While most modern restaurants offer a separate vegan menu or even include vegan items on their regular menus, there are still those hold-outs that don’t bother to include the philosophy in their cuisine. If you’re a vegan traveling in Vegas, for example, you might find that you have a hard time locating quality food that fits your dietary preferences. Here are five tips for the vegan traveler in Las Vegas.
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask The Locals
Who knows their city better than the people that live there, right? While talking to strangers can seem strange at first, it’s really one of the best ways to get to know a new city. If you’re looking for specific accommodations, such as vegan cuisine, consulting the locals can sometimes be an even better approach than say, a Google search.
Locals often know details about restaurants and shops that may not be listed or online or that are very vague elsewhere. If you’re not sure about something, be sure to ask someone. If you’re not comfortable asking the average person on the street, you can ask the local authorities or a tour guide, if you have one. If you take a Taxi or an Uber while you’re in town, talk to the driver about where the best vegan cuisine is or which restaurants offer it on their menus.
Do You Research Beforehand
As with any trip, planning ahead is always the best way to make the most out of your experience. If you have specific dietary preferences, it’s even more important to research the city you’re visiting beforehand, since you may need to seek out specific restaurants to patronize.
Yelp!, Google, Facebook, and OpenTable are excellent resources for researching not only the restaurant’s menu beforehand but also customer reviews. You want to make sure that you’re getting the food you’re looking for, but also that the customer service of the establishment isn’t subpar. After all, you’re supposed to enjoy your travels, right? Nothing can ruin an experience like bad customer service.
A favorite Henderson Mexican Restaurant is Borracha Mexican Cantina in Henderson, NV, just outside of Las Vegas, offers an excellent vegan section on their menu, including everything from plain nachos and a veggie quesadilla to roasted veggie tacos and burritos.
Check Out Vegan Blogs and Websites
Las Vegas actually has dozens of vegan restaurants, which you can find in-depth information about on vegan blogs and websites such as Vegansbaby.com, which has listed several of these restaurants, with descriptions about the ambiance, menu, and overall expectations of the establishment(s).
The authors even include the restaurants’ locations. With in-depth reviews, you’re sure to find the right experience that you’re looking for, as well as food to match your preferences and tastes.
Watch Your Budget
Las Vegas is notorious for a lot of things, one of them being prices. Eating can be expensive in the city of sin, with a single meal in some places running up a bill of almost $100 per person. It’s important to remember that just because a restaurant is vegan or offers vegan options, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s cheap.
Black Out is a unique dining experience where patrons are left to eat in the dark. Offering vegan food; but with the added ambiance and overall experience of the place, you’re going to pay in upwards of $60 for a meal. If you’re looking for something different though, this may just be what you need.
On the other end of the spectrum, Chef Kenny’s Vegan Asian Restaurant is an establishment with extremely reasonable prices. Lunch specials from 11-3 pm will run you only about $8-15. The mock meats offered here are said to be so good they’ll fool even the most ardent meat eaters.
When you set your travel budget, be sure to include your meal plan, and always leave a little flexibility so that you can try new things. Las Vegas has literally dozens of vegan restaurants and menus, giving you endless options for every meal and every budget. Finding one that fits your budget is easy as long as you’ve done your research.
Take A Guidebook
You may not always have access to a cell phone or internet connection during your travels. This is when a good old-fashioned guidebook comes in handy. These little books contain all the information you need on dining and entertainment in the city, and even come with pull out maps or other extras.
They are small enough to fit in your pocket, or if you really want, you can get the bigger one. Just remember, you’ll have to carry it around, and if you’re taking a plane, the book may become extra baggage.
Be sure to pick a guidebook that includes vegan restaurants and destinations, and be sure to double check any places you’re unsure of. A simple phone call can save you a trip (which can add up when you’re traveling).
Conclusion
Veganism has grown immensely and is now integrated into our very culture, making it a popular lifestyle choice and therefore more options for vegans have developed over the years. Vegas has plenty of vegan restaurants to choose from, and with a little extra preparation and research, and maybe even some help from the locals, you should have no trouble finding exactly what you need.