Going to restaurants with friends doesn’t have to be a hurdle. Here’s how to get a vegan meal anywhere.
If you’re new to the vegan lifestyle, dining out can feel like a challenge.
Fully vegan restaurants may not be prevalent in your area. And menus at non-vegan restaurants may seem like an endless list of animal products that you don’t eat.
But don’t worry!
Dining out with friends doesn’t have to end because of your compassionate lifestyle. Here are some tips for vegan dining at non-vegan restaurants.
In this post:
Get to know the menu
Before heading to a restaurant, look over their menu on their website or social media pages.
Be on the look-out:
- Some restaurants have separate vegan menus.
- Others make notations for vegan items like a “V” or leaf symbol.
Both options are really helpful and make ordering easy.
(Double-check that the symbol doesn’t mean vegetarian instead, though. Vegetarian options like ravioli, pasta alfredo, or fried eggs tend to be more prevalent, and often aren’t super easily veganizable.)
If a restaurant doesn’t immediately appear to be vegan-friendly, don’t worry. They still may be able to prepare something plant-based using ingredients they already have on hand. It just takes looking at the menu with a vegan lens and a few well-placed questions.
Give them a call, send them a message on their social media, or ask your server if they can prepare something vegan.
Heads up: Your server or the person answering the phone may not know what vegan means. Quickly inform them that you’re looking for options that don’t include meat, dairy, or eggs. Glance at the menu for dishes that appear promising like vegetable fajitas or stir-fries, and ask about those options specifically.
Remember to check out the vegetable side dishes too. When vegan options are slim, a hodgepodge meal with a baked potato or hash browns, a salad, and sautéed mushrooms can do the trick.
Plus, sometimes a dish can easily become vegan with a small shift in preparation. See if the restaurant can remove cheese, sauté in oil instead of animal-based butter, or use water instead of milk (in the case of something like oatmeal).
If nothing on the menu looks vegan-friendly, ask if the chef can make something off-menu. I’ve gotten some terrific meals that way!
Lean toward vegan-friendly cuisines
If you’re going out to eat with friends, steer them towards vegan-friendly restaurants.
While a steakhouse may be able to cobble together a meal for you, options like the following tend to be easier and more satisfying for vegan-friendly dining:
- Thai
- Japanese
- Ethiopian
- Mediterranean
- Middle Eastern
- Indian
- Mexican
- Pizza
Once you arrive, here’s what to watch out for and special requests for easy ordering:
- Thai restaurants: Ask them to omit fish sauce, oyster sauce, and egg from any dishes that look like they could be made vegan. If you’re ordering a noodle dish, opt for one with rice noodles instead of egg noodles.
- Ethiopian restaurants: Look at the vegetable, lentil and bean-based wots (stews). Ask if they use butter or oil in their niter kibbeh. (Niter kibbeh is the flavored oil that is the base of many Ethiopian wots.)
- Mexican restaurants: Ask about lard in the beans, and chicken broth in the rice. Ask them to omit any dairy from dishes like guacamole, fajitas, bean burritos, or mushroom tacos.
- Mediterranean or Middle Eastern restaurants: It’s a vegan paradise with hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, tabouli, vegetable kebabs, mujadra, and chickpea salads. Ask if there is any dairy in the dishes and ask them to omit that. (Occasionally, dairy will slip into dishes where you wouldn’t expect them.)
- Pizza places: Ask if the crust & sauces are vegan. Then add as many vegetables as you like. You can really taste the toppings with a cheeseless pizza. Also, nowadays more and more pizza places are carrying a vegan cheese option.
Search on Happy Cow
If you’re looking for vegan-friendly restaurants in your area or on your travels, check out the Happy Cow website or app. Type in your city to see if any vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants are listed.
(Happy Cow is largely updated by recommendations from users. So it’s also a big help to others who live in your city or are visiting to check out the listings in your town. Offer your own review and add restaurants that you know have vegan options.)
