I love meeting new foodies and breaking bread together. One of the funniest moments I had when meeting a new foodie friend was over pizza at Ammazza. As I stuffed a slice loaded with meatballs and sausage into my pie hole, he extolled his love of the many terrific vegetarian restaurants around Atlanta. I responded with “That’s terrific but I’m not sure why you’re telling me.” (all us Indians aren’t vegetarians). Even in the dimly lit restaurant, I could see the red on his face. I just laughed it off.

Although I don’t think I’ll ever cut out meat completely from my diet (a girls gotta have a cheeseburger every once in a while right?), I have made an effort to cut back on how much meat I consume. But that’s not to say you can’t have a vegetarian meal at a restaurant and leave feeling very satisfied even if you are a carnivore like me. Here are several dishes I’ve had that were incredible.

Vegetable platter at Aladdin’s Mediterranean– It comes with Falafel, cucumber salad, dolmas, rice, baba ghanouj and hummus. It is so filling you could even split it with another and leave full.

Kale Pakoras at Chai Pani – The kale trend has certainly peaked. Kale chips, kale smoothies, kale slaw, you name it – it’s been done to death. While these fried chunks of goodness may not be fantastic for your health, they sure do taste good!

La Tagliatella Pizza – Though the midtown location might have recently closed, they do have another location in Emory. While the spot is known for handmade pastas, my favorite is their namesake pizza, with thin sliced eggplant drizzled with honey and balsamic.