Gone is the era in Savannah when vegan diners had to settle for a soggy baked potato and a side salad with the cheese plucked out.
Veganism is on the upswing, with two all-vegan restaurants in operation and a third on the way. Plenty of other restaurants aren't exclusively vegan but happily cater to those who eschew animal products.
Vegans, by the way, are vegetarians who not only don't eat meat (yes, that includes chicken and fish), but also avoid eggs, milk, and milk products like cheese and ice cream. Some vegans don't eat honey or yeast.
We asked the husband and wife team of Rachel and Scotty McDowell from Savannah Veggies and Vegans to give us their dining suggestions. McDowell, who works in IT at Savannah State University, is compiling a more comprehensive dining list for the group, which posts lots of vegan and vegetarian recipes, tips and meeting notices online at facebook.com/groups/SavannahVeggiesandVegans/.
In the meantime, the McDowells shared their personal favorites. These are "places we've been to time and time again where we can always get a good vegan meal prepared by people who are knowledgeable and happy to accommodate," as Rachel McDowell put it. In no particular order and with Rachel's comments they are:
Fox & Fig Cafe
321 Habersham St.
"100% vegan, 100% fabulous!"
Hungry Vegan
2 E. Lathrop Ave.
"Savannah's newest 100% vegan restaurant, all plant-based soul food!"
The Sentient Bean
13 E. Park Ave.
"A Savannah staple for vegetarians for 20 years! All vegetarian menu with lots of vegan items, or easily veganized items. We look forward to getting to the other side of this pandemic so that Savannah Veggies & Vegans can resume our monthly vegan pancake breakfasts here!"
Kayak Kafe Midtown
5002 Paulsen St.
"Lots of vegan options, even has vegan cheese. Pre-COVID days, Savannah Veggies & Vegans held monthly meetups here and they would often create new vegan dishes for us!"
CO
10 Whitaker St.
"Super-cool place serving Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian dishes, has a separate vegan menu!"
Your Pie
110 W Bryan St. and 7360 Skidaway Road, Savannah
960 Morgan's Corner Road, Suite A, Pooler
"Chain restaurants, so not specific to Savannah, but definitely worth mentioning because their pizza is great! Offers vegan cheese, vegan meaty crumbles, lots of veggie toppings to choose from, and usually has at least one flavor of vegan gelato or sorbet for dessert."
Sea Wolf Tybee
106 S. Campbell Ave., Tybee Island
"Menu changes about every two weeks, at least one-third of the menu is always vegan and always top-notch!"
NaaN Appetit
1024 U.S. Hwy. 80 W., Pooler
"This is the only restaurant that Scott and I are recommending where we haven't personally eaten at, but although Indian restaurants are always vegetarian and vegan-friendly, this one is recommended by our group members more than any other Indian restaurant in town!"
Bull Street Taco
1608 Bull St.
"Several delicious vegan options on the menu. (Falafel tacos!!) And this is another place that Savannah Veggies & Vegans would often gather at in pre-COVID days and the lovely folks at BST were always excited to try new vegan dishes out on us!"
Henny Penny
1514 Bull St.
"Vegan doughnuts! Also brownies, coffees, hot chocolate, and lots of other vegan goodies! They also sell a few vegan ice creams from Leopold's Ice Cream. Or visit Leopold's on Broughton where they always have at least two or three vegan flavors available each day!"
Savannah Rum Runners
324 W. Bolton St.
"Very happy to accommodate special dietary preferences and they make decadent vegan cakes and more!"
Brighter Day Natural Foods
1102 Bull St.
"This wonderful little market has been serving Savannah for over 40 years! Tons of vegan products like plant-based dairy, meats and more. Lots of pre-made sandwiches, wraps, salads, etc. + smoothies for vegans on the go! They are also a personal favorite of Savannah Veggies & Vegans as they have supported us in our vegan outreach efforts and fundraising events over the years.
The Haunt
Coming soon.
"Clay Ehmke is the culinary genius behind Fox & Fig, and now he's moving onto a focus on wild/foraged plant-based food in his new restaurant, predicted to open" later this summer.
Mary Landers is the environment and health reporter at the Savannah Morning News. Contact her at 912-655-8295. Twitter: @MaryLandersSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Meatless in Savannah: Here's where vegans go out to dine in the area
The Latest
Featured
