Plan, Plan, Plan
The key to any successful trip is to plan, plan, plan. This is pretty common sense, right? When you add in the fact you are a vegan or eat a plant based diet, this becomes that much more important. Whenever we plan a trip to a new city or even one we have been to many times before, I always research and plan out our meals. There is no greater stress than the “where do you want to eat” debate while everyone is hungry. Been there and done that one too many times! I typically look at a few different review sites for the area as well as joining any vegan social media groups prior to to our trip. It is best to get feedback from a variety of sources and then once you narrow your selections, you can do a deeper dive on those specific restaurants. There is nothing better than getting local vegan’s perspectives on things.
We have been to Detroit many times, but the vegan scene has vastly improved and we wanted to try some of the new places, so we took a quick trip to the “D”. I will say, there are quite a few places that serve up the typical vegan offererings – Cauliflower Wings, Impossible This and Beyond That – you know what I mean. We always look for places that are doing more than this and Detroit has some good ones! It did take a little more work than I had anticipated to map out our plan. A few places had recently closed, others were only offering take out and unfortunately a couple of these were places we wanted to try, but just weren’t in a position to eat take out. After some effort, we found some winners!
Seva
Seva Detroit is an example of a restaurant that is going above and beyond to create great vegan food. They take tried and true options, make them vegan and put their own twist to deliver great flavors. French Dip, Burrito’s, Reuben’s, Fish Sandwich to name a few – all done uniquely vegan! In addition, the service is always wonderful. Our group had the General Tso’s Cauliflower and Vegan Nacho Dip to start. Both were very good. For dinner we had the Tempeh Reuben and the Mushroom French Dip. Both of these sandwiches deliver on the flavor – deep and rich! Seva also has a great vegan dessert menu. We were running short on time, so we ordered the Chocolate Cheesecake to share. Instead of the Cheesecake, they brought us the Chocolate Chai Cake, but since we were short on time, we decided to just go with it. Thank God we did – this Chocolate Chai Cake is one of the best vegan desserts we’re had. Seva has locations in Detroit and Ann Arbor. We would highly recommend giving them a try. Great food, Great Service in a fun and relaxed environment.
The Kitchen by Cooking by Que
I have to be honest, I still don’t think I know all the things that are going on at The Kitchen by Cooking with Que. What I do know for sure is that they deliver some great vegan food and they are passionate about moving the vegan lifestyle forward! There is a restaurant, retail space, vegan cooking classes, I think shared cooking space and probably more than I don’t know about. We went for their famous Saturday Brunch. The space is small, but the overall vibe is very cool. As we sat there looking over the menu, we watched some of the plates coming out from the kitchen and each one looked better than the one before. There were a lot of great options and decisions to make. Our group decided on the Chicken and Waffles, Red Beans and Rice Pancake (Super Good!), Pancakes and the Mac and Cheese. I wish I could have tried all the things on the menu, but we will be back for sure!
Wrap it Up
As I mentioned, this was a quick trip AND a few places we wanted to try just didn’t work out. On our next trip, we really want to try Detroit Vegan Soul, IMA, Trap Vegan and Ale Mary’s in Royal Oak. If you happen to beat us to one of these, add a review in the comments section if you would. Now, on to our next new city…….
