This month marks one year of my transition to a vegan diet, and I really wish somebody had written this article then so I could’ve avoided ordering fries and a plain salad everywhere I went. Nearly everywhere has a veggie burger of some kind, but for some reason, they’re very rarely vegan. Lucky for you, I endured the struggle so that you don’t have to.

Grand Forks, ND isn’t exactly a bustling metropolis with vegan options galore, but there are a few that I wish I had known a year ago.

Froot & Erb

I haven't tried their dishes, but I'm a sucker for fresh squeezed juice, and there's is great so I trust them.

Little Bangkok

A personal favorite. They actually have a surprising number of vegan dishes and they’re all A+. You can get a couple of basic rolls with soup and salad and call it a day- and that’s normally what I do. The avocado roll and the sweet potato roll are my favorites. It’s also really cheap, so that’s pretty awesome. You can also get spicy green curry with tofu which is amazing.

Olive Garden

Honestly I can’t say that I was ever a big fan of this fine establishment- but as a vegan it’s pretty awesome. There’s not a huge selection, but you get a lot of food. The breadsticks are already vegan so do not fret. And the salad is vegan because, it’s lettuce. Just get it with oil and vinegar. If you’d rather go crazy and get soup, do it. The minestrone soup is vegan. As for a main dish, you pretty much only have one option- which is building your own pasta with the marinara sauce. It’s good though. Dip a breadstick in the sauce. Go crazy, you’ve earned it.

Denny’s

If you’re ever feeling a little self-loathing at 3am on a Thursday, don’t even worry. There’s depressing food for us vegans at Denny’s. Build your own burger with a veggie patty, and cry into the bun.

Noodles & Company

My one and only. My true love. Japanese pan noodles with tofu. Please give us a moment. And a bottle of sriracha.

Qdoba

Easy- just don’t put animal products on your burrito. But, if you must know my order- A burrito bowl with both types of rice, black beans, roja & verde salsa, guacamole and lettuce.

Pita Pit

A beautiful pita filled with delicious innards. You can get the spicy black bean, falafel, veggie, go crazy. They have hummus, avocado, all kids of veggies, sriracha, whatever you need.

Anyway, I hope this helped your vegan taste buds have a party. Grand Forks isn’t the #1 vegan hub of the US, but you can definitely get by.