WHO/WHAT: HipCityVeg
WHERE: 127 S. 18th St. Philadelphia Pa, 19103
CUISINE: Classed-up, plant-based, fast food
VIBE: With its big glass front window, greener than green seats, and winding counter, Hip City screams ‘fresh, clean, and bright.’ The simplicity of the place gives 
it a very modern feel, mixed with a warm, home-style, comfort-food vibe. A giant menu, mounted on the wall, is about the only decorative element. Come early, the place gets packed. There’s only 10 seats so, weather permitting, grab it to go and walk a block down to Rittenhouse Park for a peaceful picnic.
MENU HIGHLIGHTS: The Crispy Hip city Ranch sandwich is overwhelmingly amazing. The ‘battered chick’n’ looks and tastes exactly like a juicy, all white meat, chicken breast. It is the most chicken-y, animal-free chicken that I have ever tasted. Accompanied with all of the fast food sandwich necessities; lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and some creamy ranch dressing, this sandwich goes BOOM in your mouth.
The Fajita Wrap. Essentially a tortilla wrapped around authentic-tasting ‘blackened chick’n’ with peppers, onions, avocado, pico de gallo and chipotle crema. Trust me when I say that this is a heavy wrap. Bring an appetite.
The Groothie is a green smoothie with apples, bananas and, obviously, leafy greens. It is a little pricey at around five dollars but if you are in the need of a pick me up, it is definitely a good investment because it will make you feel awake and energetic for much longer than a cup of coffee. Don’t be intimidated by the green color, it mostly tastes like banana with a little citrus fruit aftertaste, and you don’t taste the greens at all. In fact, green smoothies are a great way to get a veggie boost if you are not in the mood to eat a big pile of vegetables.
Some people may have noticed that I tend to overlook salads and this is because I don’t usually get all that excited over them, the salads at Hip City are a different story. The Chopped Med Salad is a perfected mix with tons of chickpeas and well prepared tofu, which is all tied together with a unique basil dressing. Paired with an order of sweet potato fries (shout out for the cilantro black bean dip), this salad is a complete meal.
At Hip City Veg, the combination of great service and food leaves pretty much nothing to be desired. They have a menu that lets you indulge in junk food delights and desserts or healthy salads and juices. They even have kid’s meals which is completely adorable.
PRICE RANGE: Sandwiches and salads are about nine dollars a piece, sides and desserts are around four. You can definitely get a really filling meal for about fifteen bucks.
RATING: 9/10