Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or just prefer eating a plant-based diet, finding nourishing and delicious meals when out to eat can seem impossible. While most restaurants offer your everyday salad, plain pasta, fries, or, if you dare, a questionable veggie burger, these options often don’t satisfy your hunger or check all the boxes for a balanced meal. These four meat-free dishes are the crème de la créme of entertaining your taste buds.
Balsamic Bowl at Eats Meets West Bowls ($19)
Eats Meets West Bowls offers a convenient grab and go satisfying lunch in downtown Redwood City. Their bowls include a base of fresh ingredients, customizable for any dietary preferences, and, while delicious alone, are truly amazing with the dressings. Each bowl comes with a harmonizing set of sauces with Indian and Panamanian fused flavors that hit any flavor craving. The blissful balsamic bowl with a balsamic vinaigrette, cilantro-garlic, and yogurt dressings on top of brown rice, greens, chickpeas, and veggies is the one to get for a refreshing pick-me-up type of meal.
Edamame Dumplings at True Food Kitchen ($14.95)
Located in the Stanford Shopping Center, True Food Kitchen promises nutrition that tastes good through whole, real foods, seed oil-free cooking, and healthy drink choices. The kitchen delivers this with the edamame dumplings, made with white truffle oil, dashi, Thai basil, and sesame seeds. The dumplings are addictive. The flavors are bright and citrusy, and the broth’s saltiness nicely contrasts with the basil. It works as a light and satisfying bite or a great starter to share at the table.
Daal Makhani at Tilak Indian Cuisine ($17.95)
Downtown Menlo Park’s Tilak Indian Cuisine has a wide selection of authentic and flavorful vegetarian meals. It’s the perfect restaurant for group dinners, as dietary preferences won’t get in the way of eating a full meal. The Daal Makhani, a comforting and hearty dish with buttery whole black lentils and kidney beans cooked to a creamy perfection, is the standout of the establishment’s vegetarian offerings.
Caprese Sandwich at Delucchi’s Market ($14.99)
Tucked away in the back of the store, the deli section at Delucchi’s Market serves hidden-gem sandwiches. The caprese sandwich is a simple vegetarian bite that delivers exactly what it needs to. Grilled on a Semifreddi’s baguette and packed with tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, and balanced olive oil and balsamic vinegar, it’s perfect to pick up while grocery shopping for an easy lunch with leftovers for the next day.
