In advance of our trip to Little Acorn Sanctuary, we asked Northfield-based vegan Erica Hoops about vegan eats in the small Minnesotan town. Read on to get their scoop on what you can try next time you find yourself an hour directly south of the cities!

Written by Erica C. Hoops

Being vegan in a small rural town can be quite a struggle, but in Northfield, Minnesota, there are many tasty options! Aside from the well known fast food options, like Taco Bell, Subway, and Domino’s, there are several small businesses with diverse palettes to make your next weekend trip to Northfield a tasty one.

El Triunfo, a Mexican restaurant with eat in and take out options, is a Northfield favorite. Items on their menu like beans and rice, burritos, and tacos can be veganized! All you have to do is ask for a burrito or taco to be “vegan” or ask for the beans and rice with no cheese. They also have amazing guacamole (though this item isn’t always available, so be sure to ask). Perhaps the most important note about El Triunfo is their green sauce; it’s vegan, it’s spicy, and the first serving is free.

Recommended Order: Vegan Burrito with Green Sauce and Chips and Guac

Tanzenwald Brewing Company brews their beers on site and has a German inspired menu that can be veganized very easily! Any of their brats and burgers can be swapped with the vegan patty or vegan dog. They have plenty of pickled and fresh veggie toppings to add on top, and their buns are also vegan! Vegan sides include chips, waffle fries, tater tots, sweet potato fries, and more potato-based goodness.

Aside from their brats and burgers, their Fried Brussel Sprouts are amazing, but be sure to the order with walnuts and tell them to leave off the aioli. Tanzenwald recently got rid of their vegan aioli, so their only vegan sauces are ketchup, mustard, and BBQ sauce.

Recommended Order: Vegan Brat with Onions and Fried Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts (hold the aioli)

Hideaway Coffeehouse is a cafe with a couple of vegan food options. They have a Vegan Wrap that comes with a side of either kale salad or tortilla chips, and they have appetizer of Chips and Pico de Gallo. When it comes to coffee, they have soy and almond milks regularly, and sometimes have vegan baked goods from other local businesses!

Recommended Order: Vegan Wrap with Kale Salad

Tandem Bagels is a bagel shop with build-your-own vegan options. All of their bagels are vegan (except the few with cheese baked into the dough), and their avocado spread, hummus, and black bean spread are all great bases! They also have a variety of fresh veggies to add to your order. Other vegan options include overnight oats (make sure to double check what milk was used––they tend to rotate which kind is used), special baked goods (noted on blackboard), fruit, and (very occasionally) vegan cream cheese! They also have non-dairy milk for coffee drinks.

Recommended Order: Garlic Bagel with Avocado, Black Bean Spread, Tomato, and Sprouts

Chapati is an Indian restaurant with a few vegan options that are clearly noted on their menu. Three main dishes, the Aloo Gobi (cauliflower and potatoes in onion-tomato sauce), the Bindi Masala (Sauteed okra with onion and garlic), and the Chana Masala (chickpeas in onion-tomato sauce) are all vegan! They come with a bowl of rice to share with the table, so one dish is usually enough to feed two people. Their salad appetizer is also vegan, but their naan is not, because they use butter instead of oil.

Recommended Order: Aloo Gobi and Bindi Masala (rice included) to share

Tokyo Grill is a Japanese restaurant with vegan vegetable rolls and appetizers! They have an avocado roll, an AAC roll (avocado, asparagus, and cucumber), the Mr. Peanut roll (avocado and peanuts), a mixed veggie roll, a veggie tempura roll, and a sweet potato roll. Their tempura batter doesn’t include eggs (I’ve asked), so their vegetable tempura appetizer is vegan. Their Agedashi Tofu (ask for no bonito), Edamame, Seaweed Salad, and Rice are also vegan. Their miso soup might be vegan, but when I asked last, they weren’t sure, so proceed with caution.

Recommended Order: Seaweed Salad, AAC roll, and Avocado Roll

Other restaurants like Applebee’s and Fielder’s Choice have options that can be veganized, but some vegans in Northfield have had troubles getting straight forward dietary information from those establishments.

Not feeling any of the options outlined above? Check out the Just Food Coop in town! They have a soup and salad bar during lunch time, other ready-made options, plenty of microwavable vegan meals, as well as some vegan cheezes, spreads, and fruits.