Rockin' Raw: Williamsburg's First Raw Restaurant

by Joshua Katcher

Rockin' Raw is a vegan raw-food restaurant serving organic-Peruvian-New-Orleanian-creole-inspired cuisine. It's located very close to the Bedford L-train, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and has a great outdoor, backyard garden area. It is a refreshing and innovative addition to the Willaimsburg restaurant scene, which tends to be very uncreatively meat-centric.

The first thing I tried was the Raw Boy "Tuna" Sandwich, which had a satisfying, seafood flavor. I was blown away by the raw bread. It was tender, chewy, and not too dense or heavy. It's the sort of bread I could eat every day and not be aware that it's raw! I don't even know how they make raw bread. This dish is perfect for anyone new to, or skeptical of raw foods because it's just like an artisan sandwich.

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The Tallarines Verdes de La Lala was a live pesto-pasta dish. Thin strips of zucchini replace traditional semolina pasta. As a hardcore Italian food and pasta-lover, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. The pesto was rich and garlicky, and it was sprinkled with cheesy nutritional yeast. The best part was that it didn't leave me feeling bloated and sick. .

My friend got the Louisiana Gumbo. If you like Okra, you will enjoy this dish. The "sausage" in it was smokey and savory, and the gumbo-base was spicy and very complex.

An Appetizer we shared was the “Crab Cakes” with Creamy Dill Sauce. I believe there was horseradish in the dipping sauce, which matched the cakes nicely. I have never had traditional Crab Cakes, so I can not make the comparison, but they were like little veggie burgers, and quite enjoyable.

I had a refreshing and delicious Cucumber Mojito, and also tried the gingery Watermelon Cooler. I would definitely recommend those drinks, as well as the Strawberry Milk Shake, which was out of this world.

Believe it or not, we made room for dessert! The nut-based Lucuma ice-cream was a new flavor experience for my palate. It's made from a Peruvian fruit, the lucuma, which has hints of maple, caramel and coffee. The chocolate sauce was outstanding, and the ice-cream itself was creamier than the vanilla (on the Peach Cobbler), which I found to be tasty, but a bit on the chalky-icy side.

Overall, it's a great spot with a chill outdoor seating area, and a very welcoming vibe. It's laid-back, relaxed, delicious, and the staff is very friendly! Now go check it out!

Click HERE for menu, directions, and reservations.