If you have a smart phone, the Happy Cow app is incredibly useful when traveling. In addition to being able to search a location you plan to visit, it can also tell you which vegan, vegetarian, or vegan-friendly restaurants or grocery stores are near your current location and within what mileage.
One of the first things my husband and I do after checking into a hotel is to look at Happy Cow and see our closest options.
Look on Yelp
I also like to use Yelp and search with the keyword “vegan” under the city I’ll be visiting.
Be warned, Yelp can be a little less useful sometimes because a reference like “A vegan would hate this place” also comes up in the search.
Google it
In addition, it can be helpful to do a simple Google search for your city or a town you’ll be visiting.
Simply type in the location plus the word “vegan.” It will autopopulate with popular options and a map of the area, as well as listings for write-ups, blog posts, and articles, if any exist.
Chain restaurants keep adding vegan options
Some chain restaurants have also made it easier by being upfront about their vegan options. So even though chains aren’t always the most exciting, at least they’re a known commodity and easy to search.
Noodles & Company, Blaze Pizza, Sharkey’s, P.F. Chang’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Qdoba, and Chipotle are a few vegan-friendly chains that come to mind.
Check my vegan fast food round-up for a more thorough list of options.
Visit natural grocery stores
I’ve also gotten some really tasty (albeit casual) meals at natural grocery stores.
If you are open to a very laid-back lunch, many natural food stores have delis, sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and more. And they tend to be very vegan-friendly.
Check out my vegan travel section
Finally, check out my vegan travel section. I’m always visiting new cities and trying out the vegan options while I’m there. Who knows? Maybe I’ve already visited your town or the city you’re hitting on vacation.
With these tips for vegan dining out, a bit of patience, and an open mind, plant-based meals can be found anywhere.
Content updated January 24, 2024. Originally posted January 3, 2014.
Dublin Vegetarian Reviewer
Hannah Siegmund on January 4, 2014 at 8:29 am said:
“Another thing to always remember when you’re frustrated or discouraged because of the lack of vegan food options is that you’re not there for the food. You’re there for your friends, to spend quality time together enjoying each other’s company. You can eat amazing, wonderful, blow-your-mind vegan food at home where you’re comfortable.”
I’m afraid I have to strongly disagree with this sentiment as it follows that nobody should ever expect good food in a restaurant, omnivore, vegetarian or vegan. When I pay a professional chef to prepare meals for I expect it to be better than what I can prepare at home because I am not professionally trained. Therefore, I am not willing to pay for iceberg lettuce and no good friend would expect me to accept such an awful “meal”.
veganmiam.com
What a brilliant post, Cadry, you’ve covered most of the important tips when eating vegan with non-vegans or even families/friends! Happy Cow is pretty useful for Europe and English-speaking friendly countries. It’s difficult to ask restaurants that don’t know vegan options very well esp in a different language, for example, there’s a restaurant in Vegas recommended by a vegan food blogger that offers vegan-friendly options, and the waitress suggested a real mayo instead of cheese for the sandwich (we knew she had no clue), and we left because we don’t want to waste our time there discussing our vegan options. Crusts for pizza may contain animal products or even lard in some countries, so def ask if they are vegan. When it comes to international traveling, I always look for locals’ vegan/vegetarian directories and forums in a different language, and/or “Yelp”-like page, because the locals don’t speak English and they are more updated than Yelp or Happy Cow and it’s amazing to find new information there. For example, I found a 100% vegan restaurant in Bogota, Colombia and it wasn’t mentioned anywhere in Google or Happy Cow or Yelp. Happy Cow should be more international, allowing non-English speaking people, to type information in whatever language they are comfortable with – and there will be a translator of course. -Rika
Pixie
Such a great post! I think that research and phoning ahead is the best tool! Instead of being disappointed when they say they have no vegan options, it’s always good to follow that up with “okay then, well I noticed you have XYZ on the menu – can you cook it a different way to make it vegan?” I’ve had a lot more success that way, as often they won’t have thought of that! When all else fails though, a side salad, a side of (vegan friendly!) baked beans or veg, and a sprinkling of nuts from my purse will keep me going! The most important thing to remember is that you are going to these places to spend time with family and friends :). Concentrate on that :). You can always treat yourself to a meal out at an all-vegan restaurant another time!
