VSG
investigates: Asheville, NC, number
1 vegan town... really? Let's
take a look |
|
All
right, all right... so if you
are like me and love to read vegan magazines,
blogs and websites, the town of Asheville,
North Carolina always seems to top the charts
of most vegan friendly cities. So
I decided to investigate myself and to
Asheville I went.
Vegan
Restaurants in Charlotte, NC
But before
we get to all the fun in Asheville, here is
a bonus: I first stopped in Charlotte, NC
to visit old friends who had recently moved
there.
To my surprise there were
a few great vegan and vegetarian friendly
places to try, and this one in particular
had recently opened its doors. So here are
some pics from "Bean Vegan Cuisine",
which you can check out at EatatBean.com.
And here is a complete list of vegan and vegetarian
friendly restaurants from our friends at HappyCow:
happycow.net/north_america/usa/north_carolina/charlotte
After a great time hanging
out with friends in Charlotte, we headed over
to Asheville... a quick 2 hour drive. But
let me tell you... the road was full of rolling
hills the constantly took you up and down,
which scared me a bit in the beginning. But
after a few ups and downs I got used to it,
and all in all it was a fun drive. And what
beautiful views I must say!!!
Vegan
Restaurants in Asheville, NC
And
there I was, in Asheville. My friends
and I stayed at the beautiful Hotel Indigo
in downtown. Great views from the glass windows
and an easy walk to local restaurants.
So let's get started! I only had 2 days in
town and a list of restaurants that I planned
to visit. Here is where things got tricky
though, very tricky...
Day 1 of 2:
The funny thing I learned is that you have
to check each restaurant's schedule closely.
Having lived mostly in big cities, I was used
to things being open daily. So I was surprised
when we went to "Laughing Seed"
on a Tuesday for lunch, and IT WAS CLOSED!
We then headed right over to "Plant"...
and guess what? ALSO CLOSED for lunch. lol!
The next day we planned a bit more carefully.
Here are some pics from the "Laughing
Seed"... LaughingSeed.jackofthewood.com
It was lunch time but no one was there yet...
that's why we decided to order take out. The
picks above are from the dishes we shared,
including those delicious vegan cookies! Yummm...!
Day 2 of 2:
After a semi-disappointing first day we decided
to take it easy. We checked out the restaurants
directory at HappyCow once again... happycow.net/north_america/usa/north_carolina/asheville,
but while driving around we spotted a Vegan
Drive-Thru. Awesome! So we just
had to give it a try. The place was cute with
a varied menu, here is their link: VegHeadsAsheville.com.
But the portions were a bit small, so we
headed to Whole Foods down the street to grab
a few snacks.
And what an awesome Whole Foods it
was! We got Free hugs (see pic) and
it was the best, and most vegan friendly,
Whole Foods I've ever been to. The lunch bar
was absolutely packed with vegan friendly
options. I've been to many Whole Foods throughout
CA and FL, but at the Asheville store there
were more vegan snacks and desserts than I
had ever seen before. And that vegan cake
in the picture was so awesome that I grabbed
3 and ate them all. Just kidding, I shared
them with my friends!
Final tips: So for my next
trip I will plan more carefully and take a
look at each restaurants' schedule more closely
— and I will have many more pics to
share. Overall, I had great fun, enjoyed the
wonderful food and a lovely little town!
If you have any additional tips or feedback
please share below. Thanks everyone!
Do you
have a favorite vegan city, restaurant or
store? Be sure to share with us below...