Buffet Restaurant, Florianopolis, Brazil
Whether you’re backpacking for a few months, going on a short vacation or driving from city to city on a road trip, chances are you’ll be eating at least some of your meals at restaurants. I’m also willing to bet not all of the restaurants you choose will be strictly vegan or even vegetarian. It would be great if every city had a veggie restaurant but that’s not how things are today. Even if there’s a veg-friendly restaurant in the city you’re visiting, it may not be nearby when hunger strikes. So the question is: how do you order food at a restaurant that doesn’t cater to vegans and may not understand your preferences.
Five Tips for Ordering Vegan Food
1. Choose the Restaurant Wisely
Veggie and Bean Burritos, No Cheese
If there’s more than one restaurant to choose from, don’t pick the steakhouse or any shop displaying dead animals in the window. A no-brainier, right? Try to find a restaurant serving food that’s known for being vegan friendly. Here are some examples of vegan dishes that can be prepared at restaurants specializing in international cuisine.
Indian
Vegetable curry, samosas, pakoras, dhal and papadums
Specify no butter or ghee (traditional Indian clarified butter)
Japanese
Vegetable sushi rolls (cucumber, avocado, tofu, etc.), inari, wakame salad, miso soup (without bonito fish flakes), vegetable tempura, and edamame
Specify no fish sauce, roe (fish eggs), and no egg in tempura batter
Thai
Pad Thai without egg and shrimp, coconut curry, rice wraps, and sticky rice with mango
Specify no fish or oyster sauce
Chinese
Stir fried vegetables, noodle dishes, fried tofu, and vegetable soups
Specify no meat or fish in the sauces and stock
Italian
Pasta with tomato sauce or pizza without cheese
Specify no egg in the pasta
Middle Eastern
Falafel, couscous, and tabbouleh salad
Specify no dairy or yogurt sauce
Ethiopian
Injera bread with bean and vegetable toppings
Specify no meat or egg
Mexican
Bean burritos, fajitas, and corn chips & salsa
Specify no cheese, beans cooked with meat, guacamole made with sour cream, or tortillas made with animal products
Almost Any Restaurant
Salad without meat or cheese, sandwich with vegetables, soup with vegetable stock, and vegetables and rice (not cooked with meat stock)
2. Look for Accidentally Vegan / Easy to Veganize Options
Fruit Pizza, No Cheese
Take a look at the menu. Does anything look like it might be vegan?
salad with seasonal vegetables and house sauce … penne pasta with mushrooms, bell peppers and zucchini … vegetable stir fry and rice noodles …
hmmm…
What about easy to veganize?
cucumber, avocado and tofu maki with cream cheese … pizza with grilled eggplant, artichoke hearts, green olives and mozzarella … fried rice with vegetables and egg
Pick a dish that could be made vegan with a few adjustments.
3. Ask Questions
Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, Hold the Parmesan
Ask questions before ordering. Here is a list of questions you may want to ask:
- Is the soup made with meat, chicken or vegetable stock?
- Are the beans cooked with pork or another kind of meat?
- What kind of oil is used for frying?
- What kind of bread do you use? Does it contain milk? Has it been glazed with egg?
- Is the pasta made here? Does it contain egg?
- Is there a sauce? What kind of sauce?
- Is butter used?
- What’s in the salad dressing?
- Is the dish prepared fresh?
- What brand of veggie burgers do you use? Do they contain egg?
Depending on the answers, let the server know if it’s a good thing (e.g. vegetable stock) or won’t work for you (e.g. chicken stock). After this, you can start getting more specific about what you can and can’t eat.
4. Be Clear & Polite
Grilled Vegetable Sandwich (No Cheese) and Root Vegetable Chips
If the menu reads grilled eggplant, red pepper and zucchini sandwich with feta cheese, don’t just ask for the sandwich without cheese. There could be surprise spreads. The vegetables could be cooked with butter. The bread could be glazed with egg.
Once, I ordered a vegetable and cheese sandwich and asked for no cheese. The waitress said “no problem.” My sandwich arrived without any cheese but turned out to be an omelet between two pieces of bread. Funny, the menu didn’t mention egg. This is why it’s important to list all of the items you can’t have. Assume nothing.
Now that you have an idea about what you want to order, and some information about what’s in or not in the dish, tell your server what you can’t eat.
Be polite. Smile.
You don’t want to overwhelm them with a long list of ingredients but it’s a good idea to mention the major items. Make it clear that you can’t have meat (nope, not even chicken!), fish, milk, eggs, cream, cheese, butter and honey.
