Looking for your new favorite dining location? Or perhaps a quiet study spot where you can also enjoy a great meal? Well, look no further than Grins Vegetarian Cafe.
Grins Cafe, which is pronounced greens and is Yiddish for “vegetable,” offers an entirely vegetarian dining menu and can be found on campus right inside the Vanderbilt Hillel Center. Open to Vanderbilt students and the general public, they accept the meal plan, meal money and credit cards. Serving all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as fun drinks like smoothies and cold brew, Grins has options for all of your cravings. Chef and general manager, Shayne Keith, spoke with The Hustler regarding what he hopes students take away from their experience at Grins Cafe.
“We really want to be an oasis for people with dietary restrictions,” Keith said. “We’re a completely nut-free kitchen, we’re kosher, we’re vegetarian…and then we take it even further by cooking all of our food to order.”
Keith emphasized that the vast majority of the menu is made in-house, entirely from scratch. The food is prepared by a chef specifically for each order, allowing customers to customize their meals and easily accommodate any dietary restrictions. Speaking about recent changes to the menu, Keith explained the desire to appeal to a wide variety of customers.
“We try to go for really approachable and craveable food,” Keith said. “We have a grilled cheese and tomato soup for the pickier eaters, and then we’ve got [some] more adventurous options, like the rice bowl, for people who want different sauces and different things like that.”
If you’re looking for something a little sweeter, Grins Cafe also houses Coyote Kitchen –– a bakery owned by Keith that offers pastries such as orejas and apple turnovers. Their sweets are also available on the meal plan. Continuing the goal of inclusive dining, all of their recipes are free from the top nine allergens, making it another great option for accommodating dietary restrictions.
“Coyote Kitchen is actually a business that I started… I brought that into Grins in order to provide students with the vegan and gluten-free pastries that we do,” Keith said.
Whether you’re just stopping by in the morning for a breakfast burrito or sitting down for a great meal with some friends, Grins Cafe has all you need for a wonderful dining experience. With two seating areas, as well as an outdoor patio, Grins also makes for the perfect study spot in between classes. But beyond just customer service, Grins looks to support a welcoming environment for customers and staff alike.
“90% of our employees are students here at Vandy. So chances are, if you’re eating here, you’re talking to a Vandy student. Maybe they’re your friend, or in your dorm, or in your class…We’re building that sense of community,” Keith said.
As Grins Cafe continues to grow and serve Vanderbilt and the surrounding Nashville community with delicious and inclusive dining, be sure to stop by, try some of their new menu items and find your newest culinary obsession.
