One of the most requested topics in my Vegan How To series is about eating out at restaurants as
a vegan. I can totally relate to your struggles with eating out. Even to this day, I find restaurant
experiences as a vegan can be very hit or miss depending on the restaurant/chef. The good news is that more and more restaurants are becoming sensitive to dietary restrictions and allergies, opening up new options on menus for those who need them. Plus, the more demand there is for something, the more change there will be in the future. I personally look forward to the day when vegan options on a menu are the norm, rather than scarce or uncommon. Oh yes, it will happen!
I’ve put together some of my tips and tricks that I’ve picked up over the past few years. I hope they’re
helpful for you. As always, I’d love to hear your own tips and experiences below!
1. Happy Cow Website
Searching the Happy Cow website is probably my best tip when you are looking for a veg-friendly restaurant in your area or when traveling. You simply type in your location and a list of veg-
friendly restaurants usually pop up. I use this website almost exclusively when I travel or just looking for new options in my own area (of course, asking you on Facebook is always helpful too!). There are also reviews and ratings, so you can read what others are saying about the restaurants. Many times people will write what dish they modified to be vegan or what the chef prepared for them on the spot.
2. Plan ahead and look up the restaurant menu online
Of course, it’s not always possible to eat somewhere that’s veg-friendly. Whether it’s a family gathering or a friend’s birthday, I attend my fair share of non-vegan restaurants. Before I go to a new restaurant I always scope out the menu online to see if there are any obvious vegan menu items. Hopefully, I can find a couple vegetarian menu items that can be veganized, but vegan options are often non-existent on many restaurant menus. If there are a couple vegetarian options or dishes that might easily modify to be vegan (such as removing chicken from a noodle stir fry), I will make a note of them.
3. Call restaurant for options
If there aren’t any obvious meal options on the menu, I will often call the restaurant and ask whether
they can accommodate a vegan. Don’t feel like you are being a pain in the ass because restaurants actually like to get a heads up whenever possible, or so I’ve been told. I’ve never been turned away (not surprisingly), but I have received my fair share of enthusiastic promises (“Oh yes we can make anything you want!!”) only to get there and find out that the chef thinks a small plate of vegetables qualifies as a satisfying vegan dinner. It helps to be specific about what you would like. If there is a dish you have in mind (for example, a pizza or tofu stir-fry) don’t be afraid to ask if they can make it happen!
4. Ask if they have a vegetarian menu
Did you know that some restaurants have secret menus? What the heck! I discovered this only because my friend Heather told me that a local restaurant (Paradiso in Oakville) has a vegetarian menu. But guess what? They don’t even put the vegetarian menu on the table unless you ask for it. The horrors. I was so thankful that Heather told me about the menu because it has several vegetarian options and a delicious vegan option that I order every time I’m there (kinda obsessed with portobello steaks). I realize this isn’t the norm for restaurants to have separate menus, but it never hurts to ask and let them know that you’d love the option!
5. Get creative with sides
Sometimes vegetarian menu items can be made vegan quite easily by just replacing the butter for oil or
leaving off the cheese. If my options are limited I always ask if these swaps can be made. One thing I’ve done in the past is to order a few side dishes (asking them to hold the butter) to create a meal. A few sides of brown rice, beans, and veggies easily adds up to a balanced meal.
6. If you think options will be severely limited, eat beforehand
When I’ve done my research and suspect my options will be severely limited, I usually have a light meal beforehand to ensure that I don’t feel deprived at the restaurant. No big deal.
7. Seek out ethnic cuisines
Many cuisines have a lot of “naturally” vegan options or they can easily be modified. I absolutely love dining at Indian, Mexican, and Thai restaurants because they have so many options for me. Even dishes with cream can easily be made without impacting the overall flavour too much.
8. Try a fun beverage
Treat yourself to a fun non-alcoholic or alcoholic drink. Even if the food options are limited it will still feel
special to have a fun drink you normally wouldn’t have! [Side note: Barnivore is a good site for looking up vegan alcohol brands. Check out the apps too.]
9. Comment card or online review
As I was writing this, I asked myself…do restaurants even do comment cards these days? And then I realized, well, duh, people do online reviews! Silly me. Well, whether it’s a comment card or an online review, they are great ways to let your voice be heard. Feel free to ask for more vegan options – you can bet that most restaurant owners will be reading and taking note of common requests!
