Italian Restaurants that don't serve veal

Question

I really enjoy pasta. It's my favorite food and I love some good veggie pasta and wine and a great Italian restaurant. However, I recently made the decision I don't want to eat at restaurants that serve veal, and unfortunately so many Italian restaurants do. So I thought I'd see if I could ask the all-knowing crowd about Italian restaurants that do not have veal on the menu? I'm in the Bay Area but I'm sort of interested in generating of list of veal-free Italian restaurants all over the USA, if not the world. Thanks!

StephenS · Answer

I'm more interested in Italian restaurants that don't serve meat. Stick with them and you're really supporting the cows :)

DC1346 · Answer

I agree with Stephen S. 

What is the point of avoiding restaurants that serve veal if these same restaurants serve beef, chicken, pork, and seafood? 

Are the lives of these other creatures any less precious than that of a baby cow? 

It's just a thought.

David

Sarah Kishler · Answer

Well, if you know of Italian restaurants that don't serve meat at all, that counts as an answer to my question. I'm certainly interested in knowing about them, and would love to support them!

And no, it's not about baby cows' lives being more precious than any others. Happy Cow's listings include "vegetarian friendly" restaurants but their criteria for that bars restaurants that serve such extreme cruelty foods as foie gras, veal, etc. That's why I thought it would be a good question to ask here.

DC1346 · Answer

Sarah - I agree about foie gras since the goose liver for these animals is significantly enlarged via forced feeding with funnels literally being shoved down the bird's throat. 

I don't see the point about veal unless you're making a point about their age. Depending upon the type of veal being processed, a slaughterhouse will kill them when they're as young as 1 month or as old as 1 year. 

Not to be callous (and keep in mind that I am vegan), meat animals are raised to be slaughtered and with this being said, I'm not sure why age should be a factor. If age isn't a factor, I'd appreciate learning why eating veal is more horrific than eating any other type of meat. 

Since vegans are a distinct minority, I regret that persons of conscience who abstain from going to restaurants that serve veal are unlikely to affect that restaurant's business. There simply aren't enough vegans for us to have any economic impact. 

I am hopeful that one day this will change. When I was a child, people could smoke anywhere they wanted. Magazines and television ran ads about smoking. There was no such thing as a non-smoking section of a restaurant. 

How times have changed.

Within my lifetime, smoking has been largely banned in public areas and on board any U.S. domestic flights. 

The anti-smoking lobby won through education and through clearly demonstrated medical research that clearly showed the danger of smoking. 

Perhaps one day public attitudes towards the consumption of meat will also change as research like the China Study demonstrates the potential long term health consequences of a non-vegan diet.

Veganwithavengance · Answer

It is an odd thing to avoid a restaurant for that reason. If they serve milk, they might as well be serving veal. If they are serving dead cows or chickens or pigs or fish or anyone else and their secretions then what exactly are you saying. I am not saying never eat at a non-vegetarian restaurant (I define vegetarian here as eating no animal products or by-products whatsoever) but don't make decisions based on one animal because it sends an unclear message. 

I had the same problem with people who boycotted BP after their destruction of the Gulf coast. They weren't boycotting driving or at least the major gas companies who all have drilled and spilled and caused major destruction they were picking and choosing and not sending a clear message. 

We should work with restaurants to get more vegetarian options (again no animal products or by-products what some people incorrectly define as veganism) and show them that vegetarianism is more profitable for them and better for the animals but do it a a reasoned pace. Don't go to fast to quickly or they will go backwards.

I get the concept but I think a better idea would be to find vegetarian specific Italian restaurants or I guess at the very least meat-free ones.

DarkVegetable · Answer

What disappointing responses. No one answered her f*%king question. She wanted to know if anyone knows of veal-free places and get a list going, not if anyone wants to engage in smug vegan discussions. PICK YOUR BATTLES people--or don't respond. Let me rephrase that another way--don't pick your battles with other vegans. Waste of time. And boycotting veal places is a statement, a conversation starter, and a port of entry for those unaware of what exactly veal is and how the babies are treated. I have always boycotted veal places. This has led to many opportunities to gently educate others.

HFA mentioned that this was their most successful campaign ever and hit the veal industry hard:
www.hfa.org/vealBoycott.html
And I once read about these little triangular placards that you can put on your table saying something like "The food and service here was excellent. However, until you remove veal from your menu, I cannot patronize your restaurant and must discourage others from doing so as well." 

I noticed from a quick google search that people have asked "What are good veal Italian places in Chicago?"
Well, isn't Sarah by the same rights allowed to ask "What are some no-veal Italian restaurants in the US?" Without getting criticized and having her question not answered?

And so Sarah, 4 years after your post, I'll give you an answer. There aren't many that I know of:

I'm in the Chicago region.

Traverso's Italian Restaurant in Naperville, IL serves no veal.

Fiamme in Naperville, no veal.

Balena in Chicago, no veal.

Noodles and Co. is a good one to know about because they're a chain with all sorts of world noodle-based cuisines and they have many veggie options including seasoned tofu. Italian, Thai, Japanese, Americana...it ain't fine dining but it's a great veg option to know about; decent GF options as well. 

The better option may be pizzerias that feature Italian dishes, instead of the fine-dining places:

Lou Malnati's is all over Chicagoland, no veal.

*Gino's East in Chicagoland no veal but *warning!! Their pizza sauce has cheese. Marinara sauce for pasta does not.

That's all I've got for now. Hope future posters can stick to answering questions instead of trying to make people who don't eat meat feel bad about themselves for not living like a Holy Yogi (many of whom, incidentally, consume dairy and meat).

Veg4Life75 · Answer

I don't know of any italian restaurants that don't serve veal, every place I've been unfortunately has it and I feel the same way. In a perfect world we'd have all vegan restaurants. There are many restaurants who are trying to do better and take our concerns into consideration - think of how many restaurants have added a veggie burger? You can find them all over now. People need to eat and are going to eat. Many people like to eat out. If you have a vegan restaurant near by, lucky you!! The nearest to me is an hour and we do travel quite often to enjoy some awesome vegan food --- I only wish it could be all of the time. 

Check out my info boards-

Dining Out with Plant-Based Options sac875.dropmark.com/424368

Veg Guides sac875.dropmark.com/424369

OrganicTampons · Answer

Sarah, you can try out Tony’s in Mk and Mama Melrose's in DHS, but the food there will not settle your taste buds. I truly agree with Veg4Life75 of any Italian restaurant not serving veal. Almost all the restaurants i have visited is non vegetarian. It would be great if there are all veg restaurant in and around.

betterMonica · Answer

Now a lot of vegetarian restaurants are open. But I do not recommend drinking wine.

herwin · Answer

i really dont care. i eat in any italian restaurant, i just order a vegan pizza and when they make a misstake i just explode and send it back. dont be so picky. so veal makes you upset but when they serve lamb its okay?

amitkrsocial · Answer

I wanted to express a gentle suggestion regarding the inclusion of veal on your menu. Many of your patrons, including myself, are increasingly conscious about the ethical implications of our food choices. The production of veal often raises concerns about animal welfare and environmental sustainability, and as such, some diners might prefer to see alternative, more ethically-sourced options. Learn more about the ethical implications of veal (https://buddymantra.com/what-is-veal-and-why-is-it-unethical-to-use-it/)

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