It's becoming easier than ever to go vegan in Houston, with local restaurants filling nearly every niche possible: You can get vegan baked goods from Sinfull Bakery, wedding cakes from Jodycakes or all-raw falafels at Pat Greer's Kitchen. There are food trucks like Bare Bowls, which makes exquisite vegan meals with vegetables fresh from Urban Harvest's farmers markets.
Snap Kitchen carries its own take-out vegan meals -- even if it doesn't always mark them as such. I like its oatmeals or mueslis for breakfast and its red-and-green salad or a vegan green curry for lunch. You can even get a cauliflower "steak" or spicy sambal tofu for dinner.
And there are plenty of restaurants, too, from an all-vegan Mexican taqueria to an upscale vegan wine bar (with attached juice bar for the mornings). You can get vegan pizza, vegan Chinese, vegan sushi, vegan Indian, vegan Vietnamese -- you name it, and Houston's got it.
In celebration of World Vegan Day (yes, that's today!), here are 10 of our current favorites for vegan meals, although be warned: Not all of these restaurants are entirely vegan. A few are simply standard restaurants (great for eating with a mixed group of veg and carnivorous friends) that offer great vegan options.
10. Doshi House
This newish coffee house in the Third Ward started out as just an art gallery, but has grown over time to offer everything from smoothies and fresh juices to vegan soups, paninis and dinner dishes. (Beware: The paninis come with cheese, so just ask Doshi to leave it off.) Oh My Pocket Pies is also selling its wares at Doshi, and all of the pies are vegetarian if not vegan. And although the pastries from area bakers La Unica and Ashcraft aren't vegan, owner Deepak Doshi is currently looking for vegan bakers to fill out his pastry case.
9. Quan Yin
This vegetarian/vegan restaurant is the perfect option for people craving their favorite meat dishes but unwilling to give up their meat-free lifestyle. Not only is the entire menu free of all animal products, seafood and eggs, but Quan Yin actually uses soy products and wheat gluten to recreate traditional meat products. For example, summer rolls have fake "bbq pork," and their faux chicken is the house specialty. Omnivores will get a kick out of testing the authenticity of the menu items, while vegans and vegetarians will enjoy not being relegated to limited dining options.
Field of Green's meat-free menu (there is some fish) has a wide range of dishes, including a raw vegetable rainbow plate, green bean hummus wrap and six different kinds of veggie burgers. The knowledgeable staff makes ordering easy and will happily explain the difference between tempeh and tofu or make substitutions to accommodate those with additional dietary restrictions. Carnivorous companions will be pleasantly surprised by the meatless BBQ chicken salad or hearty eggplant parmesan.