PETA's Vegan-Meatball Survey Finds Ike's Meatless Sloppy Joes Beat Out Other Restaurants' Fare  

For Immediate Release:
November 4, 2009

Contact:
Kate Brindle 757-622-7382

San Francisco -- If you're one of the growing number of Americans who are looking for tasty, healthy, and humane alternatives to a traditional favorite, you're in luck. That's because delicious, 100 percent meat-free meatballs are springing up at restaurants everywhere. So PETA set out to find the finest of the faux, and Ike's Place in San Francisco has grabbed the number one spot in the nation.

Ike's Place doesn't boast a totally vegetarian menu, but the restaurant does have a huge selection of vegan options. Customer favorites include the Vegan Meatless Mike with spicy marinara and soy cheese and the Not So Sloppy Ike with tangy barbecue sauce.

Ike's Place wasn't the only Bay Area establishment to tantalize taste buds. The Breakroom Cafe in Oakland has also been named to our Top 10 Best Vegan Meatballs list. Its vegan meatball on a French panini served with vegan mozzarella cheese earned the Breakroom Café its number eight spot.

"The delicious faux meatballs at Ike's Place are the real deal because they offer all the flavor of traditional meatballs but are associated with none of the cruelty or cholesterol," says PETA vegetarian campaign coordinator Kate Brindle. "This eatery is a great example of the growing number of restaurants that are satisfying America's hunger for healthy and humane cuisine."

Coming in second place was Encinitas' The Greenery Raw Food Cafe for its faux meatballs, which are made from finely ground organic walnuts and served on fresh, spaghetti-like zucchini noodles with marinara sauce. Philadelphia's famous Gianna's Grille captured third place with its "Haastile" meatball sub with sauteed onions, green peppers, and mushrooms. Rounding out the top five are Caravan of Dreams (New York City) for its Live Love Boat featuring almond-Brazil nut meatballs and Twisted Tree Cafe (Asbury Park, N.J.) for its baked tofu meatball wrap. All winners will receive a framed certificate to display on the wall.

For more information on all the winners, please click here.