The “Vegan Experience” -FUMO Restaurant
At first, I thought the hardest part of transitioning my diet would be my menu options when going out to eat. However, lately I have noticed that a lot of restaurants now have at least one vegan option on their menus. Even though thats not enough lol, it’s a great start - right? This summer, I have probably visited the most restaurants in a while. If you know me, I was a Cheesecake Factory fanatic!! But I have decided that I need to stop being basic & realized that Cheesecake Factory is definitely overhyped lol.
This past weekend, I visited a restaurant that has been on my list to try out for the longest - FUMO Restaurant. Fumo NYC is an Italian restaurant with two locations in New York. Their menu includes pizza, pastas & burgers. What secured this restaurant a spot on my list was the fact that they had more than on vegan option on their menu. Prior to my visit, I made a reservation via Google Reservations because I wasn’t sure if the restaurant would be packed if I opted for walk-in. You can also make reservations at FUMO Restaurant via Resy.
Customer Service
Upon arrival to their Upper West Side (108th Street & Broadway) I noticed that the restaurant was located on a street that was not as busy - especially for a Saturday afternoon in New York City. When I checked in for my reservation the hostess noted that I had to show proof of vaccination to be seated in doors so I requested a table outdoors. When seated, I was greeted with a pitcher of water, bread and a complimentary oil.
I was note a huge fan of the outdoor seating set up. Even thought the tables were a cute marble top, the chairs were foldable and very low setting.
However, the customer service I received during my visit was okay. I realized that what I didn’t like was that none of the service providers were happy/enthusiastic. I mean, it is NYC so you cannot expect the most charming personalities - but still. It just wasn’t giving me anything to add to my dining experience which definitely docked some points from my FUMO experience.
The Food
As I mentioned earlier, I am currently trying to transition my diet. Therefore, I no longer eat dairy, eggs, red meat or seafood. The only thing that I still eat, which has been the hardest to cut out of my diet has been chicken lol.
FUMO Restaurant has a brunch menu, which is what I ordered from but you can also order from their dinner menu during “brunch time”. Their brunch menu options are a little cheaper, but their dinner menu definitely has more options.
However, whenever I go out to eat, I like to try vegan options. I decided to order the vegan burger, which is made with impossible meat, daiya (vegan) cheese and topped with tomato and lettuce. This burger also comes with avocado, but I no longer eat avocado so I noted for them not to include it on my burger. It is also topped with a vegan mayo but the server noted that he wasn’t sure what it was made of so I asked for it on the side. With your burger, you can either get truffle fries or field greens. I was definitely in a fries mood - because when am I not? LOL! So I asked the server for regular tries without the truffle. I also got a raspberry lemonade - which was the only flavored lemonade they offered.
The food was really good! Definitely enjoyed my meal & would have it again. However, the raspberry lemonade was very heavy & tart. It gave me more of a fruit juice than a lemonade. I would have preferred to try their regular lemonade.
My Overall Thoughts?
Overall, I would give FUMO Restaurant a 6/10. The food was very delicious. However, the customer service did turn me off a bit as well as the drink. The next time I am craving this burger and fries, I will try out their Harlem location (139th & Amsterdam) to see if I have a different experience with their customer service. I will definitely keep you all updated here on my blog & on my Youtube channel (via a vlog) on how my experience at their Harlem location it. Have you all tried FUMO Restaurant, is it on your list of restaurants to try, or are you tempted tot ry after reading this blog post? Comment down below & let me know :)