Vegetarian near U of M campus? [MSP]

[thenewbrunette]

If one were staying at a hotel directly on the U of M campus, whose only dining options seem to be a bad sports bar and an Applebees, where might one go on foot for a vegetarian dinner close by? I believe the hotel is on SE Washington.

Thanks!

[thenewbrunette]

I wanted to thank everyone for their input--I ended up at Jasmine Orchid and had their pad thai with tofu and without eggs. Tasty and pretty cheap at $8. Now I just need to find a record store that has a good Billy Bragg back catalogue.

Thanks again!

[katebauer]

As someone who just walked from east to west bank, I will attest it will more like a 20-30 minute walk, especially because St. Martin's table is a little south of where the pedestrian bridge drops you off.

It is a really nice, tasty, and calming place for lunch though.

[diesel]

When I was a student at UM Twin Cities, I loved St. Martin's Table. It's on the West Bank, so (as someone else mentioned) it might be farther than you want to walk, but it might be just fine with you - it just depends on how much you want to walk (lots of students walk back and forth between the East and West banks several times per day).

Anyway, they serve lunch only, from 11 - 2:30, in a church basement. All their food is vegetarian and they use a lot of organic, locally grown, seasonal ingredients. It's simple but fulfilling, in a rather hippyish sort of environment - a real campus experience. Here's the website for more info:

http://www.communityofstmartin.org/sm...

Edit: Oops, just reread the OP and noticed you specified dinner - but maybe this info will be handy anyway!

-----
St Martin's Table
2001 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN

[soupkitten]

actually st martin's table is not on the east bank-- it's on the west bank. it's really far away!-- right by the hard times! LOL

[diesel]

I just noticed that I typed "East" when I meant "West." But I'd still argue that for many people, that's not really that far a walk! ;)

[soupkitten]

LOL-- i'm mostly just trying to not confuse the poor op!!!-- :)

okay-- to walk from her hotel to either hard times or st. martin's table, it would be a 15-20 minute walk, & she would have to traverse the pedestrian bridge over the mississippi river. but she'd walk right past lots of veg options on her way. closer recs with veg options that haven't been mentioned yet would include pagoda, loring pasta bar, the new purple onion-- anywhere in dinkytown would be closer to her, i think!

[churchka]

The area you are staying in is on campus. I'd say as long as the restaurant doesn't have the word "Steak" in it, there will be vegetarian options. There are restaurants every 10 feet and most of them offer cheap eats. You will have to leave the area for fine dining options.

And the bad sports bar, I think it is called Sally's, is actually pretty good. Yes, it is a sports bar, but they have a nice lunch crowd of profs and professionals from the U.

[Amadaun]

I haven't been there, but I've heard excellent things from my friends about the Hard Times Cafe, a vegan restaurant at 1821 Riverside Ave. It's open very late, and it's quite close to where you're staying, I believe... just walk off campus; it's kitty-corner to the business school

[churchka]

Hard Times is quite a walk. They are staying on the East Bank, Hard Times is on the West Bank. And, Hard Times isn't excellent. It has pretty good vegetarian food.

[katebauer]

There are many, many vegetarian options on east bank and Washington St. specifically. Jasmine Orchid, which has the same owners as Jasmine Deli, has many great choices including lots of dishes with mock duck. It's located on Oak St. across from the movie theater probably a 3 minute walk from the hotel.

Also, I frequently go to Korea Restaurant, also on Oak but across from the McNamara Alumni Center (big, modern building), with a vegetarian friend and they can modify most of their dishes. Close by, if you're there during working hours, there's a D'Amico deli inside of McNamara that has healthy, light options.

There's also the Chinese place (Village Wok?), Big 10 (I love their veggie subs), Jamba Juice, Brueggers, etc. etc. directly across the street from the Radisson.

[bob s]

It's Village Wok that's right near the Radisson. I have a soft spot in my heart for the place and the food is fine - just go into the place knowing that it's a college hang out that's open late and set your chowish expectations accordingly. Also nearby is Hong Kong Noodles, which I think is up half a notch on "authenticity."

Welcome to the Twin Cities. If you're a Billy Bragg fan, I also give my greetings.

bob

[churchka]

I second Village Wok. It is right across the street and very tasty. They have lots of vegetarian options and are super fast. The portions are huge.

[MplsM ary]

Just to clarify - this is in Minneapolis - Saint Paul. There are a few U of M's out there.

[thenewbrunette]

My apologies for the lack of clarification - clearly, I'm from out of town and never been to the area. This is U of M, Twin Cities, and it's the Radisson, but I'm not sure what part of campus I'll be in. Thanks to all!

[MplsM ary]

I just meant that every state that starts with M has a U of M :)

Here are a couple links to guides: http://www.exploreveg.org/resources/campus.html

http://www.ima.umn.edu/visitor-folder... (See under Stadium Village within the page)
edited to add that the last link seems a little outdated.

[soupkitten]

i was going to post the link for that on-campus vegetarian group, but Mary beat me too it! :) it's slightly outdated, but a very good resource. most indie places near the u will definitely accommodate vegetarians, and many have vegan options too.

[soupkitten]

since this board covers many states, you might want to specify if you mean the university of minnesota or the university of michigan, and which campus (city) you'll be in. i'd guess university of minnesota, twin cities, from your post, but there are a lot of streets named washington in this country, so i don't know for sure.

[MSPD]

Options abound. There was a discussion within the last couple of weeks on "healthy" food in the Dinkytown area (which is part of the U of M campus) -- the information/restaurants in that thread are relevant to your question:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/496978

[slowfoodgrrl]

This is a really helpful thread -- this one mentioned by MSPD. I'd say Kafe 421 and the Loring Pasta Bar will be your best bets, in that order.