mugshots

2100 fairmount avenue
philadelphia, pa
(215) 514 7145




110 cotton street
philadelphia, pa
(215) 482 3964

www.mugshotscoffeehouse.com

this adorable coffee house and juice bar, located across from the eastern state penitentiary, not only has the most brilliant name and laid back college campus feel, but also serves a variety of vegan sweets and treats. my first visit followed an intake of some janet cardiff and linda brenner (ghost cats!) installations in the cell blocks over yonder. i chowed down on a faux chicken salad wrap, a chewy molasses sugar cookie and an iced oregan chai with vanilla soy milk. the wrap was very pleasing, with finely shredded soy mixed up with what tasted like a vegan mayo with dill, lots of lettuce, tomato and red onion. tasty, but it'll leave you with a killer onion aftertaste. the cookie was pretty good too. luca ordered the hummus with raw veggies plate, a generous serving of well-tahinied garbanzo pate, served with thick warm pita and some carrot, celery and bell pepper sticks. samara's three grilled cheese looked fabulous.

subsequent visits to mugshots confirmed for me how lovely this place is. one time i sipped an acai recovery shake and munched on a vegan blt while watching wal-mart: the high cost of low price on their big white sheet. great vibe, great food. for dessert it was a sinfully delicious brownie from vegan treats, fudgy and moist, with white drizzle on top of slivered almonds. the chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips are fairly good, but nuthin' compared to those brownies. enormous whoopie pies taste exactly the way they look - light, fluffy and without any nutritional value whatsoever. recently, mugshots has started making their desserts in-house, instead of ordering them from the vegan treats bakery. here is a look at their dessert case:



and here is a picture of a slice of their strawberry shortcake, once i got it home:



i was actually quite pleased with the new cake. it definitely tasted more home-baked than their vegan treats counterparts, and less commercially slick. they probably use more wholesome ingredients, too. the cake itself is moist and the icing is super sweet. unfortunately, the artistry is not as developed, so the visual appeal of the cakes is minimal. the brownies also look positively grody in comparison with danielle's (vegan treats owner).

non-dessert meals i've also tried at mugshots include "the slammer", a vegan sausage wrap with salsa, guacamole and lettuce that was mediocre, the vegan chain gang, a lovely, smoky wrap with a mixture of hummus and baba ganoush, cucumber, red onion, lettuce and tomato, their tempeh reuben - dry, overpriced and blah - and the jailhouse rock, sweet and melty peanut butter, honey and banana on multi-grain toast.

the smoothies at the manayunk site seem to be better than their fairmount sister. they used to be awful - i remember ordering a grasshopper soy smoothie that was so abysmal i actually gave it back in exchange for a mango recovery shake. that, as well as the pina colada recovery shake, was very delicious, but made from a smoothie mix that contains those insidious "natural flavors". why not just use real fruit?) the pb&j shake was also inexcusable. i think they actually put jelly in the shake, rather than fresh strawberries. i could be wrong, but it tasted thin, mild and artificial. yick! however, on a recent visit i got a mango momma smoothie that was delightful. it tasted fresh, the consistency was spot-on and the blend of flavors worked really well.



their manayunk location, on the other hand, serves up consistently killer smoothies! i really like the champ, a combo of chocolate syrup, soy milk, bananas and organic peanut butter. it is perfect for when you're thirsty but also craving something sweet. the consistency was more like a creamy milkshake than a smoothie. venice island is a nice choice too if you're in the mood for something fruity. it's made with strawberries, bananas, orange juice and soy milk. here are some bonus photos of me and luca drinking mushots smoothies in the car before going to see inception at the main street theater:





both mugshots locations are great coffee shops for relaxing with a book or writing. and according to their website, the manayunk branch has extended their hours! i was always frustrated that they closed at 4, so that makes me very happy.