MANE-LEE-VEGAN Is a new elevated vegan restaurant expected to open mid-November in Blackwood NJ, offering delicious vegan dishes with an extra focus on making all aspects of the menu healthy.
I stopped in yesterday and met up with owner and chef Kondor who is putting the finishing touches on the Black Horse Pike Restaurant… and he tells me he expects to open in about four weeks, before Thanksgiving.
Inside, the restaurant looks mostly ready to go! Kondor was working on finishing paint touches on the walls in the main dining room when I stopped in. All of the tables and chairs are in the space, temporarily moved off to the side as he works on the final details… so interior photos will wait for the pre-opening preview tour.
I don’t sell anything that I don’t use or believe in. I’ve made an investment in myself. I’m of high value.
Chef Kondor of MANE-LEE-VEGAN Restaurant Blackwood, opening mid-November
The restaurant name is a clever play on “mainly vegan” but Kondor explains the only variation from a vegan menu is that he uses a high-grade therapeutic honey in some of his recipes, a product which he praises for its healthy benefits. 95% vegan and 5% Manuka honey.
For a location reference the building was previously known as Shana’s Wild Fig, and is located near Flamez Pizza and Meadows Diner.
MANE-LEE-VEGAN Blackwood
The MANE-LEE-VEGAN signage has been up for over a year which has had many locals in the community and in online Facebook groups such as South Jersey Food Scene wondering about the details for the restaurant and when they were opening.
Owner Kondor took the extra time to build out his menu and other restaurant aspects, including sourcing the healthiest and highest quality ingredients.
MANE-LEE-VEGAN promises an elevated vegan dining experience where the menu pushes-the-envelope to make sure every aspect of the dining experience is from the healthiest ingredients.
For example, Kondor explains that while vegan means not eating anything from animal products.. french fries cooked in vegetable oil is a perfectly acceptable vegan meal… but vegetable oil is not the healthiest choice.
So at MANE-LEE-VEGAN restaurant he is using avocado oil for all of his fried items, a product that while significantly more expensive than standard cooking oils, offers the healthy lifestyle that he lives and promotes.
Kondor has made vegan and healthy eating a lifestyle choice for almost 12 years, and in my conversation with him… he really is an expert on what it takes to have an full healthy lifestyle!
With his experience he has developed a path to a full healthy dining lifestyle avoiding foods that make you feel bloated and inflamed, or cause poor digestion and lack of sleep.
He truly lives the lifestyle, promotes it to others, and now has invested in a new restaurant to bring his experience, learning and delicious recipes to the community.
One item that Kondor expects to be a customer favorite at MANE-LEE-VEGAN are his crispy mushrooms which are coated in a honey and basil sauce!
We’ll have to wait for the opening for rest of the menu reveal, but in years past on his own socials he has highlighted recipes that include fresh vegetables, gluten free pasta, chick pea spaghetti and more. But again… we’ll have to wait to see!
Kondor has been focused on getting the restaurant ready and at this point does not have any restaurant social or website presence online but it’s coming soon. As an opening date is set I hope to be back and give readers a preview of MANE-LEE-VEGAN in Blackwood NJ
Links and Location
MANE-LEE-VEGAN – Opening Mid-November
57 S Black Horse Pike
Blackwood, NJ 08012
