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This is a list of restaurants in the Columbia area, which to the best of my knowledge have at least some vegan options available.
In some cases, the restaurant explicitly states that certain items are vegan.
In other cases, the restaurant has menu items which appear to be vegan, but I haven't confirmed that they actually are.
In a few cases (where noted), the menu doesn't have vegan items, but you can request that items be made vegan.
Since many of the restaurants listed on this page are not specifically vegetarian or vegan, it is always safest to make it clear to your server that you are vegan, and to ask details about the dishes you plan to order.
Please do not rely on this information to be up to date - I haven't visited many of these restaurants in a long time, and things change.
Page last updated on April 14, 2024.
I'm not likely to update this page going forward,
as better info can now be found on other pages such as HappyCow.
The Reizod Vegan Experience - Vegan
9300 Two Notch Rd, Suite L
Columbia, South Carolina 29223
This is a completely vegan restaurant.
A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen - Vegan
2338 Main Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Completely vegan.
For a while they were operating out of a food truck while the restaurant was being remodeled.
I believe the restaurant is now open again...
or maybe they only have outdoor tables? I'm not sure.
Tasty As Fit
3001 Millwood Drive
Columbia SC, 29205
Based on the website, appears to be vegan except that some items contain honey;
some can be ordered with other sweeteners instead of honey.
Good Life Cafe
This used to be a completely vegan restaurant.
In Spring of 2023, they moved from 1614 Main Street to 1216 Taylor Street
and now include non-vegetarian items on their menu.
They still have several vegan items.
Rosewood Market and Deli
2803 Rosewood Drive
Columbia, SC 29205
This is a natural foods grocery store with a deli and small dining area.
The deli has macrobiotic, vegan, vegetarian, and non-vegetarian items.
The items marked red are macrobiotic and vegan, and items marked green are vegan.
Earth Fare
3312-B Devine Street
Columbia, SC 29205
This is a natural foods grocery store with a deli and small dining area.
The deli doesn't usually include many vegan items in the warm food bar,
so I don't recommend going there for a warm meal. They make some fresh juice
drinks which are quite good.
Golden Chopstix - Vietnamese / Thai
1505 Charleston Highway
West Columbia, SC 29169
Menu items are not specifically marked as vegan, but most of the entrees are available with tofu.
The "house sauce" contains fish sauce. The house sauce is served by default with the vegetarian spring rolls
and with the "Vietnamese Bun" noodle dish, but you can request a different sauce instead.
Some other dishes may contain fish sauce too, so it is best to ask the server.
Mai Thai Cuisine - Thai
2249 Sunset Boulevard
West Columbia, SC 29169
Menu items are not specifically marked as vegan, but all of the items in the "entrees" section are available with tofu.
The new menu has a small "vegetarian" section too; I'm not sure if there is any difference between ordering a
regular entree with tofu, versus ordering one of the "vegetarian" entrees.
I haven't asked them if they use fish sauce in any of their dishes.
Pho Viet - Vietnamese
9308 Two Notch Rd
Columbia, SC 29223
Only has a few vegan items:
Vietnamese Vegetarian Spring Rolls (not fried, served cold)
Mixed Vegetables Noodle Soup with Rice Noodles
Tofu Saute with Lemongrass & Chili Pepper - One of the times I got this,
it tasted like it had been cooked together with meat.
So it's best to inform the server that you are vegan and don't want any fish or meat flavor in it.
Arabesque / Sahara / Al-Amir - Mediterranean
Arabesque: 2930 Devine St, Columbia SC 29205
Sahara: 629 Main St, Columbia SC 29201
Al-Amir: 2431 Main St, Columbia SC 29201 (opening summer 2019)
(The 1734 Main St location closed in April 2019)
I believe these were all under the same management at one time, but have since split or changed owners.
Typical mediterranean fare; several of the menu items appear to be vegan.
Red Bowl Asian Bistro
481-11 Town Center Place (Village at Sandhill)
Columbia, SC 29229
The menu has a vegetarian section, and most of those items sound like they should be vegan.
Also has some vegetarian sushi rolls, but I'm not sure if the wasabi paste is vegan.
I sometimes order the "Japanese Udon", and request that it be made with tofu instead of meat.
Miyo's - Asian
(multiple locations - see the websites)
The menus at each location are a little different, but all the ones I've been to have at least a few vegetarian items.
Some menus have a separate vegetarian section.
Some locations have a "create your own" dish, where you can choose which items to include.
