.There are tons of great restaurants in Richmond that cater to the vegan and vegetarian diet. You can get pasta anywhere and if you’re cool with that, great; but for your garden gourmands here are some awesome places that have put some real effort into vegan and vegetarian fare. I’m getting excited for veg good because the 2009 Richmond Vegetarian Festival is coming up so soon on June 20, at Bryan Park. For more info on that and a list of other vegetarian dining options in RVA check out the Richmond Vegetarian Society website at www.vegetarianrichmond.org.
821 Café – The Fan
821 W. Cary St
649 -1042
www.821caferva.com
vegan
vegetarian
meat options too
delivery
art
821 Café is my favorite veg brunch option in the city. They have biscuits and veg gravy, awesome banana pancakes and any true southern belles favorite, grits. Holy crap, please get the Big Fancy Grits from 821 at least once. It’s a huge bowl of grits topped with sautéed veggies and cheese. I was strictly on French Toast for brunch until my foodie sister, Maya, turned me on to this dish. If lunch or dinner is what you’re looking for 821 has got you covered too. Love their fried artichoke sub; love to lurk on the cuties there too.
Cary St Café – The Fan
2631 W. Cary St.
353-7445
www.carystreetcafe.com
vegan
vegetarian
meat options too
live music
delivery
I bet you didn’t know that Cary St. Café has an award-winning vegetarian selection. This homage to the Grateful Dead has tons of lightening bolt skulls, GD memorabilia, the front end of a VW bus (decked out with a Greatful Dead paint job) and some seriously good vegetarian options. For 13 years Cary Street Café has been serving fantastic vegetarian food and has been a hot spot for live music of the jam band, reggae, bluegrass, rock and alt-country varieties.
Try their Brazilian Black Bean Soup, Veggie Chili or truly good BBQ Eggplant Sub. My favorite veg option there is the Feta Melt- Feta and cheddar cheese with red onions and tomato grilled on rye bread. Wear tie-dye and go get one. Whoa, man, you like, totally have to try that sandwich man.
China Panda – Museum District
616 N. Sheppard St
355-6888
vegan
vegetarian
meat options too
delivery
Anyways if you’re out of their delivery range for Panda Veg check out China Panda at the corner of Park Ave. and Shepherd St. in the Museum District. There’s no buffet like at Panda Veg but they have a very similar menu with excellent vegan and vegetarian options and hot and sour soup that will cure what ails you. It is super fast too. Damn! How do they make it so fast?!
Harrison Street Coffee Shop – VCU
402 N. Harrison St.,
359-8060
vegan
vegetarian
This is a well known spot for vegans and vegetarianos by VCU and now that school is out you might actually be able to get a table. They have impressive soy coffee drinks, and vegan pastries. Try their vegan egg salad for sure and you just have to try the BBQ Tofu Sandwich. Harrison Street is also a great place to get brunch. I recommend their Vegan French Toast with Soysage.
Ipanema Café – VCU
917 W. Grace St
213-0190
www.ipanemaveg.com
vegan
vegetarian
live music
Art
Ipanema is a great place for “pro-vegetable” fare and I feel like this joint has really made a commitment to serving fresh food that tastes good. They have a well planned and diverse menu of vegan and vegetarian dishes and desserts and the restaurant itself has a ton of personality. You can also occasionally check out live music in this intimate venue, which makes for a great date.
Ipanema is also now open for brunch and they’ve planned an eclectic menu for that as well. I recommend The Rhorer; poached eggs (or tofu scramble) on top of good focaccia with olive tapenade, roasted red peppers and provolone cheese. And on a side note, I can’t wait to see owner, Kendra Feather’s new restaurant on Park Avenue.
Mekong – West End
6004 W. Broad St
288-8929
www.mekongva.com
vegan
vegetarian
meat options too
This authentic Vietnamese place has a huge menu featuring a variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes. They also have an insanely large beer list. This is a great option if you have carnivorous friends or beer snob friends or if you want to drink a giant flaming cocktail with a super long straw. (The Volcano, get one!) with cocktails it can be a little pricey but there are definitely cheaper things on the menu. For about ten bucks you can get a huge serving of Dau hu kho to – clay pot style crispy, caramelized tofu with shitake mushroom, onions and garlic pepper sauce. Watch out for that beef broth in the Pho though. Mmmmmmmekong. Delicious!
Panda Veg – VCU
900 W. Grace St.
804-359-6688
vegan
vegetarian
meat options too
delivery
I’m pretty sure this place has a nationally known reputation. I’ve met people from all over who, upon hearing I’m from Richmond, ask about Panda Veg. It’s home of Richmond’s famous all-you-can-eat vegan Chinese buffet. They have pretty flavorful dishes with good texture; we all know how bad fake meat can be when it’s not prepared properly. Their mock General Tso’s Chicken is out of this world. Before their first location across the street burned down or whatever I think it was mandatory to eat there before or after a show at Twisters/929/Nanci Raygun/Czar/…
Pizza Fusion – West End
11331 W. Broad St.
Suite 131
381-4027
www.pizzafusion.com
O.K. I have to be honest and say that I have never been here. Also, I don’t usually include chain restaurants in this series. However, as a pizza aficionado and consumer of vegan/vegetarian foods, I’m dying to hit this place up. This small pizza chain serves up pies with vegan cheese and gluten-free crusts. Don’t worry they have regular cheese and crusts too. According to their website, all their ingredients are organic and they boast their commitment to sustainable principles. You can also order online and it will be delivered in hybrid car. Who wants to go?
