# Best cuisine for vegetarians? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453 "2019-05-24T13:53:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/21 "2019-05-24T19:17:27Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Why hasn’t anyone thought of Ethiopian food, with its delicious injera bread and many spices? Well, that’s one of the few cuisines I really dislike so it didn’t occur to me. But thinking back to when I used to go to a group dinner at one of the best Ethiopian restaurants in NYC, yeah, most of the food was vegetarian. (And all of it was too spicy for me to consume. Sometimes, I could grab the hard-boiled egg before someone smashed it into the rest of the dish. But usually I nibbled on the bread, which tasted like an child’s volcano experiment, and maybe could pick out some bits and pieces that I could get down.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/22 "2019-05-24T19:18:57Z")
The Mexican restaurant I most often go to has a big sign warning that their rice is cooked in chicken broth. The food is delicious, and maybe you can get it vegetarian, but if so, only because they are used to vegetarian customers. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/23 "2019-05-24T19:58:24Z")
In St Louis the local Hare Krishna temple ran a restaurant name Govinda’s It had 100% vegetarian food. It was cheap and great. And NO proselytizing ! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/24 "2019-05-24T20:09:39Z")
I would vote for Indian if it didn’t give me chronic wind. Really, beans have nothing on Indian cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/25 "2019-05-24T20:12:17Z")
Another vote for Indian, but then, that’s my favorite cuisine even for meat dishes. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/26 "2019-05-24T20:31:58Z")
Middle Eastern restaurants often have falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, and other delicious vegan options. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/27 "2019-05-24T20:47:35Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Well, that’s one of the few cuisines I really dislike so it didn’t occur to me. Not like ethiopian? :eek: So sorry, **puzz**. . . ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/28 "2019-05-24T21:02:34Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Middle Eastern restaurants often have falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, and other delicious vegan options. Oh, good point. Middle eastern restaurants almost always have vegan options and typically they have substantial enough vegan options that you can make a pleasant meal out of it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/29 "2019-05-24T21:14:47Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Absolutely not. Asian cultures in general aren’t very accommodating to non-standard food preferences - they generally take the attitude of “if you don’t want meat, why did you come to our restaurant?”. Almost everything has fish-based broth or meat-based broth, or both. If some Asian restaurants in the US are accommodating to vegetarians, that’s the Modern American influence, not Buddhist. I’ve never been to a restaurant in Asia. Whatever the influence is, my experience with vegetarian food at Asian restaurants has been very good so far. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/30 "2019-05-24T21:17:03Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Isn’t it common for Mexican restaurants to fry everything in lard? No. Mexican cuisine is more than fried food. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/31 "2019-05-24T21:19:31Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Middle Eastern restaurants often have falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, and other delicious vegan options. Yeah, if you’re looking vegan, I think that may be easier than Indian, in terms of finding certain dishes that are always vegan. Indian food is generally lacto-vegetarian, so you’ll find ghee, yogurt, and cream used in dishes (and paneer, of course, but that’s in the name of the dish.) There is plenty of vegan Indian food, but you do have to ask to make sure. I know I was working a vegan Indian wedding last year, and the bride had to be very specific with the caterers, and some recipes had to be adapted from the regular menu, as they were lacto-vegetarian, but not vegan. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/32 "2019-05-24T21:22:04Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > No. > > Mexican cuisine is more than fried food. It certainly is, but lard does show up in places you might not expect, like flour tortillas and tamales (not all flour tortillas and tamales, but it is commonly used in both.) ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/33 "2019-05-24T21:25:09Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I have vegetarian friends and we’ve been through the eating out problem with them. Japanese and Chinese restaurants have been quite open about what they offer, occasionally having only fish and meat broths, but still willing to prepare foods without them. They have all seemed respectful of vegetarian needs. I assume the Buddhist cultural influence in Asia ingrains that in the food culture. I can’t imagine any Japanese or Chinese restaurant that can’t offer a meal of rice and vegetables. They may not make it for you, but they could. As scr4 has said, this is not true for non-specialist restaurants. The prevalence of vegetarianism is around 5% in China and Japan, lower than many Western countries. Whereas in India it’s over 30%. > **[Vegetarianism by country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_by_country)** > > Vegetarian and vegan dietary practices vary among countries. Differences include food standards, laws, and general cultural attitudes toward vegetarian diets. > In some instances, vegetarians that choose to abstain from dairy may be labeled as vegan. However, veganism typically refers to abstaining from any act that may directly or indirectly injure any sentient being, thus typically requiring the exclusion of eggs and honey, along with dairy, as well as further non-dietary exclusions such as th... Historically, most Chinese people ate vegetables only because they couldn’t _afford_ meat or fish. So there’s an association with affluence rather than ideology, and the idea that you’d want them to deliberately expend effort to remove all traces of meat or fish isn’t necessarily a natural one. If Chinese restaurants in the West are now more accustomed to providing true vegetarian dishes, rather than just dishes that include vegetables, it’s more likely to be due to exposure to Western ideological vegetarianism than to Buddhist influences. