Downtown Orlando just got its first completely vegan restaurant.
Earthy Picks officially opened its doors for business at 420 E Church Street, in the base of the Camden at Thornton Park Apartments.
After several months of renovations and city permitting, owner Tatiana Henao celebrated the grand opening of her business in August. Orlando-News.com first announced that Earthy Picks was under construction in January.
Born and raised in Colombia, Henao is a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition that was inspired to start the business in 2020 by her mother, who encouraged her to share her vegan recipes with others.
Before opening her first brick-and-mortar location, Henao was a regular at Lake Eola Farmer’s Market for years, serving up vegan latin food “with a twist.” Henao says that the business will continue selling at the farmer’s market in addition to the new brick-and-mortar location.
Earthy Picks’ menu features a variety of dishes, all of which are vegan. That includes its Locos Tacos, which are made with crunchy corn shells, black bean purée, seasoned portobello mushrooms sautéed with onions, pico de gallo, spicy mayo, micro greens, and lime.
It also includes a New Age Burrito that is made with organic mixed greens, maduros, quinoa, black beans, and several other other ingredients.
In addition to food, the restaurant also features multiple vegan drink options, including a “Fill Me Up” smoothie that is made with mixed berries, banana, peanut butter, dates, and oat milk.
For more information on the business or its menu, visit Earthy Picks online.
With its opening, Earthy Picks becomes the first, dedicated vegan restaurant in downtown Orlando. Currently, there are multiple restaurants in downtown Orlando that feature vegan options on their menus, but none are dedicated solely to vegan cuisine.
The new restaurant joins several other businesses that have opened their doors in downtown Orlando over the past year, as the area sees massive changes due to dozens of business closures.
Since last year, Tacos My Guey, Solita, Taco Kat, Stemma Craft Coffee, CityArts Café, and Double O’s Coffee have all opened new locations in downtown Orlando.
Over the same period, at least 16 businesses have closed their downtown Orlando locations, including Ace Café, B Nice Orlando Patio Bar, and Bagel Dudes, which closed up after only one month in operation in the base of 55 West.