(USA) Columbia, South Carolina, Vegan Connection

[Guest guest]

Check out this website as a great way to organize vegetarians who are

unlikely to ever attend a local group event.

==============================================

 

 

http://sbvdesigns.com/veg/

 

Welcome to the Columbia, South Carolina, Vegan Connection, where

vegetarians living in South Carolina (and elsewhere) can get information

and get in touch with other vegans.

 

Your Hometown Connection?

 

The Vegan Connection is in the process of expanding.

If you would like to see your hometown's vegan options featured on this

website or if you would like to contribute information for your hometown,

please email vegan.

We especially need people from smaller cities that aren't often included in

vegetarian restaurant listings.

 

Vegan Choices in Columbia Restaurants

 

This is a very subjective list of my family's favorite restaurants, as well

as a few others that don't qualify as favorites but which do have vegan and

vegetarian options. Please email me with the names of places that you'd

like to see listed.

 

For information on chain restaurants, see Vegan Menu Items at Fast Food

Restaurants, Part 1 and Part 2.

 

Personal

Favorites:

 

I Tal Island Restaurant, Caribbean and Vegetarian Cuisine, 1513 Lyon

Street, (803)799-4396. A new favorite! Choose from a selection of tofu

dishes: Jerk Tofu, Teriyaki Tofu, Curry Tofu, Thai Tofu, and others. Then

choose 2 vegetables from a list of about 8. My favorites so far are the

Teriyaki and the Thai tofus and the curried potatoes and the stir-fried

corn. They have a way with vegetables! It's a small restaurant but you

won't be sorry you went. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM.

 

M Café Asian Grille and Espresso Bar, 1417 Sumter Street, (803)799-5788.

Another new favorite. Several vegan options, including a grilled tofu

kabob. Great atmosphere.

 

Bamboo Garden Vegetarian Chinese Gourmet, 275 Harbison Blvd, (803)

749-1524. Specializes in vegetarian " meats " . Has an extensive vegetarian

selection, and anything else on the menu can be prepared without meat. I

personally thought the General Tso's Mock Chicken and the Empress " Duck "

were terrific, the Tofu Family Style and Ma Po Tofu were good, and the

Tieban Tofu and Trinity were almost tasteless. Check out the vegetarian

sections of their menu here.

 

O-Bok Restaurant, 1616 Decker Blvd. Excellent Korean food. Try the

vegetable Bi Bim Bob, and if you're a vegan, ask them to hold the egg. They

will also leave the meat out of any of their stews, a few of which are made

with a bean paste base (instead of meat broth). Each meal comes with many

small side dishes, and you might want to tell them ahead of time if you

don't eat fish (so you don't have to send back the little minnow-looking

things).

 

The Orient, 1735 Decker Blvd. A great selection of vegetarian dishes is on

the menu. Plus, there are daily specials that make use of seasonal produce.

Our favorites are the Eggplant in Garlic Sauce and the Tofu with Black Bean

Sauce.

 

Yesterdays, 2030 Devine Street. Has always had vegetarian side dishes, and

now has added a black bean burger as well as a few Tex-Mex dishes that

probably could be prepared without cheese. And best of all, they actually

have a burger that's labeled " vegan " on the menu! (That's the first time

I've seen that word on a Columbia main-stream restaurant menu.)

 

The Basil Pot, 928 Main Street. I can't imagine that there's a vegetarian

in Columbia that doesn't know about The Basil Pot, our only health-food

restaurant. There are plenty of vegetarian dishes, and vegans can ask that

cheese be held on most items. Ask, though, to make sure that dishes are

vegan. I ate the sautéed breakfast potatoes for ages before I found out

they're sautéed in butter.

 

Rosewood Market and Deli, 2803 Rosewood Drive. Like the Basil Pot, an

essential spot for the vegetarian. The deli is filled with vegan and

macrobiotic selections, and there are daily specials for lunch and dinner

(except Sunday).

 

Eggroll Chen, 715 Crowson Road. Okay, you're tired and you don't feel like

cooking or waiting a long time for take-out. This place is fast! Try the

Monk's Choice or the Vegetable Lo Mein. They'll even cook it without oil if

you ask.

 

Monterrey Jack's, 733 Santee. Mexican. Has a pretty good vegetarian section

on the menu, and they'll leave off sour cream and cheese on most dishes if

you ask. Or order bean burritos and guacamole tacos from the combination

plate section.

 

Honorable Mentions (some of these

we just don't use often enough to call them favorites):

 

Miyos, 922 Main Street. Good vegetarian selection, small portions, noisy

atmosphere at lunch time.

 

Pepperland, 551 St. Andrews Rd. Very accommodating. If we lived on that

side of town, we'd become regulars.

 

Asian Star, Sumter Street. Has a good lunch buffet that has vegetarian dishes.

 

El Menchaca, 3024 Two Notch Road. Been there once, and it was okay. Other

people seem to like it, though the atmosphere is unappealing.

 

The Mediterranean Tea Room, Devine Street. Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Tabouli,

and other Middle-Eastern dishes. If we didn't make these at home so easily,

we'd probably eat at the Mediterranean Tea Room more often.

 

India Pavilion, 2011 Devine. Vegetarians should love this place, but vegans

beware: they use ghee (clarified butter) in all the main dishes.