I am more and more food-snobby every day. To be honest, I don't even like most fast food anymore. But because most fast food restaurants can only provide me with ice cream and french fries as vegetarian options anyway, this works out pretty much all right. Fortunately, there are some nationwide restaurant chains that do have really good veggie offerings.
Planet Sub (www.planetsub.com/locations.jsp)
This isn't completely nationwide, but I love it so much that I could eat there every day. Not that I would, but I could if I could afford it! They have more vegetarian sandwich options than any chain I know of, and they're all amazing. And I love that the first one (a Yello Sub) was in Lawrence, Kan.
Panera (www.panerabread.com/cafes/find.php)
My husband and I eat at Panera disproportionately often. I almost always get a Mediterranean veggie sandwich, sub whole-grain bread, with half a salad or broccoli cheese soup. The broccoli cheese soup isn't quite vegetarian, but I love it too much to give it up. They do have a couple vegetarian soups that are pretty good, though. There's also a tomato-mozzarella panini, but I've never tried it. If I'm not very hungry, I'm happy with a fruit smoothie and a bagel.
Noodles & Co. (www.noodles.com/locations)
This place has TONS of veggie options, and you can choose to add organic tofu to just about anything. They have vegetarian pastas, soups, salads, appetizers and sandwiches. But they have so many meat-containing options that I can go here with just about anyone, and everyone's happy.
Pei Wei (www.peiwei.com/locations)
This is one of my favorite Asian restaurants, and definitely my favorite nationwide Asian chain. Lots of meatless and tofu-containing options, all of which are clearly marked on the menu. Huge portions, so I always plan on taking home half.
Chipotle (www.chipotle.com/en-us/find/find.aspx)
I probably like Chipotle less than anyone I know, but I'm always up for it if someone else suggests it. The nice thing is that everything is made-to-order in front of you, so you can be as vegan, vegetarian or carnivorous as you like. If you're worried about the often-high calorie counts, go for a Bol and pass on sour cream, guacamole and cheese. Personally, I pick one of the three and pass on the other two.
Thanks for everyone's suggestions on Kansas City-area vegetarian spots! Share your favorite chain here as well. I will say that Burger King has a veggie burger, but I'm just not very excited about it.
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2 comments:
I do have three fast food joints I'll hit up in a pinch:
Sonic - because they serve eggs ALL day, and you can order their breakfast sandwiches with just the egg and cheese. I'm also addicted to their tator tots. No real vegan options here, though.
Buger King - for the veggie burger you mentioned, but more so for the fries are pretty darn good too (can you tell I just love fried potatoes). Again, no real vegan option here.
Taco Bell - for bean burritos & 7-layer burritos (minus sour cream because I don't enjoy that so much). Vegkc.com also claims that ordering a taco with beans instead of meat and asking for fresco style provides a vegan option. I don't think anything coming out of a fast food restaurant could truly be vegan, but it's a possible option if you're in a hurry.
My husband and I also frequent Panera quite a bit. Most Saturday lunches are from there, actually. The tomato and mozzarella panini is my most recent "usual."
Never tried Pei Wei. Thanks for the tip!
Striking, I love french fries just about anywhere!
Although I'm not a Taco Bell fan, they do have a decent potato burrito, and I like bean burritos or pintos and cheese. My husband loves the place, so if he really wants fast food, it's always an option.
I love Sonic, and it never occurred to me to order their breakfast items meatless. I'll have to try that!
Pei Wei is great for veggie and non-veg!
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