Vegetarian Journal's Guide to Natural Foods Restaurants in the U.S. and Canada

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• Vegetarian restaurant
•• Vegan restaurant
§ Reviewer's choice

Tennessee

Benton

·The Vine

108 Lifestyle Way, Benton, TN 37307

(423) 338-7777

Vegetarian/café. Located inside the Lifestyle Center, The Vine serves delicious vegetarian and vegan food in a sunny and relaxing atmosphere. Enjoy their wonderful smoothies, too! Cash only. Open Monday through Thursday for lunch. Closed Friday through Sunday. Full service, vegan options, take-out. smoothies, soymilk, $.

Chattanooga

(For restaurant listings in the surrounding areas, see Collegedale.)

·Green Thumb Vegetarian Kitchen

428 Market St., Chattanooga, TN 37402

(423) 634-9925

Vegetarian/natural foods/juice bar. Green Thumb Vegetarian Kitchen is a very bright and colorful eatery offering sandwiches, salads, soups, hot dishes, and a juice and smoothie bar. The restaurant is in the former location of Country Life. Open Tuesday through Friday and Sunday for lunch. Closed Monday and Saturday. Limited service, vegan options, take-out, catering, fresh juices, smoothies, VISA/MC/DISC, $.

··Sluggo's North Vegetarian Café

501 Cherokee Blvd., Chattanooga, TN 37405

(423) 752-5224

Vegan/café/eclectic. Sluggo's North Vegetarian Café is 100% vegan, and includes a variety of dishes such as nachos, sandwiches, the "Popeye Bowl," chocolate oatmeal bars, fudge brownies, and much more. Check out their special events such as movie showings with vegan pizza, live music, and more! Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. Closed Sunday. Limited service, take-out, catering, espresso/cappuccino, VISA/MC/DISC, $.

Collegedale

·Village Market Deli

5002 University Dr., Collegedale, TN 37315

(423) 238-3286

Vegetarian/natural foods store deli. This ultra-affordable deli, in a natural foods store catering to the Seventh-day Adventist community, offers hot foods for lunch, such as cheese enchiladas and Spanish lentils and brown rice. Grab-and-go items, a pay-by-weight salad bar, and soups are available until 6 on weekdays. They can also make vegan cakes to order. Deli open Monday through Friday for lunch. Store open Sunday through Thursday for three meals. Open Friday for breakfast and lunch. Closed Saturday. Deli-style, vegan options, take-out, VISA/MC/DISC, $.

Knoxville

El Charro

6701 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919

(423) 584-9807

10420 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919

(865) 693-9660

University Of Tennessee Campus, 811 22nd St., Knoxville, TN 37916

(865) 525-9808

Mexican. This Mexican establishment offers veggie burritos, enchiladas, tacos, beans without lard, and rice. Open daily. Full service, non-alcoholic wine/beer, wine/beer/alcohol, take-out, VISA/MC/AMEX, $-$$.

The Night Owl Café

119 S. Central St., Knoxville, TN 37902

(865) 474-9866

American/eclectic. The Night Owl Café is a locally-owned eatery with many vegetarian options. Try their vegetarian burger (a local favorite) or some butternut squash hummus. The Night Owl is a great place to stop for a late night snack or coffee. Open Wednesday through Saturday for dinner. Closed Sunday through Tuesday. Full service, vegan options, take-out, espresso/cappuccino, VISA/MC, $$.

The Tomato Head

12 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902

(865) 637-4067

Pizza/Italian. The Tomato Head offers a variety of pizza topping for their gourmet pizzas. Feast on vegetarian and vegan sandwiches, a hummus pita, or tofu enchiladas. Enjoy your meal in their dining room, which doubles as an art gallery. Open Monday for lunch. Open Tuesday through Friday for lunch and dinner. Open Saturday and Sunday for brunch and dinner. Full service, vegan options, take-out, delivery, catering, VISA/MC/AMEX, $$.

Madison

Tennessee Christian Medical Center Cafeteria

500 Hospital Dr., Madison, TN 37115

(615) 865-0300

Hospital cafeteria. This Seventh-day Adventist-run cafeteria serves mostly vegetarian food, including cheese manicotti, burritos, cashew casserole, and quiche. There's also a great salad bar. Open daily. No breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. Cafeteria, take-out, $.

Maryville

The Tomato Head

211 W. Broadway Ave., Maryville, TN 37801

(865) 981-1080

Pizza/Italian. See description under Knoxville, TN.

Memphis

··Balewa's Vegan Gourmet

394 N. Watkins St., Memphis, TN 38104

(901) 859-0590

Vegan/raw foods/organic. Balewa's Vegan Gourmet specializes in organic and vegan raw cuisine. The menu includes fresh salads, sandwiches, wraps, raw soups, and the extremely popular, "live" burger. They also offer a variety of services including herb walks, sprouting classes, and seminars on the benefits of raw foods and holistic living. Balewa's is located at the corner of Watkins and Overton Park near the Sears Crosstown building. Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. Closed Sunday. Counter service, take-out, fresh juices, smoothies, VISA/MC/AMEX/DISC, $.

