Ten years ago vegetarian food consisted largely of raw vegetables and unseasoned tofu. St Louis, even though it’s known for large amounts of barbecue etc, has a wide variety of options for vegan and vegetarian food, but most Wash U students do like to stay focused close to campus on the Delmar Loop. Whether you refrain from eating meat for environmental, ethical, nutritional or financial reasons, sometimes the routine of a monotonous diet can start to wear down the drive to fulfill any sort of mantra. I have been experiencing the meat free St Louis for years now and here is my top list of restaurants and dishes on the Delmar Loop on a vegetarian diet.
Peacock Diner
My absolute favorite restaurant on the Delmar Loop. Peacock is your conventional late night diner located just under the Wash U lofts. Its old fashioned diner aesthetic with various odd peacock themed decorations matched with their wildly friendly staff who all know me by name (and story) is what keeps me coming back to this establishment, but they have a wide variety of options for me and all my herbivorous friends. Peacock has a black bean burger, different vegetarian soups, toasted CHEESE ravioli (a rare delicacy among all St Louis vegetarians), a vegan casserole with vegetables and vegan cheese, and plenty of other meatless sandwiches and salads.
Thai Country Cafe
Thai Country Cafe is cheap and good Thai food with tons of meat and dairy free options. For vegetarians there’s plenty of curry options and pad thai and for vegans theres tons of tofu and vegetable dishes. Thai Country Cafe lets their customers choose their preferred level of spice making it a great spot for me to go with my friends who all like different things. They can also easily do fried rice or pad thai without egg making it suitable for vegans.
Seoul Taco
My second favorite taco place on the loop, Seoul Taco offers Asian fusion with tons of vegetarian and vegan options. Seoul taco’s tofu is so good that plenty of my meat eating friends still order it in lieu of any animal products. The Gogi Bowls (which are kind of like salads) come with fried eggs but for vegan options, you can sub out the egg for extra tofu.
Mission Taco
Notorious among all St Louisans Mission Taco is a haven for all taco lovers who don’t want to break their wallets. Mission Taco after 10pm sells all tacos for just $2 including their soft taco made of vegan meat, vegan cheese, lettuce and pico, and their portobello mushroom taco, with portobello mushrooms, chihuahua cheese and lettuce in a soft corn taco shell. Mission taco also has a Cali Burrito, which is essentially the soft taco but much larger as a burrito, and my personal favorite appetizer, the mushroom empanadas- which are vegetarian, not vegan.
There are plenty of other establishments on the loop offering vegetarian options but for quick service and inexpensive food, Peacock Diner and Mission Taco get the majority of my late night business.
