So, these are my favorites around Columbus and my favorite things to order at them. The great thing about Columbus is that, while we might be in the humble midwest, there are ALWAYS new restaurants popping up and I've hardly scratched the surface with my list here...in fact, even just this week I learned of two new places to try. Columbus is a pretty awesome place to be vegan, honestly.
And for my fellow Columbus runners, look for a section on this page coming soon as well (at the bottom). Sorry for the random highlightings of the word "vegan"--trying to fix that.
ON TO THE LIST....
Sammiches, cheap lunch-ish restaurants:
On The Fly - Street-food style stuff (a small selection): empanada, couple of sandwiches, everything at this place is veg and usually vegan (there's been a recent debacle with them serving eggs on Sundays I think).
Whole World - a little deli/bakery featuring daily specials and always 4 kinds of vegan soup. They do a Sunday brunch that's pretty awesome, too. The whole restaurant is veg.
Cornerstone Deli - This is a great place--possibly my favorite in Columbus. They have a wrap with hot sauce tofu in it called "the herbivore," and really good bagels and at least 2 other veg sandwiches. They also have a thai curry bowl that is vegan and a teriyaki bowl (the pad thai is not vegan, even if you order without egg).
Northstar Cafe - kinda pricey but really good choices here; I think the menu @ the Clintonville location is better than the others. They have a veggie burger, veggie rice bowls, a thai burrito (order without sauce which has honey), other things. Sunday brunch menu.
Hot Dog/Burger Places:
Wunderdaug - vegan dog and brat options with a huge selection of weird toppings; I love this place for incredibly cheap food (and the owner is awesome). If you become a facebook follower there are lots of specials you can find out about.
Dirty Frank's - vegan hot dogs available; they have like 30 of the strangest hot dog topping combinations possible (all kinds of weird combinations of stuff). Also they have tater tots so you can feel like Napoleon Dynamite.
Red Robin - you can substitute a vegan boca burger for any burger (and bottomless fries. And you can feel like a normal American eating at a chain burger joint). Their guacamole is confirmed vegan as well. (Don't trust much else on the menu.)
Also Hal and Al's, listed under "bars"
Pizza:
Clever Crow Pizza - This place is inside a bar called Circus in the short north. They have the best and most unusual gourmet pizzas I've ever had (a vegan one with walnut pate and balsamic-glazed onions, for instance). They were featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.
ZPizza - worth noting because they have vegan cheese (Daiya brand). They also have soy crumbles if you're into that kind of thing.
Mellow Mushroom: located at Polaris, this place has bbq tofu and tempeh as options for pizza topping, probably don't have soy cheese... I haven't been here but keep thinking I should go try it.
Indian:
South Indian restaurants are always all vegetarian (easily modified into vegan). North Indian restaurants (the most common ones around here, it seems) will always have veg options as well. Here are the best indian restaurants for vegans:
Taj Palace - has a vegetarian buffet on Tuesday nights
Banana Leaf - If you like Indian food, this is the best place in town... you get 5 pre-appetizers at the table before you go to the buffet to eat appetizers and entrees, and with your meal you also get dessert, mango juice, and tea. More food than any person can possibly eat for a flat price of like $11 or something. And the owner is hilarious and amazing, and he insists on making sure vegans go away with dessert and happy just like everyone else. I would eat here literally every day and never get sick of it.
Udipi - South Indian food (all veg)... really good.
Thai/Vietnamese:
Bamboo Cafe - Thai/Vietnamese; this place is a little pricey but has the best green curry I've ever had. And sticky rice for dessert. Make sure to ask them to keep fish and oyster sauce out of your food, as with any thai/vietnamese place. This link has images of the menu.
Nida's Thai - a little expensive with the fancy short north snobby vibe (haha), but I've really enjoyed their curries lately. And they have some killer cocktails made with coconut milk.
Thai Orchid - good thai food, unusual ambiance (they have a pianist).
Chinese:
Ying's Tea House - Love this place... veggie tofu dumplings, a whole list of veg dishes, and veggie fried rice, and stir-fried rice noodles. And tea.
Sun Tong Luck - The owner is really obsessed with using nonhydrogenated oils and healthy eating. She knows what "vegan" means... she will even veganize her singapore noodle dish, and there are vegan spring rolls. I always feel very at home here.
Japanese/Sushi:
You can pretty much get veg sushi rolls anywhere that has sushi (avocado rolls, cucumber rolls, some combinations, etc.) Here are the places I like:
Otani - a fun place with weird 60s decor and weekend karaoke if you wanna laugh at people.
Sushiko - has half price sushi on Tuesdays after 5; you can order veggie rolls (avocado rolls, etc)
Middle Eastern:
Lavash Cafe - there's a veg sandwich and a few veg combo things like with hummus, falafel, etc, and a lentils and rice dish. Counter ordering and pretty cheap.
Mazah Eatery -This place is in Grandview. They usually have a vegan dessert option, and the usual fare like hummus, bean salad, falafel, etc..
Aladdin's is also an option but Lavash's food is better and cheaper, IMHO.
Mexican:
Cucos - mexican food; they have mushroom tacos that are very cheap, and free salsa/chips
Mad Mex - down in the Gateway area by campus, this place has a ton of veg options and even vegan sour cream/cheese. And food is half price after 10p. They also have pineapple habanero salsa. (!!!)
Chipotle - perhaps obvious, but they have veg options that come with guac at no extra charge.
Bars/Diners etc.
Starliner Diner - has a cheeseless veg pizza, a burrito, a couple of other things I think. They also have 4 kinds of hot sauce on the tables..
Tip Top - Restaurant/bar downtown that has several veg options, a vegan philly cheesesteak for instance. And whiskey drinks. I love this place.
Hal and Al's - greasy dive bar with veggie hot dogs and an all vegan menu. Fried avocado is awesome.
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For Columbus Runners:
Check out the Cbus Pacers running group, with Saturday group runs based out of Dublin, Westerville, and Pickerington locations of the Columbus Running Company store. Great people, lots of fun.
Soon I will add some good spots to run in Columbus and maybe a favorite Columbus race or two!
