Health food stores and natural foods groceries, along with Asian, Indian, and Mexican restaurants, are the usual go-tos for on-the-road vegetarians and vegans. While many of Maine’s restaurants, especially those specializing in farm-to-table fare, offer at least one vegetarian entree, only a handful of restaurants in the state deliver menus created for or catering to vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diets.
Frankie and Johnny’s Natural Foods, Cape Neddick
“Food that loves you back” is the slogan for Frankie and Johnny’s Natural Foods. Inside the shingled restaurant, wood floors and pine-colored walls provide the background for the Culinary Institute of America-trained chef John Shaw’s vibrant, internationally seasoned fare. Vegetarian and vegan choices are always on the menu, along with fish, seafood, and chicken options, and many dishes can be modified for the gluten-sensitive. Portions are generous, breads and pastas are made in-house, and everything is cooked to order, so plan on a leisurely meal. All entrees come with a soup or salad. Bring your own booze, but leave the your credit cards behind since “plastic is not natural.”
Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro, Portland
The Asian-inspired fare at Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro has persuaded many carnivores that going veggie doesn’t not mean sacrificing flavor. Every menu item, including wine, is labeled as vegan, gluten-free, wheat free, and/or organic. Regulars know to begin with the roti canai, an Indian flatbread paired with a curry dip. After that, favorites include char guayteow, Siamese dream curry noodle, citrus spare ribs, and tofu tikka masala. One taste, and you’ll see the light. This place is extremely popular, and it doesn’t does not take reservations.($10-16)
She Doesn’t Like Guthries, Lewiston
Eco-conscious, budget-bound urban bohemians: She Doesn’t Like Guthries is your happy place. Heather and Randy Letourneau’s Maine-certified green restaurant pairs healthful fare, including veggie, vegan, and wheat-free choices, with local art and eclectic music. Feast on wheat-free fiesta bowls, wheat-free tacos, veggie and vegan burritos, BBQ smoked tofu quesadillas, hearty soups, serious salads, and veggie-rich paninis. Now add frequent live jazz or bluegrass.
Chase’s Daily, Belfast
Even the culinary poobahs at the James Beard Foundation have discovered Chase’s Daily which has twice been nominated for Best Chef Northeast. The daily changing menu is built upon seasonal fresh vegetarian fare, with much of it sourced from the Chase family’s farm in nearby Freedom. It’s a restaurant, but it’s also an art gallery, bakery, and farmers’ market. (Enjoyed those salad greens or peas? You might be able to take some home.). .
Riverside Cafe, Ellsworth
Despite changes in ownership and location, the no-longer-riverside Riverside Cafe remains an extremely popular downtown restaurant among both locals and those passing through en route to Mount Desert Island or farther Down East. Breakfast is served until 2 p.m., and the vegetarian sections of the breakfast and lunch menus include choices such as veggie benedict, vegan French toast, veggie burger, and homemade quiche. Pair it with a fresh fruit smoothie, and you’re good to go. Dinner is served on Friday and Saturday evenings, and veggie choices might include eggplant parmesan and pastas.
