Being a vegetarian or vegan, you understand the difficulties of eating out. Almost all fast food restaurants serve meat based items or food cooked with animal by-products. While at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago,  I stumbled upon the food court, expecting to be eating another boring salad, or even worse, having no option at all. It was then when Maoz Vegetarian appeared like a beacon of light. Finally, a fast food chain that seemed to cover all my bases.

Originally, Maoz Vegetarian opened on the streets of the Netherlands in the late ’90s. They then became a more European based restaurant, appearing in France, Germany, and Spain, and continued to reach the points of Brazil and the United States in later years. Maoz Vegetarian is fairly new to the U.S., staying open and keeping business in thriving cities, such as New York City and Philadelphia. The vegetarian lifestyle is not as common in rural America, resulting in most locations on the East coast and in busy cities. As I had never ate at Maoz Vegetarian before, it was shocking to find such a prominent vegan/vegetarian restaurant available to the public in the city of Chicago.

To describe the food in one word, I would say ‘fresh.’ All ingredients were visible, buffet style, to the purchasers eye, making it appealing to even non-vegetarians who were to walk by the restaurant. Maoz Vegetarian takes pride in their falafel, a mix of chick peas, seasoning, and vegetables, that is then fried in vegetable oil. I ate a “Salad Box” that contained lettuce with falafel and a variety of vegetables on top. The major negative abut Maoz Vegetarian, and the probable reason for it’s multiple closings, is the price. I ended up paying around $10 for my meal, not including a drink or side of any type. In the end, I really did not regret any of it, merely because it was a large serving and fresh, not processed. Overall, it was refreshing to be able to eat out and to have a new choice as a vegetarian. Even today, where people have different dietary restrictions and lifestyles, there are not as many restaurants that can cater the needs of everyone.