Bartertown Diner: Out Of The Ordinary, In All Aspects

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We’ve all eaten at those restaurants. Greasy, fatty burgers, and fries slathered in ketchup. Loud families, high school students working, and a menu filled with meat and everything deep-fried. Bartertown Diner is a polar opposite of restaurants like that, and pairs a great atmosphere with a menu full of food you’ve most likely never heard of.

Bartertown Diner is a completely vegan restaurant, which is not seen very often and is a nice safety net for vegans who may not be sure of the ingredients in food from other restaurants. Another perk to the diner is that it is connected to Cult Pizza, a vegan/vegetarian pizza place with the same hip, modern interior.

Walking into Bartertown, I was greeted with an earthy, herb-like scent that was almost reminiscent of garlic, a smell that was very pleasing to my nose. To the left of the entrance, there is a large chalkboard with a list of rules, something that you don’t see often. My mom, sister, and I sat ourselves down and were quickly given a pitcher of room-temperature water that would’ve been a bit better cold, but it wasn’t exactly a big deal to me. With rustic looking glass cups and moonshine bottle themed salt and pepper shakers, the table is quite aesthetically pleasing and lends itself to a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere.

The interior isn’t dimly lit, but is darker than your average restaurant, partly because of the massive glass window that makes up the front of the building. A small, “hipster” like staff consisting of young adults keeps the place running smoothly, and I only saw one waitress during my dinner, but she did an outstanding job of serving the groups that were eating. After looking at my menu for about five minutes, the waitress greeted my family and took our orders, consisting of two “Chickpea Melts” and one “Little Rooster Cracker Plate.”

I received my food 10-15 minutes later, and my sandwich smelled delicious, although it was very hot, almost too hot to eat right away. The blend of chickpeas, dill, onion, and vegan mayo blends very nicely with the thick toasted bread to create a pleasantly salty sandwich. The bread really stood out to me, and it contrasted the saltiness quite well. After finishing my meal, I cashed out up front, assisted by the same friendly waitress that served me.

Overall, Bartertown Diner is a wonderful restaurant for people who are vegan/vegetarian, and even those who are not. With a comfortable atmosphere, welcoming staff, and great food, everyone should give Bartertown a try.