Mashita Noodle Bowl

Mashita Noodle Bowl is a food cart that serves ramen and other Japanese noodle dishes. While the traditional broth is prepared with pork, there are vegetarian sauces on the menu, and they capably prepare vegetarian and vegan dishes to order.

The choice of noodles was traditional and spicy ramen, as well as Korean sweet potato noodles traditionally called japchae. There is a limited selection of seasonal veggie toppings which included squash, zucchini and mushrooms.

The vegetarian preparations are cold. There are enough options and sides to create customized orders. There is also soy sauce and Sriracha to tinker with the taste profile of the dish.

Mashita can be located with Twitter and Facebook.

Houlihan's

Houlihan's in Upper Arlington is a relaunched version of the old TGI Friday's-esque chain. They replaced the old menu's cookie-cutter Americana with fresh food that more than makes the grade for the gourmet set.

The menu offers a fair amount of choices for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diners. The menu has symbols that represent vegetarian and gluten-free items, while many items can be prepared vegan upon request.

There are a few vegetarian apps, salads, soup, veggie sliders, flatbreads and sandwiches. All of the side dishes are vegetarian but the baked potato.

Veggie sliders can be ordered individually or in a three pack. It is a soft black bean and chickpea patty topped with aged cheddar and ranch-dressed greens. It's a great happy hour snack.

The bar offers an array of flights from craft beer to wines and even sugary martinis. The decor is cool, and the restaurant is kid-friendly.