Vegan-Friendly Options in Lincoln
Try ramen reimagined at AmuManu Ramen PC: Kayla Potts
Everyone enjoys spending time with friends and going out to eat, but sometimes narrowing down a restaurant that everyone can agree on can be difficult, especially for those eating vegan and wanting more options than just salads. Luckily, there are several places in Lincoln that provide many delicious vegan options that are just as good, if not better, than the non-vegan ones.
Although pizza usually isn’t the first food to come to mind when thinking of a vegan dish, it can still be an option. At Mellow Mushroom, you can order your pizza with vegan cheese and specify vegan crust or gluten free as well. In addition to their meat toppings, they also have tofu, tempeh, and a wide variety of vegetable toppings as well, including avocado, caramelized onions, portobello mushrooms, and sun-dried roasted tomatoes. With pizza, soup, calzones, and salads, there’s sure to be something for everyone to enjoy.
AmuManu Ramen Bar is another place that has options for both vegan and meat-eaters alike. The small downtown restaurant is a favorite of many students; their reasonable prices and delicious options makes it easy to see why. Some of their vegan options include spicy vegetable miso, vegetable dumplings, and vegetable shoyu. There are also rice noodles available for those who are gluten free as well. Many customers also enjoy their homemade cucumber lemonade with their meal. Although the ramen is pricier than the instant microwavable packets students are familiar with, the taste is definitely worth it.
High Vibe Cafe is known for their juices and acai bowls. Unlike the other places in this article, High Vibe Cafe has no tables or seating, only an area to order and a pick-up window. The grab-and-go style of their cafe is perfect for grabbing a quick and nutritious snack. Their juices contain only fruit and/or vegetables and a small amount of coconut water. They also sell oatmeal bowls with your choice of toppings.
Issara Modern Asian Cuisine was started by the owners and managers of Blue Orchid when they wanted to offer more than just Thai food. At Issara, they offer Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai options to choose from. Although their dinner menu is pricier, many of the dishes on their lunch menu can be purchased for under $12. They offer many vegetarian options that can easily be made vegan, including one of their desserts: sticky rice with mango. They suggest that when visiting, to inform their servers and they can can help make suggestions to help you get a wonderful vegan meal. Some of their vegetarian options include tom yum soup, green curry fried rice, pad thai, and khao soi.
Amanda McCarter is a junior studying biomedical science.