Lola
Reviews written by Lola
I love matt & nat's wallets and purses. Cruelty-free fashion at its best!
Although I would have liked to have seen a few more veg options on the menu, I was quite impressed with the quality of the offerings. The agave glazed vegan mock duck was superb. It came in a bed of roasted fennel and brandied cherries. The organic mesclun greens salad with lemon thyme vinaigrette was also fabulous. The real winner was the (completely vegan!) almond milk creme brulee.
In addition to having quality vegan food, the Inn of the Seventh Ray has a stunningly beautiful ambiance. It makes for a very enchanting date.
Native foods is by far the best vegan "fast foods" restaurant I've been to. The service is quick and the servers are very friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend the Chicken Run Ranch Burger and the Peanut Butter Parfait. The best part is that Native Foods sells a cookbook which contains most of the recipes that are made in the restaurant, so you can try some of them on your own.
Real Foods Daily makes completely vegan food with no added sugar and "little or no fat." Conveniently located a short walk from Santa Monica Pier, Real Foods Daily seemed to attract a mix of tourists and locals. The seating area is limited, so I would recommend getting there early.
The food itself is quite good. I was very impressed with the sesame noodle appetizer (cold soba noodles with vegetables and peanut sauce). The seasonal entree, an African stew served over couscous with corn croquettes, was a perfect blend of spices and savory vegetables. The Salisbury seitan was sort of run-of-the-mill seitan with gravy and mashed potatoes, but the Cesar salad that came with it was a delicious find.
One caveat: because Real Foods Daily does not add any sugar to the food that is served, the desserts are not very sweet.
The coconut-crusted tofu is AMAZING. It came on a bed of ginger noodles and was by far the best food that I ate while at Disney World. On the day that I ate at the Brown Derby, they had vegan chocolate cake with mango sorbet. The waiter also mentioned that they make vegan rhubarb pie sometimes. The Brown Derby was one of the few places in Disney World that actually used the word "vegan" on the menu. I was very pleasantly surprised by this theme-park dining establishment.
I had a great meal here when I was in Cannes. It was one of the few places that had a clearly-marked vegetarian meal on the menu. Les 3 Portes was also one of the few places that served a vegetarian meal other than Italian-inspired pasta and pizza. The food is quite pricey, but the prices are pretty much on par with the other fine restaurants in Cannes.
The Vegetarian Tajine was superb. The waiter brought me a large pot of it (more than I could finish) along with a separate bowl of semolina to eat it with.
The sorbets were also quite good. I would recommend the Willamine and Pear over the Vodka and Lemon sorbet, but that's just a matter of preference.
I do not know much about this restaurant. It was recommended to me by a friend, but I never made it there while I was in Cannes.
My friend said that it was "one of the few vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Cannes." I actually found quite a bit of vegan food just by wandering among the sidewalk cafes, but if a bona fide vegetarian restaurant is what you're after, I would recommend trying this place (and then leaving a review on Vegguide.org).
Due to the fact that La Zucca Magica makes 1 5-course meal a day, I don't think that there is much here for vegans. You might want to ask ahead of time whether it would be possible for something vegan to be prepared. The last time I ate here was years ago (before going vegan) so it's difficult for me to gauge what they would have done if I had required a vegan meal. I seem to remember things being very dairy-intsenive, though. Also, I'm not sure if they use rennet-free cheese. Not much English is spoken. That said, the food is exquisite.
This place is a great find in a very un-vegetarian-friendly country. Although it is a bit tough to figure out which items on the menu are vegan (the restaurant was actually founded by an American in the 1980΄s, but the waiters speak broken English), vegan options do exist here, unlike 99% of the other restaurants in Athens. The cuisine consists of vegetarian versions of national Greek dishes, including a soy substitute in dishes that ordinarily contain beef or mutton. The restaurant is very clean and it is air conditioned (another big advantage). It also has separate smoking and non-smoking sections, which seems to be a lot less common in Greece than it is in the United States. Best of all, they squeeze their own fresh fruit juice and have organic sodas and wines. It is located in Plaka, which is a huge tourist area, filled with outdoor markets that line the trail up to the ancient acropolis and Parthenon. Eden is a godsend for any vegetarian or vegan travelling in Greece.
The menu at 1492 is somewhat limited if you are a vegan. If you are looking for Spanish-style tapas and want a large selection of animal product-free options, I would recommend Cafe Ba-Ba Reeba! instead. That said, the ambiance is what makes 1492 really stand out. Unlike many other tapas restaurants in Chicago, which tend to be popular with families, 1492 seem to attract the late-20s-to-early-30s crowd. With its small rooms and tasteful decor, it's the perfect spot for an intimate gathering. The waitstaff is very friendly and bring the food at an appropriate pace.
If you can get past the eerily realistic taste of the mock meats (or at least they seemed realistic to this girl who has been vegetarian for most of her life) this place is a real find. The Almond Un-chicken is crunchy and satisfying. The ladyfinger appetizer is one of the best vegan dishes that I have ever tasted. Alice΄s is pretty far north of the city, but it is definitely worth the trip!
Amitabul is one of the only completely vegan restaurants in Chicago, yet when most people think of vegan dining in Chicago their mind immediately jumps to the Chicago Diner, which still serves dairy and the Soul Vegetarian, which, until recently, made many of its menu items with honey. Amitabul does not use any animal products in its cooking AND the food is amazingly good. The dumplings and Korean pancakes make great appetizerss. Although many of the stir-fry dishes are not authentic Korean cuisine, I found the apple curry to be inventive and interesting. I really enjoyed their dessert selection, particularly the red bean rice cake, which is gummy, sweet, and gelatin-free. The man who owns (and is head chef of) the restaurant, Dave, was our server and he was incredibly nice and gave great service. Amitabul has even been frequented by the Dali Lama, after whom the "Hello Dolly and Dave" dish is named.
