21Day Vegan Restart - Eating Out

Eating out can be a challenge for a vegan or vegetarian, unless you're in New York City!

Some of the vegan options in New York City

My husband and I have now had almost two years' experience (our veganversary is April 4!)  To help you out, the lists below come from a very helpful link at NutritionMD.org. to help you choose healthfully while dining out. 

Candle 79 in New York City, 2012

If you live in Bella Vista, we recommend El Pueblito, located on Forest Hills Boulevard.  Recently, we ate there and ordered their vegetarian fajitas - they were wonderful!  Full of ALL kinds of veggies and not as greasy as some restaurants make theirs. 

Here is another article about eating vegan in restaurants:
Eating Vegan at Chain Restaurants

Dining Out: Expand Your Horizons with World Cuisine
Ethnic restaurants often have healthy vegetarian dairy-free menu items. There may even be some in your neighborhood. Check out just a few of the healthy and interesting meals you'll find.

World Cuisine	Staples	Sample Dishes
Mexican	Rice Beans (refried or black) Fresh vegetablesTortillas	Burritos Soft or hard tacos Vegetable fajitas
Chinese	Fresh vegetables Tofu Rice Noodles	Mixed vegetables in garlic sauce over brown rice Tofu and broccoli in black bean sauce Sweet and sour soup with tofu Vegetable fried rice (no egg)
Italian	Pasta Vegetables Tomatoes Broccoli Spinach Eggplant Mushrooms Onion Soups	Pasta primavera Grilled eggplant with marinara sauce Minestrone (with white beans and pasta)
Middle Eastern	Whole grains Couscous Bulgur Pita bread Rice Vegetables Eggplant Zucchini Peppers Tomatoes Lentils Chickpeas	Hummus with whole wheat pita bread Falafel Tabouleh Filfil Rumi Mahshi (stuffed green peppers) Mujadarra (lentils and rice) Dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with bulgur wheat)
Japanese	Rice Vegetables Cucumber Scallion Cabbage Carrot Sweet potato Udon and soba noodles Seaweed Soybeans, tofu, and miso	Vegetable sushi, avocado, shitake mushroom and cucumber rolls Miso soup Cucumber salad Seaweed salad Edamame (whole soy beans) Sesame soba noodles
Ethiopian	Lentils Vegetables Potatoes Cabbage Collards Tomatoes Injera (flatbread)	Vegetarian platter Yemiser W'et (spicy lentil stew) Yatkilt Alitcha (cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and onions) Timatim Fitfit (fresh salad of chopped tomatoes and onion) Yeabesha Gommen (collard greens)
Vietnamese	Fresh vegetables Tofu Noodles Fresh herbs Rice Peanuts	Vegetable Pho (noodle soup topped with vegetables) Nom (grated vegetable salads seasoned with vinegar and chilis) Fresh spring rolls with noodles and cabbage Vermicelli with grilled vegetables and seasonings

Dining Out: Chains and fast food options

The All-American Chain Restaurant

The tips above should help you order at any restaurant. However, here are a few special suggestions for some common restaurants:

• Chili's: Ask them to make you fajitas with grilled vegetables and rice with a side of beans. Other options include a dinner salad and the Guiltless Tomato Basil Pasta.
• Pizza Hut (or any pizza place): Veggie pizza (hold the cheese)
• California Pizza Kitchen: Veggie calzone (hold the cheese)
• Houston Steak House: Excellent veggie burger (hold the cheese)
• Ruby Tuesday: Huge salad bar loaded with fruits and vegetables. They also have a veggie burger (hold the cheese).
• Fuddruckers: Veggie burger (hold the cheese)
• Johnny Rockets: Steamliner Veggie Burger (hold the cheese)
• Don Pablo's: Portobella mushroom and vegetable fajitas
• Baja Fresh: Vegetarian bare burrito or grilled veggie tacos (hold cheese on both); rice and beans platter
• The Wrap: Teriyaki tofu wrap or bowl; beans and rice burrito (hold the cheese)

Fast Food

While fast food is often a less-than-healthful option, sometimes it can work out just fine. If you're stuck on a long road trip or caught with only five minutes to spare before your meeting, vegan options are available at many fast-food restaurants.

• Chipotle: Beans and rice burrito (hold the guacamole, hold the cheese and sour cream)
• Subway: Veggie Delite sub on whole wheat or Veggie Delite salad (hold the cheese, hold the mayo, light on the oil).
• Blimpie: VegiMax, (hold the cheese and mayo, hold the oil)

They didn't mention Wendy's.  At Wendy's we order a baked potato and a side salad.  It would be great if they offered salsa to top the potato, but they don't, and trust me when I say that ketchup is not the same.  (Yuck!).