Some people are extremely fortunate and live in towns that have lots of vegan-friendly restaurants.  Yet, I live in the middle of Ohio, and more often than not, eating out can be tricky.  Here’s a few pointers for those of us who cannot just run down the street and pick up a vegan Philly Cheese Steak. Oh, how I envy those of you who can.

Pick ethnic restaurants.

Japanese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, Greek, and pretty much anything else that’s not your typical American restaurant will have lots to choose from.  Read over the menu and look for items that are made with tofu, mixed vegetables, marinara sauce and other vegan friendly foods.  Another great thing about many ethnic restaurants is that their customer service usually surpasses that of your American chain restaurants- because the waiters and waitresses generally are knowledgeable about the ingredients used in certain dishes, and can help you make decisions–  if your not sure,  just ask.  Also, many trendy chain restaurants now offer veggie burgers and black bean burgers–  ask your waiter or waitress if they are also dairy/egg free.

Here are some common menu examples:

Indian: Vegetable Jalfrezi with Basmati rice

Japanese: Vegetable sushi rolls, Ginger salad, edamame, and possibly miso soup (with miso soup, make sure to ask if they use Dashi in the soup, which generally contains  Bonito/Katsuobush [fish flakes], as part of the base)

Mexican: Vegetable chimichanga, refried beans (no lard) and a side of Mexican rice

Thai: Tofu curry with sticky rice

Vietnamese: Vegetarian Duck, vegetable soft roll, asparagus soup

Italian: Pasta with marinara, salad with vinaigrette dressing, bread with olive oil

Chinese: Bean Curd (any style) served with white rice

Greek: Dolmades and lentil soup

Sometimes though, we don’t always get to pick where we eat.  No worries. With most every restaurant, you can order vegan, even if the options are limited.  With salads, stick to vinegar based dressings, and tell them to hold the cheese.  Baked potatoes are always good served with steamed veggies on top.  Many places serve some type of pasta dish… ask if they can make you some plain pasta with Olive Oil, and some steamed veggies.

Fast Food

Much information about fast food and chain restaurants can be obtained via the internet.  Ingredient lists are easy to come by and when you go to a chain restaurants menu section, you can peruse and see what vegan offerings they have.  The information I am providing below is accurate as of September 2009.  Happy vegan food hunting!

Taco Bell is always a good option because they are open late and you can feast. Try a fresco bean burrito and ask them to add rice - or get a seven layer burrito minus sour cream and cheese

Panera Bread has many options. Their ciabatta, sesame seed semolina, rye, french and country breads are all vegan. Ask them to add lettuce, onion, tomato and hummus.  Or enjoy a dutch-apple-raisin or blueberry bagel with a soy latte.  Along with many salads, they also serve black bean and garden vegetable soup.

Pizza places are often good choices because you can order a veggie pie minus the cheese, or a veggie sub with Italian dressing.  Be sure to ask if their dough is egg/milk free just in case. Papa johns is one of the many that are vegan friendly.  Pizza hut is safe!  I was just informed by a wonderful gal that even their “pan” is now milk free!

Subway has a veggie delight sub.  Fill it up with every veggie they have and then top with oil and vinegar.

Burger Joints.  I have yet to figure out why the big burger chains don’t offer a vegan veggie burger.  Don’t be fooled by Burger King’s veggie burger- its not vegan.  For now stick to a side salad, baked potato, or large fry (if safe).  Arby’s serves fruit turnovers by Pepperidge Farms that are vegan.

*Since restaurants and chefs use different ingredients in many familiar dishes, not all items recommended on this page are guaranteed to be vegan.  Be sure to ask, if you are unsure, what exactly is in the menu item before assuming it is totally animal friendly. Also, if you have any suggestions for this list (additions, corrections, etc.) please let me know!