The Barnes and Noble cafe recently started carrying refrigerated Soul Veg dishes. I don't think that they have a microwave so it probably only makes sense to buy it there if you have access to a microwave elsewhere (for hot Soul Veg carryout, try the Grounds of Being in the basement of Swift Hall/Div School).
This place is amazing. It's one of the few places in Chicago where vegans can get desserts that don't taste "vegan." Make sure to show up on a Saturday to sample their vegan quiche. It's the best quiche that I've ever had. The fruit tarts are also fantastic. They usually make them with some sort of cream, but often they have a few jam-filled ones in the back that are 100% vegan. The lavendar lemonade is another one of my favorite Bleeding Heart specialties.
As for the other desserts, here is how I would rate them:
Tofu Chocolate Mousse Cake - I was not the biggest fan of this, namely because I don't like my desserts to taste like tofu. In fact, I think this might have been the only item that I have ever bought something from the Bleeding Heart Bakery that I didn't like.
Brownies - I like the ginger brownies, although they tend to be somewhat brittle. I have never tried the banana nut.
Cookies - The chocolate chip cookies are amazing. The ginger cookies are also quite good. My favorite cookies are the Earl Gray Tea cookies - they have actual flecks of Earl Gray Tea in them.
Blueberry Buckle - These little cakes remind me somewhat of muffins. They're excellent breakfast food.
Flavored vegan marshmellows - These range, depending on the flavor that you choose. I am a big fan of the vanilla bean marshmellows .
Fruit candies - these are gummy and sweet and they really taste like fresh fruit.
For a small store, Bonne Sante really has a really impressive selection. They have more flavors of Chicago Soydairy than any of the Wholefoods stores that I have visited in Chicago and they also have a really good selection of (vegan!) soy cheese. The carryout food that they sell at the refrigerated case at the front of the store is really great also. They usually have tofu "chicken" wings, taco salad, seitan sloppy joes, vegan pizza wraps, seitan ruben sandwiches and some macrobiotic meals.
I was pretty impressed with Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!'s selection of sangria. There are a fair number of vegan choices, although there definitely could be more. My favorite dishes were the gazpacho and the almond sorbet (which was superb). The portions are huge (for tapas) and the prices are very reasonable. This place is a great compromise for vegans with omnivorous friends.
The hummus here is the best hummus that I have ever tasted. Seriously, I am writing this review from an internet cafe in Greece and the hummus here just isn΄t as good as Cedars΄. Other good options at Cedars include the Beryani, Falafel and Foul, although beware the Falafel sandwich because they often try to put Jerusalem Salad on it, which isn΄t vegan.
Charlie Trotter's made me a truly exceptional graduation dinner. The entire staff was very knowledgeable and accommodating of my vegan dietary concerns. They even brought me three different types of olive oil to enjoy with my bread (instead of butter, which was brought to the rest of my party).
Although the items on the "vegetable tasting menu" were not inherently vegan, each item was suitably altered to meet my needs. I was able to enjoy my dinner without having to feel different from the rest of my table. Some of the more memorable dishes included a tapioca "caviar" with a foamed green tea sauce and a chocolate peanut butter gelato in a Thai grass broth garnished with pine nuts.
The best part was that, after eating dinner, Mrs. Trotter gave us a tour of the kitchen and let us watch while the chefs prepared some of the food.
I wasn't the only person who was awestruck by our dinner experience. My non-vegetarian relatives kept insisting that their vegetable tastings were among the best food that they had ever eaten.
The Chicago Diner has a wide variation in the quality of their food. At first glance, the menu is a bit overwhelming, since it is rare that a vegan stumbles across a restaurant with such an extensive menu of foods that can be made vegan. However, after eating there no fewer than 50 times, I have a better sense of which items are worth ordering. The milkshakes at the Chicago Diner are AMAZING. I get one every time that I go. The macaroni and cheese is pretty good, as are the quesadillas, Philly cheesesteak sandwich and lentil loaf. I am a huge fan of the french onion miso soup, which often shows up on their list of specials, as well as the lasagna, red pepper ravioli and Argentinian empanadas. In general I am not a fan of the cakes, although the cookies and cakes that they make for special occasions (Easter, Valentine¨s Day etc.) are quite good.
Note: I wrote the above review about a year ago. The Chicago Diner has changed their menu considerably since then. There is much more emphasis on raw foods options, but some of my old favorites (the lentil loaf, Argentinian empanadas and red pepper ravioli) are no longer there.
Temptation vegan ice cream is the only soy ice cream I have found that doesn't have a bad aftertaste. I'm so glad that it is starting to crop up on the East Coast (at Whole Foods stores). Losing Chicago Soy Dairy products was one of the saddest parts about moving out of Chicago. My favorite flavor is Peach Cobbler, but they're all pretty good.
For the record, if you can get your hands on Chicago soydairy soy milk (which is considerably harder to find), it is one of the few soy milks that I have found that is creamy enough to make a good foam on coffee drinks.
The key to having an enjoyable experience at FoodLife is in what you order. If you get the bottomless bowl of creamless tomato soup, you'll find that your $5 are stretched very far (last time I went, I had four bowls of the stuff). Also, the drinks are unlimited free refills (including the exotic iced teas). In short, if you're not under a time constraint and can take advantage of the refills then this place isn't a bad deal. The creamless tomato soup is the best I've had anywhere.
Initially, I had very high hopes for Green Zebra. In my mind it would fill the high-end vegetarian restaurant void in Chicago (with the possible exception of Karyn's) and I thought that perhaps it would even help to promote vegetarian dishes as an alternative to the filet mignon culture that pervades much of this city.
Unfortunately I was wrong. Instead of attracting people who are concerned with animal welfare, Green Zebra seems to have become a hip hangout of 20-something yuppies.
