Does such an animal exist?



OMG - I thought Tampa, FL was a 'backwater' kind of town. Then I moved to N. Alabama. I can see I'm going to get tired of eating plain baked potatoes or plain sweet potatoes and the crappy iceburg-and-pasta-salad-with-meat bars that pass for salad bars up here.



Does anyone have any veg-friendly restaurants that they like in AL?

I lived in Huntsville in 2006 - war-monger/war-profiteer heaven.



I found that Indian and Thai restaurants were a good bet. I've forgotten the names, but you can look them up.

Also-Japenese Steak Houses have good veggie stir fry with rice.



Unfortunately, I tend to do the salad bar thing. I just love salad and eat tons of it at home. Usually I get a Gardenburger when I go out to eat. I have heard the Cheesecake Factory has good options although I have never eaten there. This is a great topic and I will look around and see if I can contribute more.

Lynnbug - I love salad, too. But the salad bars up here seem to be an "after though" with very limited choices. I guess I just miss Sweet Tomatoes and their huge salad bar with unusual toppings like jicama and the usual toppings like a variety of beans.



RunsWithFoxes - Thanks. We have found two Indian restaurants - but they use ghee in everything. :-( The Thai restaurants ... I'll have to check some out.

JAsons Deli has a good salad bar--there is one in Northport but since it is a chain, I am sure they are in other places. Actually Ruby Tuesday's used to have a good salad bar, but I havent been there in a long time. You are right though, a good salad bar is hard to find. Hungry Howie's is a good place to go for veggie pizza and subs and a pretty good Greek Salad. Not a nice sit down place but it is good on the go.

Its a good possibility the Thai restaraunt your thinking of is Surin West. If not, then that is still a great place to go. I also second Jason's Deli. I live in Birmingham and there is some Chinese restaraunt here that they like let you make your own noodle bowl with what rice/noodle,veggies,and sauce you want, but I can't remember what its called. I also like Moes Southwestern Grill in the way of a more interesting salad, but be careful there because at one Moes I went to the person said they cook the tofu in the same stuff they cook the chicken in

I love Japanese places. Some more suggestions-Both the Summit and the Galleria(hugein

Srry pressed reply before ready. I was gonna say both the summit and the galleria(malls in bham) have a restaraunt called California pizza kitchen that has options like smashed pea and barley soup and a salad with grilled spinach avacadoe,and mushroom.

A place like Ryan's has a buffet, so you can of course get whatever veggies you wanted on a plate by itself. It has a salad bar too, which I havn't checked out. Not much of a salad guy.



Subway, of course, which seems to be everywhere, has a wonderful Veggie sub. Try it with american cheese (if not vegan) lettus, onion, bell pepper, mayo and mustard on wheat.

the salad bar at ryans is pretty basic(iceburg lettuce and basic toppings) if i remember corrctly

This site lists a bunch of places with vegetarian and vegan options.



http://www.alabamavoiceforanimals.org/vegbham.html

o! i just looked at that list animosity put and i cant believe i forgot the golden temple! i also highly recommend!!!!!!!!! it is also a really great health food store so plan to go shopping there if you plan on going to eat there the list also says pf changs, a restaraunt i have been to a couple times and i also recommend that. the tofu lettuce wraps are great. i personally dont like rockys pizza but another vegetarian i no loves it so give it a chance i guess.

Cool. Thanks Animosity. Next time I'm down in B'ham I'll make sure I have the list with me.



Now if only areas north of B'ham would become more veg friendly. *Sigh*

Totally. I live in a small town, and the nearest 'large' town close to me would be Gardendale. Not veggie friendly. Though, I have been known to go to captain D's. Little frys. Little hush puppies. Little okra and slaw...*Begins to drool* Mac'N'cheese.....

I know what you mean. I live in a small town, Too. It's only 19 miles from the Whole Foods but it's still no easy trip to the resturaunts that are vegan friendly in Birmingham. Lucky me, When i'm too sick or mentally not willing to cook. My Mom, Provided she is working, Is nice enough to stop by and pick me something up on her way home from work, (She's works at UAB). We never go anywhere veg-friendly when we go out to eat, Though. Usually it's a steak place. My famliy doesn't seem to concerned about the negative emotional effects of seeing slaughtered animal heads surrounding me while watching a bunch of murderers eating steak and them asking "why aren't you eating your dinner?" Well, Other than the fact that I have to hold myself back from having a mental break-down I have to get plain, Boring, Iceburg lettuce with onion that they some how try to pass as a "salad" Because they refuse to make anything vegan friendly. Why can't resturaunts realize that not everyone wants a heart attack on a plate?

Because just about everyone does. Sucks being a minority, don't it?

I am in huntsville and there are a few Ruby Tuesday's which have a good salad bar and an avocado quesadilla which is good. Chili's has a good bean burger, Mama Fu's will put tofu in any dish instead of meat,Rosie's Cantina has a vegetarian section on the menu,Stanlio's sub villa on Jordan Lane has a good veg menu and Atlanta Bread Co. has a really good california avocado sandwhich. I don't know if you are vegan or vegetarian but some of these things have cheese on them. I can usually always find something to eat when we go out. Except steakhouses!

True. Ruby Tuesday's does have a reasonably good salad bar. I almost forgot about them. I've never been to Atlanta Bread. I'll have to check that out.



I've actually done pretty well at Logan's. A baked sweet potato, grilled veggie skewer, steamed seasonal veggies. And surprisingly they've been very accommodating about leaving off butter (though I will eat a bit of butter when I'm out) or putting it on the side.

