Wilmington’s Vegan Restaurant Experience

by Shelby Diehl, Jessica Scudella and Valerie Robertson

We hear more and more about restaurants adding vegan options to their menus due to the growing popularity of eating plant-based food. If you’re not familiar with vegan dining, what is it like to eat in a restaurant that serves only vegan food? If you go, is there a chance nothing on the menu will appeal to you? Will you have to eat lettuce or hummus?

If you are vegan, or are trying to follow a plant-based diet, until recently the only way to be sure the food on your plate was strictly plant-based was to prepare it yourself at home. A typical restaurant can feel like a minefield. Were these vegetables cooked in butter? Were they grilled alongside my neighbor’s hamburger? Was the “vegetarian” soup made using chicken broth? Will they get annoyed if I ask questions about how the food is prepared?

If you do prefer vegan food, or would like to try it, you’re in luck. Wilmington now has three restaurants that offer only plant-based dishes. We decided to try them all, and let you know about our experience.

Our conclusion? We found that choosing to go to a vegan restaurant is no different than choosing an Indian restaurant, or Italian restaurant, or one that serves primarily French cuisine. Even if you consider yourself an omnivore, the quality of the food at these all-vegan restaurants will have you coming back. We found the staff to be helpful, accommodating and eager to answer all questions. Here are our impressions of the three.

Clockwise from top, TLT, chipotle avocado burger, crunchy dog, and chips & queso, at Sealevel City Vegan Diner.

photo by Shelby Diehl

Sealevel City Vegan Diner

Sealevel City Vegan Diner’s hot pink exterior is hard to miss. The light, bright interior is decorated with a selection of vintage pieces, local artists and eccentric furnishings. Sealevel welcomes guests to experience the vegan dining experience in a casual, leisurely atmosphere. From tabletops to booths to floor seating, there are seating options for everyone.

The menu is very eco-conscious, reminding guests that all items are vegan, and that a majority can be made gluten-free. The menu contains appetizers, dogs, sandwiches, burgers and more. Restaurant staff are constantly whipping up new specials, such as their renowned shrimp burger. There is a delicious selection of beverages as well, including teas, lemonades, mimosas and more.

Sealevel’s carry-out containers can be composted in an industrial facility such as the in-line composter at the New Hanover County recycling center. There’s a bin outside the restaurant for customers to return their compostable carry-out containers after use. The menu even encourages bringing your own reusable containers, whether ordering carry-out or making sure your leftovers don’t go to waste.

This casual dining experience offers many food options developed in their kitchen. Sealevel City Vegan Diner is an inexpensive, easy choice for a lunch or dinner stop. The charming staff and laid-back atmosphere create a good introduction to vegan dining for first-timers and returning guests. Don’t forget to check out their flamingo- and cow-themed bathrooms!

Sealevel City Vegan Diner is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The restaurant’s address is 1015 S. Kerr Ave., Wilmington, NC. You can find them on Instagram at @sealevelcitydiner. Visit www. facebook.com/SealevelCityDiner/ for more information.

Kombucha flight at Panacea.

photo by Shelby Diehl

Panacea Brewing Co.

What started off as a vintage van, now called the “Boochbus,” has become a bustling restaurant serving as Wilmington’s go-to kombucha spot. The fanciful murals and eclectic decor create the sense of a whimsical, laid-back pub. This atmosphere provides a chill environment to dine on unique dishes. With weekly live music multiple days a week, Panacea Brewing Co. is the perfect place to relax with friends.

With a mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, Panacea provides you with both seasonal and year-round drinks bound to keep you coming back for the rotation of flavors. You’re not limited to just one though—you can order flights with four different flavors to sample a wide variety, a great choice for the indecisive. The food menu pulls in southern fare and tavern type food, serving dishes like pimento cheese plates, cauliflower wings, BBQ pork tacos and veggie burgers galore.

Keep an eye out for the Boochbus—a 1975 Volkswagen Westfalia—at different farmers’ markets throughout the Cape Fear Region. One of Panacea’s sustainable practices is their reusable growlers, which can be refilled with either kombucha or beer. After you buy your first growler, the beverage prices are cheaper when you use your reusable container.

If you’re looking for a casual dining experience on the more affordable side. Panacea is a great destination for all lovers of food—the vegan/vegetarian fanatics and those wanting to try plant-based food for the first time.

Panacea Brewing Co. is open from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The restaurant’s address is 4107 Oleander Dr. Unit H, Wilmington, NC. You can find them on Instagram at @panaceabrewingcompany. Visit www.panaceabrewingcompany.com for more information.

Fried green tomatoes at The Green House.

photo by Shelby Diehl

The Green House

Elegant yet casual, The Green House sets an immaculate tone for the fine dining experience. The interior is beautiful with its clean lines and modern white upholstered chairs. It has the elegant feel of a “white linen tablecloth” restaurant but without the tablecloths; instead, there are beautiful wooden tables and white cloth napkins. Its fancy and welcoming atmosphere provides a relaxing environment in which to relish high-end food.

The Green House is open for lunch and dinner, both offering a different menu and catering to a broader price range. The lunch menu has many affordable prices with dishes such as sandwiches, salads and soups. The dinner menu offers delectable choices with its charcuterie boards, salads and entrees. The entrees were intriguing, as the main ingredient might be artichoke hearts, or fennel and Italian “sausage.” All dishes are vegan and gluten-free. While enjoying our cheese board, we learned that the delicious crackers and bread served with it had all been baked in their own bakery. (Their bakery items are available for sale online.)

Accompanying the meal menu is a drink menu with countless non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages to choose from. The nonalcoholic options are a win for the underage accompanying adults to the venue.

Steve Mott’s living wall creates a beautiful, green (vegetative) wall adorning the exterior. His company, Mott Landscaping, is renowned for being the most qualified in the Southeast for green roofs and green walls. To make a vertical wall, he installed rows of material resembling gutters, and filled each with small pots of individual plants. The wall has the potential to bloom.

The restaurant strives to be a positive influence on global environmental change by bringing intentional and sustainable practices to local vegan fine dining. Their Sustainability Mission Statement appears prominently on their website.

Overall, The Green House was a dining experience to remember. Throughout the evening, the atmosphere remained calm and casual, creating a tranquil energy that made the dining experience a unique one. It’s safe to say that The Green House shows that vegan fine dining is no different than your customary fine dining experience, proving there’s no need to fear the word “vegan” when deciding where to have your celebratory meal.

The Green House is open from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5–9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The restaurant’s address is 1427 Military Cutoff Rd., Wilmington, NC. You can find them on Instagram at @ thegreenhouseonline. Visit www.thegreenrestaurant.com for more information.

Note: Chef Nikki Spears, who started Nikki’s Restaurant and Sealevel City Gourmet, has plans to open a fourth vegan restaurant in Wilmington, sometime in 2022.

Some Food Terms Defined

Vegetarian:

A person who eats no meat.

Plant-Based:

An approach to food where choices don’t involve animal products. Some people eating only a plant-based diet are also vegan. Can describe any food or non-food item made mostly or entirely of plants—even “meat.”

Vegan:

A strict vegetarian who consumes no food that comes from animals (such as meat, eggs or dairy products). Also, one who abstains from all use of animal products (such as leather).