North San Antonio Edition - June 2022

DINING FEATURE Plantology Vegan cuisine lls menu at Stone Oak eatery W hile Griselda Muñoz has worked in restaurants since she was 17 years old, opening her Stone Oak restau-

BY EDMOND ORTIZ

“Everything you see on our menu, I was craving all the time—pancakes, waes, burgers—I was craving them but couldn’t eat them,” Muñoz said. “I don’t remember ever eating a cheeseburger or pizza because of my allergy. I thought, ‘I’m so unfortunate,’ but I also thought it was a blessing because it led to this restaurant.” Her menu now oers a classic burger, carnitas tacos, and even a vegan take on chicken and waes. Muñoz also said she educates her employees—and her customers— about vegan and gluten-free foods. Muñoz said she and her colleagues are continuing that education at a second Plantology location that opened April 30 at Loop 1604 and Shaeneld Road. “A lot of the time, most people don’t realize that we are gluten free. Once we tell people we are gluten free, they are surprised and ask, ‘What’s gluten free?’ There’s still lots of misinformation about gluten-free food,” Muñoz said. “Vegan is more known and mainstream now, so more people know what that is. We try to educate people on gluten free as much as we can. Our team is educated.” Muñoz said she and her col- leagues try to teach diners about their food allergies, explaining that many do not realize they have allergies until symptoms surface and become more frequent when that person consumes a specic suspect food. “There’s a lot of things that people are learning every step of the way. The world is evolving,” Muñoz said. “People are more aware about what they put into their bodies, which is amazing for me because that was my main goal: to convince people that just because the food is vegan or gluten free, it doesn’t have to be ugly or not tasty.” Muñoz said, people now know they can be vegan, and gluten free, and the food is going to taste good and be good for them.

rant Plantology was mostly the result of her consuming a vegan, gluten-free diet because of her celiac disease diagnosis. “When I became vegan, everyone started telling me, ‘Oh, your food is so good, you should start a restau- rant.’ I then I thought, ‘Let’s go for it,’” Muñoz said. In 2019, Muñoz launched a San Antonio location of Laredo-based Marla Restaurant, but shuttered Marla in June 2021 and opened Vegan Avenue, which is currently open north of downtown. Muñoz rolled out Plantology in late Avenue, which she described as a sit- down, casual eatery. Muñoz said her aim has been to oer tasty, healthy dishes using 100% organic, non-genetically modied, soy products and, where possible, locally sourced ingredients. Muñoz said the positive public response to Plantology has made her realize many people share her health concerns. “Back in the day, there were no restaurants that catered exclusively to vegans. There’s vegan restaurants in San Antonio, but none that are completely vegan and gluten-free, spring 2021, setting up what she called a more fast-casual restaurant than Vegan so every time I’d go to a vegan restaurant, I could only choose one or two items from the menu,” Muñoz said. Some diners rejoiced over Plantol- ogy’s opening, she said. “Some customers even cried and said, ‘Great, now I can eat every- thing on the menu.’ I felt the same way. It was amazing,” she said. Plantology’s menu items, Muñoz said, are designed to appeal to din- ers who are both health-conscious and who know that being vegan or vegetarian and eating gluten-free foods does not mean boring.

Griselda Muñoz owns Plantology restaurants in Stone Oak and on the far West Side as well as Vegan Avenue, a restaurant north of downtown San Antonio.

EDMOND ORTIZCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

POPULAR AT PLANTOLOGY

“PEOPLE NOW KNOW YOU CAN BE VEGAN, AND THE FOOD IS GOING TO TASTE GOOD AND BE GOOD FOR YOU.” GRISELDA MUÑOZ, OWNER

Owner Griselda Muñoz said many fans of Plantology rave about their favorite menu items.

“Chick’n” and Waes ($16) features a wae with maple syrup, fried plant-based “chicken” substitute and fruit. The Cali fries ($14) are housemade fries featuring queso, grilled asada, guacamole, pico and jalapenos. Carnitas tacos ($12) are mini- corn tortillas lled with asada, avocado, queso fresco, onions and cilantro. The classic burger ($15) boasts cheddar “cheeze,” caramelized onions, lettuce, tomatoes, house pickles and house aioli, all on a toasted bun. The rainbow mango salad , ($12- $13) with spicy maple quinoa, mango salsa and chipotle aioli dressing, is the most sought- after of the menu’s four salads. Plantology oers four soy- free, coconut milkshakes ($8) : vanilla, chocolate, cookies ’n’ cream and strawberry.

The “chick’n” and waes is a popular savory and sweet b breakfast option. COURTESY PLANTOLOGY

The carnitas tacos are stued with jackfruit, mushrooms and pink onions. COURTESY PLANTOLOGY

Plantology in Stone Oak oers a full menu of vegan and gluten-free dishes. COURTESY PLANTOLOGY

Plantology 22026 N. US 281, Ste. 101, San Antonio 210-290-8000 www.eatplantology.com Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily

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NORTH SAN ANTONIO EDITION • JUNE 2022