Vegan-friendly restaurant review: Montezuma's and E for Ethel

For readers who aren't familiar, Montezuma's is a vegan-friendly Mexican-style restaurant located on Melbourne Street, Adelaide. Back in 2014, I wrote a review for Montezuma's and a neighbouring dessert cafe named Elephant Walk. Recently, Montezuma's changed their menu, opting to add some awesome new plant-based options to please their vegan customers. All vegetarian meals can now be ordered with vegan cheese and/or vegan sour cream. So, of course, I had to go back to review their new additions!

I'll start by mentioning the fantastic customer service. The woman serving me, Cam, was lovely, and was doing a fantastic job of managing the floor on her own. My grandma and I had a great chat with her and she was very helpful in pointing out all of the vegan options, including her own personal recommendations. Thank you very much, Cam!

I had some trouble deciding which meal to get because I'm not used to having so many options to choose from. I'm not complaining, though! I ended up picking an old favourite of mine - the vegetarian Montezuma's Delight. If you're after a vegan option, all you have to do is replace the sour cream and cheese with vegan versions (or just omit them entirely).

I'm not sure what brands of vegan cheese and sour cream are used, but the cheese looked and tasted similar to Daiya and the sour cream was probably Tofutti. Both brands are favourites of mine. I know a lot of vegans don't like Daiya cheese, though, so if you're one of them, the Montezuma's Delight is just as delicious without.



The meal was presented nicely. I love to see a motley of colours on my plate. The Montezuma's salad is the best I've ever tried and I often make my own version at home. It boasts an array of healthy raw veggies, including cauliflower, celery, broccoli, red cabbage, carrot and - the best part - green apple. It's a simple way to add a sweet and fresh crispiness to the salad.

Underneath the salad sits a corn tortilla smothered with frijoles, and it's all topped off with a hearty tomato-based sauce and some black olives.

Taste-wise, my grandma and I both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and will definitely order them again - but we're also keen to try everything else on the menu! The vegan cheese and sour cream were excellent choices and complimented the meals well. The servings were huge and so the food was very filling, but that's what I expect from Montezuma's! The prices are reasonable considering the size of the meals.

Montezuma's isn't a classy, high-brow restaurant with five star-quality meals, but it doesn't need to be. It's simply a fun, well-decorated and affordable place to grab a tasty and filling meal. If you're a vegan, vegetarian or omni looking for a fun place to eat with your family, friends or partner, Montezuma's is my number one recommendation.

On another note, if you like to drink coffee after lunch, there is a nice eco-friendly coffee shop around the corner that Cam showed us. It's hidden away but it's definitely worth going in - they have lots of milk options for vegans as well as some vegan desserts. Their coffee was great! They also sell homemade paintings, toys, sculptures and other little gifts. The cafe is called E for Ethel - check them out on Facebook here.

E for Ethel make great coffee!

If you're reading this, thanks for having me Montezuma's (and E for Ethel) - I'll be back soon (when I'm not too busy with Uni work!)

5 of the best travel destinations for lovers of vegan food

So many of us long for the joy of travel - the excitement of experiencing a new culture, trying new food, meeting new people, and relaxing far, far away from the daily grind. It's wonderful to have the privilege to enjoy cuisine from half-way around the world, taking in the refreshing atmosphere and enjoying the new sights, smells and flavours.

Unfortunately, not all parts of the world will cater for vegans. For some, the vegan movement is completely unheard of, and meals will generally be filled with a wide variety of animal products. That's why it's important for vegans to do a little research before travelling to avoid any problems when dining abroad.

This list is in no particular order.

1. The USA

At first, this may seem like a ridiculous suggestion - why would the fast-food capital of the world be a great place to vegans to visit? Well, the reason is kind of related. The USA has such a huge variety of places to eat that you're bound to find many vegan cafes and restaurants. It also depends where you go. States such as New York, California and Washington are great places to go for vegan eating - although, as far as I know, all of the other states have options too. Of all the states, if I had to pick one, it seems that California is the place to be. With 103 vegan/vegetarian restaurant and cafe options listed on HappyCow in a small section of Los Angeles alone, you'd be kicking yourself if you didn't visit! New York city has 163 listings, Washington D.C. has 93 - even Austin, Texas (a state known for its love of steakhouses) has 66 listings! With all of this taken into consideration, its clear that the USA is heaven for lovers of vegan food.

2. India

With a population made up of approximately 40% vegetarians and vegans, India is an obvious choice for lovers of vegan food. Because of the large population of vegetarians in India, many restaurants offer exclusively vegetarian meals, and the majority of vegetarian food is clearly labelled.

"With a population made up of approximately 40% vegetarians and vegans, India is an obvious choice for lovers of vegan food."

When eating vegetarian meals in India, you should watch out for ghee, which is a popular ingredient in Indian cooking. It it a type of 'clarified' butter, and it is not vegan. Egg is not commonly used in Indian dishes, but keep your eye out for it anyway. Common vegan Indian dishes include dal, vegetable korma, alu gobhi and mushroom masala.

Many Indian dishes are traditionally vegetarian

3. Israel

Israel has one of the largest vegan populations in the world, and the prevalence of the movement is growing rapidly. The Israeli army even offers vegan meal options for soldiers. Israel is also home to the Vegan Fest, where over 15,000 guests gather annually to celebrate the vegan lifestyle. Domino's Pizza in Israel offers dairy-free, vegan cheese. There are over 400 certified 'vegan-friendly' food establishments. This country-wide vegan trend has come only recently, with the percentage of Israeli vegetarians and vegans jumping from 2.5% in 2010 to over 8% in 2015. When surveyed, a further 13% of Israelis said they were considering vegetarianism or veganism. Most vegan action in Israel is centralised in Tel Aviv, so definitely consider making the beautiful, ancient city your next travel destination.

4. The UK

Long before 'vegan' and 'vegetarian' food labelling was mainstream in Australia, I saw it used in the UK. On my first visit to England as a vegetarian (in 2004, when I was 10), I had no trouble finding food to eat because everything in the local supermarket was clearly labelled with a green 'V'. This kind of thing is widely seen in Australia now, but England is definitely a forerunner.

"The Vegan Society, the oldest registered vegan organisation in the world, is based in the UK."

Under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, food manufacturers in the UK are not permitted to falsely label their products as 'vegetarian' or 'vegan'. The Vegan Society, the oldest registered vegan organisation in the world, is based in the UK. The society's founder, Donald Watson, is credited with coining the term 'vegan.' The Vegan Society offers their own vegan certification for food products through an easily recognisable sunflower symbol. So, if you're not a fan of reading twenty-ingredient-long lists when doing your weekly grocery shopping, why not try the UK on for size?

5. Italy

According to Wikipedia, Italy boasts the largest percentage of vegetarians and vegans in the European Union, at 10% (or over six million vegetarians). Italian food is a staple in the diets of many vegetarians - personally, I don't think I've gone a week in my life without eating at least one pasta dish. I live for pasta. HappyCow.net lists over 137 results for vegan and vegetarian health food stores, restaurants and cafes in Rome alone. And options, of course, stem far beyond Italian cuisine - with Western and Indian dishes being popular alternatives. Italians are known around the world for their skills in making hearty and flavoursome food, so definitely don't pass it up if given the chance to visit.

I'm hungry just looking at it!

As you probably know, this list isn't exhaustive - there are many, many other countries around the world that offer a wide variety of vegan foods to eat. I just don't have the time to list them all here! I have heard, for example, great things about vegan Thai food - which doesn't surprise me, as Thai cuisine is one of my favourites to eat at home. So, if you're lucky enough to have a chance to travel outside of your home country, consider giving the above places a try, as well as anywhere else you'd love to go. Just make sure you do some research first - it'll make things so much easier. And don't forget to explore your own country's options if travelling abroad isn't in the cards for you.

Enjoy!