Dining Out in Brooklyn - Little Choc Apothecary

The Breakfast Crepe - Little Choc Apothecary

Wall of Herbs & Spices - Little Choc Apothecary

Wandering around Williamsburg I was looking for a new vegan spot to try and I found one that wasn't just new to me but new to the area, Little Choc Apothecary. This adorable, entirely vegan, casual restaurant specializes in crepes, but also sells other tasty baked goods, juices, and has an actual apothecary upstairs with a wall full of herbs and spices in glass jars. On their website they claim they are, "NYC's 1st fully vegan creperie." There were little touches in the decor that made me think of Alice in Wonderland, like the super-sized playing cards for table numbers and the tea cups. Fun fact: the owner was a former fashion model.


I asked the staff which crepe they enjoyed most and the first response was The Breakfast Crepe, and because I was opting to eat gluten-free this appealed to me. The only non-gluten-free crepe on the menu is the Khail Seitan; one I was also tempted to try. They offer both sweet and savory crepes. My crepe was moderately filled with a tofu scramble, coconut bacon, spinach and cucumber slices. This was a light meal, but tasty. I would have liked some sort of sauce to go with my crepe so it wasn't quite so dry and plain, but overall it was enjoyable and I was happy knowing it was vegan and gluten-free. To go along with my crepe, I ordered an Almond Milk Latte, served in a pretty little tea cup. Also, from Yelp reviews I saw that a popular vegan dessert was the Earl Grey Cookie, but when I first came in they were all out. Luckily by the time I left a new batch was done and I took one home. This was definitely a grown up cookie, similar to a not-so-sweet sugar cookie, but with a subtle tea flavor. 

I would return to try other crepe flavors and smoothies...and because the ambiance was just so lovely!

Inside, Lower Level of Little Choc Apothecary

Crepes in the Making - Little Choc Apothecary

Little Choc Apothecary

141 Havemeyer Street

Brooklyn, NY 11211

Little Choc Apothecary Website

Dining Out in Brooklyn - Champs Diner

Red Velvet Pancakes - Champs Diner

This place is like a glutton's heaven; it's like waking up in a vegan food dream. So be warned, it's not for the "light" eater and you better bring your appetite... and your patience, because you will need both. Champs (or Champs Family Bakery or Champs Diner, whichever you prefer) recently moved to a new location and spruced up their decor, but kept with their retro 50's diner vibe. Even on a rainy, cold Saturday morning there was a crowd outside waiting for a table and unfortunately due to the small size, the hostess wouldn't allow people to wait inside. I came here for a birthday brunch with my best friend and was willing to wait. Instead of standing in the rain, we actually made the smart choice (thinking only with our stomachs here) to swing by Dunwell Doughnuts a couple blocks away for a pre-meal vegan doughnut (yup, talk about healthy). 

I had studied the menu a few times before coming and even ordered takeout from Champs months ago. I was second guessing the fact that everything here is vegan, because it sure doesn't sound or look like it, which makes it that much more exciting! I first tried the Buffalo Chik'n Sandwich but wasn't impressed. It was a hero sandwich made with spicy buffalo chik'n, greens, tomatoes, sauteed onions, and ranch dressing. I couldn't enjoy it because it was too spicy for my taste. I was very eager to go back for a real brunch though because they are known for their breakfast foods. Some stand-outs include the Red Velvet Pancakes (photographed above), Drunken Cowgirl Tofu Scramble, French Fries with Cheese & Bacon (yes, you read that right). My friend was in the mood for more of an "egg" savory dish and went for the Get Scrambled tofu scramble with onions, peppers and ham. I made my decision based on reading the description of Country-Fried Seitan Sandwich...or maybe it was just seeing "fried" in the name. My sandwich was incredible, not something I could eat everyday or even every week, but a scrumptious unhealthy treat nonetheless. The crispy seitan cutlet was crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, smothered in creamy ranch dressing, topped with bacon and melted cheese and a few fresh veggies - lettuce and tomato - all served on Texas toast, because why not?! Man, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I had to save room for our breakfast dessert so I brought half home and ate it only a couple hours later. For dessert, with hardly any room left in our stomachs (those doughnuts before our meal might have been a bad idea), we sunk our forks into a stack of Red Velvet Pancakes. I've never had the pleasure of enjoying red velvet in this way before! They were chewy, fluffy and moist, a well-made pancake indeed and served with a generous heap of heavy whipped cream with melting chocolate chips decorating the plate. 

Country-Fried Seitan Sandwich - Champs Diner

This whole meal left me saying "nom nom nom" and wanting to find a cozy warm corner to go lie down in for a while. There are just so many more things I need to try here. I will be back and I will wait in that line, because dammit it's worth it.

Get Scrambled - Champs Diner

Another shot of those beautiful red velvet pancakes

Champs Diner

197 Meserole Street

Brooklyn, NY 11206
Champs Diner Website