When it comes to vegetarian and vegan cuisine in Evanston, Northwestern students acknowledge gaps in accessibility, but overall approve of the options.

Evanston features a variety of plant-based restaurants and menu items, ranging from specialized ethnic cuisine to meat substitutes. When considering these possibilities, students voiced a general satisfaction with their access to vegetarian and vegan options.

“I think it’s pretty easy to find vegetarian food,” SESP sophomore Jessica Chen said. “I don’t really need to think of a ‘go-to’ restaurant. I can just go to a place, and I’ll generally find something vegetarian.”

Chen, who is a vegetarian with the exception of foods that hold cultural significance to her,  said she has found a range of vegetarian options throughout Evanston. In particular, she said Siam Splendour, a local Thai restaurant, serves several dishes like Pad See Iew, which are, by default, vegetarian.

She added that she also goes to Habibi In for Mediterranean food, which generally features vegetarian choices. However, Chen acknowledged that while many restaurants offer vegetarian items, vegan options without dairy and eggs are harder to find. 

Communication junior Sydney MacGilvray described a lack of variety in choices, adding that restaurants often only offer one fully vegetarian dish.

“I think (options are) somewhat limited based on what you’re interested in, but I wouldn’t say I’ve had a super hard time finding vegetarian options,” MacGilvray said.

MacGilvray said she either cooks for herself or gets food from the campus dining halls. But, she said she wishes Evanston businesses would put more creativity into the curation of their vegetarian menus, as some tend to simply substitute non-vegetarian menu items with plant-based ingredients.

“I think putting a little bit more effort maybe into thinking about a vegetarian option as a separate opportunity to make an interesting dish, instead of maybe viewing it as more substitutions,” MacGilvray said. “Being able to see (vegetarian dishes) as a new opportunity to create something that’s a really engaging and interesting dish, instead of seeing it as sort of an add-on.”

MacGilvray pointed out that a trend in the aesthetic of vegetarian and vegan food can be difficult for students looking to dine more affordably.

“I feel like, generally, vegetarianism has this more bougie or upscale aesthetic, especially with places like Sweetgreen,” MacGilvray said.

Weinberg sophomore Ritvik Viniak shared a similar concern about the price point for vegetarian food in Evanston. After growing up in downtown Chicago, Viniak said Evanston’s options, while sufficient, don’t compare to the standards of the city.

Despite the differences in quality and variety from Chicago, Viniak named Tomo and Tapas Barcelona as two of his favorite restaurants for vegan or vegetarian options. He encouraged other students looking for vegetarian options to explore new restaurants to discover what they like.

“Freshman year, I was trying to go to a new restaurant every week in Fall Quarter,” Viniak said. “I think that definitely helped (me) get a lay of the land. I think just doing things like that are a good way to kind of get some more perspective.”

Email: sydneygaw2027@u.northwestern.edu

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