For a "haute cuisine vegetarian restaurant," I am surprised by the dearth of vegan items on the menu. Although almost any dish can be made vegan, most of the vegetarian dishes are so reliant on the cheese and creme ingredients for flavor that it isn't really worth ordering them vegan-ized. While I understand the business sense of offering a few organic meat options in order to appeal to a wider audience, I resent the fact that Green Zebra does so AND still manages to call itself a vegetarian restaurant.
That said, Green Zebra does have something to offer for those who have the cash. The trio of salads is exquisite, even after leaving the parmesan cheese off of one of the salads. The sweet potato dumplings are vegan without any modifications and have a delicious hint of floral aroma. The best item on the menu is by far the ginger cake with banana soy ice cream. Although it's the only vegan dessert on the menu, it's also the only item that I felt was fully worth the $7 that I paid for it.
Note: I wrote the above review about 3 and a half years ago. My opinion of Green Zebra has since changed considerably (as reflected in the current rating). Everything that I mentioned above is still true (Green Zebra continues to have limited vegan options and to be overrun by yuppies).
However, I have come to the conclusion that the vegan food at Green Zebra is considerably better than you would find at any other "vegetarian" restaurant in Chicago. The food is innovative and, most importantly, never tries to imitate "normal" food by replacing it with soy products. The emphasis is on the wonderful flavors of the vegetables and fruits, which are cooked in unusual combinations and served with delicious sauces. For this reason, Green Zebra is a great place to take non-vegan friends and family.
One new food recommendation: even if you normally love a good cocktail, I would recommend trying the soda "tasting" instead: the waiter brings 3 or 4 exotic-tasting carbonated beverages in small cups (my favorite is the pink peppercorn thyme soda). It's fun to enjoy a tasting menu of drinks with a tapas-style meal.
There is a surprising amount of vegan-friendly food here. The portions are large (none of the people that I was with could finish our meals) and inexpensive (always a plus). The service was fast and the outdoor area was a nice place to sit and eat. I highly recommend Handlebar to anyone looking for a quick meal in the Wicker Park area.
The gelato is amazing. The various vegan flavors that I've seen are the following:
Blood Orange
Kiwi
Strawberry
Forest Berry
Raspberry
Lemon
Cherry
Pineapple
Mango
Soy Chocolate
They usually have between 2 and 5 vegan flavors. The staff is very helpful. Istria even sell tubs of gelato for catering events. The best part is that the gelato is very inexpensive and they give huge portions. Occasionally flavors taste freezer-burnt. This problem tends to exist less in the summer (when gelato is more popular and doesn't sit in the freezer for more than a day or two).
Karyn's Cooked has a unique combination of qualities from some of the best vegan restaurants in Chicago. It has a sleek decor like Green Zebra, prices that fall somewhere between the Chicago Diner and Soul Veg, elixirs and other health items commonly found at Karyn's and some of the Soul Veg classics. The menu includes items like mac and cheese, sloppy jo, "ribs," vegan pizza, smoothies and key lime pie. All of the food that I had while I was there was very good. The service was fast and friendly. As far as I know, this is the first vegan-friendly restaurant to open up in the heart of downtown Chicago.
Karyn's is, in some sense, an ideal "date" restaurant in Chicago. It is upscale enough that it looks impressive to take someone there, but the prices are fairly reasonable for what you're getting - ravioli made from delicately sliced vegetables pressed together and filled with a macademia nut "cheese," served with sun dried tomato sauce, for example. The ambience is California chic. There is even a "cafe" section of the restaurant that sells "To Go" items such as Karyn's delicious nut cheeses and raw sour "cream" (the cheese at Karyn's is particularly notable).
I go back and forth in my opinion about Karyn's Raw. Up until now, I had rated it "great," because I think that the food is pretty impressive. However, the last few times that I have eaten at Karyn's, I have found myself wanting a second dinner afterwards (because raw foods don't tend to be very filling). It can be frustrating to shell out $20 or $30 for dinner at Karyn's only to find that I'm hungry an hour later. Also, I've found that Karyn's is not a great place for bringing friends. Most of the people that I have taken to Karyn's have subsequently told me that the food was "weird" and a few even complained that the raw food made them feel sick afterwards.
I'm fairly annoyed with Leona's for telling me twice that their soy cheese was now casein-free and then telling me the last time that I went that there is casein in it. At the same time, they make a fantastic grilled veggie wrap that is vegan.
I think that the other reviewers are being a little harsh. Yes, it's bad that Leona's doesn't seem to know what the verdict on their soy cheese is, but at least they're trying to have soy cheese and at least they have a few vegan options that are clearly labeled on their menus as vegan (notice that the menu doesn't say ANYWHERE that they have soy cheese). They're still pretty far ahead most Italian restaurants in Chicago.
I've been told that the veggie burger at the Med is vegan, which is one of the best veggie burgers that I've had. Their strawberry lemonade is also fabulous. I agree that there's nothing too exciting about the Medici except for the fact that it's somewhat of an institution at the University of Chicago. There are better places to eat in Hyde Park, but the Medici isn't half bad.
I ate here once and I can testify to the vegan-ness of the menu if you alert them ahead of time. I called about an hour before my reservation (which, by their standards, is pretty late) to let them know that I am vegan and when I arrived they were able to tell me exactly what on the menu was (and wasn't) vegan. They even knew which of their breads had honey in them and were able to advise me on those as well. I was extremely please with my dinner (which consisted of a melon soup, a grilled vegetable medley and a trio of sorbet for dessert) and I was impressed with the chef's and waiters' knowledge of vegan cuisine. Although mk is a bit pricey, I would definitely go there again for a special occasion.
I've generally found the Noodles staff to be pretty accommodating if you ask them not to cook a dish with fish oil. I find that most of their dishes can be made vegan if you get them to leave out the meat. Noodles has very fast service, large portions and reasonable prices. It's a great place to grab a quick meal on a college student's budget.
