It’s 2021, and fast-food restaurants in the Philippines are finally “woke.”
Big fast-food chains now offer plant-based food, serving them side-by-side their staple of animal protein products. Even McDonald’s is reportedly poised to launch its plant-based burger this year in select markets.
(There are now also several plant-based product options being offered in local supermarkets’ frozen foods section, both from local and imported brands.)
Keep in mind, though, that fast food is fast food. Some of these offerings are most likely super processed, high in sodium, prepped in inflammatory oils, wrapped in refined carbs, or cooked in the same grill as animal meat products.
But people shifting to plant-based options is always welcome news. It is ultimately a more sustainable practice and good for the environment. So, choose to eat plant-based fast food based on ethical principles, if not for your health. If you want to eat healthier, whether it’s plant- or animal-based food, prepare your own food at home.
Here’s a list of popular restaurant chains now offering options for vegans and/or vegetarians.
Starbucks: Classic Lasagna, BBQ Mochi Bun, Mince Roll, Falafel Wrap
Burger King: Plant-Based Whopper, Plant-Based Whopper Jr.
Shakey’s: The Goood Burger, The Goood Goood Burger (in a lettuce wrap)
Sweet Ecstasy: Beyond Ecstasy Burger, 100-percent vegan from patty to bread
Three Guys and a Grill: The Vegan Dog, The Woke Burger (in vegan potato buns)
Shake Shack: ’Shroom Burger
There are the “classics,” of course, restaurants, not necessarily fast food, that offer vegan or vegetarian food. A few of them include:
Cosmic, Poblacion, Makati
Corner Tree Cafe, Jupiter Street, Makati
The Green Bar Cafe, Legazpi Village, Makati
Pipino Vegetarian, Teacher’s Village, QC
Wabi Sabi Noodle House, Tomas Morato, QC
Hummus Elijah, Makati Avenue, Makati
Susi, Burgos Circle, BGC
GoXVegan, BGC
Berde, Salcedo Village, Makati
Happy Garden Cafe, Jupiter Street, Makati
iVegan, Legazpi Village, Makati
Two Chickpeas, Legazpi Village, Makati
The Good Seed, Kapitolyo, Pasig
Lucy in the Sky Cafe, Greenhills, San Juan —Anne A. Jambora, contributor