Heather
This is such a great post for new and seasoned vegans a like; we all know what it was like being a new vegan in a restaurant, it can be so overwhelming, this post breaks it down and is such an amazing tool. You rock Cadry!
Laura
These are great suggestions. For years, I avoided restaurants because I thought it was too difficult. I’ve found that chefs are usually very willing to help too (and especially when you are gluten-free, which I am because I have Celiac’s).
luminousvegans
Awesome advice Cadry! I follow many of the tips you suggested. The Thai one is good and I don’t think I would have ever known that had I not grown up eating Thai food. And boy, I don’t think our recent trip across the country would have been easy without that Happy Cow site! Technology is so wonderful sometimes 🙂 Happy New Year!
Becky
This is a great post, Cadry! I use some of these tricks already but need to remember about fish sauce when I’m out for Thai. So often I’m super hungry, and when I see tofu curry, my stomach gets ahead of my brain!
Anonymous
Cadry, this is the best advice ever! As I was reading, I was thinking, “Yea, I’ve got some advice, I’ll leave a comment for S.J.,” but you literally said it all! S.J., between Cadry’s post and all the commenters, you’ve gotten some really great, thorough advice! I always go online and check over menus (partly because I want to know if they’re vegan friendly, but mostly because I’m so excited to try a new restaurant that I can’t wait to think about what I’m going to order…). Recently, I called ahead to an Italian restaurant (probably one of the most un-vegan friendly restaurant types ever) and they actually had three things on the menu that were vegan! And they even made a note with my reservation that I am vegan. I never thought to ask for a hodgepodge of veggies on the menu together, but that’s a great idea!
flickingthevs
I think talking to people is key – people automatically assume they don’t/can’t do vegan food, but after a quick chat, they find they have a couple of things that can be veganised – pasta and a simple sauce with some extra veggies isn’t overly imaginative, but it gets the job done. Failing that, depending on SJ’s location – go for a picnic!
Susmitha - Veganosaurus
This is such an informative post, Cadry! I’m highly impressed by how you’ve covered the answer from pretty much every possible angle. And I like how you’ve mentioned Indian twice on the list of Ethnic Restaurants. Hehe
Vegetarian food is such a big part of Indian cuisine so many of the dishes are either already vegan-by-mistake or fairly easily veganise-able. One just needs to watch out for that dreaded ‘ghee’ (clarified butter) which tends to sneak in all over the place.
When we lived in the US a decade ago, we’ve stayed at cities which have been vegan havens, as well as smaller towns in the middle of nowhere where veganism barely existed. A post like this one would have encouraged us to eat out a lot more often in these towns. 🙂
My one suggestion to SJ is: when you call the restaurant to check for vegan options, it is a good idea to ask to speak to the chef directly. Often the person who answers the phone is pretty clueless about how the food can be customised. Chefs tend to be a lot more helpful. Just be polite and smile when you talk to them on the phone. You know what they say, “They can hear the smile in your voice”. 😉
Hannah Siegmund
Another thing to always remember when you’re frustrated or discouraged because of the lack of vegan food options is that you’re not there for the food. You’re there for your friends, to spend quality time together enjoying each other’s company. You can eat amazing, wonderful, blow-your-mind vegan food at home where you’re comfortable.
Yes, it’s great when restaurants have wonderful vegan options, but nearly every American restaurant has a baked potato and some sort of steamed veggie. Get the potato plain (I always get Italian dressing, provided it’s vegan, as a sauce) and ask for veggies. I recently ate with some omni friends at a bar-b-que place, and the only thing I could eat on the menu was a baked potato, corn without butter, and steamed veggies. Even the green beans were made with bacon! Just be polite, ask nicely, and most restaurants are more than happy to oblige. I left feeling full, even though it wasn’t a special meal, and had a great time with my friends. Besides, I often eat a potato and veggies at home.
