Being a vegetarian and going out to eat gets easier all the time.

Vegan and vegetarian options are way more abundant now than they used to be.

Restaurants that are entirely veg are also way more common.

A new one that has recently popped up in the Philadelphia vegetarian scene is Hip City Veg.

With it's lineage stemming from arguably one of the best vegan joints in Philly area history, Horizons, the expectations were high.

This place sadly falls short in some respects, but hits the mark in others.

The positive side:

Fast-food options are few and far between for vegans, so this place fills that void nicely. You get typical burger-slinging fare in an environmentally friendly establishment, and all vegan.

Good variety on the menu and the chick'n ranch sandwich was really tasty.

Also, a friendly staff that gets your food to you quickly.

The negative side:

The veggie burger tasted like a Boca patty, while that's fine from your neighborhood diner, I expect way better from an all vegetarian eatery.

Not much seating. I get that it is geared to be mostly a take-out restaurant, but with hours from 10-10, it seems like they'd want a more welcoming place to sit down and eat.

Overall, for a quick and convenient meal, it's a good place to stop. The food is a bit disappointing and kind of over-priced.

I'm stoked that there is another all-veg eatery in the city, but I'll probably be sticking to the old favorites for now.

That myth of how vegetarians can't get protein is nicely addressed here in a post from Mind Body Green and ultra-marathoner and vegan, Rich Roll.
Quinoa, tempeh, seitan, beans, and lentils are some of my favorite foods, but Roll's post makes me want to get in on that spirulina game.

I'll never be anywhere near the shape that this dude is in, but i do try to eat as health-consciously as i can (in between trips to gorge myself on sandwiches from Blackbird Pizzeria, which have a nice amount of protein-rich seitan).

My experience with non-vegetarians questioning my health always cracks me up, but the most frequent questions are about protein for some reason.