Enjoying vegan food in a barbecue restaurant may seem to be impossible at first glance. However, there are few BBQ restaurants that make it easy for vegan folks to order something that would satisfy their diet.
Smokey Bones is a popular restaurant known for its mouth-watering and savory meals, like cheesy burgers, BBQ platters, fire-grilled favorites, chicken and seafood, and pasta. Now, of course, these are all off-limits to your vegan appetite.
But don’t worry because there are actual vegan meals that you can order at Smokey Bones. You can try their Green Salad without the croutons, and their side dishes such as Baked Potato, Cinnamon Apples, Fresh Steamed Broccoli without the milk, Natural Cut Fries, and Sweet Potato Fries. So, Smokey Bones might still be a good place for a snack every once in a while.
Read on to learn more about what to order at Smokey Bones and some alternative barbecue restaurants that you can visit. Plus, we will also discuss popular vegan meat brands, and if Smokey Bones is using one.
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About Smokey Bones
Smokey Bones lives up to their motto: good food, good drinks, good times. The restaurant mostly offers grilled food as its specialty. They are also very meticulous about preparing their food as some take a total of 11 hours of prep time to be perfect. Unfortunately, all Smokey Bones grilled meals are off-limits for vegan folks, as they include animal meat.
But you can definitely enjoy your stay at Smokey Bones with some of their side dishes. Plus, the restaurant offers a sporty, loud bar with ice-cold drinks. Their customer service is unmatched since they would always exert efforts to make them laugh, even at themselves.
Salad at Smokey Bones
The biggest vegan plate you can order in Smokey Bones is their Garden Greens Side Salad. The salad includes mixed greens, cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, cornbread croutons, and a dressing. However, there are a few things that you need to take note of.
You should ask for the removal of the cornbread croutons as it includes milk in their preparation. Milk, of course, is a product that comes from animals such as cows, goats, cattle, and sheep. Another area of concern is their salad dressing. Unfortunately, upon checking their allergen table, all of their salad dressings contain non-vegan ingredients. So it would be practical if you bring your own vegan salad dressing, or enjoy the salad without some.
Garden Greens Side Salad Allergen Contents
We made you a chart of the allergen contents of the Garden Greens Side Salad to guide you in knowing important ingredients that may be not suitable for you. Take note, however, that servings from store to store differ, so it’s still best to ask their staff for further guidance.
| Salad | Egg | Fish | Milk | MSG | Peanuts | Shellfish | Soy | Sulfites | Tree Nuts | Wheat | Gluten |
| Garden Greens Side Salad | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Salad Dressings
Unfortunately, all Smokey Bones salad dressings contain non-vegan ingredients such as egg and milk. Obviously, they are animal products. We present you with a chart containing the allergen contents of all the salad dressings they offer. Again, it’s still the best option to ask for guidance from their actual staff when you visit the restaurant.
Salad Dressings | Egg | Fish | Milk | MSG | Peanuts | Shellfish | Soy | Sulfites | Tree Nuts | Wheat | Gluten |
| Honey Mustard | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Buttermilk Ranch | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Balsamic Vinaigrette | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bacon Vinaigrette | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Caesar | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bleu Cheese | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bacon Ranch | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Vegan Side Dishes at Smokey Bones
Smokey Bones will not disappoint you when it comes to their side dishes. They can offer vegan folks a wide menu selection for their plates. This includes Baked Potato, Cinnamon Apples, Fresh Steamed Broccoli, Natural Cut Fries, and Sweet Potato Fries. For the Fresh Steamed Broccoli, ask the staff the removal of its milk content so it is 100% vegan.
We made a chart to guide you more about the mentioned meals’ allergen contents. Ultimately, ask for guidance from their staff since it may differ from store to store.
| Side Dishes | Egg | Fish | Milk | MSG | Peanuts | Shellfish | Soy | Sulfites | Tree Nuts | Wheat | Gluten |
| Baked Potato | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Cinnamon Apples | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Fresh Steamed Broccoli | No | No | Yes* | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Natural Cut Fries | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Sweet Potato Fries | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Does Smokey Bones Use Vegan Protein?
Vegan salads and side dishes are pretty normal to be served in a BBQ restaurant. But how about the protein? Of course, a lot of vegan folks also want to fill their tummy with vegan BBQ.
