Vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Branson? (Springfield, Joplin: living in, shop, places to eat)

[funkypuppet]

Hi, I am going to Branson for a trip with extended family in December. Are there any veg-friendly places to eat? Will have a kitchen and ability to shop in Springfield beforehand, but know there will be some dinners out required.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by funkypuppet

Hi, I am going to Branson for a trip with extended family in December. Are there any veg-friendly places to eat? Will have a kitchen and ability to shop in Springfield beforehand, but know there will be some dinners out required.

I am not aware of any vegetarian restaurant in town. Although many will have meat-free menu items, I'm sure. If you have any idea where you might be eating, I would surely call ahead and find out what is available. Otherwise, you might be stuck eating a lot of salads.

Even though I do NOT like chain restaurants, I do like the Golden Corral for the reason that they have a fantastic salad bar and a pretty good collection of vegetables available at any given time. Oddly enough, when I eat there, I eat very, very little meat and really load up on the veggies. One of my biggest gripes when going to other buffets in the area is that they do not have much of a variety of vegetables.

Other options might be Italian restaurants where there is always a meat-free marinara sauce on the menu. I can recommend Rocky's down town for Italian.

20yrsinBranson

[Lake Junkie]

I'm not aware of any, either...and if you're looking for a strict vegetarian protocol where parts of the kitchen never see meat, I doubt you'll find that here. Sorry.

I hope if anyone is aware of such a place, they'll jump in.

I hope you have a wonderful time, there are many fun and wonderful things to see and do. The white butterflies are back!

[mrschilicook]

Originally Posted by funkypuppet

Hi, I am going to Branson for a trip with extended family in December. Are there any veg-friendly places to eat? Will have a kitchen and ability to shop in Springfield beforehand, but know there will be some dinners out required.

While vegetarian's can usually find something on a menu in the many of the restaurants that is meatless you won't find any strictly vegetarian restaurants in the area. Salads, baked potaotes, veggie pizza, pasta with marinara and such, etc...is readily available, but this is a "meat and taters" area. There are restaurants here that barely have salad....I've looked for a steamed vegetable plate for three years to no avail.

[Alicia Bradley]

The Wellspring Cafe at 300 McDaniel in Springfield is all veggie and gets RAVE reviews... I'm looking to see if I can find anything else, too. (I'm a former vegetarian who misses the good life in CoMO.. *sigh*)

Ok, in addition to the Wellspring in Springfield, there's Isadora's Wonderful Things at 3021 S Main St. in Joplin, if you're willing to take a drive.

Mama Jean's Natural Market at 1727 S. Campbell Ave. in Springfield has some pre-made veggie options; you might check out Akin's Natural Foods Market at 1344 E Battlefield St. in Springfield for this, too, and, finally, Parkcrest Health Food at 3853 S. Campbell Ave. in Springfield.

Like others have said, too, you'll be able to find veggie options on the menu of almost any 'normal'/non-veggie restaurant.

[Lake Junkie]

Great info, Alicia! Thanks for stopping by SW MO...

[markrh119]

This has been helpful to read, thank you all. We're traveling in June 2010, would love to have a Raw Vegan restaurant, but alas not one there... however, looks like Blue Olive in Branson has a couple of good dishes (Humus, Olive plate and several salads).

[Curmudgeon]

Where's the beef?

[cgsred]

Hunted animals have their eyes on the sides of their heads.
Hunting animals have their eyes on the front of their heads.
Our eyes are at the front !

We are meat eating predetors since the stone age. Can you imagine our ancient ancestors saying, " Oh stop, I cant eat Mammoth, I want a vegi burger " .
My niece and family are vegitarions, however they were not averse to lobster when we all went to the Bahamas in the Branson off season, or Taney Como trout on the bbq. It seems there are degrees of seperation.
Branson has a 3 month slow season and many locals rely on a freezer full of meat from the hunting season. Thats survival, thats how things have evolved, family tradition, and the Ozarks does not need to change for a minority living in a goldfish bowl of delusion.........imo.

[Rob Racer]

As a science major and nutritionist, I can tell you that there are animals with eyes on the front of their heads who eat veg/herbivore diets and are exceedingly healthy. As a vegan athlete who is extremely healthy and whose bone density scan revealed my bones as strong as women 25 years younger than me, I can tell you animal-derived foods are not needed for good health, and studies show animal-derived foods from meats to cheese are linked with disease. You may choose to eat what you want, but it is wrong for you to dismiss vegetarians (who do not eat lobster) and vegans who are looking for places to eat healthy, humane meals.