One of the biggest fears a
“vegetarian” international student has before arriving to the United States is,
will I be able to get vegetarian food? The answer is YES!
I went through the same phase,
but after being here for about a year I know how to find my way around with
respect the food, and other things off course ;)
Bloomington – Indiana, a small
but lively student town has always left me smiling after every (new/old)
restaurant I pay a visit to. A week back, a bunch of new international students
arrived to the town and one of the most frequently asked questions was, will I
get vegetarian food? If yes, then where? Hence I decided to put this piece of
document together which they can make use of and hopefully it will help and
ease them out.
While putting this document down,
I realized that there are so many veggie options available in this small town.
Coming from a family which enjoys food to the fullest, I have made a
comprehensive list of all the restaurants I have visited in Bloomington and I
can confirm that they surely have vegetarian food. There may be many more
restaurants and I would appreciate if any one does have anything to add please
do add a comment and I will append the table.
Before jumping into the table,
let’s assume a scenario. What if you landed into a restaurant without knowing
if it has vegetarian options or not?
Ans: Ask the server if there are
any vegetarian options available i.e. without any chicken, meat or sea food.
Most of the time, if the veggie options are not listed the server will let you
know if it is possible to make the dish vegetarian or not. If the veggie
version of the dish is possible, then you can always ask for the non-vegetarian
part to be replaced by vegetables, beans or tofu depending on the cuisine and
the options available.
Also, many Asian restaurants
might make the dish vegetarian’s ingredient wise, but will cook it in fish oil,
etc. Be mindful (if you care) and let them know that you want the dish to be
prepared in vegetarian oil too.
At any on demand, by choice fast
food chains like subway, chipotle, etc. you can always ask the dish preparers
to change their gloves. It might be inconvenient, but can be done if you are not
comfortable with your meal being prepared with the same gloves a non-vegetarian
meal was prepared.
Rather than listing their menu
and pointing each veggie option, I have added a veggie options scale, which
will be a good indicative of the number
of options that restaurant will provide with a link to yelp which will provide
a comprehensive review and details about the restaurant. I have also added a
column of the dish I usually order (and like) in that restaurant.
The scale brackets are defined
below
(The number of items in the
restaurant can increase / decrease with time):
1: One or Two. (Visit if you’re a fan of the very
few options)
2. Two – Five (Restaurants, which can make veggie
dishes if asked for)
3. Five and above (Restaurant which have veggie
dishes and can tailor other non-veg dishes into veggie for you)
Restaurant
|
Cuisine
|
Yelp link
|
Vegetarian
options scale
|
My
favorites
|
Samira
|
Afghan
|
3
|
Lunch Buffet
|
|
Burger king
|
American
|
1
|
Veggie Burger
|
|
Scottys
|
American
|
1
|
Chipotle Black Bean Burger
|
|
Scenic view
|
American
|
2
|
Vegetarian Burger
|
|
Yogis
|
American
|
2
|
Black bean burger
|
|
Five Guys burgers and fries
|
American
|
1
|
Veggie Burger
|
|
Buffalo wild wings
|
American
|
2
|
Black bean burger
|
|
FARM Bloomington
|
American
|
3
|
Vivek’s ‘Big Bang’ Black Bean Burger
|
|
Village Deli
|
American