Unfortunately, Smokey Bones doesn’t use vegan meat or protein. For now, all we can do is hope that they will soon open their menu to more vegan-friendly meals.
If you’re curious about vegan meat brands, here is a list of the vegan meat brands approved by the People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals, more commonly known as PETA, as meat replacements:
- Before the Butcher
- Beyond Meat
- MorningStar Farms
- Gardein
- Tofurky
- Field Roast
- Yves Veggie Cuisine
- Trader Joe’s
- Lightlife
- Boca Burger
So, the next time you feel like having a BBQ party for your vegan friends, you can check out these amazing vegan-friendly proteins.
What Are Smokey Bones Alternatives?
But if you really want to venture into Vegan BBQs, we got a list of good restaurants that offer vegan folks a chance to explore options aside from charred veggies. These restaurants use plant-based ingredients and vegan sauces, so adding them to your go-to list would definitely be a good choice.
Monks Meat
Monks Meat specialty is their Kansas City-style grilled seitan BBQ. They wanted to shift people’s opinions about how far vegan food can be served. You can enjoy the following vegan meals at Monks Meat:
Sandwiches/Salad:
- BBQ Seitan Sandwich
- Pulled Mushroom Sandwich
- Jerk Seitan Sandwich
- Fried Chickwheat Sandwich
- Smokehouse Salad
Loaded Fries:
- Alamo Fries
- Rodeo Fries
- Disco Fries
- Plain Fries
Sides:
- Hawaiian Mac Salad
- Garlicky Greens
- Cauliflower Gratin
- Smoked Brussel Sprouts
- Three Bean and Seitan Chili
Imagine Vegan Cafe
People often find the vegan lifestyle to be expensive and unattainable. And that’s what Imagine Vegan Cafe wants to bend a little. They want to meet their customers in the middle by ensuring that what they provide is a mix of food and comfort.
Just a reminder that their menu might have included the words cheese, milk, pepperoni, sausage, steak, or chicken, but their food actually does not. They use vegan substitutes for these animal products, so there’s no need to freak out instantly when you see them.
Appetizers:
- Potato Skins
- Dogs N’ Blankets
- Buffalo Wings
- Chicken Nuggets
- Spinach Dip
- Tony’s BBQ Nachos
- Chili Cheese Fries
- Cheese Sticks
- Appetizer Sampler
BBQ Hotdogs:
- The Vegan Memphis Sandwich Platter
- Large Platter
- Hot Dog Plain
- The Messy Dog
- The Shelta Dog
Soups and Salads:
- Gumbo
- Chili
- Chicken Salad
- Dressings
Sandwiches:
- Beyond Burger
- Gardein Burger
- Double Bacon Cheddar Burger
- The Big Smack
- Reuben
- Chicken Philly
- BLT and Avocado
- Jerk Chicken Sandwich
- Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
- Shrimp Po-Boy
- Chicken Bacon Melt
Grass VBQ Joint
You would definitely want to top your vegan barbeque experience with Grass VBQ Joint, whose main chef has been awarded Southern Living’s Chef of The Year 2021. Their signature Veef Brisket Sandwich is guaranteed to be an extreme and adventurous experience that even carnivores would have come back for.
You can enjoy the following food items at Grass VBQ Joint:
- New Year’s Eve Supper Club Series
- Christmas Eve Supper Club Series
- Titustown
- Groveway
- Da Clucker
- Oyster Mushroom Po’Boy
- Smoked Hot Link Sandwich
- Smoked Wiingz
- Brunswick Stewie
- Coconut Curried Greens
- Yukon Gold Potato Salad
- Corn Hash
- Buorbon Baked Beans
- Celery Slaw
Is Smokey Bones Worth Your Visit?
If you’re dying for grilled vegan savory dishes, Smokey Bones might be a little disappointing for you. They can only offer green salad and some dishes for your vegan dining experience. The restaurant currently doesn’t use vegan protein in its grilled sandwiches and plates. So, unless you’re up for salads and side dishes, Smokey Bones is a little unfriendly to vegan folks.
But what’s good about the restaurant industry right now is that they are becoming more open to the vegan lifestyle. Restaurants all around the country have been investing in vegan ingredients to give customers equal access to their comfort foods. With this, we can only wish that Smokey Bones will open their doors to vegan barbeque meals.