Following the success of two completely sold-out Surprisingly Vegan Tours earlier this year, Dallas by Chocolate Food Tours will be leading another edition of the tour on August 14th.
Designed for die-hard vegans and plant-curious omnivores alike, the tour takes guests around the city in an air-conditioned motorcoach (drinks are BYOB and fair game onboard), hitting four restaurants in total — three with savory dishes and one with something sweet for dessert.
Dallas Has ‘Blossomed’ With Vegan Options
Jeanine Stevens, the owner of Dallas by Chocolate and Dallas Bites and Sights Tours, says she had been hoping to lead a vegan tour in the city for years, but it wasn’t until recently that the community had grown large enough to finally bring the idea to fruition. She enlisted the help of Courtney Garza, local vegan expert and the editor of VEGWORLD Magazine, to serve as a guide and spread the word amongst the city’s vegan community, holding the first tour in April of this year.
“The vegan population in Dallas continues to grow as people realize we need to have more options,” Stevens says. “Dallas has really blossomed with a whole lot of vegan offerings. There are new restaurants opening every week, some that are entirely vegan and some offering vegan options.”
A ‘Magical Mystery Tour’
Guests of the tour are in the dark about which restaurants they’ll be hitting beforehand, but Stevens says she’s sure to do a taste test of each stop to verify maximum deliciousness.
“We don’t tell anyone where they’re going — it’s like a magical mystery tour,” she says. “People love to try all the foods and just see what’s in store.”
In the past, the tour has brought guests to Promise of Peace, a local community garden where they had a chance to sample fresh vegetables straight from the earth. Other potential stops include Lucky Mouth, a vegan grocery store offering everything from plant-based crab cakes to grain-free Mexican wedding cookies, and Lahla’s Plant Kitchen, another vegan hotspot serving up classic dishes like tacos, ceviche and BBQ sandwiches with a fresh, plant-based twist.
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Elevating Vegan Cuisine in Dallas
“The goal is to elevate vegan cuisine in Dallas,” Stevens says. “We have vegans and non-vegans on our tours. Some people are curious about what vegan food tastes like, and the people who are vegan just want more options to try.”
Dallas by Chocolate also partners with local creators to offer guests of the tour free samples of vegan products like beef jerky and High Priestess tea.
More Exposure for the Dallas Vegan Community
Stevens says the Surprisingly Vegan Tour has brought more exposure to the growing Dallas vegan community over the past few months, and she’s excited to see what Garza has up her sleeve next.
If you’re looking for fun things to do in Dallas, the next tour will be taking place August 14th, 2021 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Learn more or purchase tickets for the tour at dallasbychocolate.com.
In the meantime, get your mouth watering for vegan fare with this vegan pad thai recipe jam-packed with whole ingredients, a simple and nutritious trail mix, and a 10-ingredient veggie curry.
