing fun?
Vegans can enjoy them, too. While akin to a boneless wing, the texture does vary depending on who’s making them. Many chefs use seitan (made from wheat gluten) for its pull-apart consistency, but you’ll also find restaurants turning ingredients like tofu and cauliflower into deep-fried, sauce-slathered snacks.
Cedar Point’s wings start with hand-pulled seitan that’s fried and then tossed with Buffalo sauce made from Frank’s Red Hot, Earth Balance, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. If you don’t love spicy, they’re offered in BBQ and sweet chile versions, too. And they all include a hearty portion of fried Brussels sprouts, halved and tossed with the wings to add a slight bitterness. But the star of the dish is the sweet and sour apricot horseradish dipping sauce, made from a base of coconut milk and Vegenaise.
📍 2370 E. Norris St. 📞 215-423-5400 🌐 cedarpointbarandkitchen.com 📷 @cedarpointphl
Triangle Tavern goes through a couple hundred pounds of seitan a week for its vegan wings, consistently outselling its regular wings and every other item on the menu. At the base is Blackbird seitan, hand-ripped to create extra texture, and then dredged in salt- and sage-seasoned flour. The irregular strips are fried to order, and tossed with Buffalo sauce (Frank’s Red Hot and Earth Balance) or Country Sweet, a sauce originating in Rochester, N.Y. Both versions come with vegan ranch and celery.
📍1338 S. 10th St. 📞 215-800-1992 🌐 triangletavernphilly.com 📷 @triangletavern
This Northern Liberties spot serves crispy, panko-coated wings covered with Buffalo sauce, barbecue, or Cajun dry rub. At the base is seitan, cut into thick strips. They have the chewiness of a McDonald’s chicken nugget,. After picking a sauce, pick your pairing: vegan blue cheese, ranch, or chipotle aioli.
📍705 N. Second St. 📞 215-238-0660 🌐 bourbonandbranchphilly.com 📷 @bourbonandbranch 🚗 GrubHub, Seamless
Front Street turns upward of 300 heads of cauliflower a week into “wings,” made from florets soaked in an apple cider vinegar brine, tossed with seasoned rice flour, and then flash-fried to order. You’ve got your pick of four sauces: the original and best-selling Buffalo (Frank’s Red Hot, garlic, plant-based butter, and a hint of Dijon mustard), General Tso’s, creamy garlic sriracha, and a new whiskey barbecue, a tangy, mustard-based concoction that incorporates spirits from Keystone Distillery.
📍 1253 N. Front St. 📞 215-515-3073 🌐 frontstreetcafe.net 📷 @frontstreetcafe
Both Cantina locations offer vegan wings, with three rotating sauces always on each menu. They’re made from seitan, tossed straight into the fryer at Los Caballitos, while at Dos Segundos, they are first coated with rice flour, sage, cumin, salt, and pepper. Sauce options range from extra spicy habanero Buffalo to smoked garlic mojo to chipotle hoisin.
📍 651 E. Passyunk Ave. 📞 215-755-3550 🌐 cantinaloscaballitos.com 📷 @cantinaphilly
📍 931 N Second St. 📞 215-629-0500 🌐 cantinadossegundos.com 📷 @cantinadossegundos
Khyber’s Blackbird seitan-based wings get a Cajun twist, dredged in yellow cornmeal, flour, and spices, like cayenne, garlic powder, and paprika. After leaving the deep-fryer, they’re tossed with a traditional Buffalo sauce or a Kansas City-style barbecue, made from pureed roasted onions and garlic, mustard, brown sugar, and a heavy dose of ketchup, and molasses. Order a sampler to try both.
📍56 S. Second St., 📞 215-238-5888, 🌐 khyberpasspub.com, 📷 @khyberpasspub