Chipotle - Mexican
4840 Forest Dr., Suite 16 (Trenholm Plaza)
Columbia, SC 29206
Has vegan burritos, tacos, guacamole, and chips.
As of 2014, both their black beans and pinto beans are vegan,
and they have spicy braised tofu called "Sofritas".
Mellow Mushroom - Pizza / Italian
1009 Gervais St (in the Vista), Columbia SC, 29201
5364 Sunset Blvd, Lexington SC 29072
They have vegan cheese available for their pizzas.
Reportedly, their barbecue sauce pizza base is not vegan, but the red sauce is.
Their gluten-free crust used to contain egg, but is now vegan.
Their normal wheat crust is also vegan.
Normally they put parmesan and/or garlic butter on the pizza crust,
but you can request them not to.
Bombay Grill - Indian
245 Bush River Road (Boozer Shopping Center)
Columbia, SC 29210
The "Gobi Manchurian" (cauliflower) is quite good.
As with most Indian restaurants, many of the vegetarian dishes may include dairy.
The server can tell you which ones they can make vegan.
You may need to emphasize that you don't want ghee (which is made from butter) in your food either.
Delhi Palace - Indian
542 St Andrews Rd
Columbia, SC 29210
As with most Indian restaurants, many of the vegetarian dishes may include dairy.
This place has a good "Hamarra (Chat)" section on the menu; you can request the yogurt be omitted.
O-Bok - Korean
1616 Decker Blvd
Columbia, SC 29206
Not many outright vegan menu options.
Their new menu does include a tofu/vegetable dish,
or you can order the Bee Bim Bob without meat and eggs.
This restaurant, like some other Korean ones, serves you about 10 small bowls
of various appetizers before your main dish. Most are vegetables, but some
contain fish, meat, or eggs - you could ask to only get the vegetables.
Arirang - Korean
1943 Decker Blvd #C
Columbia, SC 29206
Doesn't have any outright vegan menu options.
You can request the "Jab-Che" (glass noodle dish with mushrooms) be made without meat.
You can request the Bee Bim Bob without meat and eggs.
You can request the GimBob (gimbap) without meat and eggs.
The dining area sometimes smells strongly of meat; don't go here if that would bother you.
This restaurant, like some other Korean ones, serves you about 10 small bowls
of various appetizers before your main dish. Most are vegetables, but some
contain fish, meat, or eggs - you could ask to only get the vegetables.
Za's Brick Oven Pizza
2930 Devine St
Columbia, SC 29205
Doesn't have any outright vegan menu options.
Their hummus might be vegan, but I'm not sure about their "pita" chips.
You can request some of the dishes, including the pizzas, without cheese.
Blue Ginger Asian Bistro
4561 Hardscrabble Rd
Columbia, SC 29229
The menu seems nearly the same as Red Bowl's, except for sushi.
I've been to this restaurant one time. I ordered the Spinach with Garlic Sauce,
and the sauce tasted like it had been cooked with meat and/or butter.
So it would be good to specifically tell the server that you want the dish to be vegan.
Red Bowl In Lexington - asian cuisine & sushi
5166 Sunset Blvd Suite E
Lexington, SC 29072
I haven't been to this restaurant, as Lexington is a bit far from me.
The following restaurants used to be listed on this page,
but have since closed or moved
and are no longer in business in Columbia, SC:
zpizza - Pizza / Italian (entry removed 2013/01/18)
Brixx Wood-fired Pizza - Pizza / Italian (entry removed 2013/01/18)
Mezza Lebanese Bistro (entry removed 2014/04/08)
Mojitos Tropical Cafe - Caribbean (entry removed 2015/05/10)
Punjabi Dhaba - Indian (entry removed 2015/05/10)
Mayflower (aka Queenstown Bistro) - Asian (entry removed 2016/07/09)
Elie's Authentic Lebanese Cuisine - Lebanese (entry removed 2016/07/09)
Black Bean Co. - Energy Food Restaurant (entry removed 2018/03/12)
Blue Cactus Cafe - Korean / Southwestern (entry removed 2019/05/11)
El Burrito - Mexican (restaurant closed 2017/04/24)
Rawtopian Bliss - Vegan (entry removed 2024/04/14)
Lamb's Bread Returns the King Vegan Cafe - Vegan (entry removed 2024/04/14)
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Date: 2011-07-10 02:49 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-07-10 05:41 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2011-10-14 01:27 am (UTC)From:another option
Date: 2015-01-23 09:18 pm (UTC)From: (Anonymous)