Even longtime vegetarians know, deep down in their green hearts, that meat is a tasty foodstuff. What to do when the craving for roasted flesh arises? In the West Village, just head underground to Vegetarian’s Paradise 2, where the fried chicken, beef and seafood are all freakishly accurate vegan representations of your carnivorous desires.

The W. 4th St. restaurant resembles a railroad apartment in layout and is typically jammed with a mix of NYU students, dreadlocked hippies of all persuasions and couples out for a cheap date. They come for the modestly priced Thai dishes, dim sum and fresh squeezed juices—but mostly, they come for the fake meat. The celebrated Crispy Soul Chicken ($11.95), fried in breadcrumbs and a spice blend, is, in my opinion as a KFC-loving vegetarian, the best soy chicken dish you’ll find in NYC. The other fried chicken dishes hold up remarkably well too and could probably fool Colonel Sanders himself—if he was drunk. Non-fried chicken dishes are somewhat less successful—the rubbery soy texture is evident in the Heavenly Chicken ($8.95), and the Chicken Curry with Potatoes in Coconut Milk ($9.95) quickly congeals as it cools off. The Peking Duck ($10.95), however, served with Hoisin sauce and crepes, gets high marks for authenticity.

Appetizers are strong—collard green rolls ($5.95) offer an Asian twist on soul food—and the vegan ice cream is rich and dairy-like. So bring your meat-loving friends, tell them it’s real flesh and relax in Paradise. 

144 W. 4th St. (at 6th Ave.), 212-260-7130.