Viva Las Vegans

For the right price, or if you know the right people, you can pretty much get anything you want on the Las Vegas Strip – and often one of the hardest is a good vegan meal. In fact, in order to stay in the City of Sinners and not end up eating like one, it’s best to look beyond the discount prime rib dinner bill boards, and eat where the Las Vegan’s eat – off the strip. It’s the perfect opportunity to see what the real Vegas was – and is – all about.

It’s All the Way Live

There are only two one hundred percent vegan restaurants in Las Vegas – and they’re both Go Raw Café. Not only are they serving up fresh, raw organic cuisine and juice on both sides of Sin City, they’re providing two one-stop shops for supplements, books, videos, health and beauty products, teas, nuts, oils, seeds and more. Scarf down a Gimme the Beet “Cheese” Burger with all the livin fixins you could ever want between two slices of sprouted bread. Food would never be caught dead at Go Raw Café.

2910 Lake East Drive & 2381 Windmill Lane; gorawcafe.com

Basket O’ Gold

Stock your hotel mini fridge with everything you’d expect from your favorite neighborhood natural food store; compliments of Vegas’ own Rainbow’s End. While you’re shopping, let chef Mary Lovingly “lovingly” prepare something fresh and delicious from the in-house vegetarian/vegan café menu. The Greek Pizza is a god send, while their signature Green Goddess veggie sandwich is truly out of this world. For over thirty years, this oasis of health conscious consumables has had locals living healthier and happier; and making like minded out-of-towners feel right at home.

1100 E Sahara Avenue # 120; 702-737-1338‎

Holey Dunker

Ronald’s Donuts makes my mouth water and my sweet tooth beg for more. Here, the wares are raised, glazed, crullered, and soy cream-filled; and so delicious. Much of their donut and pastry selection is vegan, but most people would never know the difference – luckily, the non-dairies are on separate racks. And there’s really nothing wrong with over doing it by one, or two, or maybe even three fresh vegan donuts; after all, you know what they say about what happens in Vegas.

4600 Spring Mountain Road; 702-873-1032

More Fake Meat than a Vegas Nightclub

Everyone can eat at Red Velvet Café. They’re menu is almost completely vegan or vegetarian convertible, hosting a hearty and family-friendly menu that includes gluten-free vegan ham, turkey, chicken, shrimp, tuna, salmon and ground beef. Chef Aneesha is a Le Cordon Bleu graduate and native Las Vegan, and her menu is certainly “designed with health in mind.” We really should roll out the red vegan carpet for their super moist namesake cake – at only 150 calories – the first bite was a turning point in my life.

7875 West Sahara Avenue; redvelvetcafelv.com

Look Out, Austin Powers

You might walk out of The Attic with a one-of-a-kind find, you might not, but either way it’s worth a look. Upstairs there’s a plethora of hand picked vintage threads – perfect for struttin your funky stuff back on the strip – and downstairs there’s all sorts of crazy custom psychedelic furniture, movie props, accessories and souvenirs. Don’t expect thrift store prices if you shop here, but you just might get cast for a remake of Saturday Night Fever.

1018 South Main Street; theatticlasvegas.com

A Local Legacy

Off the strip, Sin City has another totally different kind of theme-park — Springs Reserve — where you can immerse yourself in the natural and cultural history of the area. This 180 acre earth-friendly preserve features museums and galleries, an outdoor amphitheater, an interpretive trail system, a botanical garden, an outdoor children’s playground, the Nevada State Museum, and more. The focus is on preservation and sustainability, and it’s the only attraction in the nation to be awarded two Platinum Certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council on one site.

333 South Valley View Boulevard; springspreserve.org

I Saw the Sign

Tucked under a 90-foot high canopy of sight and sound, pedestrian-friendly Fremont Street is a circus of a downtown attraction, boasting over five blocks of classic Vegas, complete with live and lavish entertainment, pretty much all free. Don’t miss the Neon Museum at the historic East End. And if you’re really into vintage Vegas signs from a bygone era, go online and book a tour of the museum’s dusty Bone Yard well in advance – truly an awesome photo opp.

425 Fremont Street; vegasexperience.com; 702 387-NEON; neonmuseum.org

Originally Published in VegNews Magazine, Summer 2009