Don’t say “I’m vegan. What can you feed me?” Most people won’t understand. You can try saying you’re vegetarian, but don’t eat milk products, eggs, fish or chicken. It’s worth a try.
5. Be Grateful
Anden Potatoes with Rosemary and Olive Oil
Even if you’re served a giant pile of white rice, or miniature potatoes with oil and dry herbs, be grateful. If it’s anything more, tip. If you like what they came up with, be sure to express your thanks and make it clear how much you appreciate the effort. If the owner is around, thank them. Promise to come back for more and tell all your friends. Mean it. Good customer services deserves to be rewarded.
Considerations
Vegan Options at Fronteira Buffet, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Language Barriers
These can be a problem. If you’re traveling somewhere and don’t speak the local language, carry a Vegan Passport, dine with friends who can translate or learn a few basic phrases to help you order. Unless the restaurant staff speaks English, you won’t get very far without knowing how to communicate your preferences.
So Hungry!
Hunger can cloud your judgment. Try to stay fueled up with snacks and eat a healthy meal before you get to the point where you’re starting not to care what shows up on your plate. Breathe. Try to relax. List your restrictions. Place your order. Don’t beat yourself up if it’s a matter of choosing between picking off a few pieces of cheese or going hungry. Heck, don’t even ask about the bread. It’s just one meal.
Allergies
If you’re asked about allergies, you may want to consider nodding. If you’re really hungry and running out of restaurant options, it may not be the best time to start explaining why you’re vegan. Depending on where you are, and the local culture, you may confuse or offend people by talking about veganisim. However, some restaurants may be worried about cross contamination and refuse to serve you if you insist you’re allergic to all animal products.
This is the Worst Case Scenario
This isn’t what being vegan is about. These tips are for a bad day, when you’re really stuck. All of this thinking isn’t usually required. If you plan ahead and follow my five tips for vegan travel, you’ll be prepared and hopefully enjoying some of the best vegan food you’ve ever had.
Share Your Tips
Fainá and Fugazz: Vegan Pizza Options in Argentina
31 Comments »
I just got back from a 3 week trip in France and Spain. The EU has stricter regulations on how they treat animals. I’m not saying that it’s humane, but better than the US.
I found that the culture, specifically in France, is not accepting of an overly concerned diner. I chose not to be vegan in Europe (I stayed vegetarian). I was traveling with carnivores, and it would have just been a ridiculous pain in the butt.
I think you need to gauge what is the best decision for yourself. Do the best you can, but don’t ruin your trip by obsessing over it.
Great and helpful post, Jill! I think tip #4 is especially valuable and insightful, particularly the “assume nothing” advice. Once while I was in Costa Rica, I ordered a bowl of black bean soup. I made sure, in Spanish, to ask the waitress if it had any meat or meat broth, sour cream, milk or any other dairy products – the usual non-vegan ingredients that one might expect to find in black bean soup. She assured me that it had none of those things. When the soup arrived, imagine my surprise to see a hard boiled egg floating in it! (Gee, hadn’t thought to ask about that!)
And tip #5 about expressing gratitude – right on! Being grateful for being served vegan food in non-vegan circumstances has served me exceptionally well every time, and has even resulted in one case in the chef making sure there were plenty of vegan foods available after receiving nothing but grumbling complaints from the non-vegans about their food, and lots of sincere thank yous and compliments from me about the modest vegan fare he was willing to make for me. Gratitude goes a long way, and makes everyone feel good!
Awesome post!
I wrote about Peru vegan dining (http://bit.ly/aINPXE – you commented a while back), and will soon write more about the South Pacific and other experiences.
I’m planning a trip to Japan/Asia where I don’t know the languages, and will soon be scouring your website for info! :)
For the iPhone users, there is an awesome app called Veg Out that lists all vegetarian/vegan/vegetarian-friendly restaurants, either in your current location or by punching in a zip code. I used it when I was vacationing in Charleston and found a great pita place that I will definitly go back to next time I’m down there.
This is a GREAT post! I feel like every vegan should have this list stored away in his/her wallet! At first I was a bit too shy to go to nonveg restaurants but now I see options like this and it makes it better and better!
Heads up!
Miso soup in Japanese restaurants, always is made from a mix that includes bonito flakes. Always!
Also,most fried foods are fried in the same oil that is used for non vegan foods.
that means tempura, samosas, chips, etc. The exception is falafals, that is almost always cooked in it’s own oil.