Brother Juniper's College Inn

3519 S. Walker Ave., Memphis, TN 38111

(901) 324-0144

American. Be sure to try Brother Juniper's scrambled tofu, granola with rice milk, Greek salad, and unique sandwiches made on Armenian cracker bread. Open Tuesday through Saturday for three meals. Closed Sunday and Monday. Full service, vegan options, take-out, catering, $.

··Imagine Vegan Café

2299 Young Ave., Memphis, TN 38104

(901) 654-3455

Vegan/café. Imagine Vegan Café is a family-owned restaurant with the goal of giving vegans a taste of the ubiquitous Memphis barbecue but without the meat! Their menu features a wide variety of vegan meat and dairy substitutes in dishes such as chicken nuggets and corn dogs. Enjoy a vegan milkshake or bring your own wine (for a small corkage fee). They hope to have local bands come to play live music on the weekends. Imagine is located in the Cooper-Young neighborhood. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Limited service, take-out, fresh juices, soymilk, beer, VISA/MC, $.

Jasmine Thai & Vegetarian Restaurant

916 S. Cooper St., Memphis, TN 38104

(901) 725-0223

Thai. Despite the restaurant name, Jasmine Thai & Vegetarian does serve meat. But they have plenty of vegetarian options (some vegan). Feast on Wonderful Mushrooms, Zucchini and Yellow Squash, or Eggplant with Garlic Sauce in a cozy, friendly atmosphere. Jasmine is closed between lunch and dinner, so please call ahead for hours. Open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. Closed Monday. Full service, vegan options, take-out, beer/wine, VISA/MC/AMEX, $$.

··The Cosmic Coconut

5101 Sanderlin Ave., Ste. 104B, Memphis, TN 38117

(901) 729-7134

Vegan/organic/juice bar/café. The Cosmic Coconut is best known for its smoothies and juices with such cheery names as 'Peace, Love & Pears' and 'Good Vibrations.' They also serve vegan snacks such as Acai Bowl, Steel-Cut Oats, and Coco-Nutties. Free Wi-Fi is available. The Cosmic Coconut is located in the Sanderlin Centre near Bikram Yoga and Muddy's Bakeshop. Open Tuesday through Saturday for breakfast and lunch. Closed Sunday and Monday. Limited service, take-out, fresh juices, smoothies, espresso/cappuccino, soymilk, special beverages, VISA/MC, $.

Whole Foods Market

5022 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38117

(901) 685-2293

Natural foods store/deli/juice bar. Stop by for lunch or dinner and experience their juice & java bar, fresh sushi station, pizza station, sandwich station, deli, hot bar or salad bar. Open daily. Cafeteria, vegan options, take-out, fresh juices, VISA/MC, $$.

Nashville

(For restaurant listings in the surrounding areas, see Madison.)

·Grins Vegetarian Café

2421 Vanderbilt Pl., Nashville, TN 37212

(615) 322-8571

Vegetarian/café/kosher. Grins is pronounced "greens," like the Yiddish word for vegetables. Daily special may include Mexican, Thai, or Indian-inspired dishes. This kosher, vegetarian café on the Vanderbilt campus offers entrée and panini specials, as well as a Curried Tofu Wrap, Hummus Wrap, Veggie Sandwich on Maple-Wheat, and other sandwiches. Options include soy mozzarella, and sandwiches that can be made vegan are clearly marked on the menu. The café also offers salads, sides, soups, cookies, muffins, and desserts, many of which are vegan. Grins is located at 25th Avenue in the Ben Schulman Center for Jewish Life on the Vanderbilt University campus but is open to the general public and has convenient parking. Please note that Grins is closed during university breaks including summer (May through August). Open Monday through Thursday for lunch and dinner. Open Friday for lunch. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Cafeteria, vegan options, take-out, catering, VISA/MC, $.

·The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant

1896 Eastland Ave., Nashville, TN 37206

(615) 262-2717

Vegetarian/natural foods. The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant offers vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free food in a fun, casual environment. They make most everything from scratch and feature great daily specials along with a cold case of grab 'n go items. Menu selections are noted as 'Vegan' or 'Vegan Upon Request' and they have a separate gluten-free menu. Enjoy Mock Chicken Salad Sandwich, Vegan Queso Dip, TLT (tempeh or tofu), or Grilled Tofu Salad. Don't miss their Sunday brunch with a revolving menu that may include tofu scrambler, veggie sausage, and German Toast (their vegan version of French Toast). The Wild Cow is located across the street from the Rose Pepper and just a few minutes from Five Points in East Nashville. Open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. Open Sunday for brunch. Closed Tuesday. Limited service, vegan options, take-out, soymilk, smoothies, wine, VISA/MC/DISC, $-$$.

·Woodlands Indian Vegetarian Cuisine

3415 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37203

(615) 463-3005

Vegetarian/Indian. Woodlands offers an extensive all-vegetarian menu of South Indian cuisine. Enjoy their awesome lunch buffet. Vegan items are not labeled on the buffet or menu so make sure to check with the very friendly and helpful staff. Woodlands is closed on weekdays between lunch and dinner, so please call ahead for hours. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Full service, vegan options, take-out, catering, special beverages, VISA/MC/AMEX/DISC, $-$$.