Eating out as a vegetarian can be challenging at times. Even if you manage to find a single vegetarian dish, they’re often bland and boring.
But at Zaitoune, we’ve got you covered. From flavour-packed mains and salads to sides and dips, there’s something that everyone can enjoy. Today, we share our favourite vegetarian dishes for every occasion and appetite. All our vegetables are sourced locally, and everything is made in house. The vine leaves are wrapped by our mum from fresh leaves, that are sourced from her own and relatives grape vine’s cooked in fresh Tomato water and lemon juice. Our delicious meals are an experience not to forget.
Top Picks: Mains
Vegetarian Mixed Plate
A mixed plate designed for you, what more could you ask for? This plate incorporates all of our best options for a vegetarian meal.
You’ll love the dip options – both creamy hummus and baba ghanoush, plus a spicy muhammara to fire up your taste buds.
The warm spicy falafel and tangy vine leaves will fill you up, while still being light. Add some lightly fried cauliflower and eggplant, and you’ve got the perfect mix of vegetarian options.
Vegetarian Half-Metre Mezza Boards
The ultimate in vegetarian dining – a half-metre mezza board of deliciousness! If you can’t pick which dish to try, this is the choice for you. It’s got plenty of dips, sides and salad options for you to enjoy. Every single one is packed full of flavour, so you can’t go wrong.
With Every Mezza Board, You Get To Enjoy:
Creamy hummus
Smoky baba ghanoush
Spicy muhammara
Tangy tzatziki
Luscious labne
Fresh tabouli
Tasty potatoes with coriander and garlic
Warm falafels
Packed vine leaves
Perfectly cooked arnabeet (cauliflower salad)
Mouth-watering fatoush (bread and greens salad)
Crunchy pickles
Remember, you need at least 2 people for a mezza board – you can’t keep all of that goodness to yourself! So bring along a veggie-loving friend to share with.
Top Picks: Sides
Batinjan
When it comes to crafting the perfect eggplant dish, it’s all about the preparation. We lightly fry ours, so that it’s never soggy. Then we serve it with a light and creamy yoghurt, cucumber and mint sauce that gives a fresh taste.
The end result is our delicious batinjan. Pair it with your favourite salad, or enjoy it solo – the choice is yours.
Vine Leaves
You don’t get more traditional than stuffed vine leaves. We pack ours full of rice, tomato, onion, parsley and a blend of spices that will have your mouth watering.
They are then gently cooked in an olive oil and lemon sauce to bring out the flavour. Perfect for when you want a light meal, or paired with some of our salads and dips.
Potatoes And Coriander
Everyone loves potatoes, but we think you’ll love ours even more. We hand cut our potatoes, and then cook them to perfection.
Mixed with garlic and coriander, they are far more flavoursome and delicious than your average potato dish. Even the most dedicated carnivores will be asking for more!
Top Picks: Salads
Halloumi Salad
No one likes a boring salad. That’s why we’ve created a combination of tasty ingredients that your taste-buds will love.
First we grill halloumi to perfection, so that it’s crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. Then we place it on top of a bed of rocket, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onion. We finish it off by drizzling it with a sweet pomegranate molasses and olive oil dressing.
This salad is a must-try for every cheese fan out there – the ideal mix of salty, fresh and sweet in every mouthful.
Fatoush
For a traditional Middle-Eastern salad, you have to pick our fabulous fatoush. This bread salad is a must-try for anyone who wants a tasty cultural experience.
We make this salad with a traditional Levantine pita bread. We toss crunchy pieces of pita with tomato, cucumber, radish, onion, cabbage and parsley. Then we dress it with garlic, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and olive oil.
This creates a delicious mix of fresh flavours and textures that will keep your tastebuds tingling.
At your request, we can make this salad gluten-free, so don’t feel like you have to miss out if you can’t have gluten!
Top Picks: Dips
Hummus With Roasted Pine Nuts
If you haven’t had hummus before – it’s time to change that. This classic chickpea-based dip is everyone’s favourite!
We make our traditional-style chickpea dip with tahini, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Then for a crunchy finish, we top it with roasted pine nuts.
Whether you enjoy it with crispy pita bread, scooped over a salad or spread over eggplant slices, it’s fresh and delicious. In fact, it’s so good, you might even just eat it with a spoon – don’t worry, we won’t judge you.
Muhammara
If you like to live on the spicier side of life, muhammara is the dip for you. We’ve perfected this Aleppo pepper based dip – you won’t find better.
With ground walnuts, breadcrumbs, pomegranate molasses, herbs and spices mixed together with the spicy peppers, it makes a rich, flavour-packed dip. We drizzle it with olive oil right before serving.
If you’re not a fan of hot spices, don’t be shy – this pepper only has a moderate heat that builds gradually, so you get that warm glow after every taste.
Which dish do you love the sound of most? Share with us below.
Can’t wait to get your hands on delicious vegetarian food? Book a table today!