Don’t stress. You’re there for your friends. A few days of iceberg salads won’t kill you, but if you’re stressed out about it, it will certainly turn your friends off from veganism.
SJ
Thank you for your advice, I never thought of it in this way.
I think that “You’re not there for the food. You’re there for your friends, to spend quality time together enjoying each other’s company” is true to an extent.
However, at this point in my life I feel like a major component of my social life revolves around eating out and having drinks. When I’m the only one having to say no, or the one who takes 20 minutes to get your order correct, I wonder how much patience my friends will have with me? I don’t want to come off as picky but I do need to stick to my choice of not eating animals. I think it’s good about what you said to not show my stress and to stay positive.
Anonymous
S.J. – I know what you mean about not wanting to try your friend’s patience! Not to mention, not wanting to lose your social life because of your more limited restaurant options. I think this is why reviewing the menu online, and calling ahead is a really good idea. If they don’t have an online menu, see if you can get a take out menu from them. Get all the decision making out of the way before you even get there! And plus, then you get to spend the whole few days or hours leading up to it drooling and getting excited anticipating a vegan meal at a restaurant! That is, unless you do have to settle for a boring side salad :-/ But, at least you can anticipate it, and ordering will be easy.
Lisa Mai
What a great post Cadry! I recently have transitioned to vegan and I used the Happy Cow website to find vegan-friendly restaurants when I was travelling to Brazil in September, and when I’m visiting friends and family outside of my familiar areas.
Another thing I thought I mention was calling restaurants ahead of time to see what their vegan options are (I suggest calling before 3/4 pm while most kitchens are prepping their dinner service), and ask if they can make a dish special for you if they don’t have a vegan dish at all. I find that restaurants are usually a lot more accommodating when you call in advance to give them a heads up. (I’ve sat at many a restaurant with a sad plate of salad or garlic oil pasta because of being unprepared for going out to eat).
And whenever I find that the service has been really helpful and accommodating, I tip extra well for good karma and obviously in gratitude. I had one server at The Works in Toronto go back and forth between the kitchen to go out of her way to find out if the veggie burgers and specific toppings (sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, etc.) were vegan even though I was willing to stick with a portobello mushroom cap to be safe. She made the dinner much more enjoyable and I left with a happy belly of a filling veggie burger and great, veg toppings =)
Richa
oh no. that sucks. 10 restaurants with just side salads. pfft.
I think you covered most everything Cadry. I am a fussy traveller(when i do) so hubbs makes sure we know all options at pit stops. ethnic restaurants and cheeseless pizzas are definitely the better options most times.
BurbankVegan
Good advice, as always. It’s true that if you ask a restaurant what is vegan, then the answer is usually very few things. It’s better to ask how a dish is prepared (using butter, cheese, chicken broth), and then see where you can customize. Sometimes it’s a hybrid of two dishes. Breakfast places are particularly tough. My husband started ordering the filling of a veggie omelet, but with fried potatoes (which were elsewhere on the menu) instead of eggs. Brilliant!
I’m also glad to hear you’re not above smuggling!!
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
This is a great post, Cadry! You’ve covered pretty much everything, and what I do in a tough situation is see if the restaurant has baked potatoes that aren’t pre-cooked with butter. Top it with green onions and salsa (if available), maybe olives or veggies if you’re lucky and you have a decent plate (way better than iceberg lettuce IMO.
Also, there’s a terrific post on this topic over at Vegan backpacker!
An Unrefined Vegan
There’s nothing more depressing than that sad iceberg lettuce salad sitting in front of you (with one unripe cherry tomato and a few dried out carrot shreds on top) while your friends have big plates of food. *stomach growling angrily* Sometimes I think: just give us vegans ONE decent item on the menu, for crying out loud!
You’ve covered all of the bases, Cadry. Great suggestions. Cheese-free pizza is one of our a go-tos; or rice and beans; veggie fajitas. Usually restaurants will steam up a pile of veggies (yeah, pretty boring, but…) – or can create a meal of veggie sides. As Cadry says, just make sure they don’t sauté in butter.