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I often need to search for a place to eat out, and I find Google and other search engines less than ideal for this task, especially since advertising plays such a big role in which results come out on top.

I'm looking for a site (or app) I can use to search for vegan restaurants and shops around any location that gives (as far as possible) independent results. Ideally I want a social-media type site, where fellow veg*ns and veg food lovers can submit information, ratings and reviews to help me find places approved by the community.

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    Google marks advertisements separately, and they don't affect search results after that.
    – djechlin
    Commented Feb 5, 2017 at 16:41

4 Answers 4

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You might like Happy Cow which is a social media site to help folks find vegan, vegetarian, and veg-friendly restaurants, shops and services.

The website allows you to search an area with various options, and you can create an account so that you can add venues, ratings and reviews, upload photos and get points for your contributions (we like those, right? ;) )

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There's also a mobile app with the same functionality. I find it very useful!

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  • I've just noticed that the app isn't free. Not a big amount though, 3.99 $/€.
    – Niitaku
    Commented Feb 5, 2017 at 15:46
  • oh hmmmm @Niitaku thanks for pointing that out. I actually use Fairphone Open Source OS and no Google Play, so I can't get the app as it's not free as in libre/open source either :( I don't remember paying for it on my old phone, but I guess I must have done. It is a good app though
    – Zanna ♦
    Commented Feb 5, 2017 at 16:16
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    @Niitaku there is a free version with ads and some missing features.
    – GabrielF
    Commented Feb 6, 2017 at 19:55
  • @GabrielF Good news for Android users. :) But this version doesn't exist on iOS. :|
    – Niitaku
    Commented Feb 6, 2017 at 20:08
  • Be aware that Happy Cow tends not to list non-vegan restaurants with vegan options unless there are no completely vegan restaurants in the area. Additionally, it completely disallows listing of restaurants that serve specific dishes (such as lamb) which are deemed to require more cruelty than typical meat dishes. Personal Opinion Alert! I think these actions are user hostile, and ultimately this information hiding from users raises the barrier of entry to being vegan or vegetarian, which has the opposite effect as intended.
    – Vaelus
    Commented Jan 10, 2018 at 5:20
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There is another website with similar functionality to Happy Cow, which is called Vanilla Bean. It focuses on (not necessarily vegan) restaurants with vegan options.

They also have an app, which works quite well.

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Even if the site is not specialized for veg*n places, Foursquare could suit your needs. Another drawback is that it doesn't seems to have a more precise filter than "Vegetarian/Vegan".

But it does have social functionalities and allow you to follow people or (vegan?) lists among posting photos and reviews of places.
An advantage is that they provide a free mobile app.

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The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) maintains a directory of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the U.S. and Canada.

https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/

It's not a social media website, but I still found it to be surprisingly up-to-date for restaurants where I live. Information for restaurants in Canada was updated as recently as May 2018. All information for a state or province is presented on a single page so you can use your browser's search function. There is no functionality for reviews or rankings.

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