Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Question: Vegan Living in Baltimore?

Hey guys!  So, I am seeking your knowledge about what Baltimore has to offer in terms of vegetarian and vegan options.  My nephew has been awarded a big scholarship to MICA (I'm so happy for him, he is extremely talented!), and so I'm helping gather info about what veg options are there in terms of college living.  Mostly, what recommendations do you have for shopping, cafes, casual dining, whole foods and healthy living options in the area close to the University of Baltimore? (MICA is nearby from what I can gather.)

If you have any advice on where to eat and shop (and maybe, where not to!), can you please leave a comment - any recommendations from experience are appreciated.  Thanks!!

21 comments:

Jessica said...

Check out happycow.net

heather said...

my most favorite restaurant in the world is called Great Sage and it's in Clarksville, MD which is about 30 mins from baltimore...and in and around baltimore, there's Emily's Cafe (mt. washington baltimore) which is just that- a cafe- she has sandwiches and home made desserts, etc...then there's liquid earth which is in the heart of baltimore on aliceanna st...they have a fantastic menu...it's really known for their juice bar but i ate there for lunch and it was delicious! for other ideas, go here: http://www.vegbaltimore.com/ hope that helps!! if you have any other questions let me know! :)

Ladywaters said...

Whenever we go to Baltimore we use HappyCow as well. Also, there is a great pizza place in Fells Point that makes vegan pizza! Great stuff!

Sima said...

Oh my gosh! I went to MICA/was a B-more vegan! Baltimore is, in my opinion, pretty good for vegans. MICA always has veg options, and there are several grocery stores in walking distance. One, which is super close to MICA, is an adorable shop called OK Natural, which has oodles of vegan goodies. Also, in the Harbor there's a Whole Foods. If you want any more recommendations, contact me! Congrats to your nephew-MICA is a wonderful place.
sima.krtalic@gmail.com
Sima

Anonymous said...

There are some great places in Baltimore. Yabba Pot for one. And then Red Emma's bookshop (walking distance from MICA) has vegan cake and sandwiches. There's also a new monthly Vegan Happy Hour up and running for Baltimore!

Annie said...

I live in Baltimore very happily as a vegan. There are several all-vegan options (Emily's and Yabba Pot are the best) as well as several all-vegetarian restaurants (i.e. Liquid Earth). There's a large community of veg*ans here, and nearly all of the numerous progressive restaurants offer vegan options. There's also a good diversity of Asian and African restaurants that have "accidental" vegan options. It's really a great place! I recommend the Veg Guide for the city as a good starting off point.

Rachael said...

I've traveled to Baltimore a few times for work. The Fells Point area is really nice. Liquid Earth is a juice bar that serves food during the day and Charm City Yoga is awesome!

sue manchu said...

VegNews has a travel article about Baltimore this month!

jb said...

I definitely second Great Sage, it is absolutely amazing and certainly worth the trip. There is another bar/restaurant in the downtown area called One World Cafe that has many delicious vegan options. If your nephew likes Indian food and is up for a trip to columbia, which is in the same area as the Great Sage, I recommend the Mango Grove, which is an all vegetarian restaurant, but is always happy to accommodate requests for food to be made vegan. He will have no problem feeding himself in baltimore!

Candy Beans said...

Confrats to your nephew! I live outside of and work in Baltimore and there are several great spots. It looks like many were mentioned, but Red Emma, Emily's, HappyCow, and Yabba Pot in the City. Great Sage isn't too far either.

There's a vegan drinks meetup too, easily found on facebook. Also, check out middle eastern cuisine - there tends to be a lot of accidental veganism going on. Cazbar on Charles Street has always been good to me.

Anonymous said...

I live in Baltimore and am vegan - agree with all of the posts above and wanted to add a couple more: Brunie's Bakery does FANTASTIC all-vegan pastries - I always get my bday cake from her - and also check out Dukem - an Ethiopian restaurant that's super-vegan friendly.

Dreena said...

Hey, thanks a bunch everyone for helping with your recommendations, fave spots, tips and tidbits! My nephew has taken notes. :D

Anonymous said...

I've got two more (sorry, it's a favorite topic) :)

One World Cafe in Charles Village, and also Azafran, on the JHU campus - sustainable, local, vegan-friendly.

wingraclaire said...

This restaurant is in the Bethesda area, right across the street from the Metro stop. Best ever, and it has won lots of awards, I guess!


http://wingraclaire.livejournal.com/74445.html

radioactivegan said...

If he's close enough to DC, he should check out Sticky Fingers. I went there on a visit a few months ago and it was amazing. They have baked goods, but also some "actual" food options.

http://www.stickyfingersbakery.com/

Sarah said...

great sage
happycow

also if road trip to DC - sticky fingers and java green

Lauren M said...

There's a nice little place in Ellicot City called Sarah and Desmonds Bakery. It's a really cute old town with a nice main street full of antique stores. It's a nice place to go for a change from the city. All the deserts are vegan and there are vegan and veg options. The Baltimore area is very veg friendly.

Megan said...

We're Baltimore vegans too. To echo what everyone else said: Great Sage is a small drive away but is awesome. Liquid Earth and One World Cafe are good cafe/coffee shop style vegan-friendly spots. Yabba Pot is all vegan and is ah-maaaazing.

Old school Baltimore neighborhood Hampden is a good spot. Pretty hip. It's where a lot of the MICA folks hang out, so I'm sure he'll land there eventually. Holy Frijoles is tex-mex, and they're happy to accommodate vegans. They actually know what you mean when you ask for yours to be made "vegan." Golden West is another awesome spot: good food for vegans and omnis alike, creative atmosphere, vegan desserts.

Baltimore was recently featured in Veg News as a city with some vegan offerings. The article is written by Baltimorean Corinne Bowen, of Crazy Sexy Life.

Anonymous said...

There's a place right on Preston Street called Soup's On and they offer delicious vegan soups, sandwiches and salads.

There's also a great deli and cafe in Timonium called The Natural Brothers Deli and Cafe at 2149 York Road that has juices, wraps, smoothies, sandwiches, salads and more!

Kendall Hoff said...

Your son won't have a problem. The MICA campus is very vegan-friendly. My favorite place in the city to eat is The Yabba Pot on 25th and St. Paul. It's a little bit more expensive than I'd like, but certainly still affordable and fabulous. There's also Sweet Sin bakery on 27th and HOward (or something like that), which serves a mean lunch. Rocket to Venus and the Golden West in Hampden are very Vegan friendly. Red Emma's is a coffee shop/book store/collective that does a lot of great things for the city and serves a truly fantastic vegan meal. I support them whenever I can. Soup's On on Preston St. is close to MICA and very good, though they don't have too, too many options for vegans (usually one or two soups/sandwiches). The Club Charles has a few vegan items on their menu (once he's 21). There are also some really great Asain places all over the city. There's Paul Chen Hong Kong on 25th and Charles and another restaurant I can't remember the name of on Saratoga and I want to say Charles, but I'm really not sure.

Good luck!

momsorganicmarket said...

Be sure to let your son know that MOM's Organic Market is opening May 28th, 2011 in Timonium, MD at the Yorkridge Shopping Center. MOM's, the region's only provider of 100% organic produce, will offer him an ever-expanding selection of natural and organic vegan grocery and wellness products.
http://momsorganicmarket.com