There’s something to be said for cosmic timing. When entrepreneur Giovanni Lo Coco got the idea for Italy’s first vegetarian fast food restaurant in 1996, there was no mad cow scare in sight.
But this particular brand of new-age eatery couldn’t have debuted at a better moment–Coco’s opened its doors in Milan June 2001–a month after the Fiorentina steak was banned, offering up soy burgers to Italians suddenly wary of Mc Donald’s.
Meat consumption, never particularly high in the Bel Paese, dropped 25% in April alone. Italians were on the lookout for alternatives — enter the Vegaburger.
"Love all, serve all," recites the bullet-shaped logo on a toothpick adorning the soy-and-cereal concoction, which can also be had with cheese. The star of the menu, which runs around $3, is passably meaty and filling — clearly the favorite for office-workers crowding the joint on a weekday. Less convincing are the insipid oven-baked fries and somewhat run-of-the-mill tortellini with ricotta and mint. A children’s menu, featuring animal-shaped soy patties, may mean less work for parent’s trying to get kids to desert Ronald.
Lo Coco, 45, former director of a tour company, got the idea on holiday in India– and the restaurant, reflects any number of ideas that may or may not help compete with the golden arches. The ergonomic chairs are comfy, the orange and blue hues soothing, but the jury is out on the aroma diffusers–appetite stimulating for day, conversation stimulating for evening–which cover the smell of food. Two thumbs up for the biodegradable cutlery and plates…
Smoking is thankfully banned throughout the restaurant, but wine & beer are on hand. Coco’s, unsurprisingly, has plans to expand– but while they’re doing Feng Shui analysis for the next locations, try our guide to Italian vegetarian dining.
The Rub:
Coco’s, Via San Prospero 4 (near Piazza Cordusio)
Hours 10 a.m. — 11 p.m.
Meal for two ran about $12 USD, roughly 25% more expensive than Mc Donald’s, but comparable to a quick sandwich/light meal in the average caf?.