Karelyn's Vegan soul food plate
Credit: Matt Keller Lehman

When Dharma Southern Chick’n closed inside the Cheney Collective 11 months ago, the void it left was felt in the grumbling guts of the city’s plant-based eaters. It didn’t take very long for their microbiomes to flourish once again, because Karelyn’s Vegan moved in last June with a menu designed to bridge the gap between soul food and a health-conscious diet. Owner Jessica Davis grew the concept with husband chef Kevin Richey by traversing the state and popping up at various events and meet-ups. In truth, I didn’t catch wind of Karelyn’s until I received an email from PETA stating that the eatery was bestowed with Best Vegan Wings honors: a “game-changing gameday nosh,” raved the animal rights organization, adding “they’re as finger-licking good as they are kind to chickens.”

So I made my way over to Karelyn’s on Super Bowl Sunday — the most popular day for snacking on poultry appendages — and, I have to say, these humane versions slicked in mango-habañero sauce really made a flap. Oyster mushrooms, not seitan, give Karelyn’s Florida wingz ($17.79) their juicy, fleshy, boneless chicken wing-like feel. Only downside: The crispy breading had a tendency to fall off, the likely culprit being that mango-habañero sauce. I might get them tossed in a less sticky ghost pepper sauce ($1) next time I order them. That said, the breading clung onto the plump gray fungi in the OG mushroom sandwich ($15.79) — Karelyn’s bona fide reimagined take on a Southern fried chicken sandwich — just fine. A chick’n sandwich ($15.79) fashioned from house-made, soy-free vegetable protein is also offered, in original and spicy ($15.99) versions.

The other highly touted menu item, “Kev’s famous cheesesteak” ($17.59), is as Philly as a Broad Street Bully. If I could’ve seen myself eating the sizable handheld, my googly eyes probably would’ve rivaled Gritty’s. Inside the hoagie are grilled onions and peppers, provolone cheeze and ground “meat” fashioned from a patented legume protein peppered with a secret blend of seasonings. I came to learn that the cheesesteak is also offered atop waffle fries ($17.79) after I mistook a photo on the self-order kiosk screen for the sandwich. No matter, it was still great.

Karelyn's Vegan cheesesteak, milkshake, strawberry cake
Credit: Matt Keller Lehman

On another visit, I popped by to sample “Kev’s award-winning smashburger” ($19.59), which had me wondering why the place isn’t called Kev’s Vegan. Turns out “Karelyn” is a portmanteau. The name is a tribute to the memory of Kev Richey’s aunt Karen and his mother, Lynette. “We transform cherished family recipes, preserving their original flavor, love and cultural essence, while making them vegan,” said a scrolling photo on a screen ensconced on a faux plant wall.

Nothing faux about the flavors and textures of that burger with its crispy edges, fried onions and barbecue sauce on a brioche bun that Allen, the hard-working short-order cook on duty, delivered to my table. For that price, however, I would’ve expected fries to come with it. Or a drink, like one of their fresh-squeezed lemonades, of which the one flavored with soursop ($6.59) was my favorite. I enjoyed it alongside the “BBQ Dream Meal” ($21.79), a plant-based “meat-and-three” with springy glazed barbecue rib tips, mac and cheese, cornbread and kale-ginger salad garnished with sunflower seeds.

But the dream ending came in the form of a banana pudding ($9) that may damn well be the finest in the city. Seeing my better half lick clean the pudding’s plastic container was a sight I never thought I’d witness. That pudding, like most everything else, is made with a lot of heart, and it’s the only way Karelyn’s will sell its soul.

Karelyn’s Vegan, 5565 Old Cheney Highway, 407-720-4051, karelyns.com

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This article appears in Feb. 18-24, 2026.

Orlando restaurant critic. Orlando Weekly restaurant critic since 2006.