Winter Park’s Nascent Vegan Restaurant Daya Hits The Mark

    Watch out Ethos and Dandelion… you have some pretty substantial competition.

     

    By Breanna Panto

     

    Daya is a breath of fresh air in a city with a plethora of vegan options; it’s refreshingly different. Their upscale menu and humble prices were among the first things I noticed.

     

    I was also excited by Daya’s impressive list of wine and beer to choose from. SIDE NOTE – Went with a 10 ounce glass of Seven Deadly Zins (yes, there are different glass size options!). For starters, I had to try their French Onion soup.

     

    You can’t often find a vegan version, and Daya’s comes complete with a piece of toast and a generous slice of “cheese” made in-house by the owner, (Angi Bellingar), who even came out to meet us and ensure we were enjoying ourselves.

     

    Being Italian, I was drawn to the Stuffed Shells as my main course. The presentation was beautiful, and the garlic tofu stuffing was TO-DIE-FOR! I felt like I was indulging in my dad’s classic recipe! For dessert, I went with Daya’s Key Lime Tart and its looks deceived me! I was grateful for the seemingly small portion size after I tried it: decadent. I was so impressed with my experience at Daya.

     

    The food, the ambiance, the 90’s alt-rock jams! A+!!! You can keep up with Daya by visiting their Facebook page (look at all those 5-star reviews).

     

    Breanna Panto is a seasoned freelance makeup artist and hair stylist – with a particular focus in special effects makeup. She can be reached through her website at breannapanto.com