10. Don’t sweat it
I generally have low expectations when it comes to dining out at restaurants that aren’t veg-friendly, so I don’t let a less than stellar experience ruffle my feathers. Instead, I focus on the experience itself – the great company – and know that in the grand scheme of things it’s really not a big deal. Cheers to that.
Getting caught up on my How-to series? See these posts: Introduction (Why this series), How to make the transition, Replacing Dairy Milk, Homemade Oat Milk, Homemade Almond Milk
What have your experiences been like eating out as a vegan? I’d love to hear any tips you may have below!
I always use happy cow when travelling, and looking up menus online is always a good idea too. If there’s nothing suitable I try and customize dishes by asking to replace certain items with others off the menu, this usually works pretty well.
I’ve recently made the switch from vegetarian to vegan and eating out has been difficult but I couldn’t agree more with all of these tips.
When I was vegetarian, I did a lot of research before I went out to eat to make sure that I had SOME options. If it didn’t offer options, I just didn’t eat there.
I’ll be moving to Chicago in August and thankfully there are LOTS of vegan options.
I couldn’t agree more with calling or emailing the place before you go. Some chefs are open to making a vegan meal and some of them aren’t.
I have found success in eating out by choosing side dishes as my meal. Most places usually have salads and veggies they can put together for you! A lot of the time my friends are actually jealous of how great MY food looks compared to theirs ;) I do look online ahead of time when I am unsure about the restaurant and these days servers usually have an idea of what you can eat – just let them know you are a vegan (and sometimes what that means) and they can be really helpful and creative ;) Most servers in restaurants eat “off the menu” and have the cooks whip different things up for them besides what is on the menu. Sometimes the chef will do that for you as well! Cheers!!
I used to get so frustrated when there weren’t any vegetarian options on the menu, I can only imagine how much more frustrating it would be for vegan options. I feel like it is starting to get better though… or maybe I know what to look for now and don’t frequent big chain restaurants as often. It seems the more local the restaurant, the more vegetarian/vegan items on the menu.
I’m not even vegan, just vegetarian – but I have troubles digesting cheese. If you’re a vegetarian and aren’t down with everything dripping in cheese, it’s already a little more difficult to eat out! I still do with my omni bf a lot, so these tips are great!
Thanks for sharing Happy Cow . . . Didn’t know about that. Very useful!! Have a great weekend!
I have learned through my son that if you say you are vegetarian and allergic to meat, fish, dairy and eggs the restaurant will go out of their way to prepare something for you. If you say you are vegan they look at you as if you have three heads!
Some great tips Angela! I’m a Vegetarian and do find it difficult sometimes to find vege meals at restaurants but I think it’s still a lot easier now than it used to be… meat-free is slowly becoming more common :)
I find the easiest way to ensure a good outcome when I’m eating out is research the restaurant, and if that’s not an option, ask to substitute things on the menu. The waiters never usually mind and you can always find something that works.
Thanks!
Couldn’t agree more – I rely on Happy Cow whenever we travel. Great tips!
I have to disagree with a couple of those tips, just from my own perspective.
This list is great for people who only eat out occasionally with friends. But for those of us who have to travel with work, only a few of these tips were helpful. As travelers, many of us already knew to look up menus online and call ahead of time when we can. But sometimes we don’t know where we’ll end up eating with travel, and we can’t eat ahead of time because we’re on the road, and so we’re really hungry and stuck with the awkward situation of having to explain that we are vegan and need some assistance.
I thought the “secret menu” tip and the looking at Happy Cow reviews was great so that you can try to plan out your eating destinations a week ahead of time, if at all possible. If not, I’ve found these tips help most:
1) as you’ve already mentioned, try to find an ethnic food place, because they tend to have better options than a pizzeria or steakhouse. Having said that,
2) go for city and urban areas. I know sometimes work has you in the deep red states or caught between a suburban/rural area and all you seem to have is the local diner. I promise you, driving an extra hour just to go to get a better eating area (and a better hotel) is worth the time and money. You don’t want to take a shower in cold water, and you don’t want to go to bed hungry. So what’s this have to do with #1? Ethnic food places can also be less vegan-friendly in less urban areas. Mexican, Thai, and Indian food tends to have vegan options no matter where you are (although not always). But a Japanese sushi bar? If you’re in San Fransisco they’ll have vegetarian and vegan options. If you’re in upstate NY at the Ichiban, you’re not going to find anything to eat besides a small side salad and a glass of water.
