Great food helps you celebrate life with happiness, and we’re talking about Sam’s Restaurant in Fairfield, Texas. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, they have it all. Excitingly, we’re seeing vegan-friendly dishes on the menu, and that’s what we’re going to check.
As a vegan, keeping an eye on what you eat can be sometimes challenging, especially when you are dining out. While there are restaurants that serve vegan-friendly dishes, others don’t, which is definitely not an option.
For meat lovers or eaters that is, Sam’s Restaurant is a go-to spot. The meals they serve are loaded with either meat or dairy products, or a combination of both. But as we mentioned, there are a few vegan-friendly items on the menu that will work for those who follow a strictly plant-based diet.
In the event that you are stuck in a spot like Sam’s Restaurant, it’s important to check what you can get that’s guilt-free. Let’s take a peek at their menu.
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Sam’s Restaurant: Don’t Leave Hungry
A nine-year-old Samuel Augustus Daniel in the 1900s worked around downtown Fairfield selling chili and Hokey Pokey. He left school in the eighth grade to start his own burger stand, where locals call his specialty “Sam Burgers.” In the 1930s, he started his own eateries, including a hot dog and popcorn stand.
He then married his wife Doris in 1944, and together in 1953, they started putting Sam’s Restaurant on the map. At their small BBQ stand, Samuel perfected his own barbecue sauce recipe while Doris kept her hands full with her homemade pies and desserts. They also made their own homemade bread that became popular among locals and tourists in Fairfield, Texas.
When Samuel passed away in 1967, his eldest son Gilbert took over.
Sam’s Restaurant also offers catering to a huge crowd. With their sumptuous menu, they also have buffet dishes every day. Not only that. Sam’s Restaurant has a Gift Shop where you can find beautiful assorted aromatics, home decor, scented candles, souvenirs, toys, and collectibles.
Vegan Alternatives At Sam’s Restaurant
For breakfast, lunch, and dinner with snacks in between, you can count on Sam’s Restaurant. Of course, for non-vegans, things are easier. But for vegans, we will have to take a close look at their menu and see what we can find that suits the plant-based diet.
To ensure that you’re eating the right way, you will have to ask Sam’s Restaurant about the dishes below.
- Breakfast. Most of their breakfast dishes are served with dairy products or meat. But there are a few options for vegans. They also offer a buffet breakfast served between 7 A.M. and 10:30 A.M.
- Vegetable Omelette. It’s made with bell pepper, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms with cheese as an option. You can skip the cheese unless it’s vegan.
- French Toast. This is great for vegans too unless it’s soaked in a mixture made with beaten eggs. But overall, French Toast is made vegan-friendly. Just ask Sam’s Restaurant about it.
- Hotcakes. You may have to ask if these were made without dairy and eggs.
- Waffles. These too need confirmation from Sam’s Restaurant if they were made without eggs and dairy products.
- Oatmeal. Here’s the safest breakfast you can have as a side or a stand-alone dish for you. It’s vegan-friendly. Just don’t let them put anything like non-vegan milk or creamer.
- Hash Browns. Traditionally, hash browns are vegan-friendly. Just ask Sam’s Restaurant how they were prepared.
- Hot Biscuits with Jelly or Gravy. This can be either vegan or non-vegan depending on the ingredients used. Some would use dairy products like milk, cheese, or eggs to make hot biscuits. It’s always safer to ask.
- Toast & Jelly. With toast being generally vegan, jelly is mostly non-vegan as it’s made from gelatin unless agar-agar is involved, which is made from a type of seaweed. If their jelly is non-vegan, you can skip it and go for toasts alone.
- Fruits. You can also have seasonal fruits as a side dish, which is great for vegans.
- Blueberry Muffins. While these can be made with milk, there are so many alternatives to make vegan muffins. It always helps to ask.
- Country Dinner and Lunch. Sam’s Restaurant has raving reviews when it comes to its lunch and dinner offers. While barbecue and homemade are their specialties, they also have something to offer to vegans. So no need to worry when you set foot at their spot in Fairfield, Texas.
- Sides. This is the best part of Sam’s Restaurant’s menu, at least, for vegans. Just make sure with them that they are prepared without any dairy products like milk, cheese, and eggs. You can choose to have any of their sides such as:
- Pinto Beans
- Cole Slaw
- Green Beans
- Mashed Potatoes
- Potato Salad
- Fried Okra
- Whole Kernel Corn
- Blackeyed Peas
- Peach Cobbler
- Soup & Salad Bar
- Sub French Fries
- Sub Baked Potato
- Sub Small Onion
- Hand Battered Onion Rings
- Vegetable Soup
- Tossed Salad
- Fresh Bread
- Patty Melt. This is made from grilled white or wheat bread served with grilled onions, a kosher dill spear, and two slices of American Cheese. The ingredients look awesome except the cheese, which is usually fermented using animal rennet. However, you can either skip this cheese or ask for a vegan alternative.
