(Updated 7/20/22 with most current vending dates!)

Phyto’s Vegan Eats 

After becoming vegan, Monica and Anibal Flores found a lack of fast-food-style vegan options. So, wanting to make something that everyone could enjoy and feel good about eating, they opened Phyto’s Vegan Eats.

They discussed how they started this journey, sharing that they both previously worked with food in the casino industry before changing their diet. After watching various documentaries together that convinced them to give up all animal products. They quickly realized that they had to make a few more lifestyle changes. 

“We worked in a place where we saw crates of live animals like lobsters killed and even had to do it ourselves to serve them,” Anibal said. After everything they’d learned since becoming vegan, it didn’t seem right for them to continue working in that environment. 

This ultimately led them to quit both of their jobs. Further inspired by their vegan diet, together they decided to create their own vegan food business. After acquiring all their equipment and setting up the business in September 2018, they launched Phyto’s Vegan Eats, the first vegan hot dog cart in Las Vegas. 

New Flavors and Beginnings

Anibal explained that it was a struggle for them at first when they went vegan. 

“We craved comfort food, and that made it hard,” he said. “We realized we’d created a dependency on it and wanted to stop that.”

Moreover, Monica said, “We wanted to help other people make that transition easier for them so it’s more comfortable and more enjoyable to switch to plant-based.”

With this mission in mind, they acquired a cart on Craigslist, originally with the intent of making vegan tacos. 

“The health department told us that since it was a hot dog cart, we could only use it to sell hot dogs,” Monica said. “It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.”

Flores went on to say that they enjoy making hot dogs, calling the dish a “canvas” for them to create on. Anibal Flores creates all of the recipes that Phyto’s offers. 

Coming up with a name, Monica said that they wanted a word that related to the idea of plant-based cuisine. 

“The word ‘phyto’ kept coming up, translating to the word ‘plant’,” she said. “It just so happened that it also sounded like the name ‘Fido,’ a name used mainly for dogs, so it was perfect for our hot dog cart.”

Rolling Out

Phyto’s Vegan Eats debuted at the 2018 VegFest in Las Vegas and was an instant success. 

“People were supportive right from the start,” Flores said. “At the festival, we had a line of people waiting for an hour to try our hot dogs.”

Since then, Phyto’s grew steadily and strengthened their networking with the community. 

“We met a lot of amazing business owners and partnered with so many amazing people,” Flores said. “Originally, we started working one event a month. Now we’re at a spot four days a week! One day we hope to open our own place.” 

Phyto’s operates out of the Vegas Test Kitchen next to Ferguson’s on Fremont Street Friday through Monday. Their hours are 4 to 10 pm Friday and Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday, and from 12 to 8 pm on Monday.

In addition, Flores said that on Monday they celebrate ‘Meatless Mondays,’ inviting other local vegan food vendors out to make a vegan food court for the day. 

Phyto’s is also a member of the Loco Las Vegas cooperative delivery service along with several other locally-owned restaurants in Las Vegas. Tacotarian created this service to combat the obscenely high fees that delivery apps like Uber Eats or Postmates charge restaurants to deliver their food. 

Phyto’s Menu

As seasoned hot dog connoisseurs, Monica and Anibal Flores offer a variety of different vegan recipes on the classic dish, along with other delicious vegan options. 

Not only are Phyto’s hot dogs delicious, but they’re also award-winning! In 2019, PETA awarded them with a spot on their top 10 list for vegan hot dogs across the country for their ‘Crispy Cowboy’ dog. 

Check out their menu below:

Signature Phyto’s Hot Dogs:

• CRISPY COWBOY: Hot dog with BBQ Sauce (GF), White Onions (GF), Crispy Onions, Fakin’ Bacon.
• EL GUEY: Hot dog with Pico de Gallo (GF), Pickled Jalapeños (GF), Fakin’ Bacon, and Avocado Mayo (GF)
• KIMCHI KOOL: Hot dog with Vegan Kimchi (GF), Furikake (GF), Sriracha Mayo (GF), and Hoisin Sauce (GF)
• CHILI CHEESE: Hot dog with Vegan Chili (GF) and Cashew Nacho Cheese (GF) Can be made entirely Gluten Free.