|
2
|
The veggie omlette
|
|
Noodles
|
American , Asian and Mediterranean
|
2
|
Pesto Cavatappi
|
|
Upland Brewery
|
American / Brewery
|
2
|
Veggie burger or veggie pasta
|
|
Fortune Cookie
|
Asian fusion
|
2
|
Vegetable fried rice
|
|
Bloomington Bagel company
|
Bagel
|
3
|
Add only veggies to your bagel
|
|
Nicks
|
Bar / Sandwiches
|
3
|
Biz fries and cheese pizza
|
|
Dennys
|
Breakfast / American
|
2
|
2-4-6 menu : pancakes, hash browns, toast,
omlette
|
|
Waffle house
|
Breakfast / American
|
2
|
Vegetarian Omlette
|
|
Mandalay
|
Burmese
|
3
|
Anything from their veggie menu *
|
|
Dats
|
Cajun / Creole
|
2
|
Black beans and caramelized corn
|
|
China buffet
|
Chinese
|
2
|
Lunch Buffet
|
|
Hibachi
|
Chinese
|
2
|
Lunch Buffet
|
|
Great wall of china
|
Chinese
|
2
|
Lunch Buffet
|
|
Soma Coffee house
|
Coffee / Tea
|
3
|
Vegetarian Burrito
|
|
Scholars inn / bake house
|
Deli
|
3
|
Any of the burgers replaced with falafel
patty J
|
|
Jimmy johns
|
Deli / Sandwich
|
2
|
Vegetarian sandwich
|
|
Chocolate Moose
|
Ice Cream
|
2
|
Vegetarian Burger
|
|
Bombay Café
|
Indian
|
3
|
Samosa chaat,
Shahi paneer
|
|
Taste of India
|
Indian
|
3
|
Lunch Buffet
|
|
Amol India
|
Indian
|
3
|
Lunch Buffet
|
|
Irish Lion
|
Irish
|
1
|
Veggie Burger
|
|
Buccetos
|
Italian
|
2
|
Margherita Pizza
|
|
Fazolis
|
Italian
|
2
|
Fettuccine Alfreado
|
|
Olive Garden
|
Italian
|
2
|
Veggie Lasagna
|
|
Mother Bears Pizza
|
Italian / Pizza
|
2
|
Veggie Delight
|
|
Avers
|
Italian / Pizza
|
2
|
Veggie Deluxe
|
|
Pizza hut
|
Italian / Pizza
|
2
|
Veggie Lovers
|
|
Pizza x
|
Italian / Pizza
|
2
|
Heavy Veggie
|
|
Uncle D’s
|
Italian / Pizza
|
2
|
Cheese pizza
|
|
Mamas restaurant
|
Korean
|
1
|
Tofu Jiggae (without the beef)
|
|
Turkuaz
|
Mediterranean
|
3
|
Veggie Kebab
|
|
Falafels
|
Mediterranean
|
2
|
Falafel
|
|
Trojan Horse
|
Mediterranean
|
2
|
Falafel
|
|
Laughing planet
|
Mexican
|
3
|
Pestato Burrito
|
|
Chipotle
|
Mexican
|
2
|
Vegetarian Burrito Bowl
|
|
Taco bell
|
Mexican
|
2
|
Mexican Pizza (substitute the beef with
beans)
|
|
El ranchero
|
Mexican
|
3
|
Veggie Fajitas
|
|
Bajio
|
Mexican
|
2
|
Vegetarian Burrito Bowl
|
|
Moes southwest grill
|
Mexican
|
2
|
Tofu Bowl
|
|
Casa Brava
|
Mexican
|
3
|
Veggie Fajitas
|
|
Qdoba
|
Mexican
|
3
|
Black Bean Quessidilla
|
|
Café Django
|
Multi – Cuisine
|
3
|
Curry puff, vegetarian curry
|
|
Campus RPS Dining
|
Multi – Cuisine
|
No yelp link, sorry L
|
2
|
Vegetable sandwich
|
10th Street Market
|
Multi – Cuisine / Convenience Store
|
2
|
Samosa / Wada
|
|
Apple bees
|
Multi-cuisine
|
1
|
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
|
|
Chilis
|
Multi-cuisine
|
1
|
Cheese Quesadilla
|
|
Papa johns
|
Pizza
|
2
|
Garden Fresh Pizza
|
|
Potbelly
|
Sandwich
|
2
|
Pizza Sandwich (without the meat)
|
|
Subway
|
Sandwich
|
2
|
Veggie Patty Sandwich
|
|
Which Wich
|
Sandwich
|
2
|
Black bean patty and hummus sandwich
|
|
Panera Bread
|
Sandwich / Bakery
|
2
|
Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich
|
|
Domos
|
Sushi bar, Japanese
|
2
|
Vegetable entrée in hibachi style
|
|
Siam House
|
Thai
|
3
|
MUS-SA-MON,
GANG KIEW WAAN
|
|
My Thai
|
Thai
|
2
|
Drunken Man Fried Rice (cooked in vegetarian sauce /oil)
|
|
Anatolia
|
Turkish
|
3
|
Anything from their “veggie lovers” menu J *
|
|
Owlery Restaurant
|
Vegan
|
3
|
Pesto portabella sandwich
|
|
Roots
|
Vegan
|
3
|
Black Bean Burger
|
Mandalay veggie menu link: http://www.mymandalayrestaurant.com/index.php/menu/2-uncategorised/10-vegetarian
Anatolia veggie lovers menu link:
http://www.restaurantanatolia.com/veggie.htm
