If you’re new to a plant-based lifestyle, or you haven’t quite mastered the art of dining as a vegan, Lahan has a few tips and tricks to eating out – without resorting to the dreaded salad.
Italian Restaurants
Pasta with marinara sauce is usually a safe option, just make sure the pasta isn’t made with egg – fresh pastas usually are. Unless you go to a pizza place that does vegan cheese, I like to do a veggie pizza without cheese and absolutely smother it in variations of whatever other toppings they have on the table: garlic oil, chilli oil, tabasco sauce – you name it.
American Restaurants
A lot of things that are vegetarian can be made vegan. Say there was a veggie burger on the menu, check there is no cheese or egg in the actual patty, then just ask for whatever is non-vegan to be swapped for something else that is. Just scan the menu for potential toppings that you would prefer and voilà you’ve got yourself a customised vegan burger.
Middle-Eastern Restaurants
Falafel, hummus, stuffed vine leaves, veggie samosa, tahini (sometimes cream is added so double check) are all go-to staples for me. So, if you and your friends eat at an Arabic restaurant, you’re all set for choices.
Indian Restaurants
Indian restaurants have loads of vegetarian options, so to make them vegan the key is to ask for 1. No paneer 2. No ghee/butter and 3. No cream. Usually I’ll opt for either a veggie biryani, chickpea or lentil curry. Some naans have milk or yoghurt in them, so ask the server which ones to avoid.
East Asian Restaurants
If you eat tofu, then some type of tofu dish is perfect. You’ve also got everything from veggie spring rolls to dumplings and fried rice. If you’re going for noodles, make sure they’re not egg noodles. Ask for no egg, fish sauce or oyster sauce.
Mexican Restaurants
Apart from asking for no cheese or sour cream, most of what is vegetarian is going to be vegan. Think guacamole, salsa, vegetable burritos, tacos and fajitas. Just make sure the rice isn’t made with chicken broth.
Now that you know what to look out for, you can confidently annoy the waiter by asking lots of questions. Welcome to veganism.
