Vegetarian-Friendly Food Choices in South Florida

South Florida is mostly known for its seafood and Latin American food.  Of course, these rely heavily on meat. However, a growing number of vegetarian establishments have cropped up.  In addition, many restaurants now offer vegetarian-friendly food options. The problem occurs when you are visiting South Florida with a meat-loving companion. What options are available to you? Sadly, when looking online, I found several restaurants listed that said they were vegetarian or vegan friendly. But really they only had one item or they just had plain salad or side dishes that fit this category. Therefore, I did some research and found some good options when eating at various types of establishments around the greater Ft. Lauderdale area. In this article, I share some traditional and international cuisines found in South Florida. While I’ve written the article for South Florida, these international foods can be found at popular destinations across the world.

Greek Vegetarian Food

When at a Greek or Mediterranean restaurant there are usually several vegetarian-friendly food choices available. Falafel is ground chickpeas seasoned with cumin and then rolled into balls or patties. They make a good substitute for beef. You can usually order falafel in a pita or as part of a platter or bowl. It has a softer consistency than meat.  However, it is usually flavored with cumin giving it a hearty taste. For vegans, you can ask to leave out the feta cheese and tzatziki sauce which contain dairy.

Vegetable salads are also very popular in the Mediterranean and middle east. These are not your typical American salads. These cultures combine cooked and raw vegetables such as eggplant, carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Then they use an olive oil lemon dressing to preserve the vegetables. Just make sure they leave off the feta and tzatziki if you are vegan. Another vegan menu item is hummus. This is a puree of chickpeas often served with vegetables or pita bread for dipping. Sometimes chefs add eggplant to the puree. Also, sometimes you can find stuffed grape leaves containing only rice and herbs. However, the lemon sauce may contain milk so check first or leave that off.

Italian Vegetarian Choices

Your best options when eating in an Italian restaurant are to look at the pasta. Marinara or Pomodoro sauce is usually a basic tomato sauce. As long as you don’t add Parmesan cheese, this makes a good vegan option. Some places will do pasta with garlic and olive oil as well. If you are vegetarian, you have more options available such as mushroom risotto, a dish made with Arborio rice cooked in white wine and mixed with parmesan cheese. Often you can find ravioli stuffed with vegetables or a vegetable alfredo (white cream sauce) pasta.

While these options don’t contain meat, they do contain dairy so they don’t make good vegan meals. Another problem is that many Italian pasta choices contain eggs, so probably best to avoid Italian food if you are vegan. On the other hand, some pizza places may offer a vegetarian option where you can get a pizza topped with just the sauce and veggies. Again, most restaurants list their menus on their website or on their trip advisor listing. Make sure to check that they serve items you can eat before showing up.

Asian Vegetarian Food

Many Asian restaurants serve miso soup, seaweed salad, vegetable spring rolls, edamame, or fried tofu as starters. All of these make great vegetarian choices. When ordering sushi stick with the California roll or vegetable roll. These rolls are filled with rice and raw vegetables, minus the fish. The California roll usually has avocado in it. However, ask if they make them with cream cheese if you are avoiding dairy. Many main meals have vegetables with rice or noodles for options. Again, for vegans, check to make sure chefs don’t use egg or fish sauce in preparation. Many Asian restaurants will also offer the option of substituting tofu for meat.

Chow Thai, located in Boca Raton devotes an entire section of their menu to vegetarian offerings.

Red Ginger in Coral Springs also offers many vegetarian options.

Indian Vegetarian-Friendly Varieties

Vegetarian-friendly food abounds in Indian restaurants. Start with vegetable samosa, fried patties filled with potatoes, peas, and spices. Much of Indian food is based on vegetables, lentils, and beans. If you see the word Dal, that means lentils. Also, paneer, a type of Indian cheese, and tofu are often used instead of meats. As a vegetarian, you should have no problem finding many meal options. On the other hand, you might want to call ahead if you are vegan as dairy products are often used in cooking in the form of butter (ghee) and yogurt.

