DALLAS RESTAURANT NABS PETA AWARD FOR DISHING UP DELICIOUS VEGAN MEXICAN FOOD

El Palote Panadería Now Serves Meat- and Dairy-Free Dishes Exclusively

A Compassionate Business Award is on its way from PETA to Lily and Aurelio Arias—the husband-and-wife team behind Dallas Mexican restaurant and bakery El Palote Panadería—in honor of their new 100 percent vegan menu.

The eatery has offered vegan options since it opened last year, but it now boasts exclusively vegan twists on traditional dishes such as tacos, enchiladas, tamales, flautas, and more—including meat-free chicharrones and barbacoa that prompt impressed diners to ask, “Are you sure this is vegan?” And for dessert, there’s handmade egg- and dairy-free concha, manjar, and more.

“PETA is recognizing El Palote Panadería for demonstrating just how delicious healthy, humane vegan fare can be,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Tradition and kindness to animals go hand in hand in dishes such as meat-free menudo and dairy-free pan dulce, and hungry diners are flocking to Dallas to get a taste.”

The Ariases’ interest in vegan meals was sparked after Aurelio suffered a heart attack nine years ago. After learning that healthy vegan meals can reverse heart disease in people who already have clogged arteries, he and his family went vegan—and now, as Lily tells curious diners, “[W]e want to take care of you …. And that [nonvegan] food is not good for your health.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that going vegan reduces diners’ chances of developing heart disease by a whopping 32 percent, according to a large-scale study conducted by Oxford University. In addition, going vegan reduces one’s risk of suffering from diabetes, obesity, and cancer—and saves the lives of more than 100 animals a year.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.