What are your favorite *restaurants*? (perhaps vegan, large portion sizes, tasty, EVOO, low-heat/raw, high-spice, and finding a way to put taste into low-calorie veggies)

[Alex K Chen]

USUALLY I can find at least one option at most places simply b/c of the house salad option, though I usually use grocery stores as fast food if possible

I was once taken to one in Baltimore that was very impressive. It had an abundance of the delicious kind of raw veggies (not just house salads, though house salads are at least acceptable). I used to like subway salads, although they are basically the equivalent of a house salad (and they've now become very expensive).

Also, Andy’s in Rye, NY is what livingthecrway person often visits

Indochine Vegan in SF is nice...

An issue is that when restaurants (or Effective Altruism events, or the dining halls of elite private universities) often fry their vegetables and make them delicious. It’s unclear how bad fried vegetables are on net, and because I repress my diet in so many other ways, I unload my repression on fried vegetables and nuts, if readily available… (even if raw vegetables are also alternatives). Effective Altruists are often vegan *and* have found ways to make vegan food really delicious.

I know loads of veg*n restaurants, and am usually not super-impressed often because they don't use the healthiest cooking methods.

[I know of many veg*n restaurants like Clover, and am not super-impressed with them). Grasshopper restaurant in Boston baits me harder. It once had a weekly buffet. Life Alive caterers don't get confused when you ask to remove all grains from the order (it shows on the receipt too) which is nice. I often order from Grainmaker Somerville but they do fry their food and recently noticed just how much they fried their tofu..

Casa de Luiz in Austin is notoriously "good" (doesn't use seed oils). And rare (even Nick Cammarata said that most restaurants don't work well with people's bodies, and Nick Cammarata is longevity-indifferent)

There are some miso soup places. Miso is often the cheapest option (and ridiculously healthy). I found one in Boston I frequent A LOT b/c it's cheap enough (and they serve it in a metal bowl upon request).

Chipotle DOES give you the option to replace both beans and rice with other sides (like fajitas, though fajitas are roasted..) Also the option to just order tomatoes and salad (when I ate out with Dan Dascalescu, that one just cost like $2, tho they normally charge full price for such orders these days)

https://enroute.aircanada.com/en/food-and-drink/vegetarian-taiwan/

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Other restaurant experiences

Omg in Jan 2024 I once went to this one where they fried/shaped the artichokes so much to taste like chicken. Others ended up eating it and I had the house salad, but I found that.. interesting..

Edited May 29 by Alex K Chen

[mccoy]

My favorite restaurants are not restaurants, but rather cafeteria-like services, often found along highways, which have an amount of food already available. Many of'em have a wide choice of cooked vegetables and salads and sometimes I'm barely able to eat what's in the dish.

I really dislike traditional restaurants where you have to wait, unless the wait is part of the game, like in marriages or celebrations.

[Alex K Chen]

What's an example?

I remember one of those at an army base south of Tacoma.

[mccoy]

This is my favorite along highways

 

 

[Alex K Chen]

Indochine Vegan in the mission

 

[Jim Pearce]

Apple cider vinegar for people who want to eat more collard greens and broccoli. 

I don't really dislike either, but if I spritz them with some apple cider vinegar it's a lot easier for me to eat more of them. Especially since I stopped using salt.

I rarely eat away from home. So rarely that when I do, I go ahead and have an all out cheat good time of it. Why not? It only happens once or twice every couple years.

Edited November 20 by Jim Pearce

[Saul]

Umai is a local restaurant here in Rochester:  Great for sashimi, extremely fresh, sold Toyo style (partially using robots.  Great for kids)

[drewab]

Like many other members of this forum, I rarely eat out but have figured out a way to follow a healthy lifestyle while still occasionally going out for meals. Nowadays it is easy to find something that can be customized to be relatively CR/WFPB friendly. When I do venture out, one of my local favourites is a Canadian place called https://kbandcompany.com/ - I've been to several of their locations and every one of them is exceptionally high quality. 

In addition to having wonderful food that is relatively SOS free, the vibe is phenomenal. There is a very health conscious crowd that is typically very much into health and wellness. 

[Saul]

I like raw sashimi, from a local restaurant called Umai.  I eat it rarely.

But, I daily eat for lunch a huge vegan salad that is made up for me at my local Wegman's supermarket in Rochester, NY.  I'm too lazy to list all the ingredients.   This is basically mostly everything I eat daily -- except that I eat a breakfast of 1lb raw Nappa cabbage, plus a huge pot of carefully brewed Chinese white tea (Pau Mu Tan).

  --  Saul