Jen is vegan — no meat, no dairy, no animal products of any kind. So, now Dan eats vegan, too (well, mostly…he still braves the mercury and eats fish every now and then).
One of the most frustrating things for a vegan in the United States is trying to find a restaurant that serves a decent vegan meal. Walk into a restaurant that isn’t specifically dedicated to vegan fare, and your inquiry into what they can offer a non-animal-product-eater is often “nothing” or “well…there is the house salad.” Of course, you do occasionally get the pleasant surprise of a place that will modify a menu item or custom-create something unique, but these places are few and far between.
It isn’t a cake walk outside the States, either. Even in Buddhist countries like Thailand and Laos, meat reigns supreme. Toss in language barriers, and eating vegan is no small challenge.
As we travel about the globe seeking a decent vegan meal, we’ll offer our observations on restaurants we have visited, cuisine we have sampled, and recipes we have found.
We have also thrown in some restaurant reviews for the San Francisco Bay area, Portland, and Hawaii.
This place is located just north of the Laluna Hotel and Resort, on the southern end of Chiang Rai. The sign is not in English. It’s on the west side of the road, with a kind of white brick archway entrance. Please take a look at the photos for reference if you are looking to find it. We came to […]
Cham Cha is located on the north end of Chiang Rai along the river. We went here after walking the town, and hoping to find something that was: 1) not stupidly expensive like everything in the tourist drag near the night market, and 2) frequented by locals. We found this place to meet both criteria, although the English menu with […]
We had lunch here. It wasn’t bad at all, and the price was good. It’s Pai’s hippie eatery. I even had my first ever shot of wheat grass here. It kinda tasted like shit, but Jen says it’s crazy good for me. I would prefer a beer. This joint is a worthwhile place to eat in a town full of […]
I don’t really know what this place is called, but it’s located on Th Ratchadamnoen on the way to the market area. It has signs indicating it’s vegetarian and vegan, like signs with the word “vegan” posted inside and visible from the street. Pretty clear indication it isn’t a Brazilian barbecue joint. Well, it was just OK. Nothing remarkable, which […]
This is a simple recipe for something crazy good: unripened mango spears that you dip in a mixture of sugar, salt, and pepper. Maybe it doesn’t sound like it would be that great, but it is. Take an unripened mango, peel it, and cut it into spears. Put the spears on a serving plate. In a serving bowl, mix course […]
Ban Phleng is located at the south end of Mae Hong Son. It’s an open-air restaurant, with both tourists and a fair number of locals as customers. We ate here twice in the one full day we stayed in Mae Hong Son, mostly because it had papaya salad on the menu and other vegan-friendly Thai cuisine. The prices are good […]
The actual restaurant is called Seven Elephants, but you will only see the hotel sign from the road. We sampled four places in Soppong – the restaurant at the Little Eden Guesthouse, The Border Pub and Restaurant, a roadside food stall where we got some roadside-bad coffee, and this place. Four may not sound like much, but this is a […]
The Border is located about center mass of the roadway that cuts through Soppong. It’s a basic pub configuration – center bar, stools around that, tables around that. It’s a standard-for-these-parts, open-air configuration. We went here because everything else was closed at 7:30pm on a Sunday evening. No one was inside at first, but the young bartender ran over enthusiastically […]
At first we didn’t know the name of this place, and started calling it, “The Best Restaurant…Ever.” Now we know it’s called the Kwan Khao Restaurant. This place is super great. Not at first, though… At first…just a day ago…they weren’t sure what to do with vegans or vegetarians. We got a vegetable stir fry thing that was marginal. That […]
Aiya is on the main drag in Mae Sot, right across the street from the Bai Fern Restaurant. It appears to be run by some Burmese folks, given the number of Burmese dishes on the menu and the number of pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi hanging on the walls. There are also many, many pictures of Che Guevara on […]
This restaurant is located two kilometers north of Mae Sot. The food here is not remarkable, and it’s a bit more expensive than even the expensive joints in Mae Sot proper. However, it’s a beautiful setting, and that’s what you are paying to experience. It’s got nice outside, covered seating around a pond with lots of flora, as well as […]
For Mae Sot, this is an upscale place. It clearly caters to Westerners (lots of English translations; lots of Western food options), and the price reflects this (lunch for two cost us 240 baht without beer – over twice the cost of a good vegetarian food stall we found a block off the main drag). Nonetheless, we really liked this […]
We don’t know what the name of this joint is. It’s one of a handful of food places located outside the southern gate (not the main, eastern gate) of the central part of the park at Old Sukhothai. Park your bicycle or moped or whatever in the dirt lot, ignore the ladies fighting for your attention at the closest two […]
This eatery is located on the Mae Nam Yom river, which runs through New Sukhothai. It’s a covered, open air joint. The menu is the standard fare around here – mostly some sort of meat or fish option, with rice or noodles. We went there on a Sunday around noon, and were the only customers. It was a bit pricey […]
