Vegetarian restaurants: USA

While certainly not a world capital of vegetarian restaurants, USA can usually provide quite wide choice of restaurants offering vegetarian meals (at least two-three in every bigger city). However, oftentimes you may be seriously disappointed with US vegetarian restaurants. USA isn't the country where the nuances of vegetarian diets are widely known (even though 2.8 per cent of Americans are vegetarians).

The problem is that most of the times the chefs in American vegetarian restaurants' (USA and Canada) tend to think that all vegetarians are LOVs. If you're a strict vegan you might find eating out much more problematic than you think. What's worse, in some places it is still thought that most vegetarians follow semi- or pesco-vegetarianism and they can accept some kinds of meat.

Finding a restaurant

Most of the times there is no problem in finding vegetarian restaurants. USA is the country of the Internet and there is hardly any bar without its website or at least an ad in the local city or IVO website. If only there is such restaurant in the town, you can probably find it. Of course determining the class of the served food is another matter entirely.

How to know if the restaurant is really vegetarian

As it was said, it is hard to know if you're really in one of vegetarian restaurants. USA waiters aren't the best educated in the vegetarian matters, so simply asking won't solve anything. Usually the best idea is to talk with the chef. Just remember that it is not that they try to poison you by adding fish to “vegetarian” meals, it's just a matter of misunderstanding.

My favorite way to find little known and great tasting vegetarian restaurants

This is simple.  Ask the locals!  If you're in a new city, stop people on the street and just ask if they know of any vegetarian or vegan eateries.  You're bound to find one really quick...