When diners remove meat, fish and dairy out of their diets, options can be severely limited. However, there are a variety of restaurants with vegan and vegetarian options in Lincoln.
Veteran vegetarian Josh Kramer has had more than six years to stake out Lincoln for its best vegetarian cuisine.
"In the beginning, it was difficult to find any kind of variety in local restaurants," said Kramer, a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Lincoln Public Schools administrator.
Lincoln has gotten a lot more diverse over the years, Kramer said. He is now able to rattle off an extensive list of places with good vegetarian and vegan menus in an assortment of ethnic flavors.
American
Maggie's Vegetarian Vittles, 311 N. 8th St., is the only eatery in Lincoln that is strictly vegetarian and vegan. Owner Maggie Pleskac said she opened her place in 2000 "because Lincoln needed it." Maggie's specializes in wraps, soups and vegan baked goods, using local organic ingredients all the way down to the carrot juice and homemade chai. The most popular item is the avocado melt, Pleskac said.
Most sub shops in Lincoln only offer one or two vegetarian sandwiches, but Planet Sub, 1332 P St., has a whole section devoted to meatless hoagies. Choose from 10 styles that boast a variety of veggies and cheese. Planet Sub substitutes cream cheese and salsa in lieu of mayonnaise on some of their sandwiches for a distinctive and tasty touch.
Mediterranean
Yia Yia's Pizza, Beer & Wine, 1423 0 St., is known for its thin-crust pizza and atmosphere. The restaurant caters to vegetarians and vegans with its veggie pizza, vegan pizza and the International pizza. The International gives a choice of sauce and five toppings with lots of vegan toppings to select from. Yia Yia's also keeps a variety of beers on tap and offers billiard tables by the hour.
With a lack of many Greek restaurants in town, it's comforting to know that The Parthenon, 5500 S. 56th St., features a huge menu for veg-heads as well as meat-eaters. It offers salads, sandwiches, pastas, stuffed peppers, kabobs with rice and pizza. The family-owned eatery often has Greek belly dancers and bands to entertain, as well.
Indian
The Oven, 201 N. 8th St. serves northern Indian cuisine with a diverse vegetarian menu of 14 entrées, including tofu, lots of tasty vegetables and an amazing saffron rice. The Oven also hosts live music on Sunday and Thursday nights.
Holyland Cuisine, 313 N. 27th St., is one of Lincoln's few authentic Middle Eastern restaurants. Included in its huge vegetarian menu are five soups, five appetizers, seven entrées and baklava for dessert. Holyland now has an outdoor dining area and hookah bar, as well. A hookah is a multi-stemmed water pipe for smoking substances, usually tobacco.
Far Eastern
The menu for Vietnamese eatery Nha Trang, 309 L St., includes a large vegetarian section. Lots of noodles, steamed rice, fried rice, vegetables and tofu can be found at Nha Trang.
Thai Garden, 245 N 13th St., boasts more than 20 vegetarian items, and the Blue Orchid, 29 N. 10th St., Ste. 111, is another Thai restaurant with a great vegetarian menu, Kramer said.
With this kind of list, Lincoln vegans and vegetarians should have no problem finding their next venue for eating out. callilounsbury@dailynebraskan.com
