Any vegans or vegetarians around these parts? If so, sound off. And tell me where you eat in Houston (or wherever you live). I've lived many places the last few years and have found Houston to be one of the most unfriendly towns to a veg diet -- if you consider the size of the city it's without a doubt THE most unfriendly city per capita in the US. Not only are larger cities like NYC, LA and Chicago populated by far, far more (and far better) veg options, but so are smaller cities like SF and Pittsburgh. And far smaller cities like Providence and Albuquerque are at least equal to Houston when it comes to vegetarian/vegan fare. So tell me if you're vegan/vegetarian and tell me where you eat.
I'm not a vegetarian but the The Hobbit Hole on richmond is really good. Large selection of veg. dishes and stuff for carnivores like myself. ....this is the last time I answer a food thread. I've been dieting since November and still need 20lbs before I hit single digit body fat.
Indian food, Thai food, and Italian food. There are a lot of items at those places where you can get good vegetarian food. Thai restaurants can make pretty much any of their chicken dishes with tofu.
Soupersalad is great if I want to drop $5 on a plate of lettuce. The Hobbit Hole's okay for spending $7 on an incredibly bland hunk of crumbly soy on a bun with a side of Ruffles. Or, if you eat cheese (I don't), you can get some nachos or something I guess. But the Hobbit Hole's a great example of Houstonian vegetarian fare -- fairly sucky, completely unimaginative food at a moderate price. There used to be a few okay veg restaurants in Houston. Thai Spice Vegetarian was very good but went out of business. So was Naturally Yours and they folded too. A Moveable Feast was okay though way too pricey for what they served, before they moved way the hell out I-10 and gutted their menu. But they were still way better than anything I've found in Houston since. Field of Greens features a few of their old menu items at (at least) twice the price and (at best) half the flavor. I swear to god, cities 1/8 the size of Houston do way better for vegetarians. If you don't want to drive way the hell out to Tien Ren (formerly Wonderful Vegetarian) for their so-so lunch buffet or eat questionable Vietnamese food at Van Loc or Mai's (where I swear there's fish sauce in everything), you're stuck with grocery store bought veggie burgers or veggie cold cuts at places like Baba Yega or Onion Creek. Somebody please tell me there's something I'm missing.
If I remember correctly Jeff is a vegetarian and when he sees this thread he should give his two-cents. There are others on this board too.
Was just in a play with some Veggie folk...I would ask em...but I don't think they could help much as they are new to town.
Yes, and it's been in Houston for decades. Haven't been there since it moved from Shepard and West Gray, but if the food is the same, definitely worth a visit or three. No, I'm not a vegan or vegetarian... just an old hippie who lived in the area of the original way back in days of yore.
It is true that Houston's good for international fare. The problem, in restaurants that aren't specifically focused on vegetarians, is figuring out what's in the food you're eating. That's compounded for me as I'm vegan. I love Indian food but I can't trust any restaurant anywhere about what has butter in it. They say it doesn't, it does, and I'm sick for two days. For Italian food, I generally can't do better than spaghetti and marinara -- it's like Christmas if they toss in some portabella mushrooms. I mentioned Thai Spice Vegetarian in my last post -- the only truly great, truly delicious veg Thai food I've had anywhere -- but they're defunct. I've found Vietnamese food to be the best option. Van Loc's okay (especially the #175 tofu, vegetables and vermicelli once I add brocolli and the homemade jalapeno soy sauce) and the Art Car Curry at Jenni's Noodle House is good too. The tofu and vegetables and a couple other dishes at Mo Mong used to be very good, but they apparently got a new cook. The thing is, if I'm going to eat out I would really like to enjoy it and not just scrape by on steamed vegetables or a salad or pasta and tomato sauce. Every other major city in America kind of kicks ass at vegetarian food. Why does Houston suck so very, very much at it?
You were in a play? With which theater? Do I know you? I ran a theater company there for ten years before I moved.
Hobbit Hole has avocado sandwiches, steamed vegetables, one of the lamest soy burgers on the planet and a ton of melted cheese. And they win the Houston Press award for "best vegetarian" more often than not. The idea that the Hobbit Hole would be regarded as a vegetarian restaurant at all - let alone a decent one - proves my point perfectly.
Hey, I haven't been there in ages. If they aren't to your standards, it's a bummer. They certainly used to be good. If you get to Austin, try Mr. Natural.
The vegetarian menu at Hunan Village on Shepard is great. Alot of their meat immitations (actually made from tofu) taste like the real thing. I have not been to Quan Yin on Bellaire, but i have heard that the strictly vegetarian resturaunt is good. Try http://www.b4-u-eat.com/eat002.asp?Z=&A=&H=98&N=&S=N , they have alot of good information.
Sorry dude, you can't have your vegan cake and eat it too. The reason other towns have more veggie-friendly fare is that there is a market for it. There just aren't enough vegans in Houston to support a decent selection. Ethnic food is definitely your best choice. I've got a friend who grew up here who is Jain (she won't put hot pasta water down the sink because it kills bacteria, we're talking uber-veggie, though not vegan oddly enough) and maybe I can get a few hints from her about some good joints for you.
