Top 10 vegetarian-friendly restaurants

By Cory Andre Anotado
Collegian Staff
April 4, 2007

Apparently, there is a faction of people in the city who do not eat meat. How one cannot eat meat in the land of the cheesesteak, hoagie and scrapple is a wonder beyond the scope of this article. However, for those who are kinder to animals, there are places in Philadelphia where you can eat, and your carnivorous friends can still enjoy themselves.

10. Maoz Vegetarian—Falafel! Not just fun to say but good to eat, this Dutch chain with a branch on South Street below Third Street is a wonderful vegetarian restaurant. Maoz is very fast food-esque with its menu, with falafel being their main draw, but all of it is tasty and very affordable, with a meal ranging usually between $4 and $8.

9. Vientiane Café—This BYOB in Spruce Hill (4728 Baltimore) has an excellent mix of Laotian and Vietnamese food. Best of all, every single item on the menu can be made with meat or without. A note, however, if you plan on dining there: the restaurant is cash only.

8. Marathon Grill—A classy chain restaurant with locations on 16th and Samson Streets, 13th and Chestnut Streets, 18th and Market Streets, 20th and Market Streets and Fourth and Walnut Streets, Marathon Grill offers a multitude of vegetarian options, including an amazing three-cheese sandwich and large portions of salad.

7. FARMiCiA—On Third Street right below Market comes FARMiCiA. Using ingredients grown locally, the dinner menu has an entire selection of vegetarian and vegan choices, including herb-roasted tofu with broccoli rabe and pasta with roasted soy sausage. Your carnivore friends can enjoy dishes such as the Lancaster County chicken breast or the lamb tenderloins.

6. Abyssinia Ethiopian— Venture to West Philadelphia (45th and Locust Streets) and dine at Abyssinia, where you can try all sorts of new things in the Ethiopian flavor. The restaurant is unassuming, but it has a full bar for you legal folks. Their veggies are cooked well, and although it’s food most of us haven’t tried before, it’s all very tasty and $20 can feed two rather satisfactorily.

5. Govinda’s—Govinda’s Grill on South and Broad actually has two parts to it: the sit-down Govinda’s restaurant and the Gourmet To Go steak shop. Neither part of the restaurant serves meat, but don’t let that stop you. The fake meat is amazing and sure to fool your more unassuming friends. The to-go service is also good, and the selection is wide. Try their sloppy joe sandwich for a really nice spicy kick.

4. Wawa—Yes, I’m serious, and let me make my case. With the advent of their touch-screen hoagie consoles, ordering vegetarian hoagies is as easy as pushing buttons on a computer screen. The salads in the coolers are also handy because the toppings are in separate compartments, meaning the meat is on the side and out of the way if you don’t want it.

3. Harmony Vegetarian—Take yourself to Chinatown on Ninth between Cherry and Race and you’ll find Harmony Vegetarian, which has an amazing premise: all you can eat vegan dim sum. You’ll find a variety of dishes here, but you’ll never need to feel guilty because it’s all completely vegan. Tasty dishes include the pan-fried chive dumplings dim sum, but if you’re feeling daring, go all the way and try the sweet and sour whole fish. Remember, it’s not actually fish.

2. Cherry Street Vegetarian— It’s kosher, it’s vegetarian and it’s completely honest. From their menu: “Vegetarian cooking is limited to vegetable, tofu and imitation meat. Our imitation meat made from wheat flour is called wheat gluten. In addition, patrons of Chinese restaurants are familiar with cashew nuts and the like. Due to these circumstances, we decided to maintain the use of meat names. We assure you that the ‘meat’ in our dishes is wheat gluten, so do not be hesitant to order them.” And hesitate you should not – everything you would find in any other Chinese restaurant is found at Cherry Street Vegetarian on 10th and Cherry Streets. The wonton soup is delicious, and the sweet and sour chicken is just as good as its meaty counterpart.

1. Giannna’s Grille—On Fourth Street between South and Lombard Streets lies this unassuming hole in the wall. Walking in, it looks like any other pizza shop with suspicious linoleum floors and lunchroom-style tables. The fare, however, isn’t like any other pizza shop. All of its Philly pizza shop style food can also be made with soy meat. Try the veg-friendly cheesesteak, for starters. It’s so loaded with fake meat that you’ll be completely satisfied. Also, the vegetarian Meat Lover’s pizza is not only tasty, but extremely ironic.

anotadoc1@lasalle.edu