It’s Friday evening, and you’ve just punched the clock on another work week. Your friends are texting, asking if you want to grab dinner, and – yes, of course, you do. It’s a weekend ritual, after all.
This week, everyone wants to do vegan food because it’s healthy, eco-friendly, and fun. Plus, a couple of people in the group are vegan (yourself included) and have had to settle for the lackluster vegan options at other restaurants the past couple of weeks.
Here’s the catch: everyone’s asking you to pick the place. How do you choose an exemplary vegan restaurant – one that everyone will enjoy? A lot is riding on this decision. For a while, you’ve been trying to convince your friends to make a vegan restaurant your “regular spot,” and this is your chance.
This article has you covered. Here are a few things to look for in an outstanding vegan restaurant.
Flavor, Fun, and Comfort
Above all, your criteria for a vegan restaurant should be the same as with any restaurant. The food needs to a) be delicious, b) have a built-in sense of playfulness and fun, and c) leave you satisfied and full at the end of it.
Vegan food doesn’t have to be boring. Take a look at this menu from Parka vegan restaurant in Toronto as an example. It features buffalo mac n’ cashew cheese, a Caesar “chicken” tofu wrap, a smoky portobello burger, and poutine fries. These items mash together comfort food classics and fresh creative spins, which is precisely what an excellent vegan restaurant should do.
A Commitment to Sustainability
Part of the reason you eat at a vegan restaurant is to soften your carbon footprint. The negative environmental impact of meat production is well documented and roundly unsustainable. Just by dint of serving a plant-based menu, any vegan restaurant you choose will be more sustainable than its counterpart.
But it’s perfectly fine to expect a vegan restaurant to go the extra mile. Look for a restaurant that aims to reduce food waste and landfill waste, one that utilizes sustainable packaging and natural ingredients/materials.
Local Ingredients
An offshoot of sustainability, “localness” is when a restaurant leverages ingredients produced in the surrounding area. This way, the food has less carbon impact because it isn’t transported on cross-continental trucks or ship freighters. Additionally, local food is often more flavorful, having spent a relatively short amount of time between being pulled from the ground and arriving at your plate.
As you research vegan restaurants, look for one committed to serving local food.
Great Reviews
Lastly, if you’ve explored the criteria above and still can’t land on a vegan restaurant, let Google reviews be your guide. When you evaluate vegan restaurants by Google reviews, take into account the number of reviewers and the average star rating. Ideally, you want to find a sweet spot: over 300 reviews with a rating higher than 4.5. This indicates that the restaurant is popular and well-liked – a vote of confidence from fellow diners.
Now’s your time to shine. Pick a playful, comforting, well-reviewed vegan restaurant committed to sustainability and local food. If you can find one that fits the criteria above, you’ll definitely impress your friends this week.