LEGEND

$  hot dog stands                                                                   W = clickable website link

$$ Applebee’s                                                                       C  = great for carnivores too

$$$ Outback Steakhouse                                                        V  = purely vegetarian

$$$$ Ruth’s Chris and up                                                        ?  = surely vegan but not positively

Passage to India (formerly Udupi Cafe)  $$  V

in the International Bizarre at 4225 Lafayette Rd (Washington Square) 317-299-2127

This joint is an all-vegetarian restaurant right next to India Palace, a traditional Indian restaurant.  Don’t be put off by the building upon entry.  This “cafe” kicks it up and has a buffet at lunch time.  The heavily-accented servers are privy to the laws of veganism and will gladly walk you through the buffet, pointing out entrees with cream, butter, eggs, etc.  Or, just have them point out good options on the menu.  We’ve had better Indian food, but this does not disappoint.

3 Sisters Cafe *breakfast and brunch only  $$  W

6360 Guilford (Broad Ripple) 317-257-5556

Mm mm mm.  We’re salivating now.  3 Sisters got it goin’ on.  With ample menu items devoted to our species with a “V”, they never disappoint.  The wait staff are always (I mean always) pleasant, the building is adorable (kitschy, unique), and the chefs must be geniuses.  We always end up at the table under the “Unattended children will be given espresso and a kitten” painting and love it!  The tofu scramble is great for breakfast.  If you’re hungry enough, get the Calico Potatoes to boot.  Already had some granola?  Try the portobello burger - like none you’ve ever had - for brunch or a weekend lunch.

Some Guys Pizza  $$  ?  C  W

6235 N. Allisonville (south of Castleton, east of Broad Ripple) 317-257-1364

Well, we confess: we haven’t actually eaten here since we got bitten by the vegan bug.  But, their menu claims that any of their vegetarian pizzas (except the “special”) can be ordered without cheese.  We give it the “?” because we can’t actually speak for the crust, but we haven’t ever actually heard of pizza crust being made with eggs, so.....?  Anywho, Some Guys gets great reviews from our meat-eating friends, so that speaks for the food.  We’ll update you once we’ve been - which is going to be soon.

Indian restaurants besides Passage to India $$ C

Look, who’s been to an Indian restaurant and not been able to find an okra jalfrezi or chickpea dupiaza?  You get the point.  Some hotspots in Indianapolis , most or all including lunch / weekend buffets, include:

Shalimar        - 1043 Broad Ripple Ave (Broad Ripple) 317-465-1100  W

                       ** 7 entrees specifically marked as available vegan**

                        Try:  Chana Masala with rice and naan

India Palace   - 4213 Lafayette (Washington Square) 317-298-0773  W

India Garden  - 207 N. Delaware (downtown) 317-634-6060 or  W

                       830 Broad Ripple Ave - 317- same phone?

and more.....

So you’ve read our research and maybe tried a suggestion or two.  Let us know how we did.  We’d like to hear from you even if it’s just to say that you found our entry or, better yet, to let us know what you thought or help us improve.  Or, perhaps you’re a restaurant

owner noticing the lack of info about your place.  You can click the link  

or simply send an email to webmaster@ouranecdote.com.

If you are traveling outside of Indianapolis and need vegan help why not visit the nice people at Vegan Blog Tracker for help.

MacNiven’s Restaurant and Bar  $$ - $$$  C  ?

339 Massachusetts Ave. (downtown) 317-632-7268

2 words: vegetarian haggis.  (Hold the buttered neeps and tatties.)  If you’re dyed-in-the-wool, forget that it’s a meat knock-off.  This shit is to die for.  Vegetarian?  Definitely.  Vegan?  Probably.  There’s always vegetarian chili, the salad with, and potato scoops.  Oh.  And the beers and scotches....

Whole Foods Market  $$ - $$$  C  W

1300 E. 86th St. (Nora) 317-706-0900; 14598 Clay Terrace Blvd. (Carmel) 317-569-1517

And you thought it was just for apples.  Whole Foods, specifically the 86th Street location, is practically a street-side deli inside an organic grocery.  Full-on expected salad bar with a few surprises.  They also have sushi (with brown rice!) and a hot bar full of interesting options.  We love the tofu creole, BBQ tempeh, & apple-almond quinoa.  And don’t forget that the deli counter has cutlery and seating so it’s not just to go!

