OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — We are three months into 2021. If one of your goals is to eat healthier this new year, there's a new vegan restaurant that's getting a lot of buzz in Omaha.
In this week's Take Out Tuesday, 3 News Now Anchor Serese Cole takes us inside the Naughty Buddha Burger Bar, where even those on a non-vegan, vegetarian diet are singing the restaurant's praises.
It's not your typical burger joint or your usual menu.
"They love when they order the Buddhalicious. That cracks them up or when they order the Naughty Buddha," laughed Naughty Buddha Burger Bar Co-owner Fatiah Ali.
But it is a new option for people wanting to eat healthier.
"Everyone likes a burger. We're vegan and sometimes as vegans, we don't get to experience those things as much, and that's what we want to bring the vegan community," Ali explained.
She said the food is fresh, filling and flavorful.
"Their response 100% of the time is, 'Oh my God. I'm not vegan. I'm not a vegetarian, but this is the most amazing food that I've ever tasted,'" she said.
Each burger has its own homemade sauce.
Ali showed us how she builds their Drunken Buddha Burger.
She adds white ginger, cucumber, crispy seaweed and a lot of fresh greens to a bun covered in their special sauce.
"Then we put or vegan bacon on there...you get two slices of vegan bacon," she explained.
Then, more cucumbers and more seaweed.
"So our burgers are small, but they are tall," Ali said.
The restaurant also launched a brand new Buddha Bowl. It starts with a made-from-scratch blend of goodness.
"Which has watermelon, radishes, kale, broccoli, parsnip," she explained.
There's also quinoa, grilled tofu, sweet potato flatbread and lemon hummus.
"Then I just drizzle a little bit of our special sauce on there and we finish it off with our black lava salt. We just launched it last week and we're selling like crazy," she shared.
The salads are also popular. Their signature Tsunami Salad is loaded with fresh fruit and figs. It's topped with their homemade mango pineapple dressing.
"So you're getting all these flavors you don't expect," Ali explained.
Ali couldn't show us their newest item: the Unchicken Sandwich. That's because it's so popular they're having a hard time just keeping it in stock.
Fatiah Ali and her husband El Ali are grateful for the community support.
They opened the restaurant in August in the thick of the pandemic.
"We looked at it as more an opportunity. With a pandemic more people are inspired to at least be a little bit healthier in their eating habits," Ali shared.
Nutritious, delicious and fun.
"You know there's so much seriousness in the world right now, so we want to be a place where you can feel lighthearted," Ali stated.
Customers notice.
"We have a customer, every time she comes in she leaves like a $300 tip and she's like, 'No, it's for you guys. I want you to be here, I need you to be here,'" Ali shared.
A nice gesture for one naughty burger bar.
If you're unsure what to try when you go, the Naughty Buddha Burger is the most popular. But it does have a little spice to it.
The Buddhalicious is the most traditional burger.
Everything inside Naughty Buddha Burger Bar is vegan, including the beer.
You can check the entire menu out on their website and Facebook page.
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