Specials:

• SLOPPY JOE: Beefy, messy, saucy, and delicious vegan sloppy joe.
• EL ELOTERO: Hot dog with grilled corn, diced mango, chicharron, lime juice, chamoy mayo, and sprinkled with tamarind candy bits and Tajin.
• PIZZA DOG: In collaboration with Yukon Pizza we’ve made the Pizza Dog! A hot dog with crushed chips, tomato sauce, vegan mozzarella, dried oregano, and fresh basil leaves.

Phyto’s also offers a Build Your Own option starting at $6.90 and provides sides like fresh, hand-cut chips and vegan ‘Na-Joes’.

Ingredients

Discussing the construction of their recipes, Flores explained that the hot dogs are prepared with Field Roast pre-made plant-based frankfurters. The other ingredients used are primarily obtained from the Vegin Out Market, local farmers’ markets, and Cardenas markets. They also invite other local vegan food vendors out to showcase their products or partner with them to present a new special.. 

In addition, all of the sauces and toppings, like their sauerkraut and kimchi, are homemade. 

Seasonal Specials

Throughout the year, Phyto’s shakes things up with new special recipes. 

Right now for the summer, they’re featuring a take on the eloteros in our community – hot dog-style. Putting elote corn, diced mango, chicharron, lime juice, chamoy mayo, and sprinkled with tamarind candy bits and Tajin all together on a bun, this hot dog is perfect for these hot summer days. 

Phyto’s also seasonally offers their ‘Baby Got Mac’ vegan mac and cheese-style hot dog. This recipe will be available when the weather gets cooler again, possibly sometime in September.

And, for one day only, the ‘Just Wingin’ It’ hot dog will be available at a special pop-up event to help the community. Coming up on July 24th from 6 pm to 9:30 pm, Phyto’s will be at the All Friends Animal Sanctuary LV for a Hot Cauliflower Wing Challenge. Their homemade buffalo sauce will be featured alongside four other extremely spicy hot sauces for the challenge. 

They’ll have their cart stationed at the event selling their hot dogs to those wanting to eat but not participating in the activities. A portion of the proceeds from Phyto’s earnings at the event will be donated to the sanctuary. 

Tickets to the event are $25 with all proceeds benefiting the sanctuary, and provide the following:

• A tour of the sanctuary
• One entry to the vegan donut-on-string contest
• One entry to the watermelon seed spitting contest
• One Ronald’s vegan donut
• One drink (soda or juice)
• A slice of watermelon

An entry into the hot wing eating contest is an additional $10, separate from the main ticket purchase. To learn more about the event and purchase your tickets, visit AFASLV’s event page. 

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Challenges

Over the last couple of years, Phyto’s dealt with a lot, especially the last year in particular with the shutdown. 

Pandemic

When the pandemic first hit, it negatively impacted Phyto’s due to the cancellation of all their upcoming vending events. Without the pop-ups to sell their hot dogs at, they had to come up with a solution to keep the business going.

“It turned out to be a much-needed break where we had the opportunity and time to brainstorm how we wanted to move forward,” Monica said. “We ended up offering curbside pickup right out of our backyard. That worked great for a few months, in addition to offering catering as well.”

In February of this year, Phyto’s popped up for the first time at the Vegas Test Kitchen. They were then invited to stay there on a more permanent basis, in part due to their operation being small and not taking up much space. Since March, Phyto’s has been stationed there several days out of the week. 

Phyto’s Current Challenges

As Phyto’s moves forward, Flores shared that they’re currently figuring out where to go next. 

“We haven’t decided what the next step is,” she said. “We might pursue a brick and mortar location, more carts, or even franchising. We’ve also considered stepping away to bag our own chips.”

For Phyto’s, many opportunities lie ahead of them, it’s just a matter of what path to take. 

Raising Awareness

One major challenge Phyto’s faces is the misconception that “vegan food sucks”, or that plant-based foods aren’t flavorful or consistent with the texture compared to the meat option. 

