[HOT LIST] A Veg-Head's Guide to Everyday Dining

Seva "BLT." All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

The majority of what we eat on a daily basis is technically "vegetarian" - we just don't call it that. See, that word has become wrought with certain unsavory implications. In the meatatarian's mind, "vegetarian" = Someone Who Passes Judgment on Those Who Do Not Share Same Self-Imposed Dietary Restrictions. The meatatarians, fearing what they do not understand, mock the veg-heads, and the veg-heads in turn become excruciatingly defensive - thus completing a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy.

Fact of the matter is, you're not shoveling pork belly down your gullet every time you open your mouth. Maybe in the morning you have toast with jam (vegan!) and for lunch a hearty salad with walnuts and bleu cheese (vegetarian!) and maybe you snack on fruit or veggies or nuts throughout the day (vegan!) and then for dinner you try one of the new Neapolitan-style pizzerias and order the Margherita pizza (vegetarian!). Perhaps at no point during this day did you make a conscientious effort to not eat any meat; does this now make you a tedious preachy vegetarian? Of course not. So knock it off and eat your vegetables.

Smoothies at Seva.

The Detroit Free Press published their recommendations for "delicious plant-based meals" (vegetarian ... the word they seek is vegetarian) just in time for Earth Day last week. It is a top 7 list of The Most Obvious Vegetarian Restaurants in Metro Detroit. Not that there's anything wrong with Seva, or Cacao Tree, or Inn Season Cafe, or with being obvious. But for seasoned lovers of delicious plant-based meals this list is seriously lacking.

The following list is not the usual "top 5" Hot List. This is a much more comprehensive list of places, both familiar and unexpected, that have plenty of veg-friendly offerings for both veggiemites and meatheads to reference (some appear more than once in different categories). It is with the utmost gratitude and worshipful accolades that I thank Vanessa Miller, uber-talented Detroit photographer and overall amazing woman, for taking the time to draft an exhaustive list of local veg-friendly restaurants with notes for me to share. The bulk of this was her doing. She had this to say:

So I might as well admit it, I love food, I am also a strict vegetarian who had a stint in the gluten free world, dating a vegan. I don't believe all that 'you cannot be a foodie if you are vegetarian/vegan' bs. because despite all of these 'obstacles' I am one! However... I will admit that it can be frustrating trying to find delicious veg/vegan food in Detroit. Of course we can eat anywhere… how many salads and plates of fries have we begrudgingly eaten while we longed for more? Well I have scoured the Detroit area and other parts of the country looking for non-salad veg/vegan food and I think I have a pretty good list. This is dedicated to the Vegan/Veg out there who is tired of eating only salads and looking for great date spots, late night greasy noms, hangover best brunches, and great lunch meeting venues (i've even included some fast food advice). Most of these locations will even satisfy the most blood thirsty of our carnivore friends and family… so you vegetable haters out there can use this list to prove how culturally aware and sensitive you have become while keeping your blood lust at bay.

The Obvious
These places are the no-brainers.

Cacao Tree Cafe (Royal Oak)
Cass Cafe (Midtown)
Earthern Jar (Ann Arbor) - a mostly-vegan buffet for $5.99/lb.
Inn Season Cafe (Royal Oak)
Om Cafe (Ferndale)
The Raw Cafe (Midtown)
Seva (Ann Arbor, Detroit) - described by Vanessa as "a godsend," this is the one place that could easily convert any meathead

Pizza

Vegetarian pizza? You betcha. Skip all the heavy meats and enjoy the lighter side of pizza, which is actually a very healthy dish in its simplest form. Neapolitan-style pizzerias will often use a light, fresh tomato sauce or olive oil as a base and top it with healthful, flavorful ingredients like Roma tomatoes, garlic, basil and exotic mushrooms - often infinitely more delicious than their greasy gut-bomb counterparts (said the biggest pizza purist you know - me).

Amici's Pizza (Berkley) - vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free pizzas
Buddy's Pizza (various locations) - vegan cheese and gluten-free pizzas
Cellar 849 Pizza e Vino (Plymouth) - Michigan's first certified Neapolitan pizza made with the highest-quality, freshest ingredients and exceptional veg/vegan appetizers and salads in addition to exquisite veg and vegan 'za.
Jerusalem Pizza (Southfield) - a kosher pizza place with an awesome selection of vegan meats and even coney dogs!
Mani Osteria (Ann Arbor) - selections of vegetarian appetizers like roasted olives, pickled tomates, ceci beans and lentils and burrata; also a great selection of wood-fired Neapolitan-style meatless pizzas.
Pizzeria Biga (Royal Oak) - start with wood-roasted sweet potatoes, Tuscan French fries or assorted marinated and wood-roasted olives; perhaps try one of their naturally vegan and gluten-free salads; then sample their signature all-natural biga fermentation dough (which can also be made with whole wheat or gluten-free) with an assortment of vegetarian and even vegan options.
Supino Pizzeria (Eastern Market) - plenty of all-veg 'zas and make them vegan by asking for no cheese
Woodbridge Pub (Detroit) - wide selection of vegetarian and vegan items on the menu like the "Pho Philly;" Sundays feature Pi-Sci with an great selection of vegan/vegetarian pizzas