I thought that this place was pretty good for a major pan-Asian chain. The waiters seemed pretty knowledgeable about veganism and was able to answer all of my questions. It's a great place to go with non-vegetarian friends because it has something for everyone.
This place rocks. The waitstaff are really friendly and will remember you if you come often enough (one waitress even guesses what my order will be whenever I come in and she is usually right). The ambience is very eclectic, with tables decorated with Monopoly, Scrabble and other game pieces (although my favorite table is painted in a hypnotic spiral and actually spins). The cakes are amazing. The strawberry cake has actually pieces of strawberries mixed in with the batter. The milkshakes are made with Chicago Soydairy soymilk and soy ice cream, and come in exciting flavors like chai and wild berry. Pick Me Up is probably most known for its vegan french toast, although the tofu cheese pizza is also a notable entree. It's a great place to hang out (or type on your laptop) late at night when everything else is closed.
The Vegetarian Combo Meal is massive. The two side vegetables that you get are enough food for a meal on their own, and that's not counting the flatbread, samosa and basmati rice. Another surprise: the sweet potato dish, which is covered by a cinnamon sauce (which I would ordinarily think wouldn't be vegan) is dairy-free. This place is a serious bargain and the people who work there are very understanding of vegan concerns.
This place has the best Ethiopian food in Chicago, by far. The staff is very friendly and they're even careful to separate vegan and non-vegan food if you ask them (normally Ethiopian food is all served on one large piece of injera bread, so there is an unfortunate tendency for meat and vegetable dishes to run together).
While this place looks like it would be expensive (and trust me, it is if you order the main entrees or the flavored vodka shots), it is easy to get a reasonably-priced meal here if you just order the side ¨taste¨ dishes. Many of the ¨taste¨ dishes are vegan and range between $3-5. Very reasonable if you order a few and split them with friends.
A few years ago, I wrote a very zealous review of Soul Veg (see below). However, after numerous steep price increases (with no real improvement in their mediocre-at-best service) I felt inclined to post another review. Soul Vegetarian fills a nice void in the South Side vegetarian community. There aren't many vegetarian restaurants down here and Soul Veg seems to have found catering opportunities at local grocery stores and on the University of Chicago campus.
That said, their food quality is highly variable and often makes me sick (probably because it is incredibly greasy). For example, on any given day the macaroni and cheese can be spicy or contain loads of nutritional yeast or be fairly bland and swimming in grease. It's difficult to tell just by looking at it. On many occasions, I have purchased Soul Veg food only to be sorely disappointed and subsequently end up throwing it away. Desserts are the only really consistent item from Soul Veg. I have, by and large, stopped going to Soul Veg but, when I do, I usually just go for the dessert these days.
Former Review:
What can I say, I go to Soul Veg every Tuesday with the University of Chicago Vegan Society and I΄m still not sick of it. In fact, the weeks that I don΄t make it with the other U of C vegans, I end up going by myself either on Monday or Wednesday. The food here is amazing, the prices are unbeatable and the people are really really nice (and will start to know you by name if you eat here often enough). Heck, they even gave me free orange soy ice cream on my birthday. Where else can you get that?
Swift recently started carrying Soul Veg carryout food. They have 4 different dinner platters (one has BBQ tofu, mac & cheese with greens; another has chickpeas, rice and greens; another has vegan lasagna with greens; the fourth has beans and gravy over rice with seitan and greens). Swift also carries BBQ roast sandwiches, carrot salad and dill tofu salad (all from Soul Veg).
In addition to Soul Veg food, Swift carries tons of Middle Eastern platters from Cedars and The Nile, as well as some vegan Thai platters and some vegan Indian platters from Rajun Cajun.
Third World Cafe is currently the ONLY all-vegetarian establishment in Hyde Park. It has a great atmosphere (comfortable surroundings, lots of students and professors working on their laptops etc.) without being overly hip or pretentious.
The Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich sans provolone is amazing. It consists of a mustard-hummus spread and veggies on grilled french bread, which is made fresh to order (all of Third World's sandwiches are). The Vegetarian Chili is vegan, as is the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. Third World will also use soy milk instead of dairy milk in their coffee drinks for $0.40 extra.
This place is just what Hyde Park needs - quick vegan food, with delivery available. The only down side is that, since they're still getting set up, some of the employees aren't entirely clear on which items are and aren't vegan (I had to ask the manager) and the service can be pretty slow (the guy who was making my sandwich was in training and took a while to make my order).
I really love the vegan sandwiches at Veggies to Go. They have all sorts of sauces and condiments, most of which are vegan. There's a large range of soy meats and delicious vegetables to go on the sandwiches. The smoothies are also quite good (made with delicious vanilla soy ice cream, they come in many different fruit flavors).
Veggies to Go has vegan desserts from Soul Vegetarian, so you can usually find things like caramel cake, chocolate cake, lemon cake, coconut cake, coconut cream pie, sweet potato pie, lemon cream pie, oatmeal cookies and walnut brownies on hand.
Dukem is one of Baltimore's few Ethiopian restaurants and the word on the street is that it's the most authentic. It's a welcome addition for vegans due to the fact that all of its veg items are clearly labeled and completely vegan (they don't use dairy in anything). Our waitress was really nice and offered us extra injera to take home with our leftover vegetables.
That said, the restaurant itself is very small and made me feel a little claustrophobic (we were seated so close to the tables next to us that my friend and I were having a hard time not giggling at the conversations that we were inadvertently overhearing). Also, it's located in a part of town where parking is hard to come by.
What can I say? This place sells tofu burritos that are heavier than my 5 month-old kitten at a really amazing price (and the beans aren't fried in lard!). 1 burrito is seriously enough food for two meals and will cost you well under $5. Alright, so the ambience is very hole-in-the-wall. But sometimes that's what you want: a small, vaguely-Mexican hole in the wall with excellent burritos.
