If you are in West Orange, NJ and looking for some of the best vegan food, plant based sandwiches, and straight up wild vegan desserts in town, you need to know about How Delish. Over at Dogwood Green, we love shouting out local businesses that bring real flavor, real energy, and real community to West Orange, and How Delish absolutely does that.
Located at 55 Kingsley Street in West Orange, How Delish is one of those spots that people talk about once they have been there. The food hits, the desserts go crazy, and the whole place has a warm neighborhood feel that makes you want to stay awhile. They are open Wednesday and Thursday from 11am to 7pm, Friday from 9am to 8pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 7pm, serving up plant based sandwiches, burgers, desserts, and more.
How Delish was founded by Laiquan “Q” Harvey-Davis in 2017, but this is really a family business through and through. Her sons pushed her to follow her passion and build something of her own, and that support helped turn a love of baking into one of the best vegan restaurants in West Orange.
The whole thing started with dessert. When Q decided to go dairy free, she realized it was hard to find desserts that actually tasted good. So she took that on herself. Once she mastered dairy free desserts, she moved into vegan and gluten free baking. Not long after, she and her husband decided to go vegan too, and things kept growing from there.
Before How Delish became a restaurant in West Orange, it built a name through pop ups, festivals and supplying desserts to other businesses. At one point, they were supplying desserts to restaurants, some not even vegan, plus gyms and pilates studios, reaching more than 45 locations. When a local restaurant asked Laiquan to create desserts for their menu, the business really started taking shape. With her sons baking alongside her, How Delish was on its way.
Q grew up in East Orange in a family full of strong home cooks, and she was also influenced to become an entrepreneur by her father, who owns an appliance repair company. Her aunt owns a vegan cafe in Tennessee, and with that mix of family cooking, entrepreneurship, and creativity clearly shows up in the experience at How Delish today.
One thing that stands out right away is that How Delish is a 100% vegan restaurant. But this is not one of those places where the food feels like it is trying too hard. It is familiar, comforting, and made for people who want real meals. As Q put it, “The area was lacking in diversity when it comes to vegan offerings, so we wanted to offer the classic offerings – deli style sandwiches that people could relate to. From burgers, to mac n cheese, to breakfast. We want to fill the gap of vegan options when you leave the house.”
That idea really comes through in the menu. You can pull up for sandwiches, mac and cheese, breakfast, rotating weekend specials for vegan burgers, and a dessert case that sounds honestly kind of ridiculous in the best way.
The road to opening was not exactly easy. “We were slated to open on March 13, 2020 and then Covid happened. So the world shut down and we had to sit, and wait, and wonder what would happen. A month went by and another month went by. We decided to open May 1, 2020 which was a great decision. Our community was ready – our community of vegans that knew us from the festivals, pop ups, and supplying our desserts to other restaurants. Plus, people were stuck in the house and they were ready to go out with their masks and get some dessert,” said founder Chef Q.
And when they opened, the community showed up heavy. “There was an outpouring of love from our community. Lines around the corner. From there, we pivoted the business to satisfy the demand we were experiencing. So it was good to open during covid because it gave us space and time to evolve and catch up to the demand in the community.”
The dessert menu is a big part of what makes How Delish special. We asked what Chef Q’s favorite dessert is and she said, “This is tough, because it’s like choosing who your favorite child is! It changes over time, and it depends on my mood, but I do love the triple chocolate oreo cheesecake. It has a brownie base with oreos in it with luscious chocolate filling and a fudge sauce.” So yeah, if you needed a place to start, that sounds like a pretty good one.
The vibe inside matters too, and Q described it perfectly. “Saying it’s a vibe is minimizing the How Delish experience. It’s the color, the light, and the biggest dessert case full of vegan dishes – it’s not normal! We have 48 desserts. It’s a large selection. When people walk in, everyone’s mood improves. We designed the restaurant to have a light and airy atmosphere, everyone has a fun time. It’s rambunctious and we have a great playlist of music I love 1990s and 2000s hits. People love to check in with one another and meet new people too. It’s very social. And the cafe side is more cozy, a little less rambunctious. Lower lighting and chill where you can work on your laptop and experience a different energy.”
That balance is a big part of the magic. You can come in for energy, music, and connection, or you can settle into the quieter cafe side and just be.
The menu keeps changing too, which gives people a reason to keep coming back. “After opening, they realized the unmet demand in West Orange for vegan dishes and within a month or two, we started offering sandwiches and we brought in other vegan chefs to do pop ups – empanadas, buffalo mac n’cheese, hot dogs, burritos – and we rotate them to keep it fresh and interesting on Fridays – which adds incredible energy to the restaurant. After a while, my son encouraged me to expand our menu and bring things in house, knowing what I can cook at home. So we started making cheese steaks with mushrooms, then pizza, and now every Friday we hit with something different. This Friday it’s lasagna with garlic pizza bread. Last week it was Sancocho with vegan oxtail, yuca, plantain, potato, and corn. Our customers never tire of what we’re serving – but if they have favorites they can always get their go-tos.”
That constant creativity is part of what keeps How Delish feeling alive. There is always something new, but still plenty of comfort for people who know exactly what they came for.
The community focus is real too. “We are community focused. Our community room can be a part of How Delish. We have people tag our walls with their names from all over the world. It really makes our space feel warm.”
And that connection to place matters. “West Orange has been the best. It was important for us to open in New Jersey, near our home.”
How Delish also got a major boost through the New York vegan community. “Our big break did come from Eric Adams’ Plant Based meetup. Someone recommended us after having our samples. We did a pop up, and we were told to manage our expectations, but then we were asked to come back every month. Then we were doing two events a month in Brooklyn, so much so that some people thought we were New York-based.”
It is also a real family story. “Our oldest son (24) embraced what was going on in his life – How Delish. Now he cooks, makes sandwiches, and manages everything. My younger son (15) loves to come to the shop and hang out with his friends – which is great because they start trying the food and love it too.”
And for anyone thinking about starting something of their own, Q had this to say. “I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I didn’t know what I was going to do. I studied engineering, but here I am now running a vegan restaurant. So I would tell kids to keep your options open. Look out for what brings you happiness and what brings you joy. Put the financial aspect aside and focus on what makes you happy.
People know when you’re being authentic and being true to yourself, so do that. “
We love that.
If you are looking for the best vegan restaurant in West Orange, NJ, a place for plant based sandwiches and vegan desserts, or just somewhere with good energy and really good food, How Delish is worth a visit. Pull up, check out the Community Wall, grab something sweet, and show some love to one of West Orange’s standout local businesses.
