El Chupacabra, Seattle WA

El Chupacabra is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in Seattle. You can get mock meats and vegan cheese on almost any of the items so you can have all of the same foods as your friends (instead of the usual fajitas that we can get when going other places). We started with the enchiladas with mock chicken and vegan cheese. I love enchiladas so it is always nice when I can get them while eating out. This is served with a side of refried black beans and rice. They use Gardien mock meats and they are really very delicious. The sauce is a little spicy, but not too bad. Overall very very good.


We also ordered a burrito with steak and even though we had ordered it dry they gave it to us wet (with sauce and cheese) which was fine as well. This was also really tasty with avocado, rice, veggies, steak, cheese. Delicious!

Overall - I love El Chupacabra. Definitely stop by if you want some tasty vegan Mexican food.

Santa Maria, Berlin Germany

One night after work we decided to check out Santa Maria for some margaritas and burritos. It was really busy but we found a place at the bar and started out with some guacamole. This was tasty and I wish we would have gotten more of it.


We tried both of the vegan burritos they offer. First was the Nopal - black beans, cactus cooked with white onions and green salsa wrapped in a flour tortilla. This was marked as mild on the menu, but was really quite spicy. It was almost over my spice tolerance level. Really it was so spicy I couldn't really taste anything except black beans, though Raymond claimed the cactus was tasty. It was good, but too hot for my tastes.


The second vegan option they have is the Verduras - black beans and a combination of grilled aubergine and bell peppers basted in a tart tamarind dressing and habanero salsa wrapped in a flour tortilla. This one was listed as medium hot, but it was not nearly as spicy as the other burrito. Really the people working there were telling others how incredibly hot the habanero salsa was so I was expecting to not be able to eat this one at all, and since I started with the Nopal and that was supposed to be mild I didn't think I would be able to eat more than one bite. It really wasn't spicy at all though which was odd. It was tasty and I liked it better than the first one.

Overall - They weren't my favorite burritos, but they were tasty. I would definitely come back though as I liked the atmosphere and the drinks were great.

Radost FX, Prague Czech Republic

When researching places to eat in Prague I found Radost FX had brunch options for vegans on the weekends so we decided to check it out. We tried the mixed tofu - tofu with thai sesame sauce, salad, served with potatoes & toast. The tofu was tasty by itself and the sauce was tasty - nutty and a little spicy. The salad had a sweet vinaigrette which was unbelievably good. What is with Prague having all the good salad dressings? Seriously they are some of the best I have ever had. The potatoes were cooked and seasoned well. Maybe heavy on the paprika (they looked like they would have a tomato flavor but they didn't) and other spices I couldn't place. They had an odd flavor, but in a good way. I'm just not sure what spices were used as the flavors were not ones I am familiar with.



We also tried the huevos-less rancheros - Corn tortilla with beans, scrambled tofu, topped with salsa & guacamole served with potatoes and toast. This was incredibly tasty. It is hard to find Mexican good in Berlin - not much salad and beans and guacamole to be had so I was excited for this. The guacamole and salsa were spicy and delicious and it was just really really good. I keep thinking back on this dish and wishing I could get it here (or even find the ingredients to make it easily).

Overall - I would highly recommend Radost FX. The brunch options were amazing and I wish we would have had time to go back again and try their other food choices. Next time. Definitely stop in if you are in Prague.

Bimbos Cantina, Seattle WA

We had a groupon for Bimbos Cantina so we decided to head there for happy hour one night after work. I had heard that they had vegan options and vegan cheese available and we were not disappointed. We started with some nachos - vegan cheese, jalapenos, green onions, pico. They were so tasty! Raymond even liked them (he is picky with vegan cheeses and doesn't like most of them). Definitely would go back for more.


We also tried the garlic roasted potato tacos  - potatoes, vegan cheese, lettuce and homemade pico de gallo salsa. These were also really tasty. The potatoes were spiced well and everything went together.


And last up was the Fajita burrito - rice, beans, vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, grilled red and green peppers and onions with vegan chipotle chicken. Delicious! The chipotle chicken was not super spicy and the fajita veggies were super tasty.  I would definitely go back and order this again.

Overall - Bimbos had lots of tasty treats and they have lots of vegan options (or things that can be made vegan). Their margaritas are also delicious!

