I love being a vegetarian, it has forced me to be more adventurous with my food and eat a wider variety of veg and pulses. It made me look further than Spagbol and Chicken Curry and turned me into the foody I am today. One of the biggest downsides to being a vegetarian however is eating out – it isn’t always the best experience and can sometimes be quite frustrating. Sometimes you get lucky and discover the most amazing vegetarian lasagne ever and other times your only option is a mediocre stir fry or a margarita pizza. Having lived in Cork for the last year I’ve eaten out more times than I would like to admit but I’ve certainly learned some of the best and worst places to eat as a vegetarian.
Reardens
Cuisine Type: Pub Food
If you’re looking for the all too classic margarita then Reardens is the place to go. This is the first place I ever ate in Cork and let me tell you the pizza was delicious but it was the only vegetarian option on the menu. If you’re craving pizza here is the place to get it but if you’re looking for options I wouldn’t recommend.
Scoozis
Cuisine Type: American-Italian
I mean it’s only one of the most well known restaurants in Cork so I couldn’t leave Scoozis out. The vegetarian options are limited, but at least there are a few options. Again the classic margarita is delicious and I have also heard great things about the vegetarian lasagne. Your choices are limited but whatever you get you can be guaranteed it will be proper good food.
Ramen
Cuisine type: Asian Street Food
Imagine a place where as a vegetarian you can eat everything on the menu. Well Ramen is that place, provided you like tofu that is. Everything in Ramen can be gotten with chicken, shrimp, beef or tofu, making everything a vegetarian option, and as an added bonus, there are quite a few vegan dishes as well! I normally wouldn’t be a massive tofu fan but it works well in any of the Ramen dishes I’ve tried. Don’t go in expecting a fancy gourmet meal, it’s simple, quick Asian Street Food but it is enjoyable.
Wetherspoons
Cuisine Type: Bar Food
Spoons is a staple for every college student and luckily even vegetarian’s can enjoy the food here. There are quite a few options for vegetarians here, everything from paninis to baked potatoes to pizza to a veggie breakfast. Similar to Ramen it’s no gourmet restaurant but simple, agreeable food, and more importantly a place you can enjoy a good variety of choice!
Coqbull
Cuisine Type: Chicken Restaurant (Google’s words, not mine)
Coq = chicken, bull = bull, the name doesn’t inspire much vegetarianism but there are a surprising number of veggie options available on their dinner menu. The menu has changed since I last ate there but the food was very nice on the old menu so I can only presume this new menu is just as nice. And to make things even better this new dinner menu has 2 vegan burger options!
Liberty Grill
Cuisine Type: Steakhouse
I had to save the best until last. Liberty Grill might be one of the best places I have ever eaten out, and I swear I’m not being dramatic! The food is here is all locally sourced, high quality, extremely tasty and reasonably priced (maybe not quite for the broke student). The brunch menu has quite a few vegetarian options and even a few vegan options. The lunch/dinner menu has a whole vegetarian section! Personally I love the chickpea burger, it is seriously incredible! The flavour in it is amazing and that’s before you even get to the roasted baby potatoes that come with it, simply brilliant! I actually can’t recommend this place enough.
Chloe Boland 