Seasons 52: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Seasons 52 is a strong pick if you don’t eat meat. This Darden-owned wine bar and grill builds its menu around fresh, seasonal produce, skips the deep fryer entirely, and prints a dedicated vegetarian menu and a separate vegan menu every day. It’s owned by the same company behind Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, but it runs upscale with a wine list to match, so expect prices above a typical casual chain.

What to order at Seasons 52

Start with the Roasted Tomato Flatbread, made with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil, or the Grilled Artichokes with Preserved Lemon Hummus, which is vegan as served. The Avocado Toast on sourdough with toybox tomatoes is another vegan option. For something heartier, try the Seasonal Brick-Oven Gnocchi or the Black Lentil Bolognese pasta, and finish with the Oatmeal Cookie Cream Pie, which is vegan. The dessert case backs it up too, with the Key Lime Pie and Turtle Cheesecake covering vegetarians, even though both contain dairy and eggs.

What to watch out for

The menu turns over four times a year to match the season, so exact dishes shift and you should check the printed vegetarian menu at your table rather than this guide alone. Several dishes need a small modification to go from vegetarian to vegan: the Garden Tomato Soup needs its Parmesan croutons left off, the gnocchi needs the mozzarella and pesto held, and the Watermelon and Tomato Salad needs the feta removed. The Caramelized Brussels Sprouts come cooked with bacon by default, so ask for them without it or skip them.