Something I would also recommend looking for is rice! Quite often restaurants cook their rice in chic or beef broth.
Also, red sauce for pastas! Some restaurants may not have meat or cheese in the sauce, but they may cook the meat balls in the sauce and then remove them.
Thanks for all the great advice!
Despite how much of a hassle traveling vegan can be at times, I’m always looking forward to trying new food, even if that means I’ll have rice and beans every day, even for breakfast (it was often the case in Guatemala and Costa Rica).
Before, when a waitress asked me if I were allergic, I would say I wasn’t, but now if they ask me, I’ll say I am. I find it much simpler like that.
If I’m somewhere where I think people know what vegan means, I say I am vegan, and often proceed to say (no dairy products, no eggs, etc.)
Once I was visiting archaeological site Palenque in Mexico, and at the restaurant I ordered an ensalada de verduras (vegetable salad) without asking any question. Eww, the salad turned out to be covered with ham and cheese slices. I should have know better!
Im in Italy now, not having too much trouble. Pesto Pasta and Marinera Pizza :)
I wish i could find some hummus though
I am LOVING your blog. I did some traveling around the world in college, but now that I am a stay-at-home mom…I long for it again. We do a lot of traveling around the U.S., though. Eating overseas was always really stressful for me. I think having blogs like this – those who have gone before me – will make it much more helpful next time I travel abroad. I never, ever tell lies in life…except in the occasions of saying I’m allergic, rather than vegan, if I am in a meat-serving establishment. I’ve had waiters lie to me (because they’re busy and don’t want to bother) before so I just don’t trust most of them. Occasionally, you will come across one who will automatically say, “Are you vegan?” and you can tell they know what they’re talking about. Then I feel safe. I’m not only vegan for ethical and health reasons…the thought of accidentally eating something cooked in grease or containing a hidden ingredient grosses me out so much, I can’t really enjoy the experience. Therefore, I would sometimes rather sit there hungry than order. I wish I could loosen up a little.
Great post! Very helpful! I think I am going to print out that section about options for each type of cuisine. Thanks so much! Great job!
I once ordered a veggie burger and they put BACON on it. You would think the chef would stop and think “Wait a second… this doesn’t seem right” and would check it out but nope. That was probably one of the worse ones.
This is very comprehensive and helpful–thanks!
Dana – I agree with your point about doing the best you can and trying not to obsess over it. However, I’m confident it’s possible to eat vegan while in Europe, even in France or Spain.
Laloofa – Crazy story about the egg in your soup! Who does that? If you don’t want an unpleasant surprise, you’re better off rhyming off the things you can’t eat. Sad but true!
Meredith – Have fun in Japan! I visited there and didn’t have too much trouble finding vegan food. They have a good vegan guide you can pick up.
Steve – Veg Out sounds like a great application. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica – Of course I’d rather eat at a veg restaurant but it’s always good to know some international restaurants have options for us :)
Danny -Thanks for the reminder about the bonito flakes! I added that in the post.
Gwendolyn – You’re right about the rice. I made a note of this in the post. Thanks!
Babette – It seems crazy to have to ask if there is meat in a vegetable salad but if you don’t you could get an bad surprise!
Shelby – I’m right behind you, visiting Italy next month. I’m looking forward to trying some of the pasta and pizzas!
Jenny – Hope you can make use of some of my tips. I don’t enjoy going hungry but there are some circumstances where it’s really not worth eating something that’s going to make you feel ill.
Carissa – Thanks! Easy pocket guide :)
Awesomevegan -Veggie burger with bacon!?! That reminds me of a time when I brought veggie burgers and dogs to a BBQ. The person grilling cooked them on tinfoil for me. When they were done, they came into the room with a big tray of meat, my veggie burgers and dogs sitting on top :-s
Stacy – You’re welcome :) Enjoy!
great post! it totally hit a spot with me because I live in Greece and its really hard to be a vegan here because of the attitude, they don’t even know what a vegan is and don’t bother explain because they’l look at you like your an alien. There can be found some vegan foods but you have to be really careful about the hidden animal products don’t take anything for granted. And do as I do while here, ask for anything that is nistisimo which means what people here eat while in lent. Basically vegan they’ll understand but they might still try to make you buy/order something when it’s not so be on your quard and ask more questions. Oh and note to them fish=meat=not for lent. I do this because I don’t want to have to explain again again to close minded people who don’t know what vegan means and why on earth would anyone give up meat. And I am not lying either, I never said I am religious I only asked for that kind of food.Oh and best visit Greece at the actual lent, much more choices. cheers from Athens
Great post. I was smiling while reading it. Luckily we live in a very urban area and mostly eat out at Vegan friendly restaurants, but when we are out of the country, boy it’s rough!
