Hey friends! Happy August! As many of you know by now I am a vegan and so is my daughter. My husband is not, but I would say 90% of the time he is eating vegetarian. I often get questions about what eating out looks like for us as a vegan/non-vegan couple and just as a vegan living in a Southern town. I am lucky enough to live in a major city where there are tons of options. So I thought today that I would tell you about some of our favorite places to eat in the Nashville area that have vegan options.
- The Wild Cow. The good old tried and true of our vegan restaurants. We probably eat here the most often. This restaurant is a fully vegan restaurant, however they do have dairy cheese as an option when requested. So this is something that works great for my husband. Probably our favorite thing on the menu currently is their Nachos. It is listed under the appetizer section, but we each get it as a main meal. It is so filling with lots of beans and the add-on’s of chorizo and avocado. The Wild Cow also carries a variety of vegan desserts from local vegan bakeries. (Husband Note: The French Dip and the Philly are also great options.)
- Sunflower Cafe. This is probably a very close second place of the fully vegan places where we eat. This cafe is set up cafeteria style where you go down the line and list out what you want from the selections in front of you. My favorite thing they offer is the Friday special of crab cakes and the daily option of vegan BBQ that I get in a wrap. Probably my favorite dessert here is their version of cookie dough. It’s a must try if you go. (Husband Note: Sunflower is my close-second favorite vegan spot, after Southern V. The Thai Ginger Tofu dish is my favorite, along with the cookie dough that my wife mentioned. Oh, and also their Spicy Southern Collards since I love any and all greens.)
- The Southern V. Hands down the best soul food in town!! If you have not been to this restaurant then you are truly missing out. The Southern V is probably my husband’s favorite vegan restaurant in town. There are options like fried chicken, Nashville hot chicken, jack-fruit sliders, nachos, etc. The last time we were there I got the chicken fried chicken which is made from seitan and is topped with mushroom gravy. My mouth is watering just typing this! They also have a breakfast menu on the weekends that we love with things like chicken and biscuit, chicken and waffles, oatmeal, and pastries. (Husband Note: The people who run this place are great, too. Really nice folks. My only complaint is that they do that trendy thing where the available drinking water is room-temperature, and the cups they give are tiny so you have to keep going for more water. I mean, it’s called hot chicken for a reason!)
- Taco Mamacita. This restaurant is perfect for families who have vegans and non-vegans. If you are vegan just ask for the vegan menu when you enter and they will give you a completely different menu with all of the vegan options. I tend to get the vegan guacamole as an appetizer and the Freakin’ Vegan tacos with a side as my main meal. The tacos here are delicious.
- Woodlands is a vegetarian Indian restaurant here in town that has many vegan options and items that can be made vegan. They have a lunch buffet during the day and their regular menu in the evenings. My husband absolutely loves this restaurant and it’s a perfect way for us both to enjoy delicious food. (Husband Note: The Vegetable Pulav is excellent, and vegan. I ate at this restaurant frequently before I even met my vegan wife.)
- Amy’s Ethiopian Restaurant. This amazing Ethiopian restaurant offers a ton of vegan options on their menu. In fact they even have a fully vegan buffet every Friday night from 5-9pm. This restaurant also will often host vegan meetups. I tend to get the combo platter here that is under the vegan entrees and will choose 4 different items to enjoy. You really can’t go wrong with any of the vegan options. (Husband Note: Amy’s is great, but Ethiopians tend to serve the table’s food on one big dish, so if you have both vegans and non-vegans you may want to specify that you need separate dishes to avoid contamination.)
- 312 Pizza Company. This restaurant is another that isn’t fully vegan, but they offer a vegan menu. I love this about Nashville. There are so many places that do this. I really enjoy the vegan Reuben from here that comes with vegan pastrami, sauerkraut, vegan mozzarella, and Russian dressing.
- The Post East. Unfortunately one thing that is lacking in the vegan scene in Nashville is vegan breakfast locations. The Post East is one spot we tend to go to that offers a couple of vegan options on their daily menu. The menus change here often because they try to use locally sourced items. One of my favorites here are the waffles/pancakes. They are vegan and you can add things like fruit on them. They do offer plant based milk options here so it’s a great place to enjoy brunch with your family on the weekends.
- Avo. This restaurant is 100% Plant Based and kosher certified. It is a bit upscale in my opinion, but a great option for a girls night, date night, or work lunch. My favorite food item here is the kale Caesar salad that comes with kale, cashew Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, hemp seeds, fried chickpeas, and a walnut-ceaser dressing. I love getting this salad for lunch while working. They also have a full bar with fun options like an avocado margarita.
- The Fox Bar and Cocktail Club. So this last option isn’t a restaurant per se, but it is a great place with a unique vegan option: vegan charcuterie boards. I have never experienced that anywhere else. They offer vegan meats like pepperoni, chorizo, and pastrami to pair with vegan cheeses. It was a great place to meet friends for a few drinks while we snacked on the vegan charcuterie board.
So that is my top 10 places where we like to eat that offer vegan options. There are so many other options in Nashville that didn’t get listed that range from donuts at Five Daughters and East Park Donuts to another fully vegan restaurant called Graze. I hope my thoughts inspire you to check out some of the options listed above and to venture out and try something that you maybe haven’t before.
Baby Dust To All,
Cynthia
Joy Comes In The Morning 