The Helmand is located within blocks of Peabody, the Lyric Opera, the Meyerhoff Symphony Orchestra and numerous theaters. It's a great place to dine before/after a show. The food is delicious and most of the vegetarian items can be made dairy-free if you ask. There is a vegetarian stuffed pepper dish that I would highly recommend.
The flatbread is really good. There aren't too many vegan options here, but you can get a pita sandwich with hummus and lots of veggies or a veggie kabob with rice.
Liquid Earth has some of the best vegan cake that I have ever tasted. If you order it, be sure to bring at least two other friends along because it is 3 layers high and the slices are usually quite wide as well. There is also a very creative selection of juices here, many of which have cool earthy-sounding names. The guy who makes the juice used to work at the Chicago Diner.
One World Cafe is a great place to chill with a laptop and a fancy coffee drink. With its ever-changing art displays, poetry slams and trendy location, it is a great place to meet interesting people. The vegan peanut butter smoothie is unparalleled. I have tried many times to buy similar-sounding smoothies at other restaurants and have been sorely disppointed each time. Although a number of items on the menu don't have the vegan "V" sign next to them, they can be made vegan by substituting in soy cheese. The vegan desserts at One World are quite good, so be sure to save room for them.
Some of the better nights of my teenage years were spent at Papermoon. Although the prices keep going up while the menu seems to have stayed the same, I keep coming back to this place for the ambiance if not for the food. This isn't to say that the food is bad: the tofu wrap (if you order it without cheese) is decent, as are the other handful of veganizable items on the menu. What you're really paying for when you eat here, however, is the hip atmosphere and the fact that it's one of the only places in Baltimore that is open 24 hours. For that reason alone, it's probably worth a visit.
I ate here with my family last summer and found it to be a good compromise for a vegan daughter and her meat-loving parents. While the menu does not initially look that vegan friendly due to the fact that it is separated into three categories (food from the land, food from the sea and food from the field... you can guess which of those is the "vegetarian" list), there are a surprising number of vegan items strewn throughout the menu. Also, my waiter was really nice about checking on the vegan-ness of the breads for me.
The homemade vegan pumpkin cheesecake was a little strange, but the soy chai and the vegan brownies were quite good.
I believe that this restaurant has either gone out of business or relocated. I went to the spot where it used to be and it looks as though the building has been bulldozed.
That said, I used to be a big fan of Tamber's. The Indian food was pretty authentic, given the fact that the restaurant was known as the "Nifty Fifties Diner" and had a weird fusion of diner food and Indian cuisine.
The food here is decent but there isn't a large selection. On the day that I went to The Yabba Pot, it seemed like the main menu options were vegan hot dogs, some sort of cabbage dish, collard greens and various vegetable wraps (none of which were particularly exciting). I've been told by many people that the fake chicken is amazing (which wasn't on the menu when I was there). I guess I just picked a bad day to show up.
Zia's has a great variety of vegan foods. While they're not explicitly a vegan restaurant, they have the best selection of vegan items of any restaurant in Towson (in my humble opinion). Zia's consists of a juice bar, sandwich shop and refrigerator case (containing prepared foods).
Their refrigerator case is usually full of vegan empanadas, salads, and prepared dishes, not to mention delicious vegan desserts. The food changes almost every time that I go, so there's always something new. Some of the vegan dishes from Zia's that I have seen in the fridge case include: sweet and sour meatballs with Asian vegetables and brown rice, miso pesto penne, banana maple crepes, tofu scramble, lentils with rice, vegan breakfast burritos, vegan empanadas, and chick pea "meat" loaf with pineapple curry sauce on a quinoa pilaf.
In addition to the prepared foods, Zia's can always make vegan sandwiches from the vegetables, tofu and other fixings on their homemade bread. Their vegan "specialty" sandwich is called the Zucca, which consists of caramelized onion, potato, butternut squash and sage on an organic spelt bread.
The desserts are probably Zia's best feature. During my many visits, I have encountered the following vegan desserts: brownie with chocolate ganache frosting, mocha espresso brownie, gingerbread with almond icing, pineapple cake with pecan glaze, chocolate hazlenut tofu mousse, and a (slightly healthy-tasting, but still good) chocolate peanut butter tofu cheesecake. Zia's also tends to have a selection of cookies, in flavors such as ginger molasses, and chocolate chip cookies.
Another bonus: The cafe employees are always very helpful in showing me which items in their cafe are vegan and are willing to adjust juice orders to suit the taste of the customer (not to mention that they make the best homemade spiced cider ANYWHERE, using apples that they juice right in front of you).
Baltimore Citypaper voted Zodiac for "Best Vegan Desserts" in 2005. Upon reading this review, I made a special trip to Zodiac just to make sure that they weren't lying. Sure enough, half of Zodiac's dessert offerings that night were vegan. My pick of the evening was a pecan praline "lava" cake, oozing with a gooey center and topped (a la mode) with vanilla soy ice cream. My non-vegan companion and I both thought it was first rate.
There always seems to be a line going out the door at Bagel Rising. That said, it's well worth the wait - the tofu "cream cheese" is amazingly good and comes in six flavors. I especially like the garlic tofu spread. I was less of a fan of the soy chai (it didn't have much flavor and came unsweetened).
I'm not a huge fan of the "classic" burrito at Boloco (it lacks flavor and even the "large" is smaller than a standard Chipotle or Qdoba burrito). That said, their other burrito flavors can be quite good. The Teriyaki, Summer and Thai burritos are all quite good sans dairy.
One Caveat: The Buffalo burrito is not vegetarian (the buffalo sauce contains anchovies).
The Elephant Walk is a Cambodian-French fusion restaurant. It has a separate vegan menu, featuring salads and Cambodian-style food (sadly, none of the French menu options are vegan). The food is quite good, albeit a little pricey. Unfortunately, The Elephant Walk doesn't seem to have any vegan desserts.
