But it's still hard to find good vegetarian food — let alone vegan fare — at South Florida restaurants. Some days, you'd hardly suspect it's become a growing and popular dining trend when meat and cheese seem to dominate every menu from Palm Beach to Hollywood.
When vegans dine out they want to enjoy and savor their meals too, not be served some sad animal-free entree, a chef's afterthought. Fortunately, more places are popping up in recent months, realizing it's good business to create vegan entrees that have just as much creative sizzle as the rest of their menus.
This
10. Vegan Ice Cream (of the week) at Wilton Creamery
2301 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors. Call 954-565-1183, or visit wiltoncreamery.com.
If it's one thing almost any vegan will complain about, it's that dessert options suck. Going animal-free means giving up things like cream, butter, and milk. All the ingredients that make pies, cakes, and ice cream taste yummy. If you're in the mood for a solid
9. Vegetable Chettinad at Ruchi Indian Restaurant
17085 Pines Blvd., Hollywood. Call 954-862-2264, ruchipembrokepines.com.
When it comes to dining out, Indian cuisine is the vegan's best friend. An extremely popular choice among the animal-adverse, these restaurants are not on the "no-go zone" for practicing vegans. Rather, Indian restaurants are some of the best places to find vegetable-based dishes that are also free of animal by-products. And one-year-old Ruchi Indian Restaurant in Hollywood is one such place. There are seven vegan dishes on the menu to choose from, all-vegetable based selections that ensure no dairy,
8. The Dragon Bowl at Raw
197 S Federal Hwy., Boca Raton. Call 561-609-2871, or visit rawjuce.com.
When it comes to eating clean and green (and raw or vegan), there's no better spot to go for an on-the-go fix than your local juice bar. If that's your idea of a good pit stop, look no further than the South Florida-based Raw
7. The Rachel on Rye at Atlas Meat-Free Delicatessen
1940 N 30th Rd., Hollywood. Call 305-323-6661, or visit AtlasMeatFreeDeli.com.
Vegans don't get too many options when it comes to sandwiches. There's veggie sandwiches, avocado sandwiches, and veggie burgers. But at Atlas Meat-Free Deli, if you remember the sandwiches from your meat-eating days, here you can enjoy a number of classic deli favorites turned vegan. There's the Caprese, a combination of tomatoes and vegan mozzarella drizzled with a balsamic glaze and topped with a mix of fresh herbs, served on a toasted baguette. Or go for the Sausage Marinara, Italian-style fennel sausage topped with shredded vegan mozzarella. Love a good
6. Veggie Poutine at Poutine Dog Cafe
17 S J St., Lake Worth. Call 561-766-2281, or visit poutinedogcafe.com.
At Poutine Dog Cafe in Lake Worth, the owner — a Canadian transplant originally from Romania — serves the dish 16 different ways in two serving sizes for a deal priced $7 to $12.50 a plate. While the most important part of the dish is the cheese curd — often a white cheddar cheese with a taste and texture very different from actual cheddar cheese — more exotic poutine platters come with ingredients like barbecue chicken, pepperoni, pastrami, bacon. The standard poutine is made with just three ingredients: fresh cheese curds served over hand-cut fries and smothered in the restaurant's own house made gravy. But for the veggie poutine, it gets a little more intense. It's served with a vegan cheese curd; sautéed mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes, and onions are added to the mix; and it's all topped with a special vegan gravy that's so rich and creamy you won't even taste the difference.
5. Falafel at Rami's Pita & Grill
3000 Stirling Rd., Hollywood. Call 954-251-1799, or visit ramispita.com.
Rami's Pita & Grill may be known to Broward County, but chef-owner Achiel Rami isn't. He's been cooking up some of the area's best Israeli food for years, and now that he's opened his own restaurant, the customers are flocking to the small Hollywood eatery for a taste of everything from lamb shawarma to homemade hummus. Sure, the lines are long for the lamb gyro special sold only on Monday and Wednesday, but it's the vegan options you'll want to order here. In the short time since it opened off Sterling Road, Rami's has gained a loyal lunchtime following for its falafel gyro, sandwich, or hearty entree-sized meal that comes with
4. The Vegetable Sampler Platter at Queen of Sheeba
716 N. Sapodilla Ave., West Palm Beach. Call 561-514-0615, queenofsheebawpb.com.
Queen of Sheeba owners Bill and
3. Fruit Infused Tea at Eat The Tea
900 NE 20th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Call 754-200-8355, or visit eatthetea.com.
As you can probably guess, this newly-opened tea house in Fort Lauderdale's Victoria Park neighborhood is all about tea. Even if you aren't a tea drinker — or lover — you might become one here. The quaint and cozy eatery sports a separate menu just for organic — and, as the name suggests, edible — tea drinks. Choose from white, black, red, and green teas with flavors like caramel walnut, red
2. Raw Cheesecake at Red Yabba All Natural Cafe
12594 Pines Blvd., Hollywood. Call 954-322-1007, or visit redyabba.com.
While the cafe serves a number of vegan and raw dishes in the form of entrées, soups, salads, and sandwiches, it's the delicious
1. The GBK Burger at Green Bar & Kitchen
1075 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-533-7507, or visit greenbarkitchen.com.
This locally-based vegetarian and vegan eatery is one of the best places in South Florida to find a healthy meal. But it's the only place you'll find an award-winning veggie burger. The restaurant recently won the "fan favorite" vote from more than 300 participants for its GBK Burger at
Nicole Danna is a food writer covering Broward and Palm Beach counties. To get the latest in food and drink news in South Florida, follow her @SoFloNicole or find her latest food pics on the BPB New Times Food & Drink Instagram.