I'm sure Hobbit Hole's good for non-vegetarians. And if you're in the mood for some steamed zucchini and squash with unseasoned, boiled black beans and rice, they're tops (though I can't imagine why anyone would ever be in the mood for that). Mr. Natural is one of my favorite restaurants in the world. Austin's vegan heaven. When I lived in Houston I used to make trips just to eat the food.
Thanks for the tips. I ate at Hunan Village Shepard once and didn't really dig it, but I probably just chose wrong and forgot to go back and try it again. I should the next time I'm in town. Thanks for the reminder. I've never been to Quan Yin. Will check that too. Much appreciated.
I did move. I haven't lived in Houston for four years. But I'm still a diehard Rockets fan so I'm on clutchfans a lot. Once in a while I check the hangout and there are a few food threads here, which got me thinking about how I hadn't seen a veg-related one here in my seven years of posting and also got me thinking about how sucky the vegetarian food in Houston is. Also, I'm there a relative lot to visit friends and family or direct the occasional play, and when I am it's difficult to cook so I have an interest in finding new places to eat. I find it difficult to believe there are more vegans in Pittsburgh than in Houston, yet in Pittsburgh there is an extremely great, extremely successful vegetarian restaurant where everything can be made vegan, nothing's more than $8, you can BYOB and they even have a smoking section. For a smoking vegan like me, that's a little bit of heaven. Houston's a huge town. They have food for every conceivable sort of person. For vegans, they have lame beans and rice, pasta with tomato sauce and steamed veggies. Sorry. I don't get that. Austin's the bomb for veg food. I agree. And I agree that the only shot at a decent vegan meal in Houston is ethnic food. But as I said, I get sick as often as not from it due to being misled about the ingredients. As for your friend, it's way cool that she's into a compassionate diet, but she should really cut the dairy. Unless she's eating unpasteurized stuff (which is dangerous as hell), she's killing cows. My diet isn't totally based in ethics, but judging by your boiling water anecdote hers is, so you might suggest she do a little research on dairy and, in particular, rennet.
TreeRollins: Just checked the menu for Quan Yin as well as some reviews. I'll definitely be making a visit on my next trip to Houston. I don't know how I missed it when I lived there. Thanks for the tip. That's the sort of thing I'm looking for. Hoping for more of the same.
I'm vegetarian. I'm vegan 90% of the time as well. There is plenty to eat in Houston if you are vegan or vegetarian. You just have to know where to look. There are a few choices: Sweet Tomatoes is a good alternative to Souper Salad. They have alot of different soups, salads, breads, pasta, and other good stuff there. Lets break it down by food choice: -Thai food- Places like Nit Noi have a great vegetarian menu. There are at least 7-8 items to choose from, and there are 4 different noodle dishes you can choose from. -Chinese food- Not much in this sense, but at Westernized Chinese restaurants like PF Changs there are a few choices, such as the garlic noodles, coconut curry vegetable, eggplant dish, and ma pa tofu. -Vietnamese- most already mentioned in above posts -Middle Eastern- Some good dishes, but limited. At places like Phoenicia Deli, Droubis, Cafe Lili, Fadi's, etc.. there are dishes such as falafel, hummus, tabouli and baba gounesh. -Indian- Indian cuisine should be broken down to North Indian and South Indian since they differ drastically. North Indian food tends to have more fat in their foods as opposed to South Indian. For North Indian, some good places are Kirans, Ashiana, Indias, and Bombay Brasserie. Naan breads with side dishes such as spinach Saag Paneer or Mushroom Mataar Paneer are good choices. For South Indian there are Madras Pavillion, and Udipi Cafe. South Indian tends to have items such as dosa's and turmeric laden foods. Idlis are also good. They are like mini rice cakes. I prefer South Indian, since it is healthier food. -Italian- ehh, spaghetti, etc.. my least favorite food -American- Select menus at most places, but you can find veggie burgers at places like Beck's Prime, and Grand Lux Cafe. Cheesecake factory has an portabella mushroom burger which is decent. My friends who are non- veg love it, but I don't care for it much. -Mexican- Mexican restaurants such as Ninfa's and Silvia's Kitchen have good spinach enchiladas. Silvia's I like particularily because they make it with very low cheese, and it is a low fat item there. Also available at these places are vegetable and cheese enchiladas. -Fusion- Berryhill Baja Grill has good spinach tamales. Masala Wok- Is a Chinese- Indian fusion restaraunt that has some interesting items such as paneer (cheese) wrapped in naan bread, and some other spicier Indian influenced noodle dishes. Mayuri- Chinese- Indian fusion place as well. Has a good noodle dosa dish. Indika- Indian-Euro/Westernized food. Alot of people rave about this little place in Memorial. A good starting point if you are just getting started with Indian food. -Pizza The New York Pizzeria on Westheimer near the Galleria makes pizzas with low fat cheese. They also have a cheese-less pizza for vegans. They have some of the best pizza in town due to their organic pizza sauce. It gives a zesty flavour to the pizza. Really great place, and the people are nice. Also open till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. I can describe dishes in more detail if you you let me know which ones are of interest and which aren't. I'm on a very strict diet since I'm always in athlete training mode. I don't take any refined sugar in my diet either. Enjoy feasting.
