These seven tried-and-true vegan eateries offer impressive variety
How are those new year’s resolutions coming along?
As we move through the second week of January, excuses like “I’ll start tomorrow” are wearing thin, don't you think? Well, tomorrow can become today if one of your resolutions was changing, at least occasionally, how you eat.
You’ve heard about the benefits of a plant-based diet, right? (If not, Google it and you’ll have plenty to read.) Unlike just a few years ago, you can find an impressive variety of high-performing local restaurants specializing in vegan and vegetarian fare nowadays. As a longtime dining adventurer, I’ve visited — and written about — most of them.
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Last week, I reported on a little Hilliard charmer I’d happily recommend to anyone, Off Center: Patio & Pub. It serves meat-free Puerto Rican food and New York-style pizzas. This got me thinking that New Year’s resolutionists might enjoy a list of other can’t-miss places offering tried-and-true vegan delights that range from pub grub and gyros to haute cuisine, General Tso’s, Ethiopian food, soul food and even milkshakes.
Woodhouse Vegan Cafe
851 N. 4th St. (614-400-9127), woodhousevegan.com
“It has the taste and texture of the comfort food you grew up eating, but it's all vegan,” is how Cara Woodhouse described what she and her mother and sisters were offering at a pop-up in Oddfellows Liquor Bar. We had that conversation six years ago. In 2019, the pioneering vegan restaurateurs opened the hip and more ambitious Woodhouse Vegan Cafe in Italian Village. You can still get Woodhouse’s irresistible OG loaded nachos and chili there, but also smoked pesto pasta and the must-order West African-style peanut stew.
Seitan's Realm
3496 N. High St. (614-230-2889), seitansrealm.com
You need not worship seitan — the gluten-based meat substitute pronounced say-tan — to enjoy the spicy wings, jalapeno poppers, Arby's-style sandwiches and loaded fries skillfully prepared to vegan specifications at Seitan’s Realm in Clintonville. Say, ”Hail Seitan!” when entering the entertainingly irreverent shop, though, and you’ll get a laugh. You'll have the last laugh after inhaling a mammoth slab of dense, moist and delicious chocolate devil’s food cake for dessert.
Zammy's Vegan Kitchen
1155 Worthington Woods Blvd. (614-505-0407), zammysvegan.com
This tiny, relatively new, to-go-oriented eatery in a strip mall near Worthington generates a soothing impression with warm-and-friendly service, swimming-pool-blue paint and smile-inducing photos of pooches. More smiles are generated by superlative vegan gyros that taste even better with Zammy’s excellent house-made chips or fries. Other highlights: “chick’n” wings; a massive, attractive and idiosyncratic Cobb salad; not-messing-around cookies; and milkshakes created with house-made oat-milk ice cream.
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Willowbeez SoulVeg
59 Spruce St., in North Market (614-678-6067), willowbeezsoulveg.com
The boldly flavored soul food prepared by this family-run, super-friendly North Market stall might be hard to describe, but it’s easy to love. Highlights include smoked paprika-enhanced “cheesy” grits and curried cabbage; the killer Rich Boi — a po’ boy riff made with battered-and-fried oyster mushrooms; and No Fish Fry — cornmeal-crusted banana blossom “fillets” served with tangy remoulade, addictive fries and zesty slaw.
Ye's Asian Vegan Restaurant
2469 Hilliard-Rome Road (614-850-1888), yeasianvegan.com
Ye’s in Hilliard cleverly showcases pan-Asian favorites already popular with many Midwestern palates. But Ye’s prepares them with more fresh vegetables and without animal-based products. General Tso’s, kung pao, Singapore rice noodles, pan-fried gyoza (Japanese-style dumplings), Sichuan-style string beans and the highly recommended Malaysian coconut curry — they’re all here and they’re all good. Note: Ye’s recently reopened its spare little dining room and bar.
Nile Vegan
Multiple locations, nilevegan.com
The colorful, healthy, hearty, zesty and delicious Ethiopian stews made with veggies and lentils are approachable even to novices of the cuisine at these welcoming and inexpensive Ethiopian restaurants (the original tiny Nile borders the Ohio State campus; a newer, less spartan Nile resides in Grandview Heights). Combo platters starring saucy and delicious chickpeas or tomatoey and “meaty” mushrooms or curried split peas are the way to go; all are presented atop appealingly tart, compellingly sponge-like injera (gluten-free flatbread made of fermented teff, a nutritious ancient grain), along with righteous sides like garlicky beans, curried root vegetables and greens.
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Comune
677 Parsons Ave. (614-947-1012), comune-restaurant.com
The menu changes seasonally at Comune, but one thing remains constant: It’s among the most stylish, creative and sophisticated restaurants in Columbus bar none. Chef Matt Harper’s experience at Southern all-star Empire State South in Atlanta (owned by James Beard Award-winning chef Hugh Acheson) and Zahav, an elite Israeli/Middle Eastern restaurant in Philadelphia (a “Best Restaurant in the Country” James Beard Award-winner) are evident in Harper’s innovative and wildly eclectic (if Mediterranean-informed) vegetarian dishes. Stark and arty Comune offers inspired cocktails and an all-natural wine list, too.