By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Vegans in New York now have a new easy meal option: Chipotle.
The Chipotle Restaurant on 18th St. and 8th Avenue is one of only two branches in the country to debut a vegan version of its classic burrito.
The other restaurant that has the vegan burrito is in Washington, D.C.
"The vegans, 95 percent of them are loving it," said store manager Sean DeCousey.
To make the burrito, Chipotle brought in a host of new ingredients, including gardein, a vegetable protein that substitutes for chicken, along with mushrooms and soy cheese, DeCousey said.
That's good news for vegans, whose option for a Chipotle fix before now was a veggie-only burrito, with no cheese.
"I'm new to this whole vegan thing, so I don't know what it is," DeCousey said. "But [vegans] come in and they're familiar with the gardein."
DeCousey said his store sells between 15-20 of the vegan burritos each day.
