Vegan Padova: Universo Vegano

It's seems like about time I review some vegan food in my own city! I have been going to Universo Vegano for a while now as a veggie (pre-blogging) but having now turned vegan it was even more exciting to visit and be able to eat everything on the menu. The pages and pages of options are amazing- from sandwiches to burgers, from pizza to pasta (see here) so of course I was spoilt for choice!

Previously I have tried a few of the sandwiches on the menu and they were delicious. However, I hadn't visited for a while so I decided to go for an old favourite as I'd been craving 'The Big Smoky' burger. This particular burger doesn't appear to be on the menu online but it is a veggie burger topped with smoky soy strips, some vegan cheese slices, lettuce, tomato and vegan mayo. It is huge and so yummy, the smoky soy strips are definitely my favourite bit, they are so tasty. I think the burger itself is also soy based and it's really good.

We also decided to order some roast potatoes as a side to share.

But it is the dessert options that are the most exciting! As a vegan, often it's the dessert options that are the most sparse. So, despite my full tummy, the options at Universo Vegano enticed me.

Some of the options are apple pie, fruit tart, pear and dark chocolate tart, cream fruit pie and chocolate tartufo. All of them looked delicious but we decided to share the tiramisu. 

The cream was delicious with cocoa dusted on the top. It was a subtle flavour, unlike some plant based cream desserts I've tried before. The coffee soaked sponge was good but did have a different texture to sponge- probably due to the lack of eggs in the mix.

I would also recommend the chocolate brioche in Universo Vegano which are freshly made every morning. There are 19 Universo Vegano restaurants all over Italy so if you are close to one be sure to check it out.