As someone nearly 400 miles away from home, I find that it’s not often I can experience the joy of a home—cooked meal full of comfort foods. Dining at Fitz on 4th, however, comes pretty close. “With all the craziness going on in the world, I feel like this is like a nice piece of heaven, honestly, in the heart of Philadelphia and Queens Village,” chef Alison Fitzpatrick, the owner of the cozy vegan restaurant, says.
Fitz on 4th was founded by Fitzpatrick and her son Alex Soto with the goal of taking a new approach to comfort vegan food—no frills, no fuss, just classic dishes with a vegan twist. “I just want people to have a good time and understand that vegan is just not bean sprouts and salad,” Fitzpatrick tells me. After two decades of working a corporate job in healthcare, Fitzpatrick decided to pursue her lifelong dream of opening a restaurant in 2018. The catalyst for this sudden change? Fitzpatrick received a second cancer diagnosis, having first battled the disease in 2009. “I decided that I was going to become a vegan, and I wanted more of a holistic approach to healing my body,” she says.
The restaurant’s menu is deeply personal to Fitzpatrick and Soto; its dishes are equally rooted in family tradition and community inspiration. “I've taken a lot of my family recipes and made them vegan,” Fitzpatrick says. She mentions the restaurant’s iconic vegan crab cakes, which trace back to her grandmother’s original recipe. The edamame wontons have an equally nostalgic origin, inspired by a college classmate who would steam them at get–togethers. “I kind of just took that,” she says. “And I fry them. They’re a little crispier,” she adds with a smile.
As a vegetarian who can’t eat eggs, I’ll admit I’ve become critical of vegan cuisine. Too many times, I encounter dishes where plant–based ingredients seem to compromise flavor. As a result, I approach Fitz on 4th with apprehension, but any preconceived notions I have are (very gladly) proven wrong with the first bite. The perfectly crisp crab cakes, topped with a tangy za’atar, are utterly delicious—that seems to be the common consensus, as one staff member tells me that during his first few weeks working at the restaurant, the crab cakes were all he ate. For those craving something on the sweeter side, I recommend the delicata squash as a must–try. The slightest sharpness from the sauce elevates the whole dish. The true test, though, is the mac and cheese—notoriously, a dish hard to imitate without dairy. To my most pleasant surprise though, I can’t even tell the dish is vegan! The mac and cheese has an amazing texture—a theme I find in common with all of the sampled food—and is my second–favorite dish I eat that evening, after the crab cakes, of course.
Since its opening in 2022, Fitz on 4th has worked to foster community through its food. The restaurant is filled with pieces from local Philly artists. They add to the modern rustic aesthetic Fitzpatrick credits her son Soto with curating. Beyond supporting local creatives and helping run fundraisers, Fitzpatrick has also found inspiration in that same community. Often, her staff and patrons have proffered ideas when she is developing new recipes, such as the rice paper dumplings she has been working to perfect. “I love how collaborative this process is,” she says. “I think that I’ve never been—and I pride myself on it—like ‘the chef knows everything.’”
Fitzpatrick sees her work as part of a larger mission. “With everything going on lately in the world, I do feel that we’re making a positive influence, not only on the environment, but the community that we’re in,” she reflects. She doesn’t view other vegan restaurants as competition either. “I feel like it’s a partnership, because we’re all saving the world and making people be better at their food choices.”
Though Fitzpatrick is an accomplished chef and restaurateur, when I asked what she was most proud of with the restaurant, her answer wasn’t about the food or accolades. “I think opening the business with my son, creating a legacy for my family,” she says. “I worked for a big corporation. They’re not going to put anything [about that] on my headstone. But I think that I really want to be remembered for putting a positive impact on my family and the community that I reside.”
The restaurant has already become a multigenerational family affair. Her two–year–old granddaughter Lily comes in often, even writing her own “prep list” in the back. “Lily has helped me roll pasta over the years and I could really see my grandkids coming here and helping prep and stuff like that,” Fitzpatrick says, her voice full of pride. In walking away from corporate stability to build something with her son, Fitzpatrick has created something so much bigger than a restaurant.
“We just want somebody to come here, try our vegan food with an open mind, and go from there,” she says simply. Fitz on 4th is far from just a vegan restaurant. It’s a collaborative space, a piece of home when far from the real thing, and a place to get a great vegan meal.
TL;DR: Fitz on 4th offers a touch of comfort with a vegan twist.
Location: 743 S. Fourth St.
Price: $$
Hours: 4–10 p.m. Tuesday–Friday, 12–10 p.m. Saturday–Sunday
