'Healthy As A Motha': Vegan Caribbean Restaurant Opens In Brooklyn

WILLIAMSBURG, NY — Williamsburg's newest vegan spot HAAM will keep you "Healthy As A Motha" — a promise previously fulfilled out of a Queens ghost kitchen.

The new meat-free Dominican and Trinidadian spot opened its doors on Union Avenue near Meserole Street on Nov. 15 after gaining a customer base in Queens.

HAAM's menu boasts flavorful entrees featuring veggies and faux meat, like a sweet plantain boat with lentil "beef," king oyster mushroom Scallops, a jerk tamarind mushroom burger, and shareables like curry plant-based chicken wontons and empanadas.

"Every bite you take is a testament of love — for yourself, our ancestors, the Earth, and all living beings," the front of HAAM's menu reads.

Owner and chef Yesenia Ramdass opened the Queens ghost kitchen in 2021 after years of successful pop-ups including stints at Smorgasburg and the New York City Wine and Food Festival.

And with the success of the Queens location, Ramdass set her sites on a more permanent spot.

Despite an expanded menu, Ramdass' mission in Williamsburg remains the same. A Dominican woman raised in Washington Heights, Ramdass made the switch to a meatless diet when she was 17 years old. She wanted to hold on tightly to her culture and beloved Caribbean flavors, so she experimented in the kitchen and shared her progress online.

"At H A A M’s Williamsburg location, her goal remains the same: to bridge cultural traditions with modern and mindful dietary choices, all with the same love and care that she’d bring to her own family table," a representative of HAAM said in a news release.

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HAAM is open from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays; from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays; and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.