3) Know your big-name restaurants. Ruby Tuesdays, Panera Bread, Olive Garden, and your typical “Insert Name Here” Chinese/All You Can Eat Buffet, are much much MUCH more veg-friendly than TGIF, Ponderosa Steakhouse or Outback Steakhouse, Charlie Brown’s, Friendly’s, Red Lobster, the Cheesecake Factory, iHOP. In fact, I would advise you completely avoid the second list. Those seem like pretty obvious distinctions, but I’ve been surprised to find that restaurants I was told had a vegetarian menu actually couldn’t help me at all, because their idea of a vegetarian menu is a small garden salad, french fries, or mac & cheese.
If you don’t mind the implications of fast food: Burger King has a veggie burger (pretty sure it’s not vegan, but I don’t actually know… you can check, though!), whereas McDonald’s is pretty much impossible for the veg folk. All you can eat there is the fries, even the salads can’t be made without meat and cheese (unless you’re only getting a side salad). Don’t even think about Arby’s or Roy Roger’s. You won’t find anything there.
Pretty much the only fast food places I bother with are Subway and Taco Bell. Taco Bell has those all-bean burritos with lettuce, tomato, and optional salsa and they call it a “side”. (I guess one good thing has come out of super-sizing America). I’ve found that most places I’ve been, though not always, the Taco Bell people are very accommodating and will change up any meal to include the bean instead of the meat. (They pretty much all taste the same that way, but you can get a bigger veganized burrito or quesadilla at a cheaper price than you normally would, so hey!, why not?!) … Subway, duh. Customizable veggie sub in spinach wrap. Done.
4) Acknowledge that you are sometimes not going to have a real meal tonight. It sucks. It’s painful. I know, trust me. But there are ways to do this and not starve, even though it’s not as comfortable or convenient as being able to sit at a table and eat…
Stock up. Whenever you are in an even remotely urban-ish area, go to the health food store and get some pre-made subs, naanwiches, soy yogurts / almondmilk yogurts, etc. Every time you go to the gas station and can spare a couple bucks, get those fruit cups and see if you can get some granola bars and vegan-friendly trail mix. A lot of gas stations have a subway too, so that’s great! If you’re in NJ, don’t even bother with the WaWa. It’s all pre-made tuna subs, salami on rye, and egg salad. No veg-friendly meal choices there. Coffee, maybe. If you’ve been blessed with the opportunity to make it to a Wegman’s, you have hit the drive-route jackpot for vegans. Go to the health food sections, find the pre-made drinks, sandwiches, and snacks and STOCK UP. You will be eating these in the car and hotel. Not like a nice home-meal, but it’s SOMETHING.
If you are lucky to be traveling via camper or bus, and you have a refrigerator, freezer, toaster, oven, microwave set up… U SO LUCKY. Go to the frozen foods section, get some boca burgers, van’s waffles, and kashi meals.
5) For breakfast. … Again, just avoid the local diners and iHop. Forget it, they aren’t there for you.
Go for the local bagel shops and local cafes, get some coffee and some make-you-own veggie sandwich thing. Get a bagel and peanutbutter. Make your own vegan nutella when you’re at home and carry that in your travel bag or purse so that you have it when you go out for breakfast. Honestly, as soon as you get away from the pancake house, the local cafes and bagel shops are probably the most vegan friendly places you will go out to eat at all day.
6) Also, Dunkin Donuts allows you to modify your special pumpkin flavored ice-coffee to be made without added milk (and without added sugar, too). Again, if you don’t mind the fast-food thing, you can get bagels without anything on it. You can get french rolls, you can get a croissant (though I’m sure that is probably made with butter, but you can ask!), and very rarely, but sometimes they’ll let you special order a vegan flat-bread. There’s also the hash browns.
7) That Nutella recipe from number 5: chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/09/better-than-nutella/ and wikihow.com/Make-Vegan-Nutella
8) If you have to travel A LOT…. you are going to cheat sometimes… now I’m not talking about caving on those butter slathered pancaked or cheesy quiche. No.
I’m talking about that granola bar with a little bit of whey powder in it. You are going to run out of vegan nutella. And you are gonna buy regular old nutella. You are gonna get a bagel, and not be sure if they made it they veg-friendly way. But you’re so hungry at that point, that you don’t care.
I’m not saying this to make you feel bad, but the unfortunate truth is that the all the optimistic veg-promotion did not prepare you for what taking the high road honestly means.
