Do you remember when there was practically nothing quick and tasty to eat around Penn Station? If you were getting on a train, you’d have to settle for an Auntie Anne’s pretzel or some McDonald’s fries. That time ended with the opening of the Pennsy in 2015, a high-end food hall in the Berg’n mold, where a Borders bookstore once was. And alongside stalls from Mario Batali and meat-man Pat LaFrieda is one that some might not have recognized: The Cinnamon Snail.
Vegans, of course, know the Snail—intimately. We’ve been eating chef Adam Sobel’s cardamom-pistachio doughnuts off a truck outside Pine Box Rock Shop for years; we’ve ordered quinoa croquettes from their Thanksgiving menu and brought them home with us, no longer forced to eat only a plain sweet potato.
The truck also served non-vegans, lots of them, often with lines stretching down the block. But the owners had to take it off the road for regular use due to permit issues, so their stall at the Pennsy has been a lifesaver: for the business, for the fans and for the people who want to eat well in Midtown. “We have a huge social media following, so it’s nice to be able to serve food to people every day again,” says catering manager Carmen Surana. “And they don’t have to wait outside anymore.”
