Here are some of my all-time favorite restaurants that serve delicious vegan food! Many of them are in Los Angeles and New York simply because these are the places that I live and have lived! If you have a favorite vegan restaurant where you live or anywhere you have traveled to, please post in the comments below so that we can spread the vegan love wide and far! Obviously in the current climate, we are doing a lot of take out! Most of these locations do take-out, but if not we can keep the dream alive for when eating-out is a reality again! This is my list of the best vegan restaurants.
New York Spots:
Jajaja Plantas Mexicana
JaJaJa Plantas Mexicana in New York City. The original location is in China Town in Manhattan. There is another manhattan location in the West Village and another in Brooklyn. This place serves up AMAZING Mexican food! I highly recommend the nachos! They are insane and I dream of them constantly! Also the chayote “fish” taco is amazing! You really can’t go wrong with anything you order here. On every table is a trio of hot sauce. I like the super spicy one! It doesn’t disappoint in the spice factor. They also have a charcoal hot sauce- which has a nice flavor, but not much spice. But, hey, charcoal is all the rage these days, am I right? http://www.jajajamexicana.com/
Spicy Moon
Spicy Moon Vegetarian Szechuan in Manhattan! This place is located in the East Village. Absolutely yum yum yum! When you’re in the mood for some spicy Szechuan Chinese food, I highly recommend! The Dan Dan noodles are incredible! I also love their hot pots and they might make the best scallion pancakes I have ever had. It’s a tiny spot, but usually not to crazy of a wait. Go go go! http://www.spicymoonnyc.com/
Bodhi Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant
Bodhi Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant in Chinatown Manhattan! This place is great! It is busy every day around lunchtime because they have GREAT lunch specials! I really like the lamb entree and noodles. They have a very large menu of dim sum for the trying, I haven’t even tried all of it, but have never been disappointed with anything I have ordered. Go and explore and have fun trying all that they have to offer! http://www.buddhavegetarian.com/
Caravan of Dreams
Caravan of Dreams in the East Village of Manhattan! This place is amazing and inventive. They have great hot food, but I really like to go their for their raw food selection. When you’re on a raw diet, often times the regular old salad at home gets boring, or making an elaborate raw vegan dish can be time consuming and require a lot of planning! When you want to branch out go here! Their raviolis and gazpacho will send you to heaven! I went here on a particularly hungry raw vegan day, and I will never forget how satisfying my raw feast was! I highly recommend. They also have some live music, when dining indoors becomes regular again! http://caravanofdreams.net/
Urban Vegan Kitchen
Urban Vegan Kitchen in the West Village of Manhattan. This place is so fun! Their food is amazing. They serve up loads of soul food and have an atmosphere to match. Often times they have a DJ at night and it really adds to the vibe. I love their Chick-un Avocado Ranch Salad, Po’boy, Chili, Garlic Broccoli, Breakfast Sandwhich, and Jackfruit Quesadilla! You can’t really make a wrong choice. https://urbanvegankitchen.com/
Los Angeles Spots:
Salaya Plant-based Kitchen
Salaya Plant-based Kitchen in Thai Town-Hollywood. This place is relatively new and amazing. They serve some really authentic Thai food that has been veganized. I ate some eggplant larb there for dinner, and was amazed. The waitress told me that it is a regular dish in Thailand. I had never heard of that before– I had only heard of meat larb. It was delicious. Everything that I have had has been amazing, but I really like the yellow curry noodles. They are incredible. I have mostly gotten take out from here since the Pandemic, and they do a great timely job on all of my orders. https://salayala.com/
Vinh Loi Tofu
Vinh Loi Tofu in Tarzana, California. This is a new place for me. I just tried it the other weekend thanks to some great friends recommendations. It was so good, that I got it twice in one day! Yes, folks- that’s twice in one day! It is incredible Vietnamese food. Unbelievably delicious and flavorful. The menu is amazing and has a lot of wonderful options, but there is an extra fun option on the menu which is to have the owner, Kevin, pick your meal for you! I did this twice in one day, and neither meal disappointed! Go here! Even if it’s a drive! I highly recommend. My baby girl, Inna, especially loves the Lo Mein noodles. He makes some wonderful hot sauce, so if you like spicy, make sure you get extra sides of that! https://www.vinhloitofu.com/
Monty’s Good Burger
Monty’s Good Burger in Korea Town, Los Angeles. This place is a classic burger joint and a sort of ode to the flavors of California’s In-N-Out Burger. They do a lot of “animal style” ingredients. They serve french fries with vegan thousand island, cheese and grilled onions. They make extra thing impossible burgers and also make fantastic shakes! You will never be disappointed if you are in the mood for a good burger. https://montysgoodburger.com/
Green Leaves Vegan
Green Leaves Vegan in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. This place has a huge menu! Sometimes when I go to a place with a lot of options, I get scared. I think that maybe they don’t specialize in one particular thing, but I will say that everything I have eaten from here is especially delicious. I almost always order the curry with noodles. Go here if you want a bit of everything. Maybe you want a faux-chicken sandwich and some curry. This should be your go-to. glvegan.com
Little Pine
Little Pine in Silverlake, Los Angeles. This place is super nice for elevated dining. They have fabulous stuffed shells, macaroni and cheese, and other veggie dishes. It is owned by the famous Moby! It’s a dope place to visit! During quarantine they are serving takeout, and I hope that when this is all over they open their beautiful restaurant again because it is a treat to eat at!
More Inspiration:
For more inspiration please visit my Recipe Page, About Me, or My Vegan Essentials Guide!
Happy vegan eating my friends!