For those of us who are vegan or vegetarian, maintaining that lifestyle at college has always been somewhat of a struggle. That is until now! Buffalo State has been doing a wonderful job of providing vegan/vegetarian friendly options in the dining hall and in retail. In fact, there is an entire little corner in the dining hall dedicated to it now! (Along with some awesome gluten free options) So the days of solely living off the salad bar are behind us! In retail, it’s super easy to find some vegan/vegetarian options at Salsarita’s, Subway, and Train! Also, Jamba Juice is very vegan/vegetarian friendly and all of the cafés offer soymilk replacements! Outakes also has a great selection of fruit, chips, oatmeal and teas.
Off campus, there are some local restaurants that are reasonably priced for us poor college kids with TONS of vegan/vegetarian options! Now that Spring is on it’s way and the weather is hopefully getting nicer, venturing to a new restaurant will be the perfect date or outing! The Buffalo Bites map, located in Buckham Hall, showcases a bunch of restaurants near by that offer vegan and vegetarian options. Here are a few of our favorties!
Ashker’s Juice Bar & Café, serves a long list of smoothies, sandwiches, and all-day breakfasts made with various vegan/vegetarian friendly options. It’s located right on Elmwood. Not only do they have a ton of smoothies and juices, most of their sandwiches, wraps and salads are vegan friendly! A lot of their other options are vegetarian friendly with added cheese that could easily be removed from the order. Visit their Facebook page or website to see the full menu.
Merge, is a health-conscious cafe with vegan & gluten-free dishes and organic wines. They’re located on Delaware Ave and have a unique array of vegan and vegetarian dishes. They even have a stage for live music! Check out their Facebook page or website for more information and the full menu.
Nature’s Apothecary, is a raw food café located on Connecticut Street. With shakes, juices and zoodles (Zucchini noodles) and tons more vegan and vegetarian meals. Although, they don’t have an official website you can check out their Facebook page and see their menu and what they’re all about!
Amy’s Place, is a “Low-key, cash-only diner plating classic & vegan Lebanese & American comfort food” located on Main Street. This diner is super casual, you walk in sit down and order when you’re ready or call in and order to-go. Amy’s Place is the perfect diner to visit with your friends that might not be on the vegan wagon with you. They serve a balanced menu of both vegan and non-vegan options so that everyone in the group is happy! Visit their website or Facebook page to see their menu and get more info on what they’re all about!
Press Raw Food and Juice, is a juice bar on Rhode Island Street. Although their juices are a little more on the pricier side, they’re totally worth it. Other than juice, Press Raw Food and Juice offers a bunch of vegan goodies from almond cheese to chocolate covered kale! Hop over to their Facebook page if you wanna know more!
If you’re more into preparing your own meals, Wegman’s, Tops and Trader Joe’s all have an abundance of organic vegan and vegetarian foods to quickly whip up!
We hope this was helpful! Let us know what your favorite vegan or vegetarian spot is!