How to Order at a Restaurant as a Vegetarian

Eating out as a vegetarian has become much easier than it used to be. Most large cities have vegetarian restaurants, and most restaurants offer meatless entrées.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Yellow Pages
• Internet Access

1. Find the vegetarian restaurants in your town. That's the easiest way to eat out when you're a vegetarian. Check the yellow pages or check with your local branch of a vegetarian society.

2. Frequent Asian restaurants. They rely heavily on noodles, vegetables and soy, and usually offer a wide variety of meatless dishes.

3. Check out Italian restaurants. They usually have meatless dishes. If you like pasta, you'll have no problem ordering a vegetarian entrée.

4. If you're unsure of the ingredients, ask. For example, some dishes may sound vegetarian but may include some meat.

5. Check with the waiter or even the chef if you're strictly vegan and want to make sure there aren't any "hidden" items in your meal, such as eggs and milk.

6. Avoid dishes with creamy sauces if you avoid dairy. These usually contain milk or cream.

7. Ask about the stock before ordering soup. Even if a soup is meatless, it may have been cooked in a chicken or beef stock.

8. Let restaurants know that you appreciate their meatless entrées. Let them know you'll be back as long as they keep offering them.

9. Get recommendations from friends if you're traveling away from home. Ask a travel agent or do a search on the Web to find vegetarian restaurants before you go to a new place.

Tips & Warnings

• In some parts of the world, it may still be difficult to find a meatless meal. However, you can almost always make do. Even in a steakhouse, you can order a salad and baked potato. Best bet when planning a trip is to do a little research ahead of time.

[bethany1202]

on 9/19/2009 Sadly, I have even ordered mixed vegetables before, thinking they were safe, only to find out they were prepared with chicken broth!! Why? Excellent article. 5* and rec

on 8/19/2006 Even if the waiter tells you something is vegetarian, check the food carefully before you eat it if you haven't been to that restaurant before.

One waiter suggested manicotti as their only vegetarian option. The menu said it had meat sauce, but he said they could substitute marinara. When it arrived, the filling included chunks of sausage! When I complained to the manager, he said it was my own fault, because the menu indicated that it contained sausage!

In another restaurant, there was a spinach ravioli that sounded vegetarian, but there was an ingredient I didn't recognize. I asked the waiter what it was, and he said it was a kind of cheese. It was in fact a kind of pork: the ingredient I didn't recognize was pancetta!

So if you're serious about vegetarian, inspect your food carefully before you eat it!

on 8/19/2006 You recommend Asian food because of the meatless dishes. I assume you mean Chinese/Japanese/Thai, because you mention noodles and soy sauce. But those restaurants often use animal broth as the base of their sauces! They don't disclose this on the menu, and even when you ask they will often tell you there is no meat broth, but I can taste it. If you go with those cuisines, you may want to stick with things that have no sauce. Appetizers more likely to be safe.

A much better Asian choice (surprisingly not mentioned in your article at all) is Indian! Some segments of Indian society are ethically committed to being vegetarian, so they take it more seriously than most. Their vegetable dishes have dairy or tomato-based sauces, no animal broths! Most Indian restaurants have a lunch buffet, so you can try a few different things to see what you like.

on 11/22/2005 Don't ever be afraid to order appetizers or side dishes without a traditional entree...You're the customer, you make the call.

on 11/22/2005 In most restaurants if there isn't a vegetarian option you can ask if the chef can make you up a salad or vegetable dish. They are usually pleased to help if they can.