Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill

One thing I've been meaning to do with this blog, along with posting recipes, is sharing tips for avoiding meat and dairy (and eating healthier when possible) when eating out at restaurants. It is definitely more difficult to eat out than to cook at home and stick to this kind of diet, but not impossible!

I love Mexican food, partially because it's delicious, but also because it's often a very good option for those trying to avoid meat and dairy. "Fresh Mex" places in particular really cater towards those interesting in plant-based and/or lighter fare.

Tofu & Veggies Taco

I was recently pleasantly surprised to learn that Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill has ample vegetarian and dairy-free options on its menu!

The following menu items are already meat and dairy free:

Burritos (ordered with tofu)

• Sharky's
• Fajita
• Grilled Tofu & Veggies

Tacos (ordered with tofu)

• The Original
• Tofu & Veggies

Other

• Tofu Power Plate
• Kid's Tofu Power Plate

Most other menu items can easily be customized to be meat and dairy free by substituting tofu for meat, and removing any cheese or sour cream. I am not sure which of their salad dressings are dairy-free, so you may want to ask if ordering a salad. As far as I can tell, all of their salsa bar selections are dairy-free. 

Note: If ordering beans as a side (or with the combo plate), make sure you specify no cheese, as I believe they sometimes come topped with cheese. However, unlike many Mexican restaurants, their pinto beans are not cooked in lard! I normally order black anyway, but good to know for those of you who prefer pinto!

Overall I've really enjoyed my meals there. I always order the Tofu & Veggies tacos, with guacamole. Normally I'm not a fan of fajita veggies (most seem to overdo it on the bell peppers) but these are great. They even include zucchini! The portion sizes are pretty big and the tacos are filling so two tacos a la carte is plenty for me, but you can order more (or fewer) tacos, or make it a combo (adds rice and beans). They also come with a side of chips and there's a salsa bar full of a nice variety of salsas (my favorite is the Original). I also love that they have limes and an onion cilantro mix at the salsa bar which I like to add to my tacos and chips.

Sharky's is definitely an easy place to get some light, not-greasy, and deliciously flavorful Mexican food!