Thanks for commenting on my blog because it lead me to yours! :)
xoxo
Really great advice! I’m going to be embarking on a trip to Europe soon, so it definitely helps to get some reinforcement and encouragement in traveling as a vegan… It can get dicey some times if you don’t plan properly.
Thanks for this post, at the end of August me and my meat-eating family are going out for a meal to celebrate my birthday. I chose a “normal” restaurant (spanish tapas) so that no-one complained, and since I gave up dairy only 2 weeks ago, I’ve not yet experienced eating out on my new vegan(ish) diet. I’ll be sure to use your tips in future now.
p.s I say (ish) because I am cutting out animal products in a very unusual order, I gave up meat 11 years ago, continued to eat fish, and have recently given up dairy, but I am still eating fish until I feel confident enough in my vegan cooking. It’s very much taking baby steps, but I think that will ensure my change in permenant and not temporary.
Sorry that turned out to be quite a long comment.
Oh and I have started a blog about my diet change/general random things,
http://findinghappyhippieville.blogspot.com/
:)
Thanks for this article! I found it very helpful =)
Once again a very thorough, well thought out and useful post. I’ll be referring to it for sure!
well, if you really want to be healthy, i believe that veggan foods are the best ,;~
Korea can be a very very frustrating place for the vegan and even the vegetarian. If one ventures outside of Seoul, you will most likely run into problems. With a population of less than 1% vegetarian and vegan, you won’t even find much respect for your lifestyle unless you’re a Buddhist monk. But like the post says, research where you can go, veggie friendly dishes and learn at least a few phrases in the local language!
these are awesome tips! its def something i need to get used to!
I spent a month backpacking around the Philippines last year and it was difficult. Pork and fish parts abound. I ate on the fly alot…lots of fruits and garlic rice. Vegetables seem to be scarce though. I got by. When I moved on to Vietnam and Cambodia it got easier. They seem to have a good supply of vegetables and you can get some good vegan dishes. Don’t tell them you’re a vegan. Just tell them what you want and they will accomadate you. If all else fails, rice is plentiful and the fruit is wonderful down there. Enjoy.
Good tips, I usually do select restaurants that have vegan food on the menu or have food that can be veganized by just ordering it without cheese. The problem I have has to do with restaurants I’ve been to a hundred times when I was still “only” vegetarian, for some reason I’m too embarrassed to tell them I’m vegan now and ask for a veganized dish.
Very thorough!
I travelled around Asia and had absolutely no problems. I was specific about what I wanted, rather than what I didn’t want. So many great Buddhist places help, too!
I’ve had more problem getting gluten-free in western countries when my husband was diagnosed intolerant, and you’d think that’d be simple… And I’ve had winking barristas put marshmallows in my soy coffee! What is that about? !!
I always check on the ingredients in bread and pasta because the vitamins in those foods often come from animal sources. I also always ask if anything I order is being cooked on the same grill or in the same pan as meat because people do not always comprehend what a vegan really is.
Great post, really informative! I find it hard being brave sometimes and asking lots of questions about what’s in the food. When travelling for a long time and having to eat out everyday it can become tiring. Even when you ask for something to be cooked without oyster sauce for example, you don’t know how they’ve made it. You have to relax and try not to get too stressed about it,hard sometimes I know!
By the way, my partner and I are in the process of building a travel blog and would love to write a guest post in the not to distant future!
I needed this after this weekends unfortunate trip. Visiting family, they dragged me to the rib crib in rural Kansas to try and find vegan faire after a long car ride with no snacks. I ordered a side salad with no cheese and said no dairy to the waitress, but she still brought it out with cheddar tortillas crackers, leaving it as intouchable. The restaurant did not KNOW what a vegetable was.
Great blog post! We have been backpacking for the last 12 months and have been finding it quite easy to find vegan food. Sometimes easier than others. We have been living in Thailand for over 7 months now and the options here are incredible! Many Chinese Buddhist restaurants, and of course Ethos at Khao San rd.
We are now living somewhere with some cooking tools. Just made vegan chocolate fudge brownies :)
All of your photos are making us hungry!
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