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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- Dairy-free pizza, meatless burgers, and veggie buffalo wings are just some of the offerings at a new vegan restaurant that opens Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre.

Eden A Vegan Caf opens this week on South Main Street in downtown Wilkes-Barre and the owner tells us it's not like your typical vegan restaurant.

"We take traditional comfort foods that people already love and we veganize them, so we just use different proteins, so instead of animal products and dairy and eggs, we use proteins like soy, wheat, pea protein, and we make burgers and pizza and wraps and wings," Christian Pilosi explained.

"It's such a big trend right now," said employee Emily Brodhead. "A lot of people are into the whole veganism thing. A lot of people don't understand what it is, so it gives people a really prime opportunity to come in here and eat their everyday foods that they would usually get anywhere else to have it here."

Pilosi has had a location in downtown Scranton for more than a decade. He says he's thrilled to bring this option to people in Wilkes-Barre and excited to be so close to Wilkes University.

"It's all student apartments on the second and third floor. There's student apartments behind us, and they just wanted one storefront. They talked to a few people and they chose us and we couldn't be happier about it," Pilosi said.

Students at Wilkes University tell Newswatch 16 they think new restaurants and new businesses opening up nearby adds flavor to life on campus.

"I think it's a great opportunity. Obviously, it's a little bit more of a condensed campus and it's smaller, so it allows the students to go off and have more opportunities to enjoy different cuisine and enjoy different things to entertain themselves, so I think it's just one of those things to make their college experience more enjoyable," senior Eric Beideman said.

"I think that there's going to be a lot of people that come in just to see what it is, just to get the experience and kind of test their curiosity. I think we're going to get a lot of people really hooked on it. I think it's going to be a really, really, really busy day, a busy week, and just a busy future for us at Eden," Brodhead added.

Eden A Vegan Cafe opens Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre.

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Vegan Cafe Ready to Open in Wilkes-Barre - WNEP Scranton/Wilkes-Barre