Tupelo Honey, Arlington

I wanted to go out and celebrate with my colleagues, so I searched for a nice, business lunch appropriate restaurant in the Courthouse area of Arlington. Tupelo Honey was recommended by others at work, but I figured that a Southern restaurant wouldn't have much for me. Searches on the internet confirmed it was not very vegan friendly, but mentioned that the burger there was vegan. And, honestly, I'll try a place that has just one vegan item just to see if it is good.

So, off to Tupelo Honey we went! In my research, I discovered that this restaurant originated in Asheville, North Carolina. Tupelo Honey now has restaurants in Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Inside the atmosphere is bright and pleasant. Colorful, Southern-inspired paintings hang on the walls along with an American flag made of wooden posts. It's pretty cool.

I started with a Sparkling Blueberry Punch that was very tasty.

I inquired about the vegan options and was given a few dishes that could be modified, but not many. I'm sure the salads could be modified to be vegan, but I was in the mood for an entree. To start, I ordered the "Fried Okra with Carolina White Sauce," which when veganized was grilled okra with no sauce. I love that the chef was willing to accommodate because it turned out great! Slightly blackened and cooked perfectly, this okra was delicious.

For my entree, I ordered the Grateful Veg Burger. Honestly, I wouldn't even have believed it was vegan had I not done so much research ahead of time. In fact, they have their own cookbook and the recipe is available online. They use tofu as a binder instead of egg. When I asked about the bun, I was told it was not vegan, but there were a variety of breads that were and I chose pumpernickel instead. And without the aioli.

The housemade veggie burger was fantastic. Loaded with carrots, poblano chili, black beans, corn, bell pepper, celery, and spices, it was packed full of flavor. They put a huge slice of onion on top that was a bit overpowering and the bread was good, but probably not the best choice for this burger. Overall all though, it was great.

I chose the side salad as my side and they said they didn't have any vegan dressings so I was brought oil and vinegar. Eh, I'll take what I can get.

So, even though there's only one entree I can eat here, it was good and I'd come back again. The service was a bit slow, but the server was so nice and helpful that I really can't criticize. The prices were a bit high, but it's a nice restaurant so I expected that. Thanks for accommodating, Tupelo Honey, us vegans would love it if you'd add more vegan options too!

Tupelo Honey
1616 N. Troy Street
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 253-8140