Vegan in Vegas: Sinning and Winning

Like the Snapple add campaign "Made from the best Stuff on Earth" people now more then ever before want to ingest healthy foods, care about what harm products may be causing and desire environmentally positive lifestyle changes. Often coupled with an active workout routine, religious beliefs or a deep love of nature and animals a vegan diet is one path being taken to compliment many of our normal daily activities and beliefs. A relatively new concept to many places in the world vegan dining is still much a stranger to the amazing city that is Las Vegas, Nevada. As the "city of sin" vegan is surly not the first word that wobbles in our mind. If overindulgence is becoming overpowering for visitors, if locales need a break from the more damaging dining options or simply if our personal choices encourage it escaping to a vegan eatery can be just what the environmentalist ordered. A review of some of Las Vegas' best vegan restaurants will allow us to dive dairy free first into the world of animal free dining in the dessert.

With two locations and a vegan only menu Go Raw Café of Las Vegas is a top choice for those looking for an alternative dining experience. The Go Raw Café seems to draw popularity through its organic first thought process and the embracing of the concept that what they offer is more then just food. People love the fact that all the food is raw and without animal ingredients. On all of my visit's the service has been friendly, the food delicious and the atmosphere clean and enjoyable. Another cool aspect of the café is that all takeout containers and to-go utensils are eco-friendly and this is just another example that coming here is about more then just food and fueling our bodies. For many going to a place like this is a way to try something new. One of the coolest menu items is the samplers. They offer three different samplers from a variety of regions and with a nice mix of their vegan offerings. Another great feature is the juice bar. With fresh squeezed juices, smoothies and vitamin shots the Go Raw Café has all the right offerings to cool off and re-fuel our bodies. Their website is very informative and unlike some of the other places we will look at below you can also buy some home and care products right at the restaurant.

With the 100% vegan choices being very limited in Las Vegas an option many are turning to is having the vegan food come to them. One of the top vegan delivery services and moving restaurants in Vegas is Chef Myra. The best thing about Chef Myra is that she too is 100% vegan. Chef Myra is cool because she is so flexible, easy to get a hold of and offers a smorgasbord of vegan options. Private vegan dinning for two? Vegan catering for hundreds? Want to cook vegan? Chef Myra has the answers to these questions and many more. The best part about Chef Myra is that she has teamed up with the best vegan natural foods market near the Vegas strip in Rainbows End for a cooking show every Wednesday. Independently owned and in business for over 30 years Rainbows End offers both visitors and locals alike a vegan dining option very close to the center of the city. Rainbows End has an awesome café where most everything can be made vegan if it not already is. My favorite menu item is the Raw Avocado-Carrot-Celery Soup and at $4.95 it is a steal. I love soups and this one is bursting with flavor. It is always nice as a vegetarian to be able to sit down at a restaurant and have a bowl of soup without worrying or having to ask the waiter what the base of the stock is. How little importance many places give to the difference between vegetable and chicken/beef stocks to there patrons is at times disturbing. The prices are very reasonable at Rainbows End for this type of cuisine and the level of service and knowledge about the Vegas vegan community is always superb. They do offer delivery at a slight additional charge if lets hypothetically say you had to many cocktails on the strip or simply can not leave the blackjack table. With all of these amazing selections of vegan drinks and meals and with that healthy body mindset it is easy to forget about dessert.

Do not be fooled by the humble appearance and standard donut shop feel as Ronald's Donuts just off the strip in Las Vegas is anything but your normal donut shop. Ronald's has vegan donuts and lots of them. An awesome feature of Ronald's besides having the best tasting vegan donuts on the west coast is all the vegan donuts are separated from the regular donuts and are easy to identify. This is a favorite for locals as a place to relax in the morning and to get a semi-healthy sweet tooth fix. Serving organic coffee here would be a great addition and more comfortable seating might make me stay longer but we can not have everything. Another sweet feature is the location as right down the street is a vegetarian Asian hot spot Veggie Delight.

Regardless of what type of vegan food we are in the mood for one of the above destinations will surely cater to our cravings. If you want to take a break from shopping at Trader Joes or Whole Foods/Wild Oats Market but still want some healthy vegan grub then the Go Raw Café, Rainbows End, Chef Myra, Ronald's Donuts or Veggie Delight are the places to be in Las Vegas. General information and answers to most other questions about these Las Vegas vegan dining options can be found at the websites below.

http://www.rainbowsendlv.com/index.htm

http://mychefmayra.com/

Ronald's Donuts
4600 W Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, Nevada 89102 (1.5 miles West of the Strip, near Arville St.) 702-873-1032

http://www.happycow.net/north_america/usa/nevada/las_vegas/

http://www.gorawcafe.com/index.html