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/34 "2019-05-26T19:46:22Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My daughter lives a couple hours away, so we meet halfway, in Cranberry, PA, for dinner every so often. She is a vegetarian, and I usually eat vegetarian when we dine together. > > What cuisine do you think offers the best options for vegetarians? IME I would say Indian food fits the bill. We ate at an Indian place last night and there were at least as many vegetarian choices as meat options, and they were all delicious. Cranberry Township’s going to limit you, I think. I ended up eating at a Primanti Brothers when I was there for business a decade ago. Pittsburgh’s going to give you more options. If you can find a Buddhist chay restaurant, they’re kind of neat with the ersatz meat they can make. That said, here’s Trip Adviser’s Top 10 Vegetarian restaurants in Cranberry [https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g52438-zfz10697-Cranberry\_Township\_Butler\_County\_Pennsylvania.html](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g52438-zfz10697-Cranberry_Township_Butler_County_Pennsylvania.html) Aladdin’s, with a meze platter or the like, is probably your best bet other than the Indian place you went to. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/35 "2019-05-27T01:17:49Z")
Given that you’re not in big city, Indian is probably your best bet as far as variety, options, and dishes that make the vegetables, as opposed to cheese or beans, the focus. East Asian cuisines tend to slip in meat even in vegetable dishes: pork broth, fish stock, shrimp paste, etc. Quite a few dishes that you would think are vegetarian, such as kimchi and miso soup, are not. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/36 "2019-05-27T04:56:40Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Oh, good point. Middle eastern restaurants almost always have vegan options and typically they have substantial enough vegan options that you can make a pleasant meal out of it. I’ll go further and say \*Israeli \*Middle Eastern - not because it’s better, but because of Jewish dietary rules. If a restaurant is Kosher-dairy, as many are, you can be sure there’s no meat anywhere, but even if it isn’t, out of habit Jewish cuisine rarely puts meat products, like stocks or fats, into dishes that aren’t clearly labeled as being meat-based. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/37 "2019-05-27T11:40:47Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > That said, here’s Trip Adviser’s Top 10 Vegetarian restaurants in Cranberry [https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g52438-zfz10697-Cranberry\_Township\_Butler\_County\_Pennsylvania.html](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g52438-zfz10697-Cranberry_Township_Butler_County_Pennsylvania.html) > > Aladdin’s, with a meze platter or the like, is probably your best bet other than the Indian place you went to. Cool! Tamarind (the Indian restaurant) is on the list, as is Juniper Grill and Double Wide, two other places we’ve eaten. Aladdin’s will be next! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/38 "2019-05-27T14:01:50Z")
I’m a veg and I prefer Indian over nearly everything else nearly all of the time. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Why hasn’t anyone thought of Ethiopian food, with its delicious injera bread and many spices? Ethiopian is my 4th choice, behind Italian and Mexican cuisine. I love injera and shiro be kibbe; I can’t remember the other lentil dishes I’ve had but they were all unique and delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/39 "2019-05-27T14:02:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It certainly is, but lard does show up in places you might not expect, like flour tortillas and tamales (not all flour tortillas and tamales, but it is commonly used in both.) Aye; I ask in every restaurant I go to (or I call ahead). The tortillas, the refried beans, etc. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453/40 "2019-05-27T14:19:27Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > As scr4 has said, this is not true for non-specialist restaurants. The prevalence of vegetarianism is around 5% in China and Japan, lower than many Western countries. Whereas in India it’s over 30%. > > [Vegetarianism by country - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_by_country) > > Historically, most Chinese people ate vegetables only because they couldn’t _afford_ meat or fish. So there’s an association with affluence rather than ideology, and the idea that you’d want them to deliberately expend effort to remove all traces of meat or fish isn’t necessarily a natural one. > > If Chinese restaurants in the West are now more accustomed to providing true vegetarian dishes, rather than just dishes that include vegetables, it’s more likely to be due to exposure to Western ideological vegetarianism than to Buddhist influences. You guys fought my ignorance. I’m going to give a lot of credit to American Asian restaurants that I’ve found so helpful to vegetarians. They seem to do better than the average American restaurant in that regard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-cuisine-for-vegetarians/834453.md?page=3)