Who needs a fork when you can use bread as your food-to-mouth delivery system? At Abyssinia, spongy injera—the sour fermented Ethiopian flatbread—stands in for silverware. Tear off bits of bread to sop up the colorful kaleidoscope of vegan dishes offered on the Yetsome Beyaynetu platter (aka Vegetarian Combo Platter).

We met Chef Shanon Arnold in 2021 when he was prepping for the inaugural Vegan Fest. At the time, vegan food was new for him, but he became passionate about it after his dad went vegan. Shanon told us he hoped to open a restaurant that was "Southern eclectic smokehouse" and would be meat and mushroom centric. Goal achieved!⁠ Located in Castalia Heights, Arnold's Smokehouse features a meaty menu and a 100% vegan menu.

Bala Tounkara’s West African food is a treat for all palates. At Bala’s Bistro, you can eat in or order to go. From the vegan saka saka (braised spinach leaf with onions, cooked in palm oil) to the vegan maafe (creamy peanut butter stew cooked with potato, carrots, and cabbage), Bala’s food will give you the “itis.” Also try a little bit of all the vegan options (too many to list!) at the “point-and-pick” buffet that’s pay by the pound. Pair anything with the delectable plantain fufu.

We sampled the Brain Food Memphis Honey Gold Cauliflower Wings and are here to sing their praises! Brain Food Memphis offers chef-inspired dishes for pick up at OtherFoods Kitchen in Midtown on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. (They also cater private events.) Chef Xavier and his cousin are the owners. Order online for pick up.

Brother Juniper’s offers a couple of vegan options that are worth the half-hour-or-so wait for a table. Fahim’s Special is a hearty tofu scramble loaded with roasted red peppers and portabella mushroom slices, seasoned with a tangy balsamic blend, and served with Brother Juniper’s Memphis-famous crispy home friesand house-made artisan bread and jam. Or, if you’re in the mood for something on the fiery side, try the Spicy Tofu,a Southwestern-style scramble.

All three burgers on the menu—a bean burger, a beet burger, and a portabella burger—are made without meat. The hearty grain bowls are loaded with veggies and plant-based protein. Try the Buffalo Tempeh + Sesame Cauliflower Bowl—your choice of a quinoa and brown rice blend or zoodles, topped with roasted sesame cauliflower, spicy tempeh, roasted sweet potatoes, sweet corn, leafy kale, and cashew ranch.

You'll find great vegan options at the Germantown location as well as a roomier dining area.

The Korean-style ramen bowls at The Crazy Noodle are like dressed-up versions of the packaged ramen of your college days. In the Vegetable Ramen Bowl, curly fried noodles are simmered in a rich veggie broth and flecked with tofu, cabbage, zucchini, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and Korean radish (vegans: order without the egg). Other noodle bowls can be ordered vegan-style as well.

There are three countries represented—Syria, Sudan, and Venezuela—and all offer vegan options. Black bean and pico-stuffed vegan arepas are offered alongside hearty rice and bean platters with fried plantains at the Venezuelan stall. Or try the crisp, cooked-to-order falafel and creamy hummus from Sudan. At the Syrian stall, the generously stuffed dolmas (rice-stuffed grape leaves) make a perfect accompaniment to an order of tabbouleh and baba ganoush with pita.

Order whatever you want from the menu at Imagine Vegan Cafe! Every dish is prepared without meat, eggs, dairy, or animal by-products. This family-run restaurant proudly specializes in vegan junk food, making it the ideal spot to treat yourself to vegan fried chicken drumsticks; meat-free, “Big Mac”-style burgers (with double patties and special sauce); deep-fried, dairy-free mozzarella sticks; or sweet and savory vegan chicken and waffles generously topped with vegan butter and maple syrup.