Bar and Pub Food

By their nature, pubs design their cuisine to be rich in fatty foods that take longer to digest. This slows down the absorption of alcoholic beverages. After looking through menus of numerous bars I didn’t find any vegan options other than basic chips and salsa. However, most bars serve cheese quesadillas and nacho cheese dip with chips. Quesadillas are like a grilled cheese sandwich but the cheese is melted between 2 flour tortillas instead of bread, accompanied by tomato salsa and sour cream. More upscale pubs often have a veggie burger option along with their regular burger selection. Sometimes you can find fancy salad options as well. For example, you can get a raspberry spinach salad with walnuts and a vinaigrette dressing. Make sure to check the menu first.

Seafood Restaurant Vegetarian Options

Unfortunately, Seafood restaurants tend to focus on just seafood. After reviewing the top ten seafood restaurants listed in Trip Advisor, I was able to find a few options for vegetarians. However, check the menus first to make sure they serve something you will eat.

• Wild Sea Las Olas offers a Greek salad or hand-crafted pizza with mozzarella and tomatoes.
• Rendezvous Bar & Grill offers the option of having a veggie patty for any of their burger options. They also offer a strawberry spinach salad or spinach mushroom pasta.

A few others that have burgers on their menus have a veggie burger option. To sum up, check the menu ahead of time if you are going to a seafood restaurant. Usually, the alternatives to seafood come in the form of meat.

Southwestern/Mexican Vegetarian-Friendly Foods

Latin American foods are heavy on meat. Rice and beans form a staple of the diet. However, cooks often use pork for flavoring. Make sure to check first before ordering. Rice and beans will usually be listed as side dishes. Also, some menus may have some choices of vegetable salads.

However, I found that Chipotle, a trendy Mexican American chain, offers vegetarian options. This is a healthier fast food which you can sit down and eat or take with you. Options include Burritos, Tacos, Salads, or Bowls. They mostly offer meat options, but you can get any of the above choices with veggies. As you move through the cafeteria line you choose the toppings to add to your plate.

I chose a bowl that had brown cilantro rice, pinto beans, fresh tomato salsa, fajita veggies, shredded lettuce, and guacamole. In addition, they have a specific Vegan Bowl which has Sofritas, Black Beans, Fresh Tomato Salsa, Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa, and shredded Romaine Lettuce on a bed of Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice. Their Sofritas, fajita veggies, 3 varieties of salsa, guacamole, both types of beans, lettuce, and 3 types of rice are all vegan friendly. Sofritas is fried tofu flavored with onions, peppers, and garlic.

Chipotle commits to sustainability so they use organic produce and responsibly raised meats. They don’t use preservatives and only have real ingredients. If you place an order online the website will walk you through any type of dietary restrictions. This restaurant has numerous locations throughout South Florida.

Burger Joints

Most burger places will have some kind of plant-based burger. My favorite is Burger Fi because it offers 2 options. This chain restaurant has a 100% plant-based burger from Beyond Meat. In addition, you can order this without cheese to make it vegan-friendly. They also offer a quinoa veggie burger. Both are delicious. Another option is to leave off the bun and eat the burger as a lettuce wrap. This chain also serves a selection of beer and wine and can be found in various locations throughout Florida. Here are some additional places that serve vegetarian burgers:

• Burger Stop located at 1930 E. Sunrise Blvd., also at 4301 Coconut Creek Pkwy
• Burgers & Beers located at 2031 D Wilton Drive
• Shake Shack located at 2400 North Federal Hwy
• American Icon Brewery Kitchen & Taproom located at 911 NE 4th Ave

Vegan Restaurants in South Florida

In addition to the regular restaurants that serve vegan and vegetarian choices, here are some purely vegan restaurants in South Florida –

• Sobe Vegan at 401 N. Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd is open from 8 am-9 pm daily. It offers power bowls, vegan burgers, chicken, vegan hot dogs and sausages, breakfasts, smoothies, beer, and wine.
• Burgerhive Restaurant at 4607 S. University Drive, Davie 33328
• Food Truck at 618 NE 3rd Avenue Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304 100% plant-based burgers.

Hopefully, this guide will help simplify your choices for where to eat and what menu items are available to you.

About the Author

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