Newk’s Eatery is one of the most popular fast-casual café chains in America. Inspired by family traditions, their gourmet dishes are crafted with the freshest of ingredients. Since 2004, the folks at Newk’s Eatery have come a long way.
But are there vegan options at Newk’s Eatery? You will be delighted to know that Newk’s Eatery serves soups, sandwiches, pizzas, beverages and more, that are suited to meet the requirements of vegans.
However, Newk’s Eatery does not have a 100% vegan dish on its menu. You can only customize their dishes to make them vegan. If you are wondering about the vegan options at Newk’s, continue reading our article.
About Newk’s Eatery
Founded in 2004 as Newk’s Express Café, the first outlet was situated in Oxford, Mississippi. The father-son duo of Chris Newcomb and Don Newcomb and Debra Bryson are the people behind this endeavor.
Known as Newk’s Eatery since 2013, this café traces its roots back to the Newcomb family recipes. Here, you can find an unrelenting passion for food uniting with a commitment to experimentation.
At Newk’s Eatery, you will find new, innovative dishes sharing the table alongside the Newcomb Family dishes that feature a little modern twist.
In 2016, the restaurant marked a significant milestone with the opening of its 100th restaurant at Lake Charles, Louisiana.
In a nutshell, Newk’s Eatery can be best described by its tagline: “Exceptional Without Exception.”
What Are the Vegan Options at Newk’s?
At Newk’s, you will find vegan options under different categories. Whether it’s a pizza or a sandwich you’re looking for, you will find at least one vegan option in each category. Without further ado, let’s see what they are.
Salads
One great thing about Newk’s Eatery is this – their dishes can be personalized. This means that you can request them to remove certain ingredients or elements from the dish, making it safe for vegans. You can do this with salads.
Let’s take a look at the salad options for vegans.
Garden Salad
Newk’s Eatery features the Garden Salad as one of its offerings under the Classic section. While this salad is a good option for vegetarians, it can also be vegan-friendly with customization.
Ask Newk’s staff to remove the cheddar cheese and croutons; you are left with the following ingredients:
- Mixed greens
- Grape tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Shredded carrots
With these ingredients, the customized Garden Salad transforms into one of the healthy vegan options at Newk’s.
Greek Salad
Tweak and customize the Greek Salad a little bit, and you’ve got yourself a vegan dish. Just remove the feta cheese, and these are what you’re left with:
- Romaine blend
- Artichoke hearts
- Kalamata olives
- Cucumbers
- Pepperoncini
- Red onion
- Grape tomatoes
This allows you to enjoy a vegan Greek Salad without any worries at the back of your mind.
According to the menu, the Greek salad is tossed with Greek dressing. You needn’t worry about that, as the dressing is 100% vegan-friendly.
You can also choose Newk’s other vegan salad dressings: balsamic vinaigrette, sherry vinaigrette, and ginger wasabi dressing.
Soups
Soups are an essential part of any meal, and Newk’s Kettle-Batch soups operate with a unique concept. With soup selections that change daily, picking a vegan option can get tricky. So, what soups qualify as vegan options at Newk’s?
Grilled Vegetable Soup
As the name itself suggests, Newk’s Grilled Vegetarian soup is both vegetarian and vegan friendly.
When you visit Newk’s, check if the Grilled Vegetable soup is available on that day. If yes, then feel free to try it out.
Sandwiches
Like Salads, Newk’s allows you to customize your sandwich order.
Veggie Club
The Classic Veggie Club Sandwich can be made vegan to suit your needs. Request the staff to remove the goat cheese and basil pesto. After that, this is what your Veggie Club will contain:
- Portobello mushrooms
- Yellow bell peppers
- Red bell peppers
- 11-grain bread
The 11-grain bread that Newk’s uses to make its sandwiches is vegan.
If you are a vegan wanting something filling at Newk’s, trying the Veggie Club is a good idea.