Every time I go to My Thai I have a fabulous experience. There is vegan Thai iced tea, sweetened with sugar and coconut milk instead of sweet and condensed milk. My favorite menu items are the coconut soup (sweet coconut milk with vegetables and mushrooms) and pineapple chicken (which has a wonderful chicken-like texture), but I've enjoyed everything that I've tried so far. The menu is very extensive and includes a large array of vegan "seafood" items. There are many wonderful desserts (imported from Cafe Indigo) to choose from: chocolate cake, lemon poppyseed cake, carrot cake, chocolate peppermint ganache cake. I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting the Boston area.
I've never been terribly impressed with the vegan options at Seva. As the first reviewer commented, the dishes tend to be fairly bland and typical vegan fare (lots of earthy-sounding menu items that come with sprouts). The dairy-free desserts are usually made with whole wheat flour (or are wheat-free) so they tend to be very dense and a little too healthy tasting for my preferences. That said, I still go to Seva every time I'm in Ann Arbor. I've learned just to stick with the Thai vegetables in peanut sauce for my entree and the really delicious juice offerings.
Crescent Moon is a nice place to study or enjoy some live entertainment (depending on the time of day). Their vegan food options are limited, but soy milk is available for coffee and tea drinks and the staff seems pretty knowledgeable about ingredients. Crescent Moon also has a really great selection of dark chocolate available for purchase, as well as a library of books by Nebraska authors.
De Bolhoed is a quaint all-vegetarian restaurant overlooking the Prinsengracht canal. It has a great location: only a few blocks away from the Anne Frank House and other Amsterdam museums.
Make sure that you get to De Bolhoed early in the evening. The restaurant closes at 10:30, and often it runs out of its "vegan daily special" (a 6 course, completely vegan meal) early. I got there at around 8:30 PM and they had already run out of the vegan special and the pasta of the day, so I was stuck ordering a la carte. The a la carte meal that I ordered was a bean burrito, which was decent but not spectacular. There are many vegan cakes, cookies, and brownies displayed in the dessert case, but they look a lot prettier than they taste (my slice of chocolate strawberry ganache cake was a bit dry and didn't taste particularly sweet). I don't know if the same is the case for all of the vegan desserts, though.
That said, the service was excellent and the people working there spoke good English (which is very helpful to those of us who do not speak Dutch). The Dutch grotesque statuettes of vegetables that are located throughout the restaurant are worth admiring while you are waiting for your meal. I honestly think that I would have had a much better gustatory experience if only had been there early enough for the seitan ravioli vegan special.
Green Planet is located down the block from one of the locations of the University of Amsterdam. It is a pretty small restaurant and meals take a long time to be served (the signs on the walls even say "Slow Food," warning customers that "quality takes time").
The signs were right - it took us roughly 2 hours to get in and out of the restaurant, but the meal was pretty good. I had the vegan crostini (toast with a humus spread and grilled vegetables on top) and the Thai sweet potato coconut basil soup, both of which were excellent. For dessert, I had a slice of lemon tofu "cheese"cake, which did not taste quite like cheesecake but was still good. One caveat: I'm pretty sure that they drizzled honey on the plate next to the cheesecake for decorative effect, so if you are strict about honey I would recommend asking the waiter to leave that off.
As for the menu on the whole, there are a number of vegan appetizers and soups, but there are only two or three vegan main courses, one of which is the masala of the day and another which was a Thai noodle dish, so you have to be in the mood for East Asian food to go there if you're vegan.
Cafe Indigo has the best vegan Sunday brunch in New Hampshire. For $15, you can eat as much as you want from the salad bar and dessert bar (which includes their legendary cakes, plus an assortment of muffins and scones), unlimited coffee and tea (with soy creamer available!) and your choice of entree. I had the "Sampler" as my entree, which consisted of cornmeal pancakes, french toast, tofu scramble, soy sausage and potatoes.
Cafe Indigo is the company that supplies cakes to Mai Thai, Whole Foods and other Boston-area restaurants and grocery stores. The restaurant has a number of baked goods that you can take home with you (whole cakes; boxes of cookies, cinnamon rolls, brownies or scones) as well as a refrigerator case of exotic vegan cheese substitutes (including Sheese, which is imported from Scotland).
The Orient has a good selection of tofu dishes and, to my pleasant surprise, fake meat dishes (made with seitan). I love the vegetarian sesame chicken. Their delivery service is usually quicker than the phone operator estimates. Overall, I've had very good experiences with this place.
This place is amazing for vegans. It has (almost) everything that you can find at large organic grocery store chains such as Whole Foods. The prepared foods section usually has a vegan soup, as well as vegan dumplings, seasoned tofu, samosas and African rice dishes. The bakery carries Liz Lovely vegan cookies. In addition, the Co-op also has many types of casein-free soy cheese (including Follow Your Heart and Soy Feta), local Vermont soy milk (plus all of the usual brands), an extensive selection of fake meats (located in the produce section), soy and rice ice cream products, etc. The people who run the Co-op seem to be open to customer suggestions. The Lebanon Co-op is larger and has more selection than the Hanover Co-op, but both are extremely vegan-friendly.
The Lebanon Health Food Store has the best selection of Road's End Organics Macaroni and Chreese that I have seen in the Upper Valley (the Food Coop only sells one flavor). It also carries Liz Lovely cookies, Tofurkey products, Newman O's etc.
Yama is one of the only places in the Upper Valley with more than one menu option for vegans. There is vegetarian sushi (including inari), edamame, scallion pancakes, and some noodle dishes with tofu.
I thought that the Moosewood restaurant was somewhat overrated, at least in terms of its vegan offerings. The only lunch menu items that were vegan on the day that I was there were a hummus sandwich, some salads and a vegetable soup. All of the more interesting sounding menu items contained dairy or fish. The vegan chocolate cake was decent for a cake that claims to use bananas as its sole sweetener, but I found much better vegan desserts elsewhere in Ithaca. In short, Moosewood is a good place to go if you happen to be in the area, but I wouldn't make a special trip there.
