Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center – Vegetarian Guide

When you think of food in Texas, you probably think of barbecue, smoked meats, and even Mexican dishes like tacos, burritos, tamales, and quesadillas. Well, those aren’t wrong assumptions to make. You’ll find a ton of barbecue eateries and there’s certainly no shortage of Mexican restaurants either.

With that in mind, vegetarians may feel like there will be little to no decent food options for them in a state that is known for cuisines like Tex-Mex and barbecue. However, there are actually a fair amount of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the city of Dallas. So, when you visit the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, know that you will absolutely have some amazing meat-free options available to you.

Kalachandji’s

Rated amongst the top vegetarian restaurants by multiple publications, Kalachdji’s has been serving the Dallas community for over 35 years. They believe in the ancient Indian vegetarian traditions that use the art of cooking to nourish the body, mind, and soul. The ultimate goal of Kalachandji’s is to create dishes that are fresh and healthy. The food is meant to promote good health and make patrons feel peaceful and heighten their awareness.

While this is a vegetarian restaurant, Kalachandji’s wants to be of service to the vegan community. Even though their daily vegetarian menu is lacto-vegetarian, they do indicate the various vegan options available. Any dishes that contain gluten are also highlighted on the menu. This is a buffet-style eatery and their buffet menu is featured on their website. The menu is based on what they closely expect the menu to be for the day. Therefore, the menu is subject to change.

There’s a reason that this restaurant has thrived for so many years and continuously shows up on top vegetarian lists throughout the decades. The quality is top-notch and the food is made with an unparalleled passion and care. So stop by Kalachandji’s when you’re in Dallas.

Cosmic Cafe

Similar to Kalachandji’s, Cosmic Cafe believes in nourishing the body, mind, and soul through its fully vegetarian menu of Indian and Indian-inspired cuisine.

Start off with an appetizer of pappadam, which is a crispy lentil wafer. Pair that with a bowl of soup, such as their Tomato Dreams soup. For an entree, pick a dish like the Cosmic Stir, which has a slew of vegetables served with a yogurt and ginger sauce over rice. There are so many unique course combinations you can try.

Cosmic Cafe is only 10 minutes away from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, so why not stop by and have a bite to eat?

Spiral Diner & Bakery

Spiral Diner & Bakery isn’t your average diner. This is a fully vegan eatery. They have been cooking up plant-based grub in Dallas and Fort Worth for over 15 years. Spiral Diner is proud to be serving up vegan dishes, and this is clear by the attitude of their staff. With such low turnover, the staff demonstrates a dedication to excellence in their dishes and kindness and openness toward all customers.

Spiral Diner is a seven-minute drive from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Once you’re there, you’ll have an expansive menu to take a look at. From salads to plant-based burgers, burritos, sandwiches, and hot plates, you’ll be blown away by the flavors and quality of the food. Try the Ghost Burger or a vegan Philly cheesesteak. No matter what you choose, leave room for dessert. With a large selection of cakes and cupcakes crafted by their head baker, your sweet tooth will surely thank you.

Soulgood

A vegetarian and vegan food truck? Yes, you heard that right! Soulgood serves meat-free, healthy meals to the Dallas community. The Dallas Observer even named Souldgood the best food truck in Dallas, beating out all other food trucks and not just vegetarian and vegan ones.

Soulgood started from humble beginnings with a powerful purpose. The owner and chef, Cynthia Nevels, had a son, Tyler, who passed away from cystic fibrosis. Before his passing, she felt that the only thing she had control of that could help him was the food she cooked. This led to her experimenting with meatless meals.

After Tyler’s passing, Nevels started Soulgood to help other families enjoy healthy fast food and keep Tyler’s legacy alive. Nevels donates five percent of every purchase to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

You can stop by Soulgood for any meal. There are breakfast options like vegan pancakes and organic oatmeal. If you’re looking for lunch or dinner, there is a lot to choose from, such as burgers, tacos, and burritos, which are all made with plant-based proteins. There are even Not Dogs made with SmartLife soy dogs or Beyond Meat sausages. If you are craving a sweet treat, they offer delicious vegan desserts as well.

Asian Mint

Eater Dallas named Asian Mint as the number one spot to get Thai food. And though this restaurant is not fully vegetarian, a large portion of its menu is vegetarian-friendly. Asian Mint conveniently located within a twelve-minute drive from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

There are plenty of vegetarian soup, salad, and noodle options, such as the house salad, miso soup, and pad see iew. Stir-fry with Asian vegetables and various meat-free curry dishes are also available. However, if there is something on the menu you want to try, you can ask for it to be made without meat or with tofu.

Velvet Taco

No, this isn’t a fully vegetarian taco shop, but Velvet Taco does have a few veggie tacos. You can also ask for tofu to be used on any of the other tacos or brunch dishes. One of the three vegetarian tacos includes the Nashville Hot Tofu, which has crispy tofu, napa slaw, ranch crema, and house-brined pickles. The other is a fried paneer taco made with tomato chutney, tikka sauce, raita crema, and Thai basil. A falafel taco is the last option. This taco features tahini crema, arugula, tomato, pickled Fresnos, avocado, pickled red onion, and pea tendrils. Unlike the other tacos, the falafel taco is served on a lettuce wrap.

As you can tell, Velvet Taco is very accommodating for its vegetarian guests. It is located just over two miles from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.