Figuring out where to eat is always the hardest part of eating out. Normally, this is because there are too many fantastic options in your local area. For vegans, this isn’t always the case.
Unless you live in a big city like London or Manchester, vegan options can be limited. The good news is there might still be some great vegan menus out there – you just need to know where to look. Instead of focusing on individual restaurants, start looking at cuisines. Certain cuisines are naturally more favourable to vegans than others – and here are the top three to look out for:
Indian
Indian cuisine is more of a blanket term for any food that comes from this area. You often see lots of Indian restaurants with Bangladeshi or Nepalese influences. Regardless, we’re talking about a cuisine comprising curries, naans, etc.
While chicken and other meat curries are usually the main hits on a menu, you can definitely find a fine dining Indian restaurant with great vegan options. There will always be a dal of sorts, usually with lentils and spinach. You often get potato curries or chickpea curries as well. Plus, there are onion bhajis and samosas to enjoy as starters. Most Indian restaurants will have some of the best vegan options you can find!
Mexican
If you have any decent Mexican restaurants in your area, they tend to cater to vegans very well. This is because lots of the dishes in this cuisine are composed of beans and other pulses. You can easily find vegan versions of popular dishes using black beans or other pulses mixed together.
You’re always likely to find a handful of really good vegan options at Mexican-themed restaurants. Either on the main menu itself or as a separate menu with more detailed vegan offerings.
Italian
It’s impossible to go wrong when you opt for an Italian restaurant. At the very least, all Italian restaurants will have a few pasta dishes that are suitable for vegans. This can include a classic pasta al pomodoro, gnocchi in tomato sauce or pasta with oil and chilli. Just make sure you don’t get any parmesan sprinkled on top and you’ll be fine.
Moreover, we’re starting to see more and more Italian restaurants widen their vegan offerings to include vegan pizzas, lentil lasagnas and so on. It’s always a great option if you want something comforting and reliable.
If these are the best cuisines for vegans, what are the worst? Perhaps we’ll do another blog looking at them in more detail, but some of the worst places to eat include Brazilian restaurants or French restaurants. Brazilian cuisine is all about BBQ meats displayed all over the place, so good luck finding vegan alternatives on those menus. French cuisine is also very meat-based and it’s hard to find other options.
Of course, vegans will be able to eat at all of the restaurants listed above, and so will vegetarians. In fact, vegetarians will find it even easier – particularly at Italian restaurants as you basically open up the entire pizza menu.