Sandwiches, Burgers and Sliders

Avalon International Breads (Midtown) - vegan Mama Mia Focaccia
Cafe DIA (Detroit) - awesome salad bar and vegetarian/vegan choices of sandwiches and burgers
Goodwell's Natural Foods Market (Midtown) - pocket sandwiches and samosas
Green Dot Stables (Corktown) - vegetarian sliders
Honest?John's (Midtown) - lots of vegetarian sandwiches like the Veggie Eastsider and the Vegan Black Bean Burger 
Motz's Burgers (Southwest Detroit) - veggie slider (cash only)
Russell Street Deli (Eastern Market) - a great selection of vegetarian and vegan sandwiches and soups; also a vegan BLT and vegetarian Reuben
Seva (Detroit) - awesome 100% meat-free BLT and vegetarian sliders
Woodbridge Pub (Detroit) - wide selection of vegetarian and vegan items on the menu like the "Pho Philly"

Breakfast

Detroit Brunch (Midtown) - a seasonal pop-up serving an outstanding vegan brunch
The Fly Trap (Ferndale) - excellent vegan breakfast and a good selection of vegetarian and vegan offerings for lunch
PJ's Lager House (Corktown) - expansive vegan brunch including a delicious vegan scramble and vegan biscuits and gravy

Pasta

Sure, the old steamed-veg-and-pasta dish is boring at a restaurant making a half-hearted play at being veg-friendly, but at a restaurant where homemade pasta made fresh daily is the specialty you really can't go wrong. What these pastas lack in meat they more than make up for in butter, cheese and cream, but if you want something lighter order the pasta aglio e olio... garlic and olive oil, the simplest, most underrated and most glorious of pasta dishes, and these places also usually load it up with parmesan for extra deliciousness (most places will make it even if it's not on the menu; just ask). Note: fresh pasta may contain egg; vegans be warned.

Cafe Cortina (Farmington Hills)

Giovanni's Restorante (Detroit)

Roman Village (Detroit)

Vince's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria (Detroit)

Angelina Italian Bistro (Detroit) - also vegan and gluten-free offerings (and great salads)

Ethnic

Some of the most vegetarian-friendly restaurants are the places where the food is predominantly vegetarian by nature. Indian, Ethiopian and Middle Eastern cuisines all lend themselves exceptionally well to plant-based diets.

Aladdin Sweets and Cafe (Hamtramck) - Bangladeshi cuisine (with cheap lunch and dinner buffets daily)
Anita's Kitchen (Ferndale) - veg/vegan Lebanese cuisine; check out the pita pizzas and vegetarian mezze
Blue Nile (Ferndale) - a fantastic place for an upscale fully vegan meal of Ethiopian cuisine; be sure get a glass of honey mead while you're there
Bucharest Grill (Foxtown) - a Hungarian restaurant known for their falafel and also garlicky-good vegetarian schwarma 
The Chopstick House (Canton) - Szechuan, Hunan and Beijing cuisine with a full veg/vegan menu
El Guapo (Detroit) - a Mexican food truck with tofu tacos
Evie's Tamales (Southwest Detroit) - vegan tamales available if you call in advance
Gemmayze (Royal Oak) - upscale Lebanese cuisine, largely vegan by nature
Good Girls Go to Paris (Midtown, Grosse Pointe) - creperie cafe with vegetarian items (GP is cash only)
Lei Ting (Milford) - high quality, upscale veg/vegan-friendly Chinese cuisine
Le Petit Zinc (Corktown) - a Parisian-style cafe serving crepes that can be made with vegan batter on request; also fantastic ratatouille (vegan by nature)
Maria's Comida (Hamtramck) - great selection of vegetarian Mexican cuisine and noodle dishes for vegan diets
Pita Cafe (Birmingham, Oak Park) - healthy Mediterranean food and raw juices
Red Star (Dearborn) - large and inexpensive selection of vegan Chinese food
Royal Kabob (Hamtramck) - a Middle Eastern restaurant with favorites like hommous and tabbouli; also raw juices
Szechuan Empire (Livonia, Commerce Twp.) - same owners as Lei Ting; high quality, upscale veg/vegan-friendly Chinese cuisine
Wah-Hoo (Detroit) and Ronin (Royal Oak) - tie for vegetarian sushi
What Crepe (Royal Oak, Birmingham; Grosse Pointe - coming soon) - decadent, delectable, delicate crepes with a variety of vegetarian and vegan offerings (including vegan batter) in a charming Parisian bistro setting (also a great wine and spirits selection)
Yemen Cafe (Hamtramck) - halal Middle Eastern cuisine, Yemeni barbecue for meatatarian companions but also plenty of veg/vegan options (including specialty bean dishes)
Zam Zam Restaurant (Hamtramck) - more Bangladeshi cuisine in Hamladesh, more cheap lunch and dinner buffets