Buddhism doesn’t mean vegetarianism around here. Most everything is based upon some sort of meat or fish. And getting across that you don’t eat meat, fish, or dairy isn’t exactly easy. We have tried the words and phrases in a small phrase book by Lonely Planet, but this is hit or miss. I get a lot of confused looks when […]
This is an “Our Pick” in the Lonely Planet guide, which is what brought us to this place. The inside of the place is nice and warm. Very woody. The wait staff is very nice and attentive. There was only one other couple in the joint the whole time we were there, so we weren’t exactly competing for attention. The […]
We have a fondness for Firefly Restaurant in Noe Valley. It’s where we had our first date. So, it seemed fitting to head there for dinner on our last night in San Francisco before heading overseas. Unfortunately, Firefly has fallen down a notch or two. There is now only one vegan main course option, and there are no fully vegan […]
Cafe Mambo is located in the town of Paia, just east of Kahului. We went to Paia looking for a vegan restaurant that apparently no longer exists, and ended up at Cafe Mambo instead. It was a good find. The cafe has sort of a hippie feel, like many of the vegan and vegetarian restaurants and cafes in Portland, Oregon. […]
Stella Blues Cafe is located in Kihei, on the southwest coast of Maui. We were looking for lunch, and it popped on a web search as having vegetarian options, so we gave it a try. I figure the name Stella Blues comes from a Grateful Dead song of that title. There is Grateful Dead memorabilia on the walls of the […]
We walked the full length of Front Street in Lahaina — both sides. Checked the menus of every restaurant. Vegetarian and vegan options are not so much. Veggie burgers here and there. Oh, and there are salads. But an actual meal of some thought? Not really. Eventually, we ran across the Mai Tai Lounge. The menu included a portobello mushroom […]
Well, vegetarian and vegan food ain’t much in the offing in Lahaina. At the Moose McGillyCuddy’s, they didn’t even know what we were talking about. Walked around checking menus without much luck. Looks like it’s veggie burgers three times a day.
Haleiwa Joe’s Seafood Grill 66-11 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712 Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Beer and French Fries Overall Experience: Every time Dan and I go to the North Shore we end our day at Haleiwa Joe’s. I am not sure why we go there because they have nothing we can eat. It’s kinda funny, every time is like […]
Tokoname Sushi Bar and Restaurant 442 Uluniu Street Kailua HI 96734 Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Avocado Roll, Vegetarian Roll, Vegetable Tempura, Edamame Overall Experience: Ok, this place has maybe three things on the menu that are accidentally vegan but the chefs will make you whatever you want. It’s nice to have a place in Kailua where I can eat… […]
Postcards Cafe @ 5-5075 Kuhio Hwy, Hanalei, HI 96754 Ph. (808) 826-1191 Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Appetizers: Taro Fritters and Hummus with bread Entrees: Dan ordered an Ahi dish and I ordered a pasta dish sans whatever meat and cheese it was supposed to come with. Overall experience: I have to tell you right off the bat that I […]
Kalypso Restaurant 5-5156 Kuhio Highway Hanalei, HI 96714 Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Beer French Fries Onion Rings Taro Burgers Over all experience: Part One: Our first night on the North Shore of Kauai was interesting to put it mildly. The first place we tried to eat was this place called Kalypso. We thought we had been lucky in our […]
Hanapepe Cafe & Espresso 3830 Hanapepe Road, Hanapepe, HI 96716 Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Portobello Mushroom Sandwich Grilled Vegetable Sandwich Over all experience: This is the only vegetarian restaurant on the island of Kauai! Super friendly (verging on the edge of creepy) waitstaff and great food! They understand what vegan is, and are very accommodating. I wish they had […]
Waimea Brewing Co. 9400 Kaumualii Highway Waimea, HI 96796 Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Curlie Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, and Beer. We stopped at the Waimea Brewing Co. for a beer and a snack. After being seated in the outdoor dining area we were abandoned by the wait staff. We sat there for a good 15 minutes before Dan got […]
St. Regis Princeville Resort 5520 Ka Haku Rd Princeville, HI 96722 Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Waffles, Banana Bread, Coffee Beautiful views! We were seated in the outdoor dining area at a table for two, overlooking beautiful Hanalei Bay. Dan ordered the waffles and I ordered the banana bread because it was the only thing on the menu other than […]
Polynesia Cafe 5-5190 Kuhio Highway Hanalei, HI 96714 Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Vegetable Fajitas and Tofu Curry I just read on the home page of the Polynesia Cafe that owners opened up their restaurant to “live their dream of opening a tropical restaurant and making people happy with good food.” OMG! You guys failed miserably! I checked out the […]
Kauai Pasta 3142 Kuhio Highway Lihue, HI 96766 Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Vine-Ripened Tomato Bruschetta fire grilled bread brushed with olive oil & garlic, Grilled Portabella Mushroom Panini fresh mozzarella cheese, pesto, & VR tomatoes (86’ed the mozzarella and pesto to make it vegan friendly.) Dan and I ate at this restaurant four times while we were in Kauai. […]