P.S. Georgetown Market is a non-chain 2nd-best similarity, located in the Washington Square area.  4375 Georgetown Rd., 317-293-9525

sushi joints  $$$  C

Yeah, it’s pretty much the same situation as the Indian above.  Can you really not get an avocado roll somewhere, dip it in soy sauce, and be a satisfied vegan?  And there’s always yummy udon noodles.  We’re very big fans of the Japanese gourd sushi at Naked Tchopstix (below).  These places may or may not cater to us, but who cares?  Peruse the list of Indy sushi, beginning with our favorite and in random order thereafter.

Naked Tchopstix - 6255 N. College (Broad Ripple) 317 252-5555  W

Sakura - 7201 N. Keystone (Broad Ripple) 317-259-4171  W

H20 Sushi - 1912 Broad Ripple Ave (Broad Ripple) 317-254-0677  W

Mikado - 148 S. Illinois (downtown) 317-972-4180  W

and more.....

or how about the boxed stuff at Whole Foods (Nora), Fresh Market (Broad Ripple), or Marsh Marketplace (downtown), many offering brown rice!

Never been.  Wanna go.  Requesting feedback:

Mediterrano Cafe

5941 E. 86th St. (Castleton) 317-595-0399

Cairo Cafe

3047 Lafayette (Washington Square) 317-926-2233

Northside News Cafe

5406 N. College (Broad Ripple) 317-254-8110

Earth House

327 N. East Street (downtown) 317-636-4060

What’s up with all the flippin’ cafes?  Seriously.

Yats *some locations cash only  $  C  W

5363 N. College (Broad Ripple) 317-253-8817

8352 E. 96th St. (Fishers) 317-585-1792

659 Massachusetts Ave. (downtown) 317-686-6380

You’d probably think it’s sad if we listed a place on the site that only had 1 (one) vegan entree, right?  Well, you’re wrong.  It’s a fabulous thing but even worse than you’d think.  You see, Yats’s one and only vegan dish - succotash - is on a rotating menu and not even always available!  You can check the website to see if they have on your hungry day.  College Ave recently reverted to the no credit card thing (and their website is wrong), so we must really think this dish is worth the trouble.  However, they lovingly accept “cash, check, or IOU”.  Seriously.  Go dry on the bread; it’s buttered.

The Abbey (Coffeehouse) $$  C W (their myspace)

825 N. Pennsylvania (downtown) 317-663-4739

 

THE ABBEY!!!!!!!!  This is our #1 favorite.  So good.  So much choice.  Big armchairs to sit in.  Punk staff and Homies glued to the register.  We hope you like seitan because they make their own from scratch and work it right out.  How about a reuben or a Philly cheesesteak, anyone?  The cheesesteak is the farthest thing from a carnivorous one, but it’s awesome.  I just think they should call it the seitan-and-peppers-with-melty-fake-cheese-on-focaccia sandwich.  Good ole hummus wraps and falafel never let us down, and the Thai wrap is the bomb too.  The Abbey is a must.  Just don’t order decaf or expect the food too quickly.  Save room for some vegan chocolate-raspberry cake!

P.S. Update!  Every Saturday night from 7 - 9 pm, The Abbey hosts a “vegan cafe” with table service and everything.  Oh, and grab your Thanksgiving plate here, complete with Tofurkey, on the way to Grandma’s - because Grandma just finds that “I don’t eat meat” shit annoying.

Bazbeaux Pizza  $$ C  W

811 E. Westfield Blvd (Broad Ripple) 317-255-5711

334 Masschusetts Ave (downtown) 317-366-7662

111 W. Main St. (Carmel) 317-848-4488

The cheeseless pizza, senza formaggio.  Delicious.  Vegan sauce, vegan crust.  That’s all we have to say.  Oh.  One more thing.  Beer.

BD’s Mongolian BBQ  $$  C  W

3838 E. 82nd St. (Castleton) 317-585-0700

Picture a salad bar, but the first container is raw shrimp, the second raw beef, the 3rd raw chicken, and so on until you get to the veggies.  Doesn’t sound quite right?  Well, sandwiched amongst all that other carnivorous glory is always a pasta or two and tofu.  You fill your bowl with these meat alternatives, top ‘em with things like water chestnuts and broccoli, then douse on the sauce (soy, hot chili, mustard, orange ginger) and carry it to the grill where they panlessly fry it up in front of your eyes.  With endless combo possibilities, Mongolia BBQ is sure to turn even the pickiest vegan into an overstuffed food coma victim even Genghis Kahn would be proud of.

