Updates: Vegan Food in Restaurant Chains
Big Bowl® Chinese and Thai
With seven locations in Illinois, Minnesota, and Virginia, Big Bowl offers several vegan items on its menu as well as a stir-fry bar. The menu displays a "V" icon next to entrées that are vegetarian.
See: http://bigbowl.com/.
Based on information that we've received from this restaurant chain, here's a listing of meatless menu options without dairy or egg at Big Bowl:
- Appetizers: Vegetable Potstickers*, Vegetable Dumplings*, Steamed Edamame, Vegetable Summer Roll, and Sesame Peanut Noodles
- Salads: House Mixed Greens Salad
- Fried Rice: Vegetable Fried Rice** with Crispy Garlic Tofu
- Curries: Thai Green Vegetable Curry with Tofu
- Stir Fry Bar: Vegetables and Tofu
- Sauces: Mushroom Shanghai Ginger Garlic, Thai Green Curry, Orange Sauce, Sichuan Sauce, and Kung Pao
* = Unknown sugar processing (filling)
** = Upon special request only
Garbanzo®
Based on our multiple phone discussions and emails, we generated the following list of Garbanzo's vegan menu options (excluding raw vegetables) according to the website menu scrolling from top to bottom:
Vegan Menu Options at Garbanzo
- Pita bread* (white, wheat, gluten-free)
- Tortilla* (white)
- Falafel
- Portobello mushrooms
- Original hummus
- Seasonal hummus
- Tabbouleh salad
- Tomato cucumber salad
- Seasoned rice
- Baba ganoush
- Cilantro sauce
- Red chili sauce
- Greek vinaigrette*
- Tahini sauce
- Homemade fries
- Homemade chips
*Items contain sugar.
For information on this chain, see: http://www.eatgarbanzo.com/.
Inchin's Bamboo Garden
Inchin's restaurant chain indicates on its menus which items are vegan. For example, items they indicate as vegan are: sweet corn soup, hot and sour soup, lotus root chips, Thai curry puffs, and cauliflower Manchurian. To see a menu by location, go to: http://www.bamboo-gardens.com/menu#.
Noodles & Company®
Noodles & Company defines vegan as menu items that don't contain meat, fish, dairy, eggs or other animal products. If your definition matches theirs, try these menu items:
- Japanese Pan Noodles
- Tossed Green Side Salad with balsamic vinaigrette
- Penne Rosa without cream and cheese
- Whole Grain Tuscan Fresca without cheese
- Spaghetti with Marinara without cheese
*Dishes may contain sugar and/or wine.
Pret
On their website, Pret names these items as vegan:
- Miso Sweet Potato Banh Mi
- Asian Greens Veggie Pot
- Chipotle Corn & Avo Veggie Pot
- Chakalaka Wrap
- Asian Tofu Sushi Salad
- Turmeric Tofu Balance Box
- Mediterranean Mezze Salad
- Spicy Black Bean and Mango Wrap
- Carrot Turmeric Soup
- Almond Matcha Latte
For more information, see https://www.pret.com/en-us/not-just-for-veggies.
Starbucks®
Starbucks added a Vegan Lentils & Vegetables Protein Bowl with Brown Rice to its year-round menu in select San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City, and Washington, D.C. locations. See: https://news.starbucks.com/facts/whats-new-at-starbucks-this-summer.
The bowl features black lentils and brown rice along with butternut squash, kale, broccoli, cabbage, beets, peas and green onion along with roasted tomatoes, red bell pepper, and sunflower seeds. It is served with lemon-tahini dressing.
Subway®
Subway's US Product Ingredients Guide appears as a PDF link accessible from the right side of its Nutrition Information webpage: http://www.subway.com/en-us/menunutrition/nutrition.
Based on this Product Ingredient Guide and confirmed information from Subway, The VRG has developed this list of Subway's Vegan Bread Products:
- Hearty Italian Bread
- Italian (White) Bread
- Roasted Garlic Bread
- Sourdough Bread
- Wrap
Sweet Frog
According to Sweet Frog, they have added Dole Whip, which they say is vegan, to their offerings. Please note that sugar appears to be the first ingredient. For more information, see: http://sweetfrog.com/yogurt/flavors and http://www.dolesoftserve.com/prod-info.cfm
Thank you to Jeanne Yacoubou, MS for assistance with this research. We depend on company statements for ingredient information. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, information can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you.
