Carnivores will defend their Big Mac to the end: two, 100% beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, sesame seed bun and the infamous ‘special’ sauce.

But what about those who don’t eat meat? What do we for that same satisfaction that comes with taking a big bite into a nice, juicy burger?

We go to HipCityVeg, of course.

If you haven’t heard of this fresh, vegan hot spot, you must take a trip to HipCityVeg. Whether you’re venturing to their Rittenhouse location on 18th and Chestnut, or stopping by the shop in University City, there will always be a Ziggy Burger with your name on it.

What’s a Ziggy Burger you might be asking yourself?  Smoked tempeh, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and plant-based special sauce, served on a whole wheat bun – it’s as simple as that. I think this is the best fast ‘burger’ in town, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.

How does HipCityVeg’s burger version compare to those McDonald’s Big Macs? Find out in the first ever Green Philly Faceoff!

BigMac vs. the Ziggy Burger

Round 1-Nutrition:

Entering the ring from the left side, we have the BigMac coming in at:

• 550 calories
• 29 grams of fat.
• Rumored to carry a whopping 75 milligrams of cholesterol
• Weak 25 grams of protein.

Curious to see how the BigMac holds up against the Ziggy Burger? Let’s check the Ziggy’s stats:

• 460 calories
• 11 grams of fat
• 0 milligrams of cholesterol
• 33 grams of protein

Winner: Ziggy

Ding Ding Ding- looks like round one goes to the Ziggy Burger! But let’s see if the BigMac can make a comeback in round two: how many dollar bills you’ll be spending.

Round 2- Price:

With its classic whole wheat bun, smoked tempeh and special sauce, the 7-ingredient Ziggy burger comes in a bit high at $8.50 per burger. That being said, keep in mind that Ziggy has been working hard preparing with local, organic and fresh Philadelphia ingredients from one of the top vegan hot-spots in the city.

At only $4.62, the BigMac packs a hard punch, possibly from the support of its complex makeup of 73 different ingredients.

• Big Mac: $4.62
• Ziggy: $8.50

Winner: Big Mac

While the BigMac pulls through for the win this round, remember this was a tough one for the Ziggy with a team of only 7 vs the BigMac with 73.

Now the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the final round. Who will come through for the win in the last category… sustainability!

Round 3 – Sustainability:

The Ziggy may have lost round two, but there’s still hope! All the training and preparing in an environmentally friendly restaurant has really paid off!

What has HipCityVeg done to help?

Well for starters they recycle all their used oil, boxes, bottles and plastic. In addition HipCityVeg makes all their packaging, containers, cups, straws, forks and knives from corn which they then compost. Being surrounded by only plant based ingredients, (most of which are local and organic), the the Ziggy most definitely has a leg up this round.

Round three looks like it might be a difficult one for the Big Mac. Coming from home to the world’s largest user of beef, and the second largest user of chicken, McDonald’s ships many of its ingredients on numerous carbon-intensive planes and trucks.  On top of that, McDonald’s is expanding at a nauseatingly fast rate. In 2011, the company announced their plans to open one store in China every day for the next three years; can you imagine how much waste they’ve created?

I think we all know who takes round three.

Winner: Ziggy

Annnnnnddddddd…it looks like the Ziggy takes the win for round three, making the winner for Green Philly Faceoff:

OVERALL WINNER: Ziggy Burger 

Readers, you now have the facts. What are your thoughts on local burgers versus fast-food burgers?

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Julia Knable was an Editorial Intern in 2014. She studied Marketing and Management Information Systems at the Fox School at Temple University. After a summer internship at Terracycle inspired her to learn about what she could do to help and protect our ever-changing planet, she ended up with a stint at Green Philly. Along with her passion for sustainability, Julia enjoys exploring Philadelphia and trying all the vegetarian hotspots she can get her hands on. View all posts by Julia Knable