- Salads. This is our favorite part of the menu where you can choose what kind of vegetable to eat. They also offer a meat option.
- Salad Bar. This is offered all-you-can-eat without Hot veggies, meats, or dessert.
- Salad Bar and Hot Vegetables. It’s another all-you-can-eat offer without meat or dessert.
- Salad Bar with Baked Potato. It’s another all you can eat offer without hot vegetables, meats, or dessert.
- Tossed Salad. Here’s another favorite salad dish made from a mix of tomatoes and fresh greens with your choice of dressing. Get the vegan-friendly dressing though!
- Homemade Pie. Here’s the late Mrs. Doris Daniel’s specialty that is made fresh every day. They offer many flavors such as Apple, Apple Crumb, Peach, Peach Crumb, Chocolate Cream, Chocolate Pecan Cream, Coconut Cream, Pecan, Pineapple, Pineapple Cream, Lemon, and Buttermilk.
- Beverages. Sam’s Restaurant also have fruit juices, iced tea, coffee, decaf coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate, and other cold drinks. Just choose the right weapon!
- Sides. This is the best part of Sam’s Restaurant’s menu, at least, for vegans. Just make sure with them that they are prepared without any dairy products like milk, cheese, and eggs. You can choose to have any of their sides such as:
Vegan Restaurants In Texas
While Sam’s Restaurant isn’t a vegan spot, there are a handful of vegan-friendly eateries around Texas. We collected the best ones, giving you carte blanche to dine guilt-free.
- Loving Hut in Arlington
- Vegan Food House in Dallas
- Green Seed Vegan in Houston
- Jeff’s Vegan in Frisco
- Jai Meals in Plano.
- Soulgood in Garland
- Mantra in Houston
- The Vegan Yacht in Austin
- Goji Cafe in Dallas
- ITSO VEGAN in Grand Prairie
- Verdine in Houston
- ATXFOODCO in Austin
- Señor Veggie in San Antonio
- Vegan Avenue On Main in San Antonio
- The Traveling Carrot (Food Trailer) with Raw Chef Renee in Katy
- Veggie Express in Frisco
- Foodamed in McAllen
- Shoals in Dallas
- Counter Culture in Austin
- Peace Vegan Eats in Houston
- Belenty’s Love Mexican Vegan Restaurant in Granbury
- Belse Restaurant in Dallas
- Green Vegetarian Cuisine in San Antonio
- Casa Del Vegano in Dallas
- Govinda’s Vegetarian Cuisine in Houston
- Bistro Vonish in Austin
- Green Vegetarian Cuisine on Alamo Quarry Market in San Antonio
- D’Vegan in Dallas
- Spiral Diner & Bakery in Denton
- TLC Vegan Kitchen in Garland
- Sassy’s Vegetarian Soul Food in Austin
- The Vegan Nom in Austin
- Bodhi Viet Veggie Cuisine in Austin
- Kalachandji’s in Dallas
- The Beer Plant in Austin
- Hash Vegan Eats in San Antonio
What Is Vegan Barbecue?
Sam’s Restaurant specializes in barbecue, but it uses meat as its main dish, which is not suitable for vegans like you. Despite their raving reviews, vegans can’t still go barbecue bender at their spot because of meat. But that doesn’t stop vegans and the like to get barbecue off their plate, especially during the grilling season.
Fortunately, there are many vegan enthusiasts who have alternatively created tasty, healthy barbecues that are suitable for those who follow a plant-based diet. Or to put it simply, vegans are those who refuse to eat food that involves slaughtering animals.
Plant-based barbecues can be either jackfruit, seitan, or mushrooms. Both stringy and shreddable texture of mushrooms can make a delicious mocked “pulled pork.” The thick texture of seitan makes a tasty dish of mocking “ribs.”
Apart from the infamous vegetable skewers that are always present during the summer or grilling season, those “mimicked barbecue meats” are to die for. Add the delicious vegan sauces that will satisfy your umami taste.
The Bottom Line
Sam’s Restaurant may have a reputation of serving one of the best barbecues in America, but because it’s not suitable for vegans, it’s also the least spot that you would want to go to. However, what we listed above that are part of their menu are worth checking out.
As vegans, we know what’s best for us, for the environment, and for the animals. So go ahead and scour the best spots that we’ve collected above. Or better yet, make your own meals to ensure that you control the ingredients used.
