HappyCow - Vegan Food Near You

Someone recommended this to me when I first went vegan a few years back. It had been less than a month and I was just starting to feel that I wouldn’t be able to do it because I missed eating out with the family. We met this guy in front of the one vegan restaurant I managed to find by just trying to Google a bunch of stuff and when I told him what I went through, he told me about the app and I have been an avid user since! I have used it to plan trips because you can save an itinerary of places you want to visit beforehand and it’s really easy to add restaurants that you may find on your own. If you use the app I encourage you to leave reviews and add restaurants because that’s how the information grows. It is definitely worth the download! *As of Aug 2018, the app has been redesigned and looks great! The ability to filter by restaurant type directly from the main page is a welcome new addition!

ask user to change the rating

In response to Happy Cow’s response: You suggest “lowering your standards” and adding establishments that only offer “a few” vegan friendly options - excuse me but I thought the purpose of this app was to guide us vegans to restaurants that have vegan friendly options, even if it’s only “a few.” Maybe I misunderstood the premise of this app? I don’t think so. And I tried adding the place we ate at in Ely, NV and the website made me feel like it wasn’t appropriate to add it so I didn’t. Stupid questions like “are you SURE they have more than a few vegan options?” No, I’m not sure but I’d still like other vegans to know they can get a pizza there if they’d like. Google can do that, too. Google all the way. (Original review:)This used to be a great and helpful app for finding vegan food nearby - when I was in Seattle. Now, not so much. A month ago I went on the road and was fully expecting this app to help guide me to vegan friendly establishments. That has not been the case. For example, I’m sitting in Ely, Nevada right now and when I search in Happy Cow one restaurant pops up and it’s closed. However, when I search in google I found a pizza joint, a Mexican restaurant and a couple other places that offer vegan friendly options. I was borderline angry when I discovered that because I paid for this stupid app. I’m on the road 100% of the time and I’d suggest just using google and not waste your money on this app.

Upon going vegan I chose not to purchase this app due to the higher than average price, but since then I have had many great meals thanks to this app which makes it well worth the cost. The app has some issues that need to be worked upon and the kind developer team has informed me that they are aware of them and are doing their best to integrate them. I recommend this app to anyone who is traveling or living in a metropolitan area where there may be vegan/vegetarian restaurants unknown to them. For those who reside in the suburbs and don’t travel I recommend you use the free website to see what types of options there are around you at one time. I wish there were vegan/veg restaurants everywhere but that is not always the case so check the website first. I hope that the happy cow community grows because for now I use happy cow to locate the restaurant but google to see the reviews and photos. If a rest isn’t on happy cow has a large number of positive reviews and photos it’s bound to be a home run of a a meal.

ask user to change the rating

I was very excited to get this app. I live in the middle of the Midwest in a college town, and didn’t know if there were any vegan options near me. Looking at the list on the app, I was pleased to see quite a few options, and I had hope. But as I started making plans with friends and them asking the age old question of “can you eat here?” I found the app almost no help. So many restaurants in my area have vegan options or are vegan friendly, but aren’t listed in the search results. I tried to add one of them, and was discouraged by how big of a pain it is to add a place. I’m all for being thorough when listing restaurants, but you have to add every single menu item that is or could be made vegan, as well as answer way too many questions about willingness to accommodate. All of this is to say that I paid for an app I don’t use because the list of vegan restaurants is outdated. Pretty disappointed.

ask user to change the rating

As a vegan I like supporting vegan products, but this app is not worth even $.99... the selection is poor and only limited to places that are 100% vegan. I want to find places I can eat and don’t want to be controlled by the developer’s filtered choices. Many restaurant in my area that are vegan friendly, but only like 7-8 within 25-30 mile radios (I live in the currently 4th largest metropolis area of US). I went to find by the map and when used the selected area, the map zoomed in (glitch) and gives me the result just for small selection. I hate the fact that I can’t get my money back!! I paid $3.99 thinking it was a good app as I usually get if I pay more than $1... can’t believe that Peta recommended this app. Do not purchase until they improve their database and bugs. I see plenty of options in TripAdvisor and Yelp in my area. This app is only worth if it is free at the moment, and even then TripAdvisor or Yelp provides more options and includes vegan friendly places. Btw - not supporting restaurants that are vegan friendly and offer 100% vegan options in their menu without having to modify the order, is not supporting restaurants management that are being open minded and value our life style. Also it makes our cause easier when you can share with non-vegans without having to inconvenience anyone. The more people order the offered options, the larger will be the vegan menu. Then, demand will grow when the options are available (more vegans).