You don’t have to live in a big city to get a great vegan meal. Many nationwide restaurant chains offer tasty vegan options. Here are five of my favorite veg-friendly restaurant chains (in no particular order). I like to take my nonvegetarian friends and family members so they can see how easy it is to find delicious meatless meals in mainstream places. It’s usually not hard to convince them to try the vegan dishes—and they always rave about them.
Not only does P.F. Chang’s have an array of already vegetarian options, like the sautéed spinach, coconut curry vegetables, and savory tofu-stuffed lettuce wraps, everything on the menu can be made with tofu instead of meat too.
At Johnny Rockets, the diner with the old-time jukeboxes and the dancing wait staff, you can get a vegan Boca burger (called the Streamliner) with grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, and mustard.
Order fries and a cherry or chocolate Coke, too, if you want to get in the diner spirit. The blueberry, chocolate chip, cinnamon sugar, cranberry orange, pumpernickel, and rosemary olive-oil bagels at Bruegger’s Bagel Bakery are vegan. Bruegger’s also sells hummus and several vegetarian sandwiches (just order them without cheese or dressing, and add some vegan fixings).
Although Denny’s is known for its traditional all-night, diner-style meat-based fare, it also has some vegan options. You can get a vegan Boca burger patty for any burger on the menu and order it with seasoned French fries, a garden salad, or a baked potato with vegetable toppings. For breakfast, try the vegan oatmeal, bagels, grits, or fresh fruit.
You can substitute tofu for meat in the tacos, fajitas, salads, and burritos at Moe’s Southwest Grill. You can order whatever ingredients you like, so just ask for a vegan tortilla and tell them to skip the cheese and sour cream.
Mmmm mmm, my mouth is watering already. If you know of any other chain restaurants that serve veg options but aren’t listed in the link above, let us know.