Vegetarian Eats 0.1

No one loves food and eating more than New Orleanians. It is one of the top reasons I love this city! At every event, party, elementary school function, you name it there will be drinks and food. I have been a vegetarian for the past seven years and New Orleans is probably the toughest city on us. Although we have some of the best restaurants in the country, Southern cuisine doesn't usually include vegetarian options. There have been many times when I have asked if there was anything without meat and gotten, "ya, beer". Since my college days, a lot more vegetarian options (still working on the vegan thing) have been popping up on menus.  If you are visiting New Orleans you are probably looking for a good meal, if you are a vegetarian that may be tough at the more famous restaurants. I have put together some restaurant guides to help a fellow veggie out.

 

Shaya

Shaya has been open for a few years now and is more popular than ever. If you are in New Orleans you must go. The food is described as "Modern Israeli". Even if you are not an adventurous eater do not let that description deter you. Everyone loves the melt in your mouth pita and the incredibly smooth hummus. You can pick 3 or 5 options from the "For The Table" section and try a bunch of different things if you are unsure. My favorite time to go is during lunch because they serve falafel sandwiches with french fries. If you are finding it difficult to get a reservation, go on a day when the weather is nice and you don't mind sitting outside. I have discovered they always leave tables open on the back patio for walk-ins.

Surrey's Cafe & Juice Bar

One of my favorite places to go for breakfast/brunch is Surrey's. I always order the Migas with home fries and a biscuit but everything else on the menu is just as good. They have two locations, one is Uptown on Magazine and the other is in the Lower Garden District, also on Magazine. I know I love to drink during brunch but they do not serve alcohol. However, the Uptown location is next to a local bar called Le Bon Temps Roulé. You can order a drink from there and bring it to brunch with you at Surrey's! It gets pretty crowded and the wait can get long, so the earlier you can go the better!

Dat Dog

Dat Dog only serves hot dogs and I know that it is strange to include it on a vegetarian restaurant guide but they have vegetarian hot dogs! You can order as many toppings on your hot dog as you want and most of them are vegetables of some kind. The best part is the bun, I don't know how they make it taste so good and I don't want to. I love this place and even Reese Witherspoon ate here! There are many locations, Uptown on Freret, Magazine, and one on Frenchmen! You are always not that far from a Dat Dog! There are two vegetarian dog options, Italian and Chipotle. Just a warning the Chipotle Dog is extremely spicy! 

Willa Jean

I have mentioned Willa Jean before for their amazing chocolate chip cookies but they also have really great food too! They serve brunch, lunch and dinner so there is never a bad time to go. I have been for dinner and I highly recommend the tomato and burrata salad, I have been thinking about it ever since I had it last June! I also loved the Willa Jean cornbread, it is sticky and delicious. If you go for brunch the tartines are enormous and they serve Frozé (frozen rosé!). No matter what time of day you go you have to get the chocolate chip cookies, trust me.