As a vegetarian, I often feel left out when my friends and I make dinner plans. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of options from which to choose, but they’re usually of the fried potato with cheese variety or come straight from the salad bar. Imagine, then, my surprise when I discovered the Remedy Diner and its promise to “cure what ales you.”

Located in the Moore Square district of downtown Raleigh, Remedy is one of several veg etarian/vegan restaurants in the area, but there are some things that set it apart.

First, the restaurant’s drug store theme is a reminder that fresh food is a pillar of health. Several of the décor pieces fea ture an American Red Cross kind of logo. Moreover, the bar, the centerpiece of the dining room, is reminiscent of a drug store counter where, instead of prescriptions, brews from North Carolina are on draft.

Second, Remedy stands apart from other Raleigh restaurants selling products from the Triangle. It is typi cal of restaurants to pledge to buy from the community, investing in everything from Raleigh food to Raleigh bath room tiles. Though there is a rotating menu of North Caro lina brews and art by Triangle artists on the wall, Remedy doesn’t seem to have given in to the oft-invasive trend of ex treme localization. I found this a little odd for a vegetarian res taurant, but I mostly found it refreshing not to have the word “local” thrown in my face ev ery seven seconds.

Finally, Remedy’s acceptance of the non-vegetarian commu nity is a really charming touch. The entrée menu is divided into two categories — Alterna tive Therapies, which features vegan and vegetarian dishes, and Mainstream Therapies, consisting of meat-friendly fare. Want a classic club sand wich? No problem. Hot dogs? They have those too. The in clusion of omnivorous delights on an otherwise veggie menu opens the doors to a more var ied clientele.

I ordered the Tempeh Tan trum for dinner because PETA named it one of the “Top 5 Vegan Sandwiches in the USA,” and it’s what Rem edy is known for. Tempeh has a distinct earthy taste, and, because it is a whole soybean product, has a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and vi tamins than tofu. To me, tofu is a soggy, gross, processed sponge. If you’re going to go soy, go tempeh.

The Tempeh Tantrum is a slice of marinated tempeh, homemade vegan pesto mayo, vegan bacon (yes, bacon), av ocado, and lettuce on toasted sourdough. The sandwich was great, but not mind-blowing like I expected, given the re views. But it was tasty — the bread was toasted to perfection and combining avocado and tempeh is a guaranteed win.

Instead of the order of kettle chips that usually comes with the Tantrum, I opted for a side salad of basically all my favor ite vegetables; cucumbers, to matoes, red onion, green bell peppers and carrots tossed in with a bed of fresh baby spin ach. It was delicious, and while it sounds odd to have been so impressed with a salad, but that’s before you’ve never tried Remedy’s vegan lemon-tahini dressing. Tangy and light, the tahini’s smoky flavor compli mented the zesty citrus and amped up the whole salad.

My only real complaint is that the wait staff is almost purposefully inattentive at times. Yes, Remedy is a bit of a hipster joint, and is just off the art district, but that doesn’t mean the wait staff’s effort has to reflect the ironic effort they put into being hipster.

Short story long, the Remedy Diner has the food, the drinks, and the atmosphere down, and runs like a well-oiled, but environmentally friendly, machine. Do I wish there were a few more curative puns on the menu? Sure. But that is easily overlooked when you’re a vegetarian, desperate for a culinary life beyond the leaves of lettuce.