Beer-happy vegetarian chefs put sudsy spins on meatless cuisine.

Ashamedly, we tend to think of vegetarian restaurants in terms of what they don’t have (meat) as opposed to what they do (delicious food, minus the gristle). But beer lovers may be surprised to find that herbivore eateries are stocking their shelves with some of the best artisan brew selections in the country, imbuing their bars with the same locavore ethos as their kitchens. Case in point: Denver’s new City O’ City eatery pours a slew of craft options from Colorado breweries like Upslope and Wynkoop to wash down its vegan pastries, empanadas and frites; in Seattle, Naked City Brewery serves an almost exclusively vegetarian menu alongside its rotating house beers and guest taps.

“Beer is so trendy right now, and Philadelphia is leading the way as one of the most beer-savvy cities in the country; as a vegan restaurant, it’s so important to embrace the current trends and to even take it to the next level,” says Rich Landau, who owns and chefs at the beer-heavy, vegan Horizons in Philadelphia. “It’s our way of saying that vegan food is embracing everything that is important in the culinary scene; that just because we don’t serve meat doesn’t mean our customers are missing anything in the dining experience.”

Three chefs developed these beer-laden vegetarian dishes exclusively for DRAFT; click the recipe name for the full recipe.

Pretzel-Crusted Tofu with Blood Orange and Golden Ale Bontemps

by chef Brendon Doyle of Denver’s City O’City

Summer Corn, Barley and Ale Soup

by chef Rich Landau of Philadelphia’s Horizons

Linguine and Shiitake Mushrooms with Cream Stout Sauce

by chefs David Burt and Katy Coonfield of Iowa City’s The Red Avocado