Ruby Tuesdays is quite nice. The one I went to had a very nice and understanding, (actually interested) staff that was more than happy to assist in finding vegan items. I ended up just geting a huge salad, Though. I find their salads are better than anything else they offer, (even when I was omni I still just ate salad there, that's how good it is).

this seems to describe my life. my mom works at UAB to lol. and i live like 15 mins away from the whole foods thats really close to the Summit but we never go there. Fortunately my mom loves Surin West so me and my dad eat with her there during her lunch break sometimes and they have lots of options.

My new dude took me out to Silver Coin last night. It was great! It's an Indian restaurant on Lorna road in Hoover. It's in the Food World shopping center. They have a vegetarian section on the menu, a great masala chai tea and the service was great. And, for those of you who are 21+ and drinkers, they have a full bar. Really nice import beers and wines too.



Rebbecca

Mmmmm that tea sounds good. I love chai.

Me too! I'm a huge chai fan. My store just started carrying a coconut chai and a cocoa chai, I'm excited!

i can't remember what its called, but there is this prepackaged smoothie stuff that you can get at most grocerie stores that has chai and vanilla and soy milk and it is wonderful

I'm starting to think i'm the only one here that's never had chai tea...

I live in Huntsville, and I think we have plenty of veg-friendly restaurants, although vegetarian-only places seem to be rare and short-lived since our long-standing one closed a few years ago. It is extremely easy to find places as a vegetarian, and while somewhat more tricky as a vegan, it's still very possible. I think having a Seventh-Day Adventist university in town definitely helps make us a more veg-friendly place to live.



Some of the best local places:



Bandito Burrito. I've only been to the Governor's Drive location so I don't know about the others. Very vegetarian friendly owner and staff; clearly marked vegetarian menu. If you are vegan you can order with no cheese. You must try the green bean burrito (green sauce, not green beans. ) Plus, everything is really cheap.



Thai Garden is located in Five Points on the corner of Andrew Jackson Way and Wellman. The food is just incredible, and they are so veg-friendly. Don't be deceived by the four-item vegetarian menu; look for the menu items that offer a choice of meats and you can just ask for tofu instead. Great stuff!



Curry in a Hurry is a Carribean restaurant on Jordan Lane. It is fabulous, and the owners are SO nice! They have a large vegetarian menu with lots of options like mock chicken (which I think is seitan), tofu, chickpeas, and delicious veggies. Served with rice and salad. My favorite is the jerk mock chicken, but it is really spicy; the curry mock chicken is better if you like milder food. I also love the vegetable dishes. It is kind of easy to miss, so look for the shopping center with the Dollar Store in it.



Stanlieo's, as mentioned. Super vegetarian menu using a variety of Worthington meats. You can even get a veggie reuben if you are so inclined (I'm not! ). Subs come with cheese and mayo.



We have two Indian restaurants on Jordan Lane: Vinny's and Sitar. They are both absolutely amazing, but I don't know about the vegan status. Both have lunch buffets with tons of veg options. The buffet at sitar is larger. Both are wonderful for dinner. Everything is good.



My favorite Chinese place is Golden Star on Oakwood Ave. Good tofu options, and the fried rice is not made with eggs.



We have lots of great Mexican restaurants. Most people seem to like Rosie's, and they have a nice vegetarian menu with things like veggie quesadillas, but personally I just can't stand their food. My favorite is Casa Blanca; it also has a nice vegetarian menu with standard offerings plus fresh spinach fajitas. I think it is delicious. Try the pineapple or peach iced tea.



Papa Gyro's on University has Greek food with tons of veg options. The falafel wraps are great, but everything I have had there is superb, including the numerous options for plates and the veggie burger. Pretty much everything comes with dairy but many items can be ordered without. The owner is extremely nice and used to be vegetarian, so he is really understanding and happy to help you pick out something you will like.



Jamo's on Jordan Lane also has great Mediterranean food. The falafel wrap and veggie wrap are really good, and they serve my favorite hummus. They have a veggie BLT made with Morningstar bacon that can be ordered without mayo. They also have great coffee, smoothies, and fresh juice.



Plus we have all the usual good chain restaurants like Jason's Deli, Ruby Tuesday, Salsarita's, Moe's, Nothing but Noodles, etc.



Garden Cove Produce is on the corner of Pratt and Meridian is a pretty good-sized natural foods store. They have tons of veg grocery items, so if you are having a hard time finding something like nutritional yeast or bulk TVP, go there. I haven't checked lately, but last time I stopped in they also carried Vegan Gourmet cheese. Usually there are oodles of special vegan goodies to choose from.



We do have a vegetarian society here, and I have a card somewhere with the contact info, but I don't know anything about it.



That's all I can think of off the top of my head! Nice to meet you all. I love living in Huntsville and I would be happy to help if anyone has questions about the city or needs directions to some veg destination.

I have honestly never been to an all vegetarian restaurant before

We used to have this all-vegetarian burger joint in Huntsville. It was so freaking amazing. It was open for many years, and I was so sad when it closed. It does seem like all-veg places are a rarity in Alabama.



Nice to meet you!

Mellow Mushroom! They're always happy to veg'nize your pizza, calzone, sandwhiches and salads. And they're fantastic!

Veggies to Go! Your typical veggies in the South (they also serve meat). Though the food, in true Southern fashion, is cooked in lotsa animal stuff.

yeah, there are tons of places that will accommodate you in Birmingham/Hoover. I've cut my eating out a whole lot. Tons. I stick to the once every two weeks thing. Al's in Birmingham is alright. Their tabbouleh is really good. They used to have a really good veggie burger but they've switched to something that's more meat-like and I don't like it as much. I don't know if either are vegan though. It's tough to eat out like that if you search on one of those online things and all it comes up with is planet smoothie, haha.