Fancy

Eating meat is not a prerequisite for getting fancy.

Angelina Italian Bistro (Detroit) - a great date spot with gluten-free and vegan offerings
Blue Nile (Ferndale) - a fantastic place for an upscale fully vegan meal of Ethiopian cuisine; be sure get a glass of honey mead while you're there
Chartreuse (Detroit) - a fancy monthly pop-up serving gourmet raw vegan dishes
Coach Insignia (Renaissance Center) - a decent selection of vegetarian dishes for a fancy date night
Fountain Bistro (Campus Martius) - a nice selection of vegetarian appetizers and creative cocktails, fantastic salads, and one of the best patios in the city 
Gemmayze (Royal Oak) - upscale Lebanese cuisine, largely vegan by nature
Komodo Kitchen (Ferndale) - a fancy monthly pop-up serving predominantly vegan Indonesian cuisine
Roast (Detroit) - call ahead to have a vegan meal specially prepared; the roasted brussels sprouts are also a huge hit
The Root (White Lake) - a seasonally-driven restaurant which becomes increasingly more veg-friendly as local produce becomes increasingly more bountiful
Szechuan Empire (Livonia, Commerce Twp.) - high quality, upscale veg/vegan-friendly Chinese cuisine
What Crepe (Royal Oak, Birmingham; Grosse Pointe - coming soon) - decadent, delectable, delicate crepes with a variety of vegetarian and vegan offerings (including vegan batter) in a charming Parisian bistro setting (also a great wine and spirits selection)
The Whitney (Midtown) - fantastic vegetarian appetizers for sharing and a great date place (especially the lush garden when in season)

Brewpubs

One thing that is always guaranteed to be vegetarian is beer. (Unless it's bacon beer, but I digress.) Some local brewpubs take sustainability very seriously, which also tends to translate into lots of veg-heavy victuals.

Arbor Brewing Co. (Ann Arbor) - From their website: "We buy locally, support sustainable farmers, give back to our community, and work to reduce our environmental impact." They also have non-meat substitutes for many of the proteins on their menu in addition to a sizable selection of veg apps, salads and sammies.
Jolly Pumpkin Cafe (Ann Arbor) - a surprising number of apps, salads and sammies that are 100% vegan. Also a fantastic cheese board for dairytarians and truffle French fries for all. (A second Royal Oak location will be opening in the fall.)
Sherwood Brewing Co. (Shelby Twp.) - lots of veg-friendly apps and salads and a truly fantastic vegetarian "Hippie Burger"

Meatatarian restaurants

These meat-tastic places don't forget their non-feather-eating-friends. And they have good beer.

Roast (Detroit) - call ahead to have a vegan meal specially prepared; the roasted brussels sprouts are also a huge hit
Slows Bar BQ (Corktown) - vegetarian "chicken" sandwich

Pop-ups

Detroit Brunch (Midtown) - a seasonal pop-up serving an outstanding vegan brunch
Detroit Soup (Mexicantown) - a monthly vegetarian dinner of soup, salad and Avalon bread (usually vegan); the best part is that your $5 donation at the door goes to fund emerging creative projects in the city
Komodo Kitchen (Ferndale) - a fancy monthly pop-up serving predominantly vegan Indonesian cuisine
Chartreuse (Detroit) - another fancy monthly pop-up serving gourmet raw vegan dishes

Dessert

Avalon International Breads (Midtown) - vegan sweets
Sweet Earth (Birmingham) - vegan soft-serve ice cream
Taste Love Cupcakes (Royal Oak) - This Cupcake Wars winner serves a special vegan cupcake daily
The Whitney (Midtown) - the place to go to splurge on desserts