You are not any less vegan than other vegans, for being less purist than some when you absolutely have to eat something. Yes, you have made the best, most ethical choice you could possibly make in this moment. Don’t beat yourself up.
10) When you are in a rural-ish area in the lat spring, summer, early fall… Farmer’s Markets. Fresh fruit, fresh veggies, often times there are people there serving cooked food. Usually it’s some kind of barbecue or fried fish… but sometimes they have veggie pinwheels and awesome things. You can eat these things while you take a quick break from the driving and travel lag. Walk around, get some fresh air, and browse the cool local clothes, soaps, and artisans.
I always, always call the restaurant ahead of time about veg-friendly options. There’s just no way in this day and age that they can’t swap out something as simple as butter for an oil. Thanks for the great tips!
I live in China and thought eating vegan would be easy here. One day a friend and I were in a small restaurant trying to tailor our meal. We explained carefully that we don’t eat meat, don’t eat fish, only vegetables, and ordered a dish of greens – without meat, please. The waiter smiled and nodded his understanding. When it arrived there was meat in it so we called the manager over. He smiled and listened and then said, ‘But it tastes better with meat.’
I try and always scout out the menu before I go anywhere new…it’s a must!! I do still get anxiety sometimes because I’ve had slip-ups before thinking something is veganized, only to find it’s a soup in chicken broth or dairy is added, for example. Those suck!!
“Urbanspoon”
If you don’t know about it yet, trust me. It makes looking for vegan and vegetarian places so easy! Where ever you are, if there is a place in your local that has options for you, Urbanspoon will give you the menu, favorite dishes, pics, prices, maps to get there, reviews… WAAAAY better than Yelp. You can search according to type of food you want.
urbanspoon.com or download the app to your phone.
I’ve worked in restaurants for a few years now and the best advice I can give is just ask your server. Some restaurants are more open to modifications than others, but to me there’s nothing more frustrating than someone not saying anything and then leaving an complaint that there was nothing for them to order. I’ve veganized and vegetarianized tons of items at the restaurant I work at and am more than happy to pass those ideas on to guests!
Great article! I have been working in restaurants for almost 10 years now and I think a lot of people would be surprised to know that most restaurants put butter in EVERYTHING. I mean everything. I make a habit of checking the menu online as you suggested, but then calling before hand to ask the specifics (is there butter in it, can it be made without, are there any hidden dairy or eggs?) Also a lot of seemingly vegetarian dishes really aren’t, so I have learned to never assume. For example, a lot of restaurants marinate fajita veggies in chicken or beef broth so even just omitting the meat wouldn’t help. I also ALWAYS say I have a dairy allergy because that gets their attention. A busy (or lazy) server might forget or just assume something is OK for you to eat but the word ALLERGY gets their attention and usually the manager’s involvement in making sure the meal is prepared as you requested. I also just say I don’t eat meat. Anyways, that’s how I do eating out!
Thanks for your post. I’m glad I found your website. I think it is extremely important, perhaps a responsibility as a vegan, to inform others of how to survive as a vegan. It’s not that difficult but we can make it seem that way. I recently went on vacation and ran into a few snags, but made it out ok. I decided to write and article for Vegans on Vacation. You can find it here: http://www.forkstofeet.com/2013/03/staying-vegan-on-vacation.html
Let me know what you think!
Hey Angela,
I love your site. I have actually found myself here once or twice before looking for pointers. I recently took on a vegan lifestyle, well in the last year. It’s articles such as this one that paved a firm foundation for me to learn and grow, experiencing the ease of being vegan. It really is simple isn’t it? I recently wrote an article on some of my own pointers. Funny thing is, our advice is scarily similar, lol. Yes, reviews are the way to go. You mentioned Happy Cow, which is awesome! I also look at UrbanSpoon because they have a vegan friendly option now I believe. I know they have vegetarian. I like how you mentioned side items. At some restaurants, I swear that the vegan menu is labeled, “Side Items”. This is okay like you said. We can make a balanced meal out of it. Anyway, great advice and love your blog. I will be sure to bookmark it and add it to my blog’s “other great sites”. Thank you for doing your part in informing others. It’s a beautiful thing!
If you wanted to check out my article, it’s at:
http://www.forkstofeet.com/2013/04/restaurants-for-vegans.html
Thanks so much for this post.
Hi Angela, Lovely tips. In the GTA, are there any places you go to a lot or could recommend for us? I have a friend visiting from Chicago in a few days and she is vegan. Thank you, S