The Pawn Shop  $$  ?

2222 E. 54th St. (Broad Ripple) 317-255-5430

So not vegan.  They have, like, one vegetarian sandwich on the menu.  But, we include The Pawn Shop Pub in our list because there is one very satisfactory item.  The Water Buffalo, hold the mayo, eggs, & cream cheese.  Yes, there’s a comma missing in the menu because the avocado and cream cheese are two separate ingredients.  This sandwich does not taste like it’s missing a single thing even with all of those things held.  And once again, we can’t say for sure that’s there’s no honey or anything in the bread.  In fact, we’re pretty sure there is at least honey.  Apparently we don’t care about bees.  Say hi to Kelly, the redhead at the bar, while you’re there, and ask her if we’re there.  We probably are.  P.S. Corn toss in the summer.  You’re welcome.

Qdoba  $  W  C

6344 Guilford 317-205-9960 or

7411 N. Keystone 317-257-5141(both Broad Ripple)

9 N. Meridian (downtown) 317-822-0386

907 Indiana (IUPUI) 317-423-3932

3528 W. 86th St. (northwest side) 317-879-9483

and many more

So so good.  Yeah, it’s a chain.  Choices include the vegetarian burrito (can you say, “free guacamole”?), vegetarian gumbo, grilled vegetable burrito, and chips & salsa & guac.  Vegan tortillas?.....

Hellas Cafe  $$  C

8501 Westfield Blvd. (Nora) 317-257-6211

Hummus, baba ghanouj, amazing vegetarian grape leaves.  Bon apetit.  Damn good Greek food.  Good entertainment in (other people’s) table-side fried cheese.  Hold the feta on the salad that comes with dinners.

Patachou places  $  W

Cafe Patachou - 4911 N. Pennsylvania (Butler-Tarkington) 317-925-2823

                         also in the Indianapolis airport

Petit Chou - 823 Westfield (Broad Ripple) 317-259-0765

                 4733 126th St. (Carmel) 317-569-0965

Patachou on the Park - 225 West Washington Street (downtown) 317-632-0765

Patachou!  Oh, excuse me.  (duh duh ching)  Seriously tasty despite a laughable name.  They actually have soymilk for the house-made granola, or just get avocado on toast (cafe only).  Tasty?  Yes.  Boundless?  No.  The aforementioned items are unfortunately about it.  As usual, one more thing:  we love the serve-yourself coffee.

Thai Cafe  $$   C  W

1041 Broad Ripple Ave. (Broad Ripple) 317-722-1008

Thai Cafe is a wonderful stop for Circle City vegans.  Their menu has several vegetarian options on its own, but they are happy to go above and beyond.  In fact, the very friendly owner prides herself on offering every single menu item made vegan with a simple “please.”  They go as far as using separate utensils and pans for vegan requests and have fish-oil-free, from-scratch curry paste always waiting too.  Pick your hotness 0 to 5, and don’t forget to recycle your carry-out boxes; you’ll have lots of them!  Try:  Yum Tofu Salad.  Oh my god delicious.

Brugge Brasserie  *dine in only $$ C W

1011a E. Westfield Blvd. (Broad Ripple) 317-255-0978

Brugge, supposedly pronounced “brew-guh”, is wonderful.  It really has nothing for vegetarians, but you can slap yourself silly with the a pint of Triple de Ripple and l’enorme pomme frites with 6 vegan dipping sauces.  A single huge order of frites comes with 11 sauces; ask them to hold any dairy / mayo, and you’re left with poplar syrup & french dijon, homemade ketchup, sea salt & sherry vinegar, and more.  Those fries are just the bomb, and they brew their own (strong) beers.  Oh, and I’m sure fish is fried in the same oil the frites are.  Get over it.  In summary: go for beer and fries.

Tulip Noir Cafe  $$  C  W *breakfast & lunch only

1224 W. 86th St. (St. Vincent hospital area) 317-848-5252

Salads, soups, sandwiches, sides, and dressings - each with at least one vegan option.  They strive to use local and organic ingredients.  This place is brand new, and we LOVED it.  Soup of the day was sweet potato, and it was pointed out to me that it’s vegan, without even asking.  Gorgeous simple, clean atmosphere.  Wonderful staff.  Grilled peanut butter sandwiches with candied ginger, apple slices, and honey.  Sonuva bitch.  Very impressive coffee and tea menu with additives including stevia, turbinado sugar, soy & almond milk.  You even get a table timer to say when your tea has steeped!