All vegetarians know the drill. Sit down at the restaurant, scan the menu for anything made without flesh, and then probably settle for a side of french fries or a salad.
For vegetarians and vegans alike, dining out is often a game of Russian roulette. You never know for sure from where you can get a filling vegetarian meal – and from where you will be walking away hungry.
Whether looking for a light lunch on the go, a casual dinner, or an elegant night out, Evanston serves up plenty of options for the Northwestern herbivore.
The first choice in Evanston vegetarian dining is the Blind Faith Cafe, 525 Dempster St. It’s a walk from campus, but the selection can’t be beat.
With an entirely meat-free menu, the number of choices will make any vegetarian’s head spin. Appetizers cost between $6 and $7, and entrees range from $8 to $12. From its traditional black bean tamales to a tempeh patty sandwich, the meals are all-natural and guaranteed to fill you up.
If short on time or money or simply looking for a quick, healthy lunch, Panera Bread is a great option.
Panera, 1700 Sherman Ave., serves three thick vegetarian soups, a portobello and mozzarella hot panini, a veggie sandwich and cases full of freshly baked breads and pastries for mid-afternoon munching. Sandwiches run about $6, and come with chips and a drink to complete the deli-style meal.
FlatTop Grill, 707 Church St., has a unique layout that gives vegetarians the opportunity to create their own mix of vegetables, noodles, rice, tofu, sauces and spices into a personalized stir-fry made right before their eyes.
The professional grillers will even clean off the grill if asked by a polite vegetarian patron trying to avoid that meaty grill aftertaste.
FlatTop’s $7.99 flat rate for lunch and $11.99 for dinner allows customers to return to the ingredients bar as many times as they like.
The area’s ethnic restaurants also offer many vegetarian entrees.
That Little Mexican Cafe, 1571 Sherman Ave., serves authentic mexican cuisine. The veggie enchiladas, gorditas, tostadas and burritos are packed with fresh vegetables and come with a side of beans, prepared sans meat base, and rice rounding out a nutritious vegetarian meal. The dinners cost about $10, but most food items can be ordered a la carte for between $2 and $7.
Thai food is another staple vegetarian delight, and LuLu’s, 626 Davis St., is a prime example.
Six of its eight stir fry options are vegetarian-friendly, as are many of its appetizers and soups. The restaurant’s slogan “dim sum and then sum” accurately describes the menu’s wide variety of options, from Korean Bibim Bop to Malaysian spicy yellow curry. The “dim sum,” or Thai appetizers, range between $3 and $5, and the stir fry is $7.75 across the board.
If looking for somewhere fancy to take a vegetarian date, Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe, 1701 Maple Ave., is the best Evanston option. Located in the Church Street Plaza, it has great vegetable potstickers and a spinach and five cheese dip as appetizers.
For the main course, try Fettuccine Wolf-fredo, pad thai, or a selection of wood-fired pizzas. The price matches the atmosphere at Wolfgang’s, with appetizers from $6 to $10 and entrees from $10 to $15 – and that’s not including any meat dishes.
Evanston offers plenty more than just twigs and berries for the vegetarian hunter. So head on out there, gatherers, and start eating.