“We just want people to come in with an open mind and give it a shot,” Flores said. “Don’t bite into it thinking of a meaty hot dog; enjoy it for what it is.”

She explained that some people who order with a negative mindset about it tend to look for a reason to dislike it. On the other hand, some people don’t even realize it’s vegan and enjoy it.

“I’ve had people who ordered a hot dog and came back saying how delicious it was and asking what they just ate. When I tell them it’s a vegan hot dog, they’re in disbelief, ” she said. “They’ll tell me that if they knew it was vegan they probably wouldn’t have ordered it, but are glad that they did.” 

Ultimately Phyto’s goal is to encourage people to try something new and try integrating more plant-based foods into their diet, without giving up the enjoyment that comes from food. 

“You can live a lifestyle being vegan and enjoy it and not feel like you’re missing out,” Flores said. “We want to help make it convenient for people to make that transition.

Phyto’s in the Community

Phyto’s works to address several issues in the community, partnering with many different businesses and organizations throughout the year to help in different ways. 

“For us, it’s all about the animals, the people, and the environment,” Flores said.

Animals

Starting from a place of wanting to expand compassion to animals through their businesses, Phyto’s works to integrate with different animal save organizations to help with saving animals in the community. 

“We’ve attended a few vigils for animals being brought into the slaughterhouses with groups like Las Vegas Animal Save and All Friends Animal Sanctuary LV,” Flores said. 

As mentioned previously, Phyto’s also partnered with the AFASLV for their vegan hot wing challenge coming up on July 24th last summer to raise funds for the rescue.  

People

Phyto’s takes part in a lot of initiatives throughout the community to help with various efforts related to helping people. 

“We’re always donating leftover ingredients and dried foods to the Las Vegas Food Bank,” Flores said. “We’ve also donated two platters to volunteers working at events in the community.”

In addition, Phyto’s also frequently partners with Fifth Sun Project for events and initiatives to support indigenous culture and to address different humanitarian issues in Las Vegas. 

“When you put yourself out there as a business, it’s necessary to become transparent, and know that people are going to judge you,” Flores said. “If they’re going to judge us, I want it to be in a positive way. And it’s not just for us; we want to grow the community.”

She went on to say that it’s more than just running a business, it’s how you get involved to keep your community alive and thriving.

“Stick to your morality and what you believe in and don’t lose sight of that,” she said. “We believe in what we have and we know the community will support us.”

Environment

With the reduction of carbon emissions from using all plant-based products along with obtaining ingredients locally, Phyto’s already takes a big step in environmental sustainability. 

In addition, they’re committed to reducing plastic waste as well. Except for their to-go cups for sauces, all of Phyto’s containers and cutlery are made from paper and other plant-based, compostable materials. 

Loco Co-op and Supporting Small Businesses

As mentioned previously, Phyto’s takes part in the local restaurant delivery service cooperative, Loco. Through this program, small businesses take back control from the excessive fees charged through most delivery apps. 

During the pandemic, many local restaurants paid thousands of dollars in delivery fees every month. In some cases, like Tacotarian, the fees cost them twice as much as they paid for rent. 

Putting their foot down, Tacotarian and several other businesses like Phyto’s came together to create a cooperative to benefit and protect small businesses.

#GetinMotion with Phyto’s Vegan Eats

Flores concluded by saying that her favorite part about running Phyto’s is that she gets to meet amazing new people, eat lots of amazing food, and attend really fun events and festivals. 

“We just really love what we’re doing and can’t wait to grow and see more people enjoy it!” she said.

To support Phyto’s Vegan Eats, visit them at the Vegas Test Kitchen Mondays from 12 pm to 8 pm and Wednesdays from 12 pm to 9 pm. for dine-in or pick-up, or make your order on the go through the Loco app.

Check them out at the following upcoming events!

– Saturday, July 23rd – Plant Based into Summer at The Space from 5 pm to 10 pm (5725 S. Valley View Blvd)
– Friday, July 29th – The Gather House from 7 pm to 11 pm (1020 Fremont St. 89101) 

Follow Phyto’s on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for new recipes, events, and other updates about the business.