Louisiana: New Orleans – Sweet Soul Food

November 6, 2019
(V) Louisiana
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I decided that I wanted to head out away from the touristy French Quarter and explore a more traditional and real part of the city. So, I discovered that there was a vegan restaurant called Sweet Soulfood a few miles out.

To add to my adventure I decided to get there by foot and public transport. Firstly, I walked 20 minutes from my hotel close to the Convention Center to Canal Street. At Harrahs Casino on Canal Street is the terminus for the trolley cars, which is something I recommend if you want a true New Orleans experience but they are not the quickest form of transport. A single trip ride on the buses and trolley cards is $1.25. You can pay for the journey on the vehicle in cash with exact change or you can go on to the transport authority’s website, (https://www.norta.com /) and download the app to your phone where you can pay for tickets and use QR codes to pay for journeys.

I took the trolley car as far as Broad Street. Here I decided to walk to Sweet Soulfood ( I could have taken the 94 bus which goes along Broad) – which took me about 20 minutes. This is an interesting area, and very different from the French Quarter, with lots of shuttered storefronts. I am not sure I would personally venture here after dark – but it may be okay. Anyway, as I walked I came across one of the canals and a pumping station which served to remind me of the fact that many of the neighbourhoods in this area were flooded during Hurricane Katrina.

I finally reached Sweet Soulfood, which has a modest storefront, so you could easily miss it. Like the exterior, the inside is modestly decorated, definitely more cafeteria than home comfort, with plain wooden tables and not too comfortable chairs. I went there at the end of the day, so it was very quiet, but I understand it is often packed with people.

The food is buffet style, with a dozen or so options from entrees to veggie sides. The good thing is that this place is 100% vegan so you don’t have to think a lot about what you choose. You pay by the number of dishes you choose to have on your plate – I was definitely feeling peckish so I ended up with four different selections including an eggplant lasagne, a curry and a couple of veggie sides – including some delicious portabello mushrooms in gravy. The menu changes daily.

This is not haute-cuisine but it is tasty and warming – yes dare I say it soul food. I loved it. The flavouring was good and the portions were generous. What more can I say? I particularly enjoyed the mushrooms – one of my favourite food and the collared greens were very good and not too sweet.

I skipped the dessert, I was totally full by this stage, but apparently, they do a mean bread pudding as well as a selection of vegan ice cream.

Location:	1025 N Broad St, New Orleans, LA 70119
Website:	sweetvegansoulfood.com/
Hours:	11 am – 6 pm Mon – Sat. Closed Sundays
Type:	Plant-based vegan Southern-Style cooking
Prices:	Relatively inexpensive food – about $11 to $30. You pay for the number of selection you make from the buffet