Souley Vegan ~ Oakland, CA

Located on Broadway in the Jack London District of Oakland, this vegan restaurant gets it right with down home, hearty, soul food with a conscious! The fun, casual atmosphere even features live blues music on Friday nights. One of my favorite dishes is the Mac-n-cheese with Greens and Southern Fried Tofu, however you can't go wrong with the Red Beans-n-Rice or the BBQ Tofu and fried Okra. The food is well spiced so if you're dining with children, just ask them to hold the spice on the fries and other items. Desserts feature items such as Sweet Potato Pie, Cheese cake, and Peach Cobbler. This is truly a vegan soul food paradise. Very casual and modestly priced. Non-alcoholic juices and drinks. When you walk in, order your food at the counter, get a number and find a seat. Great for families and casual gatherings. Open Tuesday - Saturday from 11am - 9pm.
Prices range from $3 - $13
Vegan

Gather ~ Berkeley, CA

This food was so delicious and superbly prepared that I have to take a moment to "gather" my thoughts to review it. OUTSTANDING! Located on Oxford St. directly across from UC Berkeley's campus, this is a place that every vegetarian must try at least once. The food, the service and the ambiance were all inviting and impeccable. While not a vegetarian restaurant, they have several vegan/vegetarian options and even indicate which items can be prepared vegetarian, vegan or gluten free upon request. Serving seasonal faire with a "farm to table" philosophy this is the place for an organic, sustainable and simply delicious dining experience. I ordered the Red Russian kale salad and the Vegan "charcuterie" Artisanal Plate and my kids loved their pizzas and desserts. Other vegan options include the Grilled Crookneck Squash, Eggplant Pizza, and more. Reservations are highly recommended as this place fills up quickly. It's warm, inviting, comfortable, and there are options for indoor or outdoor dining. Several of the vegetarian sauces contain nuts so alert your server if you have a nut allergy in your party and they will make sure to prepare your food, nut-free. This is a great place for a date or for a special group celebration.
Small plates range from $9 - $13, larger plates are $13 - $19
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly

Grand Tavern ~ Oakland, CA

Just up the street from the historical Grand Lake Theater, the Grand Tavern is a great dining experience for vegetarians, vegans, and their omnivore friends. The avant-garde ambiance combines traditional and contemporary decor in a unique and very romantic environment. Open for dinner with a full bar, the service is outstanding and the food is equally delicious and bursting with flavor! With fresh and mostly organic ingredients, they have several vegetarian items and vegans can simply ask the server to have meals prepared dairy free. The sweet carrot mash is cooked with walnuts so if you have a nut-allergic person in your party, alert your server right away. Who knew roasted squash with chile and onion could taste like this?! This is truly one of the best vegetarian dining experiences in the Bay Area and a place you'll want to frequent. It's also a perfect place for a date, or for a group celebration. Don't forget to pair your meal with the perfect wine or bar drink.
Small bites range from $6 - $10 while grand bites go from $12 - $19.
Vegan/Vegetarian Friendly (also a great place for omnivores)

SPROUTS ~ South Lake Tahoe

This cute, country, natural food cafe serves wholesome and delicious food. Located right next to a lakeside park this cafe is great for dining in or carrying out to one of the park picnic tables for a grand view of Lake Tahoe. Enjoy soups, salads, smoothies, fresh squeezed juices, teas, latte's with your choice of milk (whole, low-fat, rice, or soy), hot cider, cocoa, natural sodas. Main course menu items include rice bowls (brown rice), burritos (black beans), tempeh burgers, lasagna, nachos, sandwiches. One of my favorite is the Cous Cous Hummus Burro (a large spinach tortilla stuffed with couscous, homemade hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, black olives and tahini) and my kid's favorites are the Quesadilla Jr. (whole wheat tortilla with brown rice, black beans and jack cheese) and the A.T.O.M Bagel (Avocado, Tomato, Onion, Melted Cheese). The soups are always vegan and always delicious. Sprouts is truly a family favorite for delicious and nutritious food. They even have a good selection of baked goods (some vegan). This cafe is not entirely vegetarian (some turkey and tuna), but definitely a great place for vegan and vegetarian friendly dining. Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner from 8am - 9pm daily. Cash Only.
3124 Harrison Avenue (the main drag) in South Lake Tahoe.
Main Courses range from $5 - $8. Sides, smoothies and cafe' drinks range from $3 - $5. Enjoy!
Vegan/Vegetarian Friendly

