A vegetarian from NYC picks his favorite spots for dining on the Mississippi Coast

The biggest source of trepidation I felt before moving to Mississippi from New York City to write for the Sun Herald didn’t concern hurricanes or the heat.

What had me worried was the likelihood that, as a lifelong vegetarian transplanted to the land of gator bites and all-you-can-eat crawfish, I’d starve.

But two months in, I’m alive and well. While I haven’t been able to try the Gulf’s reputedly delicious meat and seafood staples, I’ve found a number of restaurants serving tasty vegetarian fare — and I’m still on the hunt for more.

As a service to my herbivore brethren, here are a few of the Coast eateries I’ve found myself going back to, and my usual orders.

Pupuseria Doña Blanca

Off Highway 49 in Gulfport, this inexpensive Honduran restaurant serves a variety of pupusas—a stuffed Central American cornmeal flatbread. My go-to pupusa order is loroco y queso, filled with cheese and a flowering vine I tasted here for the first time.

This spot is also recommended for the spicy salsas and friendly waitstaff willing to humor my efforts at practicing half-remembered high school Spanish.

Petra Cafe

This spot on Pass Road in Biloxi offers the usual Middle Eastern vegetarian options (falafel and meze starters) decently prepared, as well as a “Vegetarian Delight” vegetable stir-fry. Also apparently for sale: a number of hookahs displayed along the wall (not to my knowledge for consumption on the premises).

Vung Tau

A big part of the Coast’s culinary draw is surely the sizable Vietnamese presence — but due to the heavy reliance on fish sauce in Southeast Asian cuisine, it can be difficult to find anything for a vegetarian besides the odd tofu banh mi or a pho cooked in an (often tasteless) veggie broth.

But that’s not the case at Vung Tau in East Biloxi, which boasts a whole vegetarian section on its menu. I like the mi xao cay, a flavorful egg noodle dish with vegetables.

Mockingbird Café

The delicious housemade black bean burger is one of a number of vegetarian options (the others are more breakfast-oriented) at this charming Old Town Bay St. Louis hangout. The cafe closes at 2 p.m., so go for a weekend brunch or brighten up your weekday by working remotely there.

Where should I go next?

I’m new here and this list is nowhere near comprehensive. Send me your vegetarian-friendly restaurant recommendations at gmehta@sunherald.com and I’ll report back to readers on my further adventures in meatless Mississippi!