
Atlanta has thousands of restaurants that cater to all types of individuals. Even though this is the case, it is difficult to find a good vegetarian or vegan restaurant in the city. There are plenty of restaurants that have a vegetarian menu but these restaurants also serve meat and dairy products. There are not many restaurants that cater to the strict vegetarian or vegan who wants to dine out for a night in a restaurant that caters to their lifestyle. The concept of prepared meal delivery is not quite common in this area, which is why, people look for dine out restaurants.
One reason why this is the case is because Atlanta is in the south. In the south, people like meat. Ribs, chicken and steak are what people love to eat in the south and restaurants are in business to make money. It is easier to just sell what people want instead of trying to convince people to live a healthy lifestyle.
Another reason is because vegetarians and vegans are careful eaters. It is not so easy to build a restaurant around careful eaters. In your average restaurant, patrons do not ask many questions about the ingredients in the food. Vegetarians and vegans are not like this. They ask questions. They want to know what ingredients are in the food and what type of oils are being used to cook the food. It is a lot easier to open up a restaurant with a vegetarian menu than a restaurant that serves vegetarian and vegan foods exclusively.
Even with these issues, there are still great vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the city of Atlanta. Most of these restaurants offer casual dining in a comfortable setting. The following list contains the top 5 vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Atlanta.
- Café Sunflower – Sandy Springs – 5975 Roswell Rd, Atlanta, GA 30328 – Many people would say this is hands down the best vegetarian restaurant in Atlanta. The Sandy Springs location has a nice ambience and great service. The food is great. Do not go in here expecting bland vegetarian food because you will be surprised. It is just as good as any other restaurant without the meat. By the way, meat lovers are known tolike this place also.
There is plenty of parking available. They are open 6 days a week and closed on Sundays. For the vegan, the Stuffed Mushrooms would be a good choice. For the vegetarian, the Garden Lasagna would be a good item to try from the menu.
- World Peace Café – 220 Hammond Dr NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328 – This vegetarian restaurant is ran and operated by volunteers who live the Buddhist lifestyle. So they are not just chefs preparing meals, they actually live the experience they bring to you. This restaurant is open for breakfast at 7am and they serve it all day. They have organic coffee from a family operated plantation. If this wasn’t enough, they have biodegradable take-out packaging and corn-based eating utensils. They really do live the life.
Their menu consists of vegan and vegetarian foods. For $4.99 you can have ½ a sandwich and either the soup of your choice, a side salad or potato wedges. A great sandwich to try would be The Full Veggie Sandwich with avocado, tomato and sprouts with rosemary or vegan mayo. You can also enjoy their signature dish, The Classic Peace Burger with Roasted Potato Wedges.
- Lov’n It Live – 2796 East Point Street, East Point, Georgia 30344 – This restaurant caters to vegans more than anyone else. They specialize in making dishes out of raw, natural foods. No byproducts or tofu are used as ingredients in this restaurant. Everything is 100% organic and made fresh daily. Recommended dishes would be the Slice of Pizza made with Pine Nut Cheese and the Mock Chicken Strips made with Portabella Mushroom and Pistachio Butter
Lov’n It Live is located in downtown East Point just minutes away from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Sometimes, live music and poetry is featured, depending on the day. Parking is available.
- Soul Vegetarian Restaurant – 879 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30310 – Along with Café Sunflower, Soul Vegetarian is probably the most popular vegetarian restaurant in Atlanta. They have been around since 1986. Everything they serve has been known to be very tasty and full of flavor. The atmosphere is cozy and casual but not too fancy. The staff is pleasant and food is served in a timely manner.
They have many signature food items. One recommended item would be the Macaroni and Cheese made with Soy Cheese. Another recommended item would be the Vegetarian Pizza. The best dessert they have on the menu is their Banana Pudding topped with Butter Pecan Soy Ice Cream. This dessert has been given rave reviews by people who would not normally eat banana pudding. They are open 7 days/week. Parking is available across the street.
- Green Sprout – 1529 Piedmont Ave, Atlanta, GA 30324 – Green Sprout is a Vegetarian Chinese restaurant located in Midtown Atlanta. It is located across the street from the ever so popular Ansley Mall. It is a decent sized restaurant that offers a cozy, casual atmosphere. Parking is available and they are open every day except for Wednesdays.
Their menu resembles your typical Chinese food style menu with Fried Rice, Moo Goo Gai Pan and General Tso’s Chicken. However, none of their meat products are actually meat. They are made from potatoes, flour and other non-meat products. Some of their dishes contain eggs but they will remove them at your request. The food is very flavorful and is not bland at all. This is a great restaurant that gets rave reviews from vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.