your (unsponsored) guide to 8 U.S. vegan restaurants
Welcome to my blog, where I write about…whatever moves me!
My first post features your unsponsored and unofficial travel guide to vegan restaurants in the US! Below are a handful of vegan spots that hit the spot, according to me. I’ve eaten vegetarian since 2011, switching to veganism in 2018. A plant-based lifestyle makes me feel good in my heart, soul, and body, but that doesn’t mean it works for all. Still, vegan food is the bomb.com, so don’t knock it till you try it ;)
Let’s take a look.
Philadelphia: This gritty, vibrant city of brotherly love is the place I proudly call home. There are many vegan joints in Philly, and two are tied for my favorite. Grindcore Coffee House takes the cake by a fraction of an inch, in my humble opinion. Located in South Philly (with a sister store in West Philly) on an unsuspecting corner, this cafe has saved me from bad hangovers and boring work days. Every sandwich is to die for, with many non-vegan friends singing its praises. Want to knock your socks all the way off? Order an iced coffee with oat milk to accompany your sandwich, and you’ll be a Grindcore groupie for life.
Next up? Bar Bombon. It’s a Puerto Rican vegan restaurant in Center City featuring small plates with big flavor. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu and you can trust me when I say that, cuz I’ve tried literally everything. Some of my favorites are the yuca, buffalo cauliflower tacos, and the “chick’n” club. Their menu changes frequently, though, probably to keep lovers like me coming back for more!
Pittsburgh: The steel city is both my birthplace and home to my favorite vegan restaurant in… you heard me… the entire world. Apteka is something out of a dream, and I pay homage to this restaurant every time I visit home. Most people wouldn’t think of Polish food and vegan food a likely duo, but co-chefs Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski marry this pair so well that you would never know everything on the menu is completely plant-based. I’ve stuffed my face at Apteka too many times to count, purposely ordering too much food with the sole goal of having leftovers to take home. If you’ve never had a pierogi, don’t try one anywhere but here.
Boston: You have to make some sacrifices as a vegan, and I thought that one of those sacrifices would be diner food. Even I’ll admit that there’s nothing like stumbling into a low-lit, greasy diner after a night of bar hopping, sliding dizzyingly into the plastic booth and immediately sucking down ice cold water from a red plastic glass. When I made the change to an entirely plant-based diet, I did so knowing that the days of ordering a mediterranean omelette, heaping side of potatoes, and burnt black coffee was a thing of the past. Fortunately, Boston has proven me wrong, which is just one more reason why I love this city. The inside of Veggie Galaxy Diner in Cambridge transports you back to the 1950’s, with retro decor, metal tables, and swivel bar stools. Everything on their menu can be made vegan, and they serve breakfast all day long. While I love a good breakfast sammy, I opted for the (South) Western Ave omelette, immediately transporting me back to those carefree college weekends where the only thing you were worried about was where the next party was being thrown. They serve too much food (as all diners should) which leaves you with leftovers -- my favorite.
Brooklyn: Please don’t hate me when I say that I’m not a big fan of New York. I have slowly come around to Brooklyn though, mostly because one of my best friends lives there and I visit her periodically. The last time I drove up we went to Black Flamingo, a plant-based taqueria that turns into a discotheque at night. We were super hungry that evening and immediately ordered five small plates and two Palomas. We shared everything, ooo-ing and ahh-ing with satisfaction, and after inhaling that vegan goodness in less than 20 minutes, we went back for more. I’m pretty sure we each spent close to $100 that night and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Besides, we burned off most of our cals by heading downstairs to their discotheque, where we swayed the night away in a wonderful food coma.
LA: Both my siblings live in LA and are vegan, so all we do when I visit is eat at vegan restaurants. LA is truly a vegan’s dream, and it’s the one and only reason I would ever move there. No offense, Lucy and Sam. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite since I’ve been to so many, but the most memorable vegan meal I had was at Plant Food + Wine in Venice. First of all, they had me at “cheese plate,” which is just as good as you can imagine, and their sommelier makes you feel like you’re the most cultured human on the planet. I honestly think we ordered one of everything, but I can’t recommend a specific dish since their menu changes with the seasons. That’s a plus in my opinion, as it keeps you coming back for more!
Seattle: My friends and family know that good food is the key to my heart. I was visiting my friend in Seattle for my 28th birthday and she took me to Harvest Beat, a vegan and vegetarian restaurant that uses ingredients from local farms only. It was a five course tasting menu served to every table in the restaurant at the same time, and the chef spoke to us before each course, describing what ingredients he used in the dish, where those ingredients came from, and what inspired that specific creation. We spent almost 3 hours there, enjoying mouthwatering food and each other’s company. The intimate atmosphere and the fact that everyone was experiencing the same dish at the same time only added to my love of this restaurant, a place I will most definitely be visiting the next time I’m in Seattle.
Hawaii: On the Big Island of Hawaii you will find my second favorite vegan spot: Under the Bodhi Tree. I was in Hawaii for a week with my family and we visited this restaurant four times. FOUR. That’s gotta tell you something. Their reuben sandwich is truly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, and while that’s probably due in part to the fact that I enjoyed it while lounging on a white beach under a tree’s canopy, staring out onto clear turquoise water, mixed drink in hand, I stand by what I said. I’m not exaggerating when I say that everything on the menu is made with love, and the people who work there are the kindest around. If you’re anywhere within driving distance of this vegan gem, making the trip is a no-brainer.
And that’s it! Now that I’m officially starving, I’ll be hitting up Grindcore for a Costmo Breakfast Sandwich ASAP. I hope you enjoyed my unofficial and unsponsored guide to vegan restaurants in the US, but if none of these restaurants called to you (rude) or you aren’t in one of the cities above (I’ll accept it), you can always check out Happy Cow, an amazing guide to vegan restaurants in cities all over the world.
