Mekong - Richmond, VA

We were brought to Mekong by our friend, blast beat master drummer Dave Witte. Dave is a true beer and food lover and always takes us to his favorite spots in town. He's never disappointed me and today was no exception.


Started off with veggie spring rolls. I'd say they were the usual. Pretty good, nice and hot when they came out.


My spicy tofu curry was awesome though! It had peanuts drizzles on top and came with brown rice instead of the typical steamed white or jasmine rice. It seemed like a lot of food as first but it was the perfect amount. I was definitely satisfied. Consistency of the tofu was on point.


A few side notes: Mekong offers what they call a "superbowl" of phó. You can see it pictured above. Andrew was crazy enough to try and house that thing, and he almost finished. Mekong also has a crazy variety of great beers and hosts different beer events in town.

Strange Matter - Richmond, VA

Almost everytime I'm in Richmond I end up at Strange Matter. It's a bar/restaurant/rock venue/arcade with some good vegan food to eat and beer to drink. The vibe is laid back but professional enough where it doesn't seem like a bunch of slacker punks running a half-assed spot in town. Strange Matter is a rad place where I feel at home every time I visit. Sort of my own personal Richmond staple.


Tonight I started off with a delicious lemony vegan cupcake. I havent had a sweet treat like this in a while and these were pretty good!


Next up was my salad. The "garden of feed'n" salad is their most basic salad of the few on the menu with mixed greens, cucumber, carrot, tomato, and red onion. My choice of dressing was their spicy Thai citrus which was perfect! Exceptional amount of spice and zest, really kicked this basic salad into overdrive. This plate had me feelin like a champion!


Last out was my main entrée... a vegan reuben made with slices of smoked tomato field roast, a tasteful kraut-like slaw, and vegan thousand island dressing grilled between two pieces of rye bread. The sandwich was quite delicious. On the side I had vegan mac and cheese. It was good but I've had better. I would eat it again though, but I'd probably opt for another one of their sides instead next time.

Notice the sweet Van Halen siracha art next to the reuben and the Floor art next to the salad. Gotta love it here...

KoKyu food truck - Durham, NC

First thing my hungry friends and I noticed when pulling up to Motorco Music Hall was the food trucks parked outside. One was plain looking and sold pizza by the slice, the other was covered in graffiti and had reggae music playing and was serving tacos and sandwiches.


After talkin to some local dudes by the bar, we were told that the truck covered in graffiti would be the spot to try if we were choosing between the two. Their menu, which I regret not taking a photo of now, had the few vegetarian options marked.

I was in line to order behind my friend who I overheard talking with the guy in the truck. He was asking about vegan options so I listened up. My friend wanted their kimchi quesadilla vegan style but the dude told him it wouldn't work out. He DID offer to make him a special vegan taco with kimchi and soy chicken. That sounded good to me as well so I ordered one of those along with a sweet potato taco.


Both tacos came topped with been sprouts, cilantro, avocado, squeezed lime and a hint of siracha. The sweet potato taco was definitely best. Everything was very fresh and the tacos were both light and tasty. The sad thing was returning later to get another taco 10 minutes after they had already closed. For the record, the guys working this truck were super cool and I would support their endeavor by eating their fantastic tacos again!

Stone Soup Kitchen - Atlanta, GA

Stone Soup Kitchen is another nice little indoor/outdoor spot that specializes in breakfast and lunch in Atlanta. Their menu has clearly marked vegan and gluten free plates. This was my first time there and my choice for breakfast was their vegos rancheros.


Not disappointing at all. They know how to make a flavorful tofu scramble which I've been noticing can be harder to find than I'd imagine. The sprouts paired with the avocado, jalapeño, red sauce and wonderful corn tortillas make for a light and enjoyable breakfast. A great way to start my day!


I look forward to going back sometime and trying their vegan sandwich. One can eat here for $10 or less which puts this place in the category of affordable in my book. They also have vegan grits!

R. Thomas - Atlanta, GA

Cool little indoor/outdoor spot in Atlanta. I had been here a few years ago when I was vegetarian and had an awesome pasta, but since I've been eating vegan I was curious what the menu was gonna look like now.

To my surprise eating vegan was going to be much easier than expected. They even had three raw plates available!


I opted for their homemade vegan burger with curried quinoa on the side. The burger is pretty big and comes cut in two. In the sandwich was a bed of sautéed greens topped with an eggless dijonnaise dressing. The dressing somehow got lost to my taste buds. It was spread on extremely thin to the point of being almost flavorless which was a little bit of a shame. Overall it was a decent sandwich though.

The quinoa was wonderful though. It had corn, peas and carrots tossed in it and topped with a curry sauce. Again though, the curry was laid on so thin that only a few bites successfully carried that flavor. Luckily the quinoa itself was satisfying enough on it's own that all was not lost.

One nice thing to take note of is that R. Thomas actually stays open 24 hours!! A rarity for places with legitimate vegan options of its kind. That might honestly be the selling point for this place along with the natural fresh juices they make. I had a carrot, beet, ginger juice with dinner that was great. It is a little bit pricey though. My meal and juice together were probably close to $20. Would go again on a late night however!

Soul Vegetarian - Atlanta, GA

Soul food is the last kind of food one usually thinks of when it comes to looking for vegan options. The chain of privately owned Soul Vegetarian restaurants around the states are changing that with their 100% vegan menu. Packed with all kinds of animal free southern staples, you could easily make this place a regular grub spot if you're into hearty foods with generous portions.


The decor in the spot is very simple and to the point with a few paintings hung about and some religious quotes on the walls. The service is great, very friendly folk decked out in all white religious get up who are helpful in suggesting plates and sides. The food can sometimes take a little while if it's busy but on this particular day it was pretty fast.

Soul Vegetarian has a variety of entrees, sandwiches, sides, and shakes that I've tried over the years on my numerous visits, but today I focus on my latest dish I joyfully devoured. I started off with a small side salad which is their regular appetizer accompanying their divine dinners (which is actually what it's called on the menu). A small mix of greens, sprouts and tomatoes, topped with a delicious nutritional yeast based dressing that is severely addictive! If you're appetite wasn't raging when you first walked in, I guarantee it will be after the salad. I had to refrain from licking my plate clean!


Next up came my entree plate. I had the BBQ cauliflower with their famous vegan mac and collard greens. The dinner came with a huge piece of cornbread. The BBQ cauliflower was delish!! The homemade BBQ sauce at Soul Veg is super tasty, but I admit by the end of my plate I was a little oversauced. It's pretty rich in flavor. The collards were cooked to perfection. No complaints whatsoever. The mac... oh the mac... This place does vegan mac like no other. I almost always want to leave with an extra to go container filled with more for later. Creamy in consistency, delicious in flavor, and pretty heavy to boot.

My ONLY complaint was that I've had better days at Soul Veg in the past. The Mac was a little dry this time around as was the cornbread which I couldn't finish. I would still recommend this spot to any vegan stopping in Atlanta looking for a good spot to eat. Also take note that they have vegan milkshakes and ice cream that are amazing!

New York - Lula's Sweet Apothecary

Lula's Sweet Apothecary




Soft serve twist in a wafer cone. Really really good! I regret not going all out with an epic sundae, oh well.