Newk’s also gives you the freedom to add avocado to any sandwich you want. When you pair a Veggie Club sandwich with avocado, you get one of the outstanding vegan options at Newk’s.
Pizzas
Who doesn’t love a good pizza? If you are a pizza-loving vegan, then Newk’s has a lot to offer you. You can either choose from the existing menu of eight pizzas or create your pizza from scratch.
If you want to pick from the existing menu, the veggie pizza, after extensive customization, is a good option.
Veggie Pizza
Three ingredients are standing in the way of your vegan pizza: goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, and basil pesto. Remove them, and your veggie pizza is ready to eat with only the following:
- Yellow bell peppers
- Portobello mushrooms
- Red bell peppers
- Tomatoes
- Artichoke hearts
- Red onion
- Fresh basil garnish
What’s more, the cauliflower pizza crust is gluten and oil-free while being very vegan-friendly.
Create Your Pizza
Creating your vegan pizza is the best way to make sure that you’re consuming the right ingredients. Newk’s allows you to pick one of its sauces to create your pizza. Plus, you are allowed to load your pizza with up to three toppings.
Let’s look at what can go into your vegan pizza. Of the three sauces, the safest vegan-friendly pick would be the tomato sauce.
There are many toppings you can choose from, with the vegan-friendly ones being:
- Tomatoes
- Pepperoncini
- Yellow bell peppers
- Red bell peppers
- Artichokes
- Olives
- Red onions
- Portobello mushrooms
You already know that the cauliflower crust is 100% vegan. Tomato sauce teamed with three vegan toppings on a cauliflower crust? That’s one irresistible vegan pizza.
Side Dishes
The side dishes are a recurring feature in the vegan options at Newk’s. This section of their menu provides vegans with a lot of freedom. See for yourself.
Fruit Cups
You can opt for some fresh fruit to accompany your meal. Or, if you want something on a larger scale, you can go for the fruit bowl. There’s no going wrong with freshly sliced fruits — a great way to wrap up a meal.
Chips
Newk’s offers quite a range of chips, and most of them are vegan.
- The Newk’s Jalapeno Kettle Chips
- Baked Lay’s Chips (Original, Dill Pickle, Salt and Vinegar, Limon, Lightly Salted)
- Sunchips (only the original flavor)
- Newk’s Original Kettle Chips
These vegan-friendly chips can be paired with a sandwich or soup to form a winning vegan meal.
The Little Newk’s Section
Finding vegan options for kids is usually tricky. With Newk’s customizable menu, your task becomes less daunting.
You can customize the toasted grilled cheese sandwich, not to include the cheese. Moreover, according to the menu, the toasted sandwiches come with fruit, applesauce, or a bag of chips, all of which are vegan.
Beverages
All the beverages at Newk’s are vegan. There’s nothing like gulping a drink after a good meal. If you are a vegan at Newk’s, the entire beverage section is open to you:
- Fresh-Brewed Iced Teas (sweet, unsweetened, sweetened with Splenda)
- Coca-Cola
- Dr Pepper
Desserts
Of all the categories, this is the one with no vegan options at Newk’s. Unfortunately, there’s nothing here for the sweet-toothed vegan.
However, you can always pick an option from the side dishes section as a substitute for dessert. For all you know, you might even end up loving it.
Benefits of Being Vegan
By following or switching over to a vegan diet, you are doing your part to prevent cruelty against animals. But there’s a lot more to a vegan diet than that. According to PETA UK, veganism comes with an astonishing range of health benefits.
A vegan diet provides your body with rich nutrition and can reduce the risk of developing harmful health conditions. Further, vegan diets can assist you if you’re trying to lose weight.
Summing Up
In this article, we covered the vegan options at Newk’s Eatery. Newk’s doesn’t have any 100% vegan dishes. However, by customizing a few options, you get a broader range to choose from. The salads, sandwiches, and pizzas can be personalized to exclude non-vegan ingredients.
By being a vegan, you’re not only protecting the planet. You’re also protecting yourself.