At first glance, the menu at Burlington's Despacito Bar and Kitchen is full of ideal bar snacks: chips and artichoke dip, Buffalo bites, pizza-inspired Empanazas and cheesy smash-burger sliders. The gooey, fried goodness of the fare makes sense, given the Old North End restaurant's second function as a small, all-ages music venue.

Less obvious — on the printed menu, at least — is that all of those dips, sauces, cheeses and meats are vegan. Customers who show up for an event and don't notice the sign on the window might not realize that the housemade ranch dressing, mozzarella and smash burgers are made from plants. But even the most dedicated omnivores are unlikely to feel anything's missing.

Owner David Quintana opened Despacito in the former home of Knead Bakery in December with co-chef Jeff Hodgdon. Followers of Quintana's Dos Feos food truck, which he's rolled around town since 2019, will recognize his signature "vegan junk food."

Beyond the Buffalo cauliflower and Impossible Burger sliders, Quintana and Hodgdon offer farm-sourced vegan fare and plant-based takes on empanadas, sorullitos, picadillo and flan to celebrate Quintana's Puerto Rican heritage.

"Sometimes people come in for a show and don't realize it's vegan," Quintana said, taking a break from assembling tables for the venue space, which opened in February. "They get an item — like, 'Well, I'll try it.'"

"It's just good-tasting snack food," Hodgdon added. "And it's affordable, so people go for it."

When I stopped in for dinner on a recent Wednesday evening, a handful of other patrons were spread around the 35-seat dining room. Some worked at their computers while sipping on a cocktail or snacking on fries. That casual café vibe is something Quintana and Hodgdon hope to foster when they can eventually hire enough staff to open during the day for coffee and breakfast. They're even planning to let customers use the restaurant's printer.

Right now, it's a tight team. Hodgdon and Quintana work the line, with a small staff out front running counter service, making drinks, busing tables, and filling takeout and delivery app orders. Soon, Quintana will also be back on the road with the Dos Feos food truck, which has an erratic schedule. ("You can try to find me," he said with a laugh.)

Hodgdon's own seitan and food cart operation, the New Deal, is on hiatus while he's "all in" at Despacito, he said. Both chefs enjoy the ease of cooking at a restaurant, as opposed to the prep-and-schlep of mobile biz life.

I ordered a smattering of small and large plates in an effort to sample the junk food, the fancier vegetable dishes and the Puerto Rican staples. The Buffalo cauliflower ($8) fit the first category while still feeling lighter and crispier than any chicken wing I've had in town. The Empanaza ($5), a pizza-inspired Puerto Rican take on a Hot Pocket, oozed with plant-based mozzarella when I sliced it in half. I used carrot sticks served alongside the cauliflower to swipe up the remnants of the rich, tomatoey sauce underneath.

Despacito's elegant beet tartare ($12) is made with Pitchfork Farm beets, Dijon, capers, cornichons and shallots and served with crunchy, golden housemade potato chips. It reminded me of veggie-packed dishes from Hodgdon's New Deal pop-ups. The dish was topped with fresh microgreens, which I had watched Hodgdon cut from trays thriving under a grow light beside the restaurant's counter.

I sipped on a tall glass of Julian Hackney's Young at Heart Ginger Beer between dishes; Hackney makes a special honey-free version for Despacito, Hodgdon said. The restaurant also offers local beer, vegan wine and specialty cocktails; mocktails are coming soon.

Right now, none of Despacito's plant-based ingredients includes nuts (though candied walnuts, kept separate from other foods in the kitchen, top a winter salad). The restaurant also has a dedicated gluten-free fryer, and when I visited, 10 of the menu's 16 dishes were available gluten-free. Soy allergies are trickier to accommodate with the current menu, Quintana said.

The chefs put vegan versions of traditionally meat- and cheese-filled dishes on their rotating menu "where it makes sense," Quintana said.

"I think it's funny when people do vegan and have a bunch of meat substitutes," Hodgdon added.

The Impossible Burger appears in both the classic sliders ($11 for two) and the picadillo ($12), a Puerto Rican-style chili with olives and peppers. The sliders could have fooled me, with a classic special sauce and punchy pickles topping the tiny smashed burgers on housemade buns. The flavor-packed picadillo, served over rice, was rich in spice and extremely filling. I tried to save room for coconut flan ($6) but couldn't do it.

No Despacito dish exceeds $15, and most cost less than $10. That's by design, Hodgdon said, even though specialty plant-based ingredients are expensive compared with their non-vegan counterparts.

Despacito is a neighborhood spot, and Quintana said he doesn't want to price anybody out. Family investment helped him get the doors open, but startup costs were high. Earlier this spring, the team launched a crowdfunding effort to support the restaurant through its first few months. Other folks have volunteered their time.

"There's a lot of people helping and making it so we don't close down," Quintana said. "I can steer the ship, but I still need fuel."

Artist JC Wayne donated time to paint a mural in the dining room, weaving landscape scenery behind an existing floor-to-ceiling Puerto Rican flag. Quintana's partner, Hallie Wolkin, often helps out behind the counter, making drinks with the couple's infant son, Atlas, strapped to her.

The 40-person music venue, a space that Knead used for seating and dry goods storage, has been a bootstrap effort, too. Much of the eclectic assortment of furniture came from Junktiques Collective down the block; owner Phinn Sonin recently hosted one of Despacito's weekly Monday-night open mics, which drew 15 artists in various styles. Burlington musician Matt Hagen, a friend and investor, helps whenever he can. Kevin Bloom of the Dead Shakers donated musical equipment and even set up the Linktree for Despacito's social media.

For Bloom, being vegan and a musician can be at odds, given the nature of most venues.

"Oftentimes, they're not really welcoming or accommodating to things I value," Bloom said. "Having something like this in my neighborhood is like a dream."

This week, Effectron Presents will host local artists Ivamae, Noah Kesey Magic Band and Wren Kitz with Massachusetts musician Karlo Rueby and live visuals from Eyelingual on Friday, April 21.

On nights with no scheduled show, Despacito lets parties use the venue space for free — as long as they buy food and drink. Community groups can use it at no cost, too, if they're not making money from the event.

As spring progresses, Despacito is "definitely blooming," Hodgdon said. The restaurant's customer base is growing, thanks in part to the addition of the venue space.

"Having this here is going to help out other people," he continued. "We don't want to change the neighborhood."

"We live here," Quintana said. "We're just the homies."