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| Sarah and her hubby |
Sarah is a compassionate vegan. She has been vegetarian for 4 years and vegan for 2 years (and many more...). She is married to an awesome vegan husband, Hanes, and they have four rescued fur babies (one dog and three cats). They love being vegan in Charleston!
Sarah is a member of the local group, Charleston Veggie and Vegans. Please visit their FB page here for great events and gatherings and also visit here for more information on Charleston's SECOND ANNUAL Walk for Animals!!
PATAT SPOT by: Sarah Swingle
If you haven't been to Patat Spot Friet & Falafel yet, you're in for a delicious, vegan experience. Located on George Street less than a block away from C of C's Cistern, the establishment calls itself "a quick service vegetarian European style snack bar," but I call it falafel heaven, and soon you will too. Walking in, you're greeted with brightly colored walls, shiny diner-style tables, smiling staff, and the irresistible smell of made-to-order, hand-cut friet (or fries, as they're called in the US of A).
The menu, as evidenced by their name, is made up mainly of falafel and fries.A falafel, for those who aren't familiar with it, is a Mediterranean spiced chickpea cake. Patat Spot's falafel can be prepared fried or grilled and is actually gluten free, which is awesome for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. They even have gluten free (and regular) pita bread to make a great falafel sandwich. Not feeling sandwich-y?
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| Falafel Pita |
Not a problem; you can order a salad that comes with two falafel patties. Either way, you have your pick of more than 21 toppings at the toppings bar, which features local ingredients and is easy-to-navigate because each topping is labeled very clearly with a sticker that shows if it is vegan and/or gluten free. This makes deciding what you want easy: pile your plate up with all the vegan options! Some toppings are expected (like baba ganoush), some are unexpected (like pickled turnips from The Pickle Lady at the Farmer's Market), but all are scrumptious. I especially recommend the tomato/avocado topping and tabouli.
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| Falafel Salad |
You can make your falafel sandwich or salad into a Patat Spot Combo, which adds friet and a drink. The friet are delectable, and they come with your choice of sauce. The only two sauces that are vegan are the curry ketchup and the mango chutney. I LOVE the curry ketchup and highly recommend it. If you want to get even fancier, upgrade your friet to a specialty topping. There you have your choice of delightful vegan options: The "Gribiche" tops your friet with olive oil, capers, pickles, shallots and parsley; the "Latino" adds a bite with lime juice and vinegar hot sauce; and the "Gremolata" complements the fries with minced parsley, lemon zest and garlic. Delish. And if you're only looking for a quick snack during a day of shopping on King St., they serve fresh pita chips with dips too!
All in all, Patat Spot hits the vegan spot. Go there. You'll love it.
