Slutty Vegan is As Much a Part of Atlanta Culture as the Braves

If you're in the Atlanta area, there's a vegan restaurant experience that's a must-visit. It's as much a part of the cultural epicenter as the Braves and southern hospitality: Slutty Vegan.

Slutty Vegan is a fast-food chain that's powered entirely by plant-based foods – everything on the impressive menu is 100 percent vegan and 100 percent fun. Slutty Vegan just opened its fourth location in and around the Atlanta area, plus one in Memphis, Tennessee, and rumors are swirling that a New York City location is planned for the near future.

Slutty Vegan has accomplished something that many vegans have struggled to do for decades – make plant-based food cool. What started as one entrepreneur selling Impossible burgers from her kitchen via an app in 2018, followed by expansion into a single food truck, and then eventually a storefront, has grown into an empire. In 2019 The New York Times covered Slutty Vegan and its charismatic founder, Pinky Cole, and it became a national name.

Founded by CEO and visionary vegan Pinky Cole, Slutty Vegan serves up 100 percent authentic southern comfort food made of plant-based ingredients. Its menu includes creative takes on burgers, chicken sandwiches, and crispy shrimp with tongue-in-cheek names like The One Night Stand, a plant-based patty loaded with vegan bacon, vegan cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, and our Slut Sauce on a vegan Hawaiian bun. Another, the Dancehall Queen offers up a plant-based patty loaded with sweet jerk plantains, vegan cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, and our Slut Sauce on a vegan Hawaiian bun.

Other names we found on the menu: The Ménage à Trois, the Side Heaux (of shrimp), and the Fussy Hussy, with caramelized onions. The point: Vegan food can be fun, have a sense of humor, and not take itself too seriously. It's the same vibe as you'll find at any of the four locations where dancing is encouraged and desserts encouraged, including a uniquely vegan Seamoss Banana Pudding, the King Of Pops popsicles, and Slutty Slushies.

Pinky Cole uses her stature to give back to the community

While Cole is the Queen of ATL vegan eats, she's also an involved community activist and founded The Pinky Cole Foundation and she encourages people to vote and supported voter registration by serving up food to anyone waiting in long lines to vote last fall. The Pinky Cole Foundation has provided scholarships to 30 juvenile offenders as well as created college funds for the children of Atlanta-native Rayshard Brooks after his killing at the hands of police last summer.

Slutty Vegan reinvents Vegan food culture by creating a fun and inviting restaurant for anyone who wants to try vegan food once, or embrace a plant-based lifestyle. The team welcomes everyone, and the Instagram captions include "Hey Sluts!" as a way of making you feel like you're part of the family. You are invited to "Get Slutified." What are you waiting for?

For more great plant-based restaurant ideas in the Atlanta area, check out our guide to the best vegan spots in Atlanta.