By Anna Bryson
Cuban sandwiches, decadent cakes and local beer.
The best part? It’s all vegan.
Gulfport’s first vegan restaurant, Golden Dinosaurs Vegan Deli, opened Aug 2. Menu items include a barbecue tofu, buffalo tempeh and a pastrami reuben.
The owners, Audrey and Brian Dingeman, have been vegan for 10 years. They wanted to open a vegan restaurant that focused on comfort food.
“We really want to show people that vegan food isn’t scary,” Audrey Dingeman said. “It’s not weird. It’s not all necessarily health food. We want it to be accessible for everyone.”
Originally from Iowa, the power couple moved to Gainesville in 2010 and to Gulfport last year.
“We love Gulfport,” Dingeman said. “It’s quiet, funky and weird.”
The name Golden Dinosaurs is “just a really dumb joke” between Audrey and Brian. The snazzy restaurant is adorned with tiny dinosaurs, some of them sparkling gold. All the decor was thrifted by Brian, a talented picker apparently.
The pastel pink coffee mugs match the walls that are painted with rays of pink, gold and army green. Golden Dinosaur exclusively carries coffee from Bandit, Audrey’s favorite locally roasted coffee.
They’ve each worked in the restaurant industry for 20 years and have wanted to open a restaurant together for 10.
“It’s the industry we know from top to bottom,” Dingeman said. “It makes sense for this to be the next step in our lives.”
Their best-selling item is the pastrami reuben, followed closely by the Cuban sandwich.
Golden Dinosaur, 2930 Beach Blvd. S, is the first restaurant in St. Petersburg to sell products with seitan, a vegan protein that mimics meats like pastrami or mojo pork.
Dingeman makes the seitan with beans, vegetable broth, spices and wheat protein. The organic tofu is produced in Plant City and the organic tempeh, a soy product, is produced in Gainesville.
Their cake was expected to account for 5 to 10 percent of sales, but has actually accounted for 20 to 25 percent. It sells out every weekend. Dingeman said cake is one of her favorite foods, so she doesn’t mind baking six in a day.
“We’re not trying to be the place where you go get your green smoothie,” Audrey Dingeman said. “Because those places already exist and we’re glad they’re here.”
There are plenty of beers to wash down the sandwiches and cake, including brews from Green Bench Brewing Co., Pinellas Ale Works, Mastry’s Brewing Co. and Coppertail Brewing Co.
The outside patio area that seats about 40 people is surrounded by greenery and lights strung overhead. The area will soon be where community events are held. “Punk rock yoga” will be held monthly, and a vegan bake sale will take place in September.
Although right now is considered the restaurant’s “soft opening” phase, it has been very busy according to Dingeman. They plan to have the grand opening in late November.
“We make good food for good people,” Dingeman said. “You don’t have to be vegan to eat here.”
