Montclair Restaurants Earn Praise For Their ‘Plant-Based’ Menu Options

MONTCLAIR, NJ — If you’re looking to check out a restaurant in Montclair with some tasty, veggie-based menu choices, you might want to turn your attention to two local spots: Mercado, and Faubourg.

Earlier this year, nonprofits Humane Montclair and Planted Society announced that they were partnering with the Montclair Township Department of Sustainability and a group of local restaurants on their “Plant Based for the Planet” initiative.

The goal? To encourage people to choose “plant-based options” as a strategy to decrease their carbon footprint.

As part of the campaign, 13 local restaurants created new, plant-based dishes and spotlighted their current “climate-forward” menu options. Winners were determined by the votes of diners at the participating restaurants during the month of March.

By the end of the contest, the 13 restaurants had sold more than 2,500 plant-based special items costing $76,000 – earning a 7.75 percent average sales bump along the way, organizers said.

More importantly, the local environment was also a winner, organizers added. The campaign saved an estimated 67,000 pounds of greenhouse gases (primarily carbon dioxide and methane) and nearly a million gallons of water, among other benefits. Read the impact report online here.

While all the eateries put in a proud showing, Mercado and Faubourg eventually emerged on top, according to voters.

Mercado, a breakfast and lunch restaurant owned by Marcelo and Carla Silva, swept four of the five awards, winning top spot “Best Overall,” as well as “Best Plant Based Lunch Options” and “Most Creative.” Mercado's Crispy Tofu Banh Mi also won the votes for “Best Plant Based Special.”

Meanwhile, fine-dining French restaurant Faubourg won the honor of “Best Plant Based Dinner,” thanks to the selections created by Chef Olivier Muller.

While not all of the specials saw a permanent place on the restaurants’ menus, nearly one in four will. In addition, 29 percent of the chefs at the participating restaurants said they plan to create new plant-based items in the future.

Organizers said they expect the campaign to return in Montclair for 2024.

The effort earned praise from U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a well-known vegan.

“Community efforts like this help to raise awareness about the many benefits – both personally and for our climate – of a plant-based diet,” Booker said.

Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller also gave the campaign a big thumbs-up.

“This initiative further demonstrates that Montclair is a food destination that has something for everyone,” Spiller said. “I urge everyone who hasn’t yet to check out the creative and delicious plant-based food our excellent eateries have to offer.”

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