Vegan Roadtrip: Lincoln!

Maggie's Vegetarian Cafe

Cool green walls at Maggie's Vegetarian Cafe

We’ve been trying to hit up all the great vegan eats in Lincoln but with our bad luck, every time we go everything seems to be closed. Boo hoo. So we meticulously planned and prepared and were able to visit three awesome eateries in one day, along with The Front Stoop zine shop and Open Harvest Co-op. We dragged along our friend Amy from Portland and even though she lives in vegan mecca, she was still impressed.

The Cure Soup

I'll take a bowl of Robert Smith, please

Our first stop was Grateful Bread. A fun little place with an impressive Mr. Potato Head collection and The Cure on their soup prices. There was a huge array of vegan soups to choose from. We each picked a different one: Split Pea, Moroccan Tomato and Tex-Mex Chili.

Tex-Mex Chili from Grateful Bread

Tex-Mex Chili from Grateful Bread

These were perfect soup specimens, excellently seasoned, filling and flavorful. The Moroccan Tomato had a surprising burst of peanut butter that warmed me right up. Our only complaint was that there was no…bread. With a name like that, we wish there was some sourdough up in it. No matter though, we happily crumbled saltines into our paper bowls and chowed down.

Our bellies full and happy, we walked around Haymarket District for a bit, visiting the cool shops and checking out the scenery. If you’re into 19th century warehouses, train tracks, coffee shops and antique stores, then this is the place for you. We found plenty of cool and affordable stuff at Burlington Antiques, even a few ceramic cats for Teal Cat Project. And we saw bonus cute kitty cat street art.

Black Cat

A kitty hits the streets

We weren’t quite hungry at this point, but we’d been dying to check out Maggie’s Vegetarian Cafe for so long and it was right there, so we had to sample a few yummies.

Baked Tofu Wrap

Baked Tofu Wrap from Maggies. Fresh & delish!

There were lots of choices, from tacos to soups to wraps. We decided on the Baked Tofu Wrap and Taco Salad, and sampled a few bites right on the street before wrapping them up to take home for a midnight snack. The wrap was smoky and mustardy, and the taco salad was spicy with seasoned walnut meat and a killer creamy avocado dressing. Mmm.

Taco Salad

Taco Salad from Maggie's, tacolicious!

Now we were in the mood to read! Off to The Front Porch zine shop.

Front Porch Zines

So many zines at Front Porch

The Front Porch is a cool little (really little!) zine shop with lots of zines (duh) and Tshirts and supercool owners Michael and Cindy who aren’t exactly doing it for the money (even though there’s millions to be made in zines.) We chatted with Michael for a bit and picked up lots of great reading material.

Next stop was Open Harvest Co-op. There is nothing better than overflowing bulk bins and a luscious produce aisle and Open Harvest does not disappoint. If this is what it’s like in January, we can’t wait to come back in the Spring!

Open Harvest Produce

Open Harvest's beautiful produce aisle

We picked up a bunch of greens and veggies and some free trade chocolate and coffee for good measure. There were a few vegan goods in the bakery but we’d love to see more. More vegan muffins. More more more! I didn’t want to leave, I could spend hours wandering up and down co-op aisles, but Pepe’s Veg-Mex Bistro was calling.

Open Harvest Bulk Bins

Bulk bins! Nothing gets us going like PLU numbers

And what a great end to our trip! Pepe’s was delicious as always and there was something extra special on the menu: Gooseberry Enchiladas!

Gooseberry Enchiladas

Pepe's now famous Gooseberry Enchiladas

Oh please Pepe open up a spot in Omaha so that we can visit every day. In any case, we’ll be back to Lincoln soon for more vegan fun. And don’t forget to check out all the new Lincoln entries in our Restaurant Guide!

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3 responses to “Vegan Roadtrip: Lincoln!”

  1. Bill says:

    Some of my favorite places to eat in Lincoln! You missed the African Restaurant on North 27th street – lots of really tasty vegetarian and vegan options, all made right there. And Grateful Greens on O Street between YiaYias and Oso Burrito (also some excellent vegan options).

  2. Cindy says:

    I’m glad to hear this about African Restaurant. I had read some reviews that indicated times when the people had been there and the veg options were light, and the menu online didn’t seem clear.

    Bill, what are your favorite vegan dishes at African Resturant?

  3. Pam B. says:

    The menu at the African restaurant is a little loosey-goosey. Some days they just don’t make some of the dishes–it’s just sort of a mom-and-pop affair. Actually mother and son, I believe. But it’s definitely worth checking out.

    I also second Grateful Greens. I just had lunch there today! I try to go several times a month.

    You did hit the hightlights of Lincoln’s vegetarian/vegan fare, but, as I’m sure is true in Omaha, there are more and more restaurants serving specifically vegetarian/vegan dishes. Taj Mahal, Babylon–even Yia Yia’s has a vegan pizza.