In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a full-on vegan revolution going on. “Plant-based” is a buzzword that just about every food brand has picked up on, meatless “meat” from companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible are being cooked up in home and restaurant kitchens alike, and services like Purple Carrot and Plantable deliver vegan meal kits nationwide.
Vegan food – that is, food that is not just vegetarian but contains absolutely no animal-derived products (cheese, cream, honey, etc.) whatsoever – has gone downright mainstream over the past decade or so. A trip to your local grocery store will make that abundantly clear, and it seems as if every city today has restaurants that are completely vegan and delicious enough that even fully-fledged carnivores will love it.
According to WebMD, about three percent of Americans follow a vegan diet. Folks go vegan for a wide variety of reasons, including a desire to be healthier and concerns for the environment and for animal welfare. Whatever the reason, veganism is here to stay, and there are lots of restaurants that cater to vegans, some of them very good. (Vegan and otherwise, these foods have a strikingly low impact on the environment.)
Vegans can usually find plenty of options at restaurants that are vegetarian but not vegan, and many other kinds of restaurants today offer at least a few vegan options – and we’re not just talking about the clichéd plate of sautéed vegetables.
To compile a list of the best vegan restaurants in America, 24/7 Tempo reviewed articles and lists appearing in a wide variety of websites, including Food & Wine, Modern Farmer, The Culture Trip, Thrillist, Food Network, Mashed, and Eat This Not That, as well as local and regional sites. Of course, you’ll also notice that about a quarter of the places on our list are in California, which is home to several of the best American cities for vegans and vegetarians.
Click here to see the best vegan restaurants in America
Underground Vegan
> Location: Birmingham, AL
> Sample dish: Bakun Cheezburger
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The Uprooted Kitchen
> Location: Gilbert, AZ
> Sample dish: Oregano cauliflower pesto sandwich
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Seabirds Kitchen
> Location: Costa Mesa and 2 other Southern California locations, CA
> Sample dish: Peruvian ensalada (with walnut chorizo)
Crossroads
> Location: Los Angeles, CA
> Sample dish: House-made fettuccine with truffle butter and shaved black truffles
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Gracias Madre
> Location: Los Angeles, CA
> Sample dish: Wet burrito with jackfruit carnitas
Little Pine
> Location: Los Angeles, CA
> Sample dish: Apple sandwich (with seitan prosciutto)
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Craft Roots
> Location: Morgan Hill, CA
> Sample dish: Margherita pizza (with cashew mozzarella)
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Millennium
> Location: Oakland, CA
> Sample dish: Green garlic polenta cake
Kindred
> Location: San Diego, CA
> Sample dish: Memphis BBQ jackfruit
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Wildseed
> Location: San Francisco and Palo Alto, CA
> Sample dish: Spicy yellow curry
Shizen
> Location: San Francisco, CA
> Sample dish: Green mango nigiri
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Drop Squad Kitchen
> Location: Wilmington, DE
> Sample dish: Lobster Mac & Cheeze (with hearts of palm lobster)
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Green Bar & Kitchen
> Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
> Sample dish: Taco salad (with walnut meat)
Full Bloom Vegan
> Location: Miami Beach, FL
> Sample dish: Lion’s mane steak au poivre
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Chi Chi Vegan
> Location: Atlanta, GA
> Sample dish: Veggie chimichanga
Peace Café
> Location: Mo’ili’ili (Maui), HI
> Sample dish: Tofu scramble plate
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Chicago Diner
> Location: 2 Chicago locations, IL
> Sample dish: Truffle mushroom lentil loaf
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The Land of Kush
> Location: Baltimore, MD
> Sample dish: Carrot tuna wrap
My Thai Vegan Café
> Location: Boston, MA
> Sample dish: Tamarind veggie duck
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J. Selby’s
> Location: St. Paul, MN
> Sample dish: Cookies & Creme Shake (oat milk)
Modern Love
> Location: Omaha, NE
> Sample dish: Seitan five-spice BBQ wings
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Chef Kenny’s Vegan Dim Sum
> Location: Las Vegas, NV
> Sample dish: Sweet rice vegan pork dumplings
VegeNation
> Location: Las Vegas, NV
> Sample dish: Chicken caesar salad (plant-based “chicken”)
Aunts et Uncles
> Location: Brooklyn, NY
> Sample dish: Tivoli taco (Beyond ground meat)
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Bunna Cafe
> Location: Brooklyn, NY
> Sample dish: Shiro (ground chickpeas with Ethiopian spices)
Avant Garden
> Location: New York City, NY
> Sample dish: Celery root with shiitake velouté
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JaJaJ Plantas Mexicana
> Location: 3 New York City locations plus Brooklyn, NY
> Sample dish: Beet and pumpkin empanada
Plant
> Location: Asheville, NC
> Sample dish: Applewood-smoked mushroom mole
Blossoming Lotus
> Location: Portland, OR
> Sample dish: Tempeh bacon sandwich
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Homegrown Smoker
> Location: Portland, OR
> Sample dish: Philthy Nocheesesteak (with smoked beef seitan)
Foglia
> Location: Bristol, RI
> Sample dish: Chickpea panisse with local tomato salad
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The Vegan Nom
> Location: Austin, TX
> Sample dish: KBBQ burrito (with Korean bbq “chicken”)
The Wild Cow
> Location: Nashville, TN
> Sample dish: Buffalo beans and greens
Plum Bistro
> Location: Seattle, WA
> Sample dish: Plum classic Reuben (with tofu strami)
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Fancy Radish
> Location: Washington, D.C.
> Sample dish: Chermoula grilled tofu with black lentils
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