General Tips for Eating Out

General tips for eating out

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to choose vegan-friendly restaurants such as those we’ve listed on this site, as you may not be in one of these areas or you may be eating at a restaurant chosen by your friends or family etc. Here are some hints for eating out at restaurants that are not necessarily vegan-friendly, including some things to look out for at some specific types of restaurants. For more hints on eating out as a vegan in Perth go to the ARA website’s section on this.

Tip #1 Call ahead

Calling ahead can save a lot of hassles as far as waiters going back and forth and checking every dish when you’re already there. Often they can tell you in advance a vegan dish that you can order or at least the dishes that they can make vegan. Many restaurants are happy to make up something specific for you if you give them at least a couple of days notice. It is amazing where you can get a nice vegan meal, especially if you phone ahead.

Tip #2 Check your chips

Chips, wedges, hash browns and the like are often pre-cooked in animal fat, even if they cook them in vegetable oil. It is best to actually ask to see the packet and read the ingredients, unless the restaurant chops them themselves, in which case they’re fine if they are cooked in vegetable oil. If cholesterol-free they are probably vegan. There are a lot of places that sell vegan chips. Here is a short list of some places in Perth where you can buy vegan chips:

Tip #3 Don’t be afraid to ask

Many restaurant staff will be happy to “veganise” a meal by removing cheese, egg or not cooking with a fish sauce. You have a right to know what you are eating, so don’t feel shy and ask exactly what is in your meal. It gets easier to deal with restaurant staff the longer that you are vegan.

Tip #4 Eating at Italian, Chinese/Thai and Indian Restaurants

Italian

Pizza is often a good option. Just check there is no egg or dairy in the base (there rarely is), order it without cheese, and pile on the vege toppings. Sometimes pasta dishes can be made vegan, just make sure the pasta doesn’t have egg in it, and make sure they don’t put cheese on top. When you are ordering vegetable soups, make sure the soup does not contain dairy products such as milk or cream. Also make sure the soup does not contain animal-based stock.

Chinese and Thai

There are lots of Chinese and Thai dishes that are, or can be made vegan. Rice and veggie dishes are good – there is often a section on the menu marked ‘Vegetable’ or ‘Vegetarian’. Just make sure there is no egg and also ask for no seafood products e.g. fish stock or oyster sauce. Using the term ‘pure vegetarian’ can help with explaining that you don’t eat any animal products, as this is the term used in some countries to refer to a vegan diet. If eating at places with mock meat you will need to double check that the mock meat is vegan as it can often contain dairy or egg products.

Indian

There are often many vegetarian dishes available at Indian restaurants. You need to make sure your meal does not contain dairy products such as ghee, yoghurt, or cream.