Yellow Dog Eats restaurant in New Smyrna Beach - review
Today, I met some of the ladies from a small women's business group I'm in and we decided to meet up at Yellow Dog Eats in New Smyrna Beach. The ladies there today were Maria, who does the Get Forked Friday column and Foundation 37 (among many other things), Becky, who owns Volusia Business Insurance, and Piros, who owns Marketing X-Rays.
This was my first time at Yellow Dog Eats, but ironically, someone not in that group within the last week had suggested I give it a try, because they say they are vegan friendly. The restaurant is located at 147 Canal Street in New Smyrna Beach. I like that area and always enjoy checking out the different restaurants there. This one is a small diner right on Canal that is nice, offering some booths, a couple of outdoor tables, and a bar with stools.
I ordered the Jolly Green Giant, but I had it put on mutli-grain bread, instead of it being in a wrap as it's listed on the menu. I left the cheese off and added cucumber. I also ordered an unsweet tea. The sandwich was great! I loved it. Loaded with fresh veggies, including a spring mix, avocado, onions, asparagus, and sprouts. It is served with hummus and pita chips. The other ladies all ordered various dishes (not vegan), including a wrap, sandwich, soup, and salad. They all reported to me that they thought the food was great as well. Their iced tea is fresh brewed and it was also good.
The atmosphere in Yellow Dog Eats is like a small bar style that is nice, bright with lots of nature light, and it's cheery. Overall, I liked the atmosphere, the service, and I thought the food was really good.
The one thing I didn't like about the restaurant is all the single use plastics/disposables they are using. While that's more understanding when someone is getting food to go, I don't think it's a great idea when you are dining in, as we were. The soup was in a styrofoam bowl, the drinks were served in plastic cups, and the hummus was also in a little plastic cup. Every dish was also served up with plastic cutlery (including my sandwich, which doesn't need any cutlery at all). All these plastics are harmful to the environment, so it would be great if they made a switch to re-usable bowls, cutlery, glasses, etc. While I brought my plastic home to recycle what can be recycled (plastic cutlery is not recyclable and stays in the environment forever), I'm sure that 99% of diners going there probably don't do that.
The disposable issue aside (which is something they could easily remedy), I liked this little diner. My bill was just over $12 before tip. I appreciate that they have food for both vegetarians/vegans and those who eat meat. I give everything but the over-use of disposables two thumbs up! If you are looking for a new place to try out, give Yellow Dog Eats a try!
- Jacqueline
Update: After posting this, an employee there informed me that they are recycling the plastics in the kitchen (she said they use the disposables because the kitchen is so small). I'm very glad to hear that! I'd still much rather they didn't use them all to begin with, but that helps a lot. However, plastic utensils and styrofoam are not recyclable in this area, so those are all still landfill-bound. However, I am happy they are making a recycling effort there with the plastics that can be recycled!
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