Maria Bonita, Berlin Germany

Maria Bonita is a tiny little Mexican restaurant in Prenzlaur Berg we stumbled across one day. We both ordered some of the veggie tacos without cheese to make them vegan. They were so amazing for how simple they were. The diced veggies (zucchini, peppers, potatoes, onion) are seasoned wonderfully and go great with the beans. I am usually just an eh on tacos as I think they are usually just okay, but these were amazing. These definitely converted me to a taco lover.

Overall - Maria Bonita is tiny and only has one or two vegan options, but they are amazing! If it is busy it might be hard to find a seat, but it is worth the wait. They also have great frozen margaritas. 

Dirty South, Berlin Germany

When we stopped by Cupcake to get treats I had to use the restroom. They didn't actually have one there but they had one at their restaurant across the street, Dirty South. The sign outside said vegan options and when I walked in I instantly loved it. It is an American tex-mex bar and I loved the decor and the feel of the place. They have a few vegan options one of which was the vegan nachos. Chips with vegan chili, salsa, and guacamole. This was really tasty. I would not call the beans on it chilli - they were just like beans lightly spiced, but they were super tasty. And the guacamole was incredible. All in all it was super good and I will go back for it again. I didn't even miss a cheese substitute as it was good enough by itself.



We also tried the New Orleans vegan cajun tacos - cajun tofu with rice, corn and tomatoes in a corn tortilla. I really enjoyed this even though the tofu did not have a ton of flavor, the taco was stuffed super full so it was pretty messy to eat.

Overall - I really liked Dirty South. The food was tasty and I just really liked the feel of the place. We also had some tasty drinks and it was just a very pleasant way to spend an evening.

Banditas Taqueria, Vancouver BC

From Vegan Gastrobot

The last stop on our first evening of eating in Vancouver was Bandidas Taqueria. We were quite full by the time we got there, but wanted to try a few of the tacos. All could be made vegan by request. When we walked in I instantly loved it – this was the kind of place that if I lived here I would visit often. The atmosphere was comfortable, they are all trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible (they try to buy local organic items, reuse things, make you bring your own take out cup for coffee, etc) and the people were friendly, though the lady who greeted us was odd as she didn’t say anything just made odd gestures with her head. We recieved chipas and salsa as we were seated - I really liked the salsa, but could not eat very much of it sinc eI was so full already.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We tried 3 different tacos. First was the Ronny Russell which had roasted yams and onions, fresh guacamole, black beans, green salsa, purple cabbage and toasted pumpkin seeds (pictured bottom left). This had a light mellow flavor of yam and was good.

We also tried the Leona Gayle – smoky-sweet chipotle tofu with pinto beans, cheese, roasted red salsa, romaine lettuce and sour cream (pictured bottom right). I was very excited to try this one as I love smoky things – but like in DC the smoky tofu disappointed. I’m not sure why people cannot get the smoky tofu right – it is not that hard to make I do it all the time. This taco was alright it just didn’t have as much flavor as I thought based on what was in it. The salsa was very good however.

And lastly we tried Connie’s taco – walnuts ground, apple salsa, cheese and roasted red pepper sauce (pictured top). This was amazing! Definitely my favorite of the three..I could have eaten a few more of them. The walnuts lent a very delicious flavor to the taco and made it meaty, the roasted red pepper sauce was amazing, everything about it was so good. I would highly recommend this taco.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We also tried to get the small vegan chocolate cake but they were out so we got the two bite brownies instead. These were super dense and fudgy and good, but not what I was expecting for brownies.

Overall – I loved the atmosphere in here and if we had wanted drinks we could have hung out a long time. The tacos were overall pretty good, the chips and salsa was delicious, and I would definitely go back here again.

