By Shantika Bhat, VRG Intern

As a vegetarian, it is often hard to find places that have great vegetarian and vegan options. Upon my visit to my first vegan restaurant, it felt very reassuring that I could get food from a place without stressing over my dietary needs. If you had similar experiences, I suggest if you are living in the Baltimore or Riverdale, Maryland area that you should check out Gangster Vegan Organics! Whether you are looking around the Baltimore Harbor or trying to explore your vegan food options, Gangster Vegan Organics might be the perfect spot for you.

On my first visit to the Cross Street Market in Baltimore where one Gangster Vegan Organics is located, I had a tour of what foods people near the harbor like to eat. During the time of COVID-19, businesses have been hit hard and seeing all of these small businesses in one place made me feel relieved. Gangster Vegan Organics has wonderful options from sweets, to green juices, to burgers, to bowls, to smoothies, and even salads; there are so many options to choose from, which put me in a dilemma. The prices of the items for the quality seemed like a great deal as well. After making a tough decision, I decided to get the Alchemy (Mediterranean) which has:  pickled cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, brown rice, romaine, Mediterranean marinated garbanzos, ginger date sauce, and cashew cheese. I have never had cashew cheese before, which made me very curious to see what they all tasted like.

As soon as I got my bowl, I was in awe of how beautiful the colors of the veggies looked together. From the dark fuchsia-colored cabbage to the green cucumbers and orange carrots, this bowl was a beauty. In my first bite, I was shocked at how strong the pickled cabbage and its addition to the bowl really stood out. The combination of the tomatoes, carrots, garbanzo beans, and cucumbers helps to clean the bite and smooth out the bowl from the strong Mediterranean and ginger sauces. Overall, this was one of the most delectable bowls I have had in a while. This made me want to explore more of the menu the next time I come to this place. I would rate this restaurant a 9.5/10 because of the great service, location, and food variety.

If you haven’t been to Gangster Vegan Organics or you don’t live in Baltimore/Riverdale, MD, whenever you find yourself in these areas looking for a healthy place to grab food, with an expansive menu, and a great area to explore, I highly suggest you try Gangster Vegan Organics (and what a cool name too).

Check out the restaurant’s website

For information about other veggie restaurants throughout the USA and Canada, go to vrg.org/restaurant/index.php