From restaurants with fantastic plant-based options to operations completely void of meat and dairy, these are the best spots in Seattle if you're eating vegan.
LessPlum Bistro is a sit-down spot with an entirely vegan menu that encompasses everything from complex salads to crispy fried oyster mushroom "calamari." Eating here feels like eating at an urban yoga studio, but one that smells like pastrami-spiced tofu reubens instead of sweat. The cajun-spiced mac and yease alone is worth a trip. Afterwards, skip dessert and head to Frankie & Jo's around the corner for plant-based ice cream we'd eat every day for the rest of our lives.
If you need a vegan spot for a special occasion, this is the place. Harvest Beat serves a five-course tasting menu for $112 a head including wine pairings, and there’s only one 7pm seating per night (Wednesday to Sunday). At the beginning of dinner, the chef rings a ceremonial gong, monologues about the menu, and mentions the purveyors and foragers who helped supply the ingredients. Then you’re off on your fancy vegetable journey involving things like roasted hasselback butternut squash.
If your friends eat meat, take them to Cafe Flora anyway, and maybe just conveniently forget to mention that the menu is 100% vegetarian (with many vegan customizations available). This place is a reminder that naturally meatless things like dairy-free kale artichoke dip, nettle risotto, and Italian black bean burgers with sun dried tomato jam and basil pesto aioli are tasty no matter what you think about tofu. And you’ll feel like you’re eating in a greenhouse.
The vegan options in South Lake Union are few and far between, but we really like Kati’s entire menu. From garlic fried jackfruit on sticky rice to pumpkin curry with tofu, it all makes for a tasty lunch. Say you’re in charge of planning a lunch and you want to do something kind-of-healthy without resorting to Evergreens—this is your spot.
We could write sonnets about Kezira Cafe’s slow-cooked potatoes with carrots and cabbage. But we could also write some romantic stanzas about the yekik alicha too. And the garlicky green beans. OK, every vegetable in this fantastic Ethiopian restaurant is getting a love note. Kezira is a great place to scoop split peas up with injera, and while there are a ton of meat options, this is the best place in the neighborhood for vegans.
Sushi Samurai has been around for over a decade, but it’s practically a whole new restaurant since veganizing its entire menu. The small plates, rolls, and nigiri rely heavily on faux seafood, so you’ll find fishless options like tempura-battered konjac shrimp, imitation salmon sashimi, and spicy “tuna.” The fake shellfish's texture is spot-on, and the tempura breading makes the konjac taste eerily similar to real prawns.
If you’re trying to eat more plants, sometimes a salad isn’t the answer. From the chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie to the artichoke melt sandwich, everything on the menu at Broadfork cafe is satisfying and totally vegan. It’s a great choice for a quick lunch or a healthy snack, whether you’re coming from the office or your bed.
There are few things more inherently Seattle than eating a vegan cheeseburger inside of a Whole Foods, which is what you’ll be doing here. Luckily, Next Level Burger delivers in the form of tasty plant-based burgers, fries, hot dogs, and milkshakes. There are plenty of different house-made patties to choose from (like black bean or mushroom quinoa), and a lineup of fries, from sweet potato to crinkle. Save room for the incredible cookies and cream shake.
We try to avoid too many superlatives here, but this vegan Mexican counter in Pioneer Square would be voted “most likely to succeed” in a yearbook. Rojo's works perfectly for a leisurely sit-down lunch, and here you’ll find plant-based alternatives like al pastor, asada, chick’n, and carnitas packed inside hefty burritos, tortas, and tacos. The faux carne asada’s meaty texture holds up well when stuffed into a bolillo loaf, but the al pastor is by far the best protein on the menu.
Chu Minh’s BBQ vegan “pork” bánh mì is a convincing stand-in for the real thing. Not only that, but they have nine different plant-based meat substitutes to fill your sandwich with, from “spicy lemongrass chicken” to “sesame beef.”