Mirkwood & Shire Cafe - Arlington, WA

From Vegan Gastrobot

We had a coupon from vegfest for Mirkwood & Shire Cafe in Arlington so we stopped on the way up to Vancouver to check it out. The space is multi-purpose – there is a small bar area, a stage for bands to play, a coffee counter and some tables and booths to eat at. The people working were very friendly and there were a lot of folks just hanging out inside and setting up for the show that night. This is a vegetarian restaurant, but almost everything can be made vegan with is nice. We ordered the chili burger with fries. The chili and the burger patty are house made which I like. The chili was pretty good – lots of veggies and beans though it didn’t come with much on the burger (though enough to make the sandwich messy). The burger patty didn’t have a lot of flavor by itself – just a black bean patty but paired with the chili it was tasty. The fries were just frozen reheated like you would get in the grocery store with a little bit of spicy seasoning salt.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We also tried the enchilada plate with house made green sauce. This was three corn tortillas filled with beans, soy taco meat, cheese and topped with enchilada sauce, salsa and sour cream. Served with tortilla chips. This was actually really tasty. The enchiladas tasted a lot like refried beans and the sauce was a little spicy but tasty. I like that a lot of the foods are house made instead of store bought, and then they add store bought things like the vegan cheese and such. This was all a lot of food and I would go back if I were in the area again.

Overall – Stop by and check out the Shire Cafe if you are in the Arlington area. The servers are friendly and the food tasty.

Rosa Linda's Mexican Cafe, Denver CO

From Vegan Gastrobot

From Vegan Gastrobot

Our last day in Denver we had a late breakfast at Rosa Linda's Mexican Cafe. While looking at the menu I saw that you could get a cactus burrito and since I have never had cactus, let alone seen it on a menu, we had to try it. We decided to try a small veggie combo which included a cactus burrito with red sauce (shown above). This was good, but I was disappointed with the cactus - it just tasted kind of like green peppers.

From Vegan Gastrobot

It also came with a bean taco and bean tostado, both of which were good, but not special.

Overall - Rosa Linda's was alright. Not bad, but not really good either. It was just...so so Mexican food. I am sure there are better places in Denver, but maybe they don't have vegan options. Overall though I wouldn't make a special trip to go here.

Atomic Tamale, Denver CO

From Vegan Gastrobot

I heard Atomic Tamale had free vegan menudo on Sundays and I didn't really know what that was, but since I wanted to stop by anyways why not stop on Sunday and check it out? We walked into this place and it...well it is a bit strange. I thought we got the wrong door as there were day of the dead items (dresses, jewelry, etc) and so it looked like a store, not a place that would serve food. In the back of the store however (it is a tiny place) there is a window to order food from and 2 small tables to enjoy your food. There is also a table of toppings (shown above) and chips that you can help yourself to.

From Vegan Gastrobot

From Vegan Gastrobot

The menudo was simple, but really good. The top photo is is the menudo when we got it and the bottom is with our added toppings. The broth was delicious, the vegan meats tender, the hominy perfect! I wish I knew how to make this. I am going to have to try and recreate it at home.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We ordered 3 falafel taquitos and 2 tamales as it was the special - only $5! This coupled with the menudo was plenty of food for both me and Raymond which made it a very cheap lunch. The taquitos were not my favorite - too greasy for me, but they did have a good flavor. I just don't like taquitos that much, but Raymond enjoyed them.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We tried two different kinds of tamales, both special - One was filled with corm and zucchini. This one was my favorite. The filling was sweet and just really worked well together. The other was filled with red sauce, potatoes and pinto beans. This one was also good, but the corn and zucchini one overshadowed it (Raymond liked the red sauce one better so it worked out).

Overall - check Atomic Tamale out, especially on Sunday when you can get the free menudo.

Mexico Restaurant, Seattle Wa

From Vegan Gastrobot

We used to go to Mexico quite a bit before I was vegan, but then they changed chefs or something and the food went downhill. I received an email that they have a new "healthier for you" menu with new options, some that are vegan. We tried it out over the summer and had the butter lettuce wraps and they were delicious! Light and perfect for a hot summer day. We were downtown so we decided to try more. We started with some vegetarian tortilla soup which was actually really tasty. I think this was the first time I had ever had tortilla soup so I don't have anything to compare it to, but it was light and refreshing.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We also tried the vegetable fajitas which are the standard fare we get at Mexican places. They come with a side of rice and beans, but there is butter in the rice so they gave us extra beans. The fajita veggies themselves...well I wish there would have been more veggies. There were a lot of onions, like 4 stalks of asparagus and 2 slices of zucchini. They were also incredibly oily and not the best fajitas we have had. It was good, but not great. I would definitely go for something different if eating here again.