LifeThyme has a fabulous selection of vegan/organic/kosher desserts - I was so overwhelmed when I saw the pastry case that I ended up buying tiramisu, chocolate cake, strawberry cheesecake, peanut butter pie and a couple of cookies and scones. Some of the desserts had a bit of a soy aftertaste, but overall they were pretty good imitations of their dairy-rich analogues. I will definitely go back the next time that I'm in NY.
I had a great meal here that consisted of vegan calimari, a fake chicken entree and delicious chocolate cheesecake for dessert. The calimari were so realistic that it was a bit disturbing. The cheesecake was, by far, the best vegan cheesecake that I have ever had. The service was quick and I was surprised at how inexpensive the food was, considering the quality.
Francesca's is great for vegans. Not only does it have the typical fruit sorbetto flavors but it also usually carries a few soy-based gelato flavors, such as vegan cinnamon chocolate chip and soy chocolate.
Locopops has different flavors of popsicles every day, and at only $2 a pop they're a pretty good deal. Usually, there are about 10 cream-based flavors and 10 water-based flavors. The water-based flavors that I have tried include: pear rosemary, lemon thyme, and hibiscus margarita. The pear rosemary was my favorite, but all of the flavors were quite good.
As a vegan, I was somewhat hesitant to add Watt's Grocery to VegGuide, since the only vegan item on their regular dinner menu is a salad (albeit, a very delicious salad, but a salad nonetheless). However, I had truly exquisite vegan entree (homemade pappardelle pasta with a cheese-free basil pesto sauce, sauteed with porcini mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes and onions) which happened to be one of the specials on the particular night that I was at Watt's Grocery, so I figured that others might want to know about it. I guess the best advice that I can give is to call ahead and mention that you're vegan before making a reservation.
The seitan barbecue sandwich is the only item on the menu that is vegan/vegetarian. However, it's a pretty decent sandwich. It consists of homemade seitan, covered in barbecue sauce and collard greens, served on a bun.
Every time I end up anywhere near the state of Ohio, I feel the urge to go to Dragonfly Neo V. The food there is out of this world. Out of the 10+ times that I have dined at Dragonfly, I can only think of two dishes that I didn't really care for (one was a fried appetizer that just didn't go at all with my meal and the other was a chocolate dessert that had a strange aftertaste).
Some of my favorite menu items over the years include: Iced mexican hot chocolate, rainwater (a fruity-tasting elixir), a creamy chilled leek soup with dried cherries, artisan pizza flavored with white truffle oil and sun dried tomatoes and the various sorbets and tapioca creations that are featured on the dessert menu. My only regret is that I only seem to make it out to Columbus in the summer. I can't wait to try the winter menu items!
Mad Mex fills the much-needed niche of "popular hangout spot that also has vegan food available." It's a great place to take your non-vegetarian friends since it has something for everyone.
That said, I was somewhat disappointed with the texture of the soy cheese (like little sticks of cardboard that were flavored like cheese) and the tofu sour cream (think pureed tofu with lemon). I would stick to the menu items that don't rely on cheese, like the burritos or soups. One major bonus: there are sopapillas for dessert (which the waiter assured me were vegan, but you might want to check before ordering).
All in all, Mad Mex has made a laudable effort to extend their menu to vegetarians and vegans, so it's worth going just to show appreciation for their efforts (and perhaps to subtly slip the contact information of Follow Your Heart Soy Cheese and Tofutti Sour Cream).
The vegan options are surprisingly good at Oxley's: hummus and veggies with pita, salads, soups and, my personal favorite, the vegetarian meatball sub (you must specify "no cheese," however). Most of their fancy coffee drinks can be made vegan as well.
Oxley's accepts meal swipes, as well as credit cards and cash.
The cupcakes at Pattycake Bakery are huge and amazingly good. All of their baked goods are very reasonably-priced . On Saturday mornings, they make special vegan cinnamon buns.
The bubble tea at Pochi Tea station is good (although it doesn't seem to be made with fresh fruit). Many of the flavors can be made without milk. The crispy tofu and vegetable samosas are both made from vegan ingredients, but they are fried in the same oil as the meat items.
This place has phenomenal tea in a large variety of flavors. It doesn't have much in the way of food (or vegan food for that matter). They do have soy milk for the chai upon request.
I probably read every internet review on the Spirite Lounge before deciding to eat there. The more that I read, the more that I wanted to try the restaurant universally described as "an experience" for myself. I was intrigued by the "no waste" policy and by various patrons' accounts of being asked to leave (and never return) as punishment for not finishing the meal.
In spite of the fact that I had prepared myself for a very bizarre experience, the Spirite Lounge still managed to exceed my expectations. The decor was indescribable. We ate in the room closest to the kitchen, which featured textured gold walls (if you looked carefully, you could see letters and leaves that were glued to the walls before they were painted), animal print napkins, miniature trees covered with Christmas lights and parasols hanging from the ceiling. It had the feel of a harem mixed with an enchanted forest.
The waitstaff was equally decorative. The owner reminded me of a Cirque du Soleil performer, with his thick French accent, colorful clothing and optimistic world views.
The food was amazing and, at $15 for the entire 3 course meal, was quite a bargain. I chose to eat the "small" portion, which was still more than enough food for me to eat. Our first course was a creamy coconut coriander soup, served with small slices of whole wheat bread.
The main course was a vegetable-filled crepe, covered in a savory mushroom gravy and garnished with tropical fruit compote. I normally hate mushrooms, but I managed to devour every last morsel on my plate.
The dessert was a fruit-sweetened chocolate cake. It was a rich, moist cake filled with blueberries and coated in a fudge frosting. After dessert, we were given complimentary ginger cardamon tea.
