Every new year, my husband chooses something weird to do for his diet. One year, he gave up sugar. One year, he ate greens with every meal. I usually tag along for the ride. This year? Veganuary.
The first couple weeks, it’s been easy to find recipes to try. I don’t really miss the meat or dairy. But date nights are hard.
Remember the marshmallow test? Decades ago, psychologists put little kids in a room with a marshmallow. They told them if they didn’t eat it while the testers were gone, they’d get two. It was a test of willpower. I would have failed. For me, going to a restaurant with vegan options among meat and dairy would be problematic. I’m going to order bacon if it’s there.
So began a quest for totally vegan places where I wouldn’t be tempted to snag a figurative marshmallow.
I wrote a few years ago about Araya’s Place, and I’m back to recommend it again! It’s fully vegan, but remains a great choice for non-vegans, too. I love their dishes and recommend it often. They have a daily lunch buffet and a menu-based dinner service. Be sure to try the avocado curry. Currently, Araya’s Place is open in Bellevue and the U District.
In Georgetown, The Georgetown Liquor Company served as a weekday date night dinner spot for husband and me. It’s been around for 20 years, and since 2020, the new owners have embraced a totally vegan menu. The wraps are great, but I’m looking forward to trying brunch there.
Up north, the diner vibes are strong at Wayward Vegan in the Roosevelt neighborhood. The “burger” is meaty and looks like a burger should look, complete with melty “cheese”. My young dining companion liked hers and promised the strawberry matcha was as good as it was pretty.
I enjoyed my tempeh-based BLTA, and the breakfast and desserts going by looked worth going back for.
Over in Wallingford, you can have a fine dining experience at Harvest Beat. It was the first totally vegan restaurant I ever went to, and it opened my eyes to elevated plant-based dining. The five-course meals are an event worthy of a birthday or anniversary celebration. Reservations are a must.
For the last two weeks, I’ve been thinking about Chu Minh Tofu’s spicy noodle soup. Located in the International District, they offer a variety of Vietnamese food. The bahn mi that husband had (“duck”) was tasty, and there is a hot bar which allows you to try multiple items. This is pure comfort food, especially for these colder days.
Husband and I wandered over to Dough Joy on Pill Hill for donuts after our soup, but it was late and they were sold out of almost everything. We made do with a bag of donut holes. We asked for 3 and he gave us six. Next time, we’ll have dessert first. Possibly Saturday.
Photos: Oh joy! Dough Joy debuts vegan donut shop in Capitol Hill
My dessert dreams, however, have been consumed by Frankie and Jo’s beet, strawberry and rose sorbet. If you don’t like beets, you may not like it – you can taste them, but it’s subtle, and the combination is a delight.
Located in U Village, the rest of their ice cream is coconut based. Along with the sorbet, I really liked the California Cabin with pine and smoked vanilla, studded with black pepper and cardamom shortbread. And the brown sugar vanilla. And the pistachio. It’s all good.
With just a little left of Veganuary to go, I have a few more vegan places to try with the husband. I’m really looking forward to trying Box Bar in West Seattle – it has a tempeh-based BLTA I’d like to try to compare to Wayward Vegan. And Life on Mars looks like a dreamy post-work happy hour destination. I’m told the cauliflower bites are a must.
If you’re looking to expand your horizons away from animal products, there isn’t one of these that I’ve been to so far I wouldn’t go to again, even if I was back to eating bacon.
Lisa Jaffe is a freelance writer for Seattle Refined. See more of her work here.
Dining and Cooking