Food options: 3/5

Restaurants visited:
📍Romeo's Vegan Burger
📍Living Kitchen
📍Bean Vegan Cuisine
📍Pepperbox Doughnuts
📍Fern, Flavors From the Garden
📍Yafo Kitchen

Our weekend in Charlotte was a last-minute road trip, but we filled our time with lots of good eats. Since visiting and writing this plant-based adventure, two of the restaurants have closed unfortunately. But there are still some delicious spots that would make the trip worth it.

We arrived in Charlotte about 30 minutes before Romeo's Vegan Burgers closed, but the drive-thru was ready for us and quickly made our order. I used to love chili cheese fries, so I was thrilled that they had them on the menu. We got an order of those, 2 burgers, and regular fries because you can never have too many.

The next day we ventured out for a little shopping and decided to stop by Yafo Kitchen first. I’m already a fan of Mediterranean bowls, but this place blew my mind. It like they had endless topping options … some I’d never considered adding to dishes. The cranberry quinoa salad has since been in regular rotation at my house.

That evening we had a romantic dinner at Fern, Flavors From the Garden. It had a lovely ambiance and wonderful service, which makes it so unfortunate that they closed their doors in May. We order a couple tasty starters and an entree, but we easily had a favorite - Thai Chili Cauliflower Wings. I will definitely recreate these at home.

What’s better than doughnuts to start the day? We went to Pepperbox Doughnuts, which is a must visit spot for coffee and doughnut lovers. From classic favorites to unique flavors, there's something for everyone. We ordered a little bit of everything: Apple Fritter, Cinnamon Spiced Maple Bourbon, Lemon Poppyseed
Caramel Chocolate Hazelnut Bar, Pecan Pie Croissant, Blueberry Cheesecake, and Snickerdoodle.

After visiting friends, we passed Bean Vegan Cuisine, which has been a vegan staple in the community for a decade. I love, love, love fried pickles and had to order them.

Living Kitchen is another restaurant that closed recently. The concept of organic, local, and vegan food drew me in, and the flavors kept me. If nachos are on the menu, then we’re ordering them. They did not disappoint.

Our final stop was Yafo Kitchen again. It was that good. I switched up a few toppings, and it was just as amazing! Who knew I needed thin, crispy slices of fried eggplant in my life? I’ve definitely tried this in my kitchen and love the results.