America's Best Vegetarian-Friendly Large Cities

#7 Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, the home of vegan rock star Prince, offers hungry Midwesterners more than 200 vegetarian-friendly restaurants and grocery stores and 16 health-food stores and natural-foods co-ops.

Pizza Lucé, which has three locations in the Twin Cities, offers vegan cheese, sausage, and pepperoni, along with an awesome variety of vegetarian sandwiches, including its Special Spicy Mock Sausage Hoagie. The all-vegan Ecopolitan sells upscale raw and organic foods and cruelty-free, nontoxic home and body products. For something with a bit more edge, visit Triple Rock, a grungy, greasy-spoon punk bar that welcomes everyone while offering vegan White Russians, sloppy joes, and chili fries, plus fantastic vegan pancakes and French toast on weekend mornings.

Café Brenda serves up the unique taste of mock duck in the Southwestern Mock Duck Taco and Ginger-Glazed Mock Duck Salad. You can also opt for the savory and good-for-you Brenda Burger, which is made with brown rice, vegetables, and nuts. Loaf around at the French Meadow Bakery and Café, where the bread is completely vegan and fresh-baked daily. Try the Grilled Tempeh Reuben or the Winter Casserole With Alfredo Sauce. You won't be able to resist its vegan cookies, muffins, and scones, and kids will love the Vegan Brown-Rice Crispy. And for some amazing Indian food, head to the all-vegetarian, award-winning Udupi Café in Columbia Heights.

For students who are interested in cruelty-free eating, Compassionate Action for Animals, the University of Minnesota's vegetarian-advocacy organization, has created ExploreVeg.org, a comprehensive resource for those who are looking for vegetarian options on campus. EarthSave Twin Cities also provides resources on local vegetarian eating and hosts regular outreach and dining events.

Top Tip: Calling itself "The ultimate restaurant and shopping guide for vegetarians and vegans," Minneapolis-based VegGuide.org really does have it all. In addition to having more than 250 restaurant listings for the Twin Cities alone, the site allows visitors to search more than 1,500 entries for vegetarian-friendly eateries, hotels, and shops all over the world!

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