Philco Bar + Diner

Philco Bar and Diner is in the old Phillip's Coney Island location in the Short North. It is a playful yet upscale take on diner favorites with a couple of delicious options for vegetarians.

The restaurant, owned by the same folks who run Club 185, Little Palace, El Camino Inn and The Rossi, is stylish and modern. The bar, stocked with fun craft beer selections, pairs its metal accents with a warm essence.

The Luna Burger from Philco is a new candidate for my favorite veggie burger in Columbus. The bun has a crispy exterior and a soft interior. The patty is topped with Napa cabbage slaw, Ohio yellow cheddar and griddled onions. When paired with a basket of thick-cut fries, it's a one-plate meal.

The pickled beet carpaccio contrasts the bright, thinly sliced  sweet root vegetable with the acidity of goat cheese, the spiciness of arugula and the crunch of pecans. It is a delightful salad.

The hush puppies are a must-try side dish. They are available sweet or savory. The savory hush puppies have hints of onions throughout the crumbly cornmeal interior.

Philco is a great place to try re-imagined diner favorites to satisfy breakfast, lunch, dinner or late-night cravings. Though there are not a ton of meatless options on the menu, the offerings are strong enough to make the place worth a visit.

Peppermill Lounge

The Peppermill Lounge is an old Vegas diner full of 70s style with kitsch piled up to the rafters. It's a great place to stop if you have gambled away all your money at the casino. It is also a great spot for movie fans because cinematic favorites like Casino and The Cotton Club were filmed at the Peppermill Lounge, as was the Rotten Tomatoes bedrock Showgirls.

The menu focuses on plus-sized diner fare at reasonable prices. Food can be enjoyed in the dining room or in the Fireside Lounge, a neon-lit bar area with fireplaces.

The experience at the Peppermill Lounge would not be complete without being enjoyed without a cocktail. The Scorpion is the signature drink of Peppermill. It is a 64-ounce drink consists of cherry brandy, rum, orange juice, grenadine and vanilla ice cream blended into creamy, frothy perfection. It is meant to be shared or consumed by one thirsty individual. 

There is a limited vegetarian menu at Peppermill. There are omeletes and breakfast sweets, a Caprese sandwich, appetizers and pasta dishes. 

The nachos nachos nachos appetizer is big enough to feed two people almost by itself. A haystack of tortilla chips is piled high with melted cheddar and jack cheese, refried beans, pickled jalepeños, tomatoes, onions and black olives. It is served with a thin tomato salsa that is forgettable. The nachos, however, are a homerun for $14. It is more bang for the buck when compared to the sometimes steep casino prices, and it is steps from many resorts on the north end of the Strip.

A visit to the Peppermill Lounge is fun not matter your reason for visiting. It is open 24 hours for breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinking and gambling.

Dan's Drive In

Dan's Drive-In is the quintessential American diner. Full of kitschy knick knacks alongside a menu full of breakfast items and Greek fare, Dan's delivers exactly what one would expect when walking through the front door.

In some ways this is a good thing; and in others, it's not so much.

The decor of the restaurant is actually quite charming. The place used to be a car hop, and the parking lot reflects this. The walls are covered in pictures of Elvis and other classic depictions of wistful nostalgia.

Like most diners, the focus at Dan's is on breakfast food. Vegetarians should take note: there are tons of items on the menu that are suitable for ovo-vegetarians (omelets, skillet scrambles and breakfast sandwiches). I'm not big on eggs, so you'll have to check these items out on your own.

However, aside from the egg-tastic choices on the menu, there are other items available that are suitable for vegetarians. Choices include three different Greek-style pasta dishes, French toast, pancakes, a veggie sandwich and a hummus pita wrap. There are many vegetarian side dishes like fries, onion rings (which were tasty), poppers, hummus and tzatziki. Dan's also gets bonus points for labeling the vegetarian choices on the menu.

While the prices are low and the service is friendly, the quality of the food can be somewhat hit-or-miss.

The pasta dishes come with garlic bread and salad. Both sides were exceptionally mediocre. The salad consisted of iceberg lettuce, green peppers, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes. The dressing was overly viscous and borderline slimy. The garlic bread was essentially garlic-dusted toast.

The Greek pasta has slightly more redeeming characteristics. A decent portion of spaghetti was served in a tomato sauce with onions, green peppers, kalamata olives and a liberal dose of feta cheese. This dish is pretty much the safety net for most vegetarians in Greek restaurants nationwide. Dan's version is decent if unspectacular.

Despite my protestations, Dan's seems to do a pretty brisk business. The dining room is full of a rotating cast of South Side regulars.

While the place isn't exactly the type of establishment I could enthusiastically endorse, the menu does have a pretty wide variety of choices for vegetarians. If you're in the neighborhood, it will do in a pinch.

