Rural Veggies
Spring/Summer 2025
Eating meat-free in small-town Nevada is easier than you think.
BY SUSAN MOWERS
As someone who travels around the state frequently, and who is also a vegetarian, I’m always on the lookout for places in Nevada’s smaller communities where I can get my veggie on. What I’ve found is that rural Nevada has some delicious vegetarian fare, including options in a few unlikely places.
So Juicy – Juice and Salad Bar
Vegan-friendly
Nevada’s capital is a small town with a big veggie-lovers punch. So Juicy is centrally located in its quaint downtown, kitty-corner from the capitol building. Looking for breakfast? So Juicy offers freshly made juices, vegan smoothies, acai bowls, and even avocado toast. Come lunchtime, fill up on all the fresh veggies you can imagine with their full salad bar. They also have kombucha on tap and offer juice cleanses if you want to kick-start your health.
I usually get the petite salad (because the large salad is massive!) and add on a soup (vegan options available). I also have a huge sweet tooth, so I love to top off my meal with an all-fruit popsicle.
Susan’s favs: avo cocoa bowl, strawberry cake smoothie, petite salad
LA Bakery Café & Eatery
Vegetarian-friendly
A capital city staple, LA Bakery is known for its health-forward and oh-so-delicious menu. If you want more than salad, LA Bakery has great vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free soups and sandwiches. Breakfast choices include coffee, smoothies, sandwiches and wraps, all things eggs, and pancakes (including gluten-free). For lunch, there are several vegetarian options among the massive menu of cold sandwiches, paninis, wraps, soups, and salads.
As the name implies, this is also a fantastic bakery (I mentioned I have a sweet tooth, right?). From pastries to cakes and everything in-between, you have to leave room for dessert. If you really like chocolate, they have a chocolate cup that is made from chocolate, filled with chocolate mousse, and topped with chocolate shavings. Be prepared to share this extremely rich taste of heaven.
Susan’s favs: wake up bagel, California grilled veggie wrap, gold latte (made with turmeric), and of course, the chocolate cup!
Courtyard Café and Bakery
Vegetarian-friendly
This delightful café in the heart of Fallon is open for breakfast and lunch and has plenty of vegetarian options. I used to be an eggs Benedict fan before my vegetarian days, so I love the veggie benny, made with cream cheese, spinach, tomato, and avocado. Lunchtime offers many veggie options in the form of sandwiches, salads, quiche, and pasta. I’m a cheese lover and adore their grilled cheese which is layered with both Swiss and cheddar on a grilled Parmesan cheese-crusted sourdough bread.
Susan’s favs: grilled cheese, bruschetta angel hair pasta
The Slanted Porch
Vegetarian-friendly
Fallon is known as the Oasis of Nevada—and for good reason: This farm-to-table restaurant uses the bounty of the local farms. Though it’s only open for lunch, it’s worth it for that fresh meal. The Fallon is the most scrumptious egg salad sandwich; it comes with house-made potato chips—definitely a treat. Or you can opt for the veggie sandwich or choose from a variety of fresh vegetarian salads. Best of all, The Slanted Porch is a sustainable restaurant and uses biodegradable to-go containers and composts food waste.
Susan’s favs: Fallon sandwich, house-made potato chips
Ogi Deli, Bar & Pinxtos
Vegan & Vegetarian-friendly
Avocado toast in rural Nevada?
You bet! While the Basque are known for lamb and chorizo dishes, this deli has plenty of options for my fellow vegetarians, including the aforementioned avocado toast. But you’ll want to veg-out here, because you can still get your Basque on (minus the meat) with dishes like their barazki bowl for breakfast or with several of their lunch salads, sandwiches, and wraps, like the osasuna vegan wrap. There are even options for dessert including a gluten-free lava cake.
On Thursdays and Fridays, they have Pintxo-Pote (Peencho-Potay), the Basque version of happy hour featuring Basque tapas with vegetarian options.
Susan’s favs: barazki bowl, osasuna vegan wrap, gluten-free lava cake (it’s chocolate, duh!)
Odeh’s Mediterranean Restaurant
Vegan & Vegetarian-friendly
Who says veggies are boring? The flavors of the Middle East are in full force at this Elko favorite. First off, let’s just say that the hummus is so good! They have an entire menu section devoted to vegetarians and vegan (plus another section for gluten-free items). Your best bet is to just get the vegetarian combo: That way you can try everything! And their baklava is to die for.
Susan’s favs: vegetarian combo, veggie pesto pizza (Wednesdays only), baklava
Pittman Café, inside the Mizpah Hotel
Vegetarian-adaptable
Okay, so vegetarians know sometimes we have to ask for adjustments. The Pittman Café offers breakfast and lunch dishes that can easily be made meatless. The omelets, pancakes, and oatmeal are great options, and my go-to is the grubstaker omelet without the meat. For lunch, the BLT without the B plus a little avocado is perfect.
Susan’s favs: grubstaker omelet, Lady in Red oatmeal, modified BLT with garlic fries
Hometown Pizza
Vegetarian-friendly
If you’re in the middle of the state, don’t despair! Hometown Pizza in Tonopah has delicious veggie pizzas, cheesy calzones, soups, and a salad bar. Locally owned and operated, they are a staple of this small town. A great loaded veggie pizza is one of my favorite things, and you can really go all out here. Their Greek salad is a perfect complement to your savory pizza meal.
Susan’s fav: veggie pizza, Greek salad
Racks Bar & Grill
Vegetarian-friendly
Near the eastern edge of the state? There are vegetarian options here, too. Sure, Racks in Ely offers burgers and steaks, but they also offer flatbreads, grilled cheese, and some lovely salads. In the summer, they offer vegetarian wraps. Check ahead because specials change frequently and often include veg-friendly dishes. Just a head’s up: Racks’ décor is full of racks…as in mounted animal trophies.
Susan’s favs: garden spinach salad, garlic Parmesan flatbread
The Bristlecone General Store
Vegan-friendly
Located near the entrance to Great Basin National Park, this store is already the perfect place to stock up on great organic vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free grocery items. But this year, they’ll be opening an on-site restaurant that serves vegetarian options including egg bites, potato stacks, waffles, sandwiches, and pizza. Plan to visit any day of the week May through October or on weekends during the off season.
Susan’s favs: Nothing yet but looking forward to all these options!