The service was somewhat slow at times, but we didn't mind. It gave us the chance to savor our delicious meal and enjoy the serene environment.
My only disappointment in visiting the Spirite Lounge was that I didn't have the chance to witness any conflicts over wasting food.
To be fair, I didn't actually have the opportunity to eat at Adelante. I visited the restaurant and discovered that it was closed for the holidays. However, I called to ask about vegan options and discovered that the wheat tortillas are not vegan (but the corn tortillas are). In fact, a lot of the items on the menu that looked like they might have been vegan contained hidden dairy products.
The good news is that the staff at Adelante seemed to be pretty well-informed about the ingredients in the food that they serve, which is more than can be said for many Mexican restaurants. It sounded like there are a couple of items that can be made vegan, you just have to ask.
Also, for lacto-ovo vegetarians, there are some enchiladas and tamales without meat products in them (a rare treat, since cheese enchiladas are often cooked in chicken broth and most tamales are made with ground pork).
I think it is wonderful that San Antonio has an all-vegetarian restaurant (and perhaps, for that reason alone, vegetarians should support it). However, I wasn't terribly impressed with the food at Green.
My buffalo tofu wings were practically inedible (the texture was crispy and wonderful, but the sauce was a combination of extremely sour and extremely spicy - no one at my table was able to eat more than one of the wings, so we ended up throwing most of them out).
The sweet potato gnocci was good, but the tomato sauce that came with it tasted like (and had the consistency of) tomato soup.
The vegan double chocolate cake was the best part of my dinner at Green. It was moist, not overly dense, and the icing was creamy. My (non-vegan) boyfriend thought the icing tasted too much like soy margarine whipped with sugar and cocoa powder, but I liked it.
According to my waiter, the following menu items are/can be made vegetarian:
-Nachos
-Some of the ensaladas (salads)
-Roasted poblano relleno de queso (contains cheese)
-Spinach enchiladas (contains cheese)
-Beans and rice (but not the Mexican rice, which is made with chicken broth)
-appetizer (I can't remember what it was called!) that consisted of potatoes which are smashed into round cakes (about the size/shape of standard falafel), coated in cornmeal and fried (in vegetable oil), served with guacamole.
The beans and rice and the potato appetizer that I mentioned above are both vegan (although you need to specify "no cheese" on the appetizer). The potato appetizer was a wonderful treat. The beans and rice were pretty decent (though admittedly not very exciting).
Also worth noting: The outdoor seating area is beautiful. The restaurant was consistently crowded and the waiters were very friendly (and enthusiastic about naming off the vegetarian items). There is an extensive frozen drink list. Overall, I had a very pleasant experience at La Fonda on Main.
Kismet Cafe is a cute cafe tucked away in a quiet area of Montpelier. It has a large range of organic foods and, according to one of the waitresses, they're willing to make any of the menu items vegan (although this works better for some items than for others). I had a vegan crepe filled with dairy-free pesto, served with tofu scramble and root vegetable fries. All of the coffee drinks can be made with soy milk and everything can be sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar or honey.
The Landgon Street Cafe is a good study spot and has a decent selection of vegan options. They have Tofutti Cream Cheese to put on bagels and they have a Vegan Delight tempeh sandwich on the menu. All of the coffee drinks, lemonade etc. can be sweetened with (local) maple syrup instead of sugar and soy milk can be substituted for regular milk. Best of all, there are usually a couple of homemade vegan baked goods on the counter.
The menu that is posted on the Tip Top Cafe's website is misleading (and probably outdated). Every time that I have gone to the Tip Top Cafe, there have been at least two vegetarian items on the menu, one of which has been vegan (or easily altered to be vegan). Tip Top Cafe is one of the few restaurants in the Upper Valley area that makes a serious effort at food presentation and tries to offer eclectic menu items. I usually end up getting a salad, followed by some sort of Indian food inspired entree and sorbet for dessert. It's not haute cuisine and it's probably not worth the price, but it is some of the best vegan food you can find in the area.
The Upper Valley Food Coop has a large selection of vegan cookies (more flavors of Liz Lovely and Alternative Baking Company cookies than I have seen anywhere else in the Upper Valley). It also has whole freezer cases full of soy ice cream and vegan frozen dinners, as well as a large selection of soy milk, meat substitutes, cheese substitutes and other items of interest to vegans. The fridge contains some vegan sandwiches, wraps, soups and other quick meals.
Ratings Without Reviews
- Andie's Restaurant
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Bart Mart
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Bartlett Dining Commons
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Burton-Judson Dining Commons
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Cafe Florian
in Chicago, Illinois:
- early to bed
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Earwax Cafe
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Einstein Brothers
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Ethiopian Diamond
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Ex Libris
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Hyde Park Produce
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Opera
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Penang Malaysian
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Uncle Joe's
in Chicago, Illinois:
- Blind Faith Cafe
in Evanston, Illinois:
- Flat Top Grill
in Evanston, Illinois:
- The Health Concern
in Baltimore, Maryland:
- Nile Cafe
in Baltimore, Maryland:
- Sushi Hana
in Baltimore, Maryland:
- Taj Mahal cuisine of India
in Lincoln, Nebraska:
- Boloco
in Hanover, New Hampshire:
- Co-op
in Hanover, New Hampshire:
- The Dirt Cowboy Cafe
in Hanover, New Hampshire:
- Jewel of India
in Hanover, New Hampshire:
- Benevolence
in Columbus, Ohio:
- Blue Danube Restaurant
in Columbus, Ohio:
- Blue Nile
in Columbus, Ohio:
- Buckeye Donuts
in Columbus, Ohio:
- Taj II Indian Cuisine
in Columbus, Ohio:
Jan 6
Endless.com has a wonderful selection of trendy-looking "accidentally vegan" shoes, many of which are made with fabrics other than imitation leather. It's laudable that a non-vegetarian company has decided to list vegetarian shoes separately. Another perk: the shipping is free!