Vegan Recipes from the Heart: Delicious eating for a meat-free, egg-free, dairy-free and nut-free family

This book, by Edy Henderson, contains a collection of recipes adapted for a healthy nut-free vegan diet. These recipes were developed by and for our family over the years. We have vegans and we have nut allergies in the family. The recipes are healthy and delicious and have been tested on vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike who rave about the beautiful and delicious dishes.
To purchase your copy of this book go to: www.veganrecipesfromtheheart.com

Pizzaria Paradiso ~ Washington, D.C.

Located in the highly desirable neighborhood of Dupont Circle, Pizzaria Paradiso was voted one of the best pizzeria's in the city. It's great for carnivores, omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. Any pizza on the menu can be substituted with a whole wheat crust and/or soy mozzarella cheese. Pizza's come in small individual sizes or family sizes. They also have a great selection of salads, desserts, and drinks. Nice intimate decor with indoor or outdoor seating. Moderately priced, and centrally located.
$10 - $12 for a small pizza and $15 - $19 for a large.
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly

NY Dosas ~ NYC

This Indian Vegan food cart is located on Washington Square Park right across from New York University (NYU). It's great for vegan fast food. The samosas are delicious and they have a few other lunch options as well. They are known for their vegetarian crepes. If you're in the vicinity and looking for a quick, inexpensive bite to eat, this is the place. Grab a nearby park bench for a fine outdoor dining experience.
Very Inexpensive
Vegan

Intro to Veggie Hot Spots

First of all, let me tell you that Vegan, is not a bad word. Nor are vegans scary or bad or weird or crazy, at least not anymore so than the rest of the world's population. In fact, as the world persuades it's peoples to go green, I found out that one of the best green friendly lifestyles is the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle. But enough about that because I want you to continue reading, even if you do eat meat. This post is not just essentially for vegetarians and vegans, it's also a great guide for those of you who happen to be in love with vegetarians or vegans and living with or traveling with them.

Fortunately vegetarians and vegans are starting to come out of the closet in droves and there are some really hip/cool celebrity types that are helping to normalize the veggie lifestyle in this country. Gone are the days of "oh honey, if you don't eat meat you won't grow", or "you'll waste away", or "but dear, how will you get enough protein?" Let me just say that I'm a very tall woman. Healthy. A former star athlete collegiately and professionally, and...I'm not wasting away.

Gone are the days when all I could order on any given menu was a salad or a baked potato. I'm a mother now and fortunately my children have a lot more options than I ever did. Bookstores are filled with vegetarian and vegan cookbooks which tells me that people are actually cooking that way and living that way. The raw foodies are even gaining popularity and receiving tremendous health benefits from that lifestyle.

But what about traveling and eating out at restaurants? I sill find that vegetarian options are few in most restaurants and vegan options rarely exist. I usually have to ask the hostess before being seated if the cook can make anything vegan. Sometimes they can, and sometimes they can't. Which would be fine if I was going out to eat all by myself and could just traipse up and down the avenues with my inquiries, but generally when I go out, it's with a group, or a friend, or my family and that's just not cool. Let me tell you, if all restaurants offered at least one vegetarian option and one vegan option, I would be half way to heaven. But...I'm not there yet.

However there are great options out there and it helps if someone else has reviewed them ahead of time, so you don't have to and you can take your beloved vegetarians or vegans out for a bite to eat without them squirming in their seats the whole time.

In this blog I'm reviewing vegetarian and vegan friendly restaurants during my travels and in my local area. I hope this helps. Good luck!