What to Order in a Vegan Restaurant: Top 3 Suggestions

If you are new to the vegan lifestyle, or in case you are not a vegan but only meeting people who are, ordering food at a vegan restaurant can be confusing. The names themselves may seem very familiar, but you will not have any real idea about how the dish will actually taste. While some guesswork might still be involved, we are about to inform you of three good options that should be available in most vegan diners.

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Omelet and Toast with Hashbrowns

The best way to avoid mistakes while ordering food in any vegan restaurant is to simply stick with dishes that have a high quantity of known vegan ingredients. With this classic breakfast, you adhere to that rule for the most part. The hashbrowns, the toast, and optional mashed potatoes are all vegan options by default. The only exception would be the omelet because it will not be made from real eggs. Instead, the omelet will be prepared from a plant-based egg substitute, most likely made from flax seeds, chia seeds, aquafaba, mung beans, tofu, and applesauce.

The Buddha Bowl

The Buddha bowl is one of the safest and most nutritious meals that you can order in a vegan restaurant. You will know almost exactly what to expect if you have tried a Buddha bowl before. Since the actual taste and ingredients will vary, depending on the recipe and the chef’s cooking prowess, you might want to try it out in this popular vegan restaurant Chicago.

As for the Buddha Bowl itself, it was derived from Martha Stewart’s “Meatless” recipe which includes teriyaki sweet potatoes, pineapples, roasted almonds, roasted corn, brussels sprouts, green onions, cilantro, quinoa, and avocado, served with the customer’s choice of rice. While some restaurants do tend to add meat, fish, or chicken broth to the bowl, that’s something that will never happen in a vegan restaurant.

The Mushroom Claypot

The mushroom clay pot is a tasty and nutritious meal that you should be able to order in most vegan places and even in regular restaurants. However, non-vegan establishments will likely add clams and other shellfish in it, unless instructed otherwise. Inside the original and purely vegan mushroom clay pot, expect to find shiitake mushrooms, seitan (glutenous), kale, and tofu cooked in rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, and olive oil. Seasonings may include salt, garlic, star anise, and white pepper. The dish in most restaurants will be served with long brown rice.

There has been a debate lately about whether mushrooms are vegan or not. To answer that, we need to clarify our understanding of what defines a vegan. At the very least, vegans do not eat animals or animal-derived food items because they are against the cruelty of it all. Mushrooms are neither plants nor animals, but most importantly, they don’t have a central nervous system or pain receptors. Therefore, vegans can eat mushrooms without contributing any more to the cruelty than they do by eating plants.

If you have a history of allergies, do keep the ingredients in mind while visiting any restaurant and especially while ordering food from a vegan restaurant. Nuts, beans, and mushrooms can lead to severe allergic reactions, just as shellfish can. If you don’t have any history of being allergic to common plant-based foods, a vegan diner is a very healthy place to eat out.

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