World Vegan Day 2026: 10 Best Vegan Restaurants in the USA

From indianeagle.com

November 1st is World Vegan Day, and the plant-based food scene across America is hitting a different right now. Over 32,000 vegan and vegetarian restaurants are operating in the U.S., the food got way better, the chefs got way more creative, and even the most stubborn meat-eaters are catching on.

These 10 spots are the real deal.

Crossroads Kitchen, Los Angeles, CA

Mediterranean-focused, zero soy on the menu, everything built around vegetables, nuts, and house-made cheeses. That’s the playbook at Crossroads Kitchen on Melrose Ave in LA, where chef Tal Ronnen has been running the show since 2013. The restaurant earