Eating Out on a Plant Diet in Ireland, Lunchtime Live on Newstalk Radio

Andrea Gilligan, presenter on Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live, recently decided to experience what it is like to eat a plant-based diet, including eating out in restaurants in Ireland. Sandra Higgins, Director of Go Vegan World chatted to Andrea on today’s show about how vegan options in Irish restaurants have improved but still have a long way to go to meet the standards demanded of vegans.
Some Improvements but Room for More: When we first ran our Go Vegan World campaign in Ireland in 2015, most people could not even pronounce the word vegan. There were very few places that catered for vegans. It was difficult to even get a coffee made with plant milk. In the intervening years, things have improved. To the surprise of most vegans in Ireland, in 2021 Dublin was ranked the fourth city in Europe with the highest share of vegan friendly restaurants . In 2024, most food outlets can provide something suitable for vegans. Some restaurants are outstanding. But given the challenges faced by vegans seeking to eat out in restaurants, there is a lot of room for improvement.
Challenges faced by Vegans in Food Outlets
Misunderstanding of Dietary Requirements of Vegan
Most of the problems vegans face in food outlets are the result of insufficient understanding of what a vegan diet entails. As a result, vegans frequently find dairy and eggs adulterating the food delivered to them. Chefs and restaurant staff confuse vegetarianism with veganism. Some even confuse a gluten-free diet with veganism.
Limited Vegan Options
Andrea has only tried eat plant-based in restaurants for two weeks and already she can see that chickpea curry, stir fry and house made veg-burgers are ubiquitous.
Cross-Contamination
Food that is suitable for vegans must not be contaminated by animal products. Kitchens should ensure that food is stored, prepared and cooked separate to animal products and use utensils that are kept for vegan food only.
Vegans frequently order what appears to be a vegan option only to find that although the burger is made from plants, it is served with mayonnaise containing eggs or non-vegan cheese, or cooked in the same oil and utensils as animal products. Sometimes something as simple as French Fries are no longer vegan because they have been cooked in the same oil as animal products, thus rendering the entire dish unacceptable.
Incorrect labelling
Restaurants frequently mislabel items as suitable for vegans when they are not (e.g. categorising vegetarian foods such as eggs/cheese as vegan) or label plant foods that are suitable for vegans as unsuitable (e.g. coconut milk being labelled as a dairy product in take-aways).
Overcharging
Vegan options are frequently exorbitantly priced. I doubt any vegan minds paying for a beautifully presented, delicious meal using quality ingredients. But we object to being charged the same as expensive options on the omnivore menu when the food we are eating consists of the cheapest ingredients on the planet. Another bugbear of vegans is restaurants and cafes that charge a supplement for plant milk.
Lack of options in rural areas
Vegan options are almost always easier to find in cities than in rural areas. Some food outlets claim to have nothing at all for vegans when, in fact, with a little discussion and imagination, they could easily make something suitable. After all, many soups, sandwiches and wraps can be ‘veganised’ very easily. What chef cannot produce a baked potato and salad, or a simple pasta dish without animal products?
Navigating Menus is Food Outlets
There are a few things people can do to make it easier to get good vegan options in food outlets.
There are restaurant apps such as Happy Cow that you can use to research food outlets in advance. However, they are not always up to date.
It is a good idea to google the area you intend visiting or the food outlet you are considering, to check if the current menu offers decent vegan options.
Some travel guides and vegan sites list menus and include restaurant reviews.
Many chefs will make an extra effort if they have advance notice that a vegan intends eating at their establishment, so it is always worth your while calling in advance to chat about vegan options.
Good communication is essential, especially when explaining that you require your meal to be free of animal products including fish, flesh, eggs, dairy and honey. Remember that restaurant wait staff may not have thought about these issues and can easily forget that eggs are used in mayonnaise or may not know that vegans do not eat dairy or that honey is not vegan.
Restaurants are required by to have an allergens list. You can use this list to decipher which meals are suitable for vegans.
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