Local Vegetarian Options to Keep You Warm This Winter

Being a vegetarian in Silver Spring is extremely tough, as Silver Spring it is filled with fast food restaurants. You can literally spot a McDonald’s on every street corner. And sure, these fast food places probably have vegetarian options, but one can not just live off fries and salads their entire lives. We need actual meals, not just appetizers.

Mostly, vegetarians just make their own food at home to avoid the hassle of finding a restaurant with great options. There are actually amazing meal service kits with vegetarian recipes worth checking out like HelloFresh, Blue Apron and Purple Carrot. However, if you’re a horrible cook like me, and even the simplest of instructions trip you up, eating out is your main option.

In my search for adequate vegetarian food spots near me in Silver Spring, I’ve found a few places that cater to my vegetarian cravings. And, if you are a vegetarian not celebrating Christmas, you can utilize this list to keep you full over winter break. Here are some restaurants I’ve found to be the most favorable to my vegetarian diet:

Golden China Restaurant (Old Columbia Pike) is a Chinese take out restaurant near Paint Branch High School. They have great customer service; they prepare the food quickly and literally anything that begins with vegetables is vegetarian like Vegetable Lo Mein, Vegetable Chow Mein, Vegetable Fried Rice, Vegetable Mei Fun and Vegetable Egg Foo Young. My personal favorites are Vegetable Lo Mein and Vegetable Fried Rice.

Pansa Llena Mexican Grill (New Hampshire Ave) is a small and homely restaurant that serves authentic Latin American cuisine, and they have an abundance of vegetarian options. They are open for dine in but also offer delivery and take out. Great options here include Fajita de Vegetales, Garden Burrito, Enchiladas de Queso and Nachos Pansita. 

Jewel of India (New Hampshire Ave) is a high-quality restaurant with North Indian cuisine with a menu clearly labeled vegetarian options. You should try the Jeera Aloo, it is one of their vegetarian curries that basically comprises diced potatoes smothered with cumin, herbs and spices. Because of COVID-19, they only offer carryout and delivery through Uber Eats, so unfortunately you won’t experience the amazing and sophisticated dine in service.

Some other places worth checking out are: Beteseb Restaurant (Downtown Silver Spring), Curry Place Silver Spring (New Hampshire Ave), and PLNT Burger (Downtown Silver Spring).

For any new vegetarians or to those just interested in trying out vegetarianism, don’t feel discouraged because the foods to satisfy this diet aren’t readily available or there’s not an abundance of these foods or places to get them. Just remember that what you’re currently doing has a positive impact on our planet and your health too.