Sol Sips
Sol Sips, a vegan restaurant in Bushwick, has only been open for a few weeks, but it is by far Black-Owned Brooklyn’s most requested spot. The BOB Massive (plus your moms, cousins and basketball teams) rushed to tell us about Francesca Chaney, Sol Sip’s incredibly self-possessed 22-year-old owner, and her mission to make healthy, plant-based food accessible to all. Going viral has drawn visitors from as far as D.C., Atlanta and Oakland.
But Chaney wants you to know that, as a new Gen-Z entrepreneur, she’s learning daily. “I don’t want people to think this is a perfect business, or that because we have buzz I’m anything that I’m not,” she says. “Sometimes you’re going to get me rough around the edges, and that’s great because I want people to see my process from 21, 22 and beyond. I plan on being in this for a long time.”
While she serves only vegan fare in her small, busy café, Chaney’s not trying to convert anybody. Raised by a vegan mother from a farming community in Belize, the Queens native grew up on a plant-based diet and just wants to provide the option to her neighborhood. “The approach to vegan food I’ve seen before is kind of hippie-ish, or specifically for people who live in certain neighborhoods, or have a certain income bracket,” she says. “My approach is just making it tasty and filling, making it something that’s not too far off from the traditional American diet, and making it affordable. It’s really chill.”
Among Chaney’s favorites on the Sol Sips menu: the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich (made with tempeh bacon, chickpea scramble and vegan cheese), the avocado mushroom melt, and the banana-cashew-cacao smoothie. On weekends brunch is priced on a sliding scale, where anyone can purchase a full meal and beverage, ranging from $7 to $15. “We’re always going to acknowledge our privilege,” Chaney says. “We’re constantly seeking ways to make the space all-inclusive, and constantly seeking ways to build up the community.”
“We’re constantly seeking ways to make the space all-inclusive, and constantly seeking ways to build up the community.”
We had a little of everything on that morning’s menu: the well spiced turmeric chickpea scramble with homefries, a fluffy waffle with blueberry puree (an order comes with two, but we split one), and the most perfect glazed doughnuts we’ve had in a minute, along with fresh pineapple-ginger juice and an apple spritzer. Start to finish, everything was remarkably flavorful and satisfying.
203 Wilson Avenue, 718-683-0482, Sol Sips on Instagram
