Written by guest reviewer Vanessa Perplies
Bite into Vegan Burger Happiness at Rainbow Burger!
Disclaimer: I’m not a vegan. I’ve never been a vegan and I’ll probably never be a vegan. Well, I did turn vegetarian briefly when I was 13, but it didn’t really stick (try telling your Midwestern, son-of-a-butcher father you’re now a vegetarian….it doesn’t go over too well. Thedguy literally used to feed us the cooked blood and steak drippings and call it ‘steak juice.’ One juicy steak on the BBQ later and I think I had successfully cracked, all part of meat-lovin daddy’s plan to turn his daughter back to the dark side, I suppose). So I’m a girl who loves my meat but can definitely appreciate a vegetarian or vegan meal.
I ordered the Rainbow Burger with cashew cheese and caramelized onions, complete with all the trimmings – onion, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard and vegan Thousand Island dressing, (the Double Rainbow Burger seemed a bit extreme for this recovered vegetarian), with a side of fries, onion rings and a bit of seitan shawarma, to make sure I had a well-rounded experience.
One juicy bite of Rainbow Burger later and it *almost* had me convinced that this was the real deal. The texture, look and taste are darn near identical to meat. Not to mention, the soy and mushroom burger blend gave me the same warm, fuzzy, happy-tummy feeling I get from eating meat. Usually when I eat vegan food I’m left ravenous, grumbling and wondering when the actual meal will start. This time, I barely finished half and was completely full – something unheard of for this burger-lovin’ babe.
Rainbow Burger’s seitan shawarma is damn near perfect, made with grilled onions, peppers, tomatoes and topped with tons of yummy tahini. The shawarma is expertly seasoned, and served in a giant bowl which can easily serve two. The texture is perfect, the taste is flavorful, and it could have had this meat-lovin’ lady fooled.
By nature, I’m not a fan of onion rings. They’re generally greasy, soggy and just gross going down. Rainbow Burger’s onion rings are served crispy, tasty, hot and full of crunch, perfect for dipping in ketchup or vegan Thousand Island. The fry portion is extremely generous and cooked crispy McDonald’s-style, and topped with herbs. I polished off the whole batch and could have easily eaten more (ah, the epic, internal battle between wanting a summer body and wanting more fries. The struggle is real!)
Truly, Rainbow Burger is the perfect pit stop for born-again vegans who loved meat in a past life, and need that feeling of meaty satisfaction in the pit of their belly (minus the actual meat of course). For that, Rainbow Burger has definitely got you covered!
This restaurant is featured in the following Guides:
– Best Burgers in Tel Aviv
– ההמבורגרים הכי טובים בתל אביב
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