Dan's Drive In

Flavors Eatery

College campuses are always an obvious spot to find unhealthy eats in the form of fried, greasy food consisting of any and all kinds of fatty, carnivore-pleasing slop. Luckily for students at Capital University in Bexley, Flavors Eatery offers fresh, healthy fare that separates itself from the empty calorie pack.

Flavors is a small chain with locations in Bexley, Centerville and West Chester (between Dayton and Cincinnati). The menu has many vegetarian options, including wraps, pizza, salads and smoothies.

The decor at Flavors screams Key West, even in the winter, with surfboards and other decorations on the bright yellow walls. Service is friendly and quick. Prices are all less than $10.

I sampled the roasted veggie wrap because of the recommendation in Columbus Alive. Broccoli, squash, red peppers, carrots and onions are roasted and stuffed into a wheat wrap with brown rice, black beans, garlic sour cream, cheese and lettuce. The taste is fresh and delicious. It is served with chips and salsa. I also got a side of hummus, which was creamy and redolent of dill.

Other vegetarian options include cheese quesadillas, pizzas made with plain cheese, mixed veggies or Greek toppings, veggie sub sandwiches, Gardein veggie gyros, and fresh fruit smoothies.

Flavors has a limited selection of alcoholic beverages, including Ohio craft beer and wine. The Bexley location is closed Saturday and Sunday.

Flavors is a great option in Bexley for those who want to support a small company with a focus on healthy dining by way of local produce. Food can be enjoyed in the restaurant, at home or on the patio.

Flavors Eatery

Easy Street Cafe

Easy Street Cafe is a diner/bar located in German Village on Thurman Avenue. Easy Street prepares breakfast lunch and dinner that is rooted in American and Greek traditions.

Easy Street is decorated with standard neighborhood restaurant imagery that invokes memories of a bygone era. The crowd can go from sparse to busy depending on the hour in which you arrive.

The combination of Greek food with American diner fare is less strange than it seems at first because the pairing is rooted in American history. Many Greek immigrants achieved the American dream by working in and owning American diners, all the while maintaining the cultural practices of their Hellenic homeland. This link is evident at Easy Street.

The Greek classics like saganaki, gyros and spanakopita are available from Easy Street, as are standard diner items like omelettes, sandwiches and pizza. Pizzas are half-priced on Monday nights.

I started with the Greek quesadilla. This dish wrapped classic Greek ingredients like feta and kasseri cheese, kalamata olives, spinach, tomatoes and red onions in an equally famous Mexican package. It comes with tzatziki dip, and the flavors are savory, fresh and delicious.

My main dish was the veggie gyro. Kalamata olives, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and tzatziki sauce are stuffed into a thick, warm pita bread. It is served with a side of potato chips. I added the optional hummus filling to the sandwich for an extra dollar, and it gives the gyro a great peppery note.

Other vegetarian items on the menu include a Mediterranean pizza, grilled cheese, and a mixed Mediterranean platter.

The bar has a nice selection of beer and liquor with a limited complement of wines. I am particularly fond of the seasonal Great Lakes tap, which at this time is the beguiling Nosferatu.

Easy Street Cafe

Samantha's Sunny Corner Restaurant

Getting my attention is a fairly simple proposition. Like a bull in the ring charging for the red cape, I can easily have my attention captured by a few choice occurrences.

Explosions--check. Megan Fox--check. The word vegetarian on your restaurant sign. Boom. You had me at the word vegetarian.

Samantha's Sunny Corner Restaurant and its vegetarian sign are located in Canton. Samantha's is a diner that serves breakfast all day. They also offer a number of vegetarian options on the menu.

Prices are very reasonable. Nothing on the menu is more expensive than $12. Service is brisk and informal.

There are only a couple of vegetarian items listed on the menu. However, according to the chalk board menu inside, Samantha's will try and make anything you want if you muster up the courage to request it. I imagine an eggplant and heirloom tomato Napoleon with herbed goat cheese sauce drizzled with pesto coulis (a dish fabricated in my head) might not be an option, but the policy does indicate that Samantha's is accommodating to the vegetarian diner and their possible dietary requirements.

The veggie wrap is extremely tasty. Zucchini, squash, red peppers, onions and mushrooms are griddled with local Swiss cheese in a thick, spongy pita wrap. It is served with a house made ranch dressing and a choice of sides which include chips, fries and potato salad. The dressing makes the vegetables in the sandwich sing. For $8, it's a great lunch portion.

The closest local comparison I can make for Samantha's is to juxtapose it with Gregory's Family Restaurant. I prefer the food at Gregory's to that of Samantha's, but since Samantha's keeps slightly longer hours, maybe you could grab lunch at Gregory's and dinner at Samantha's and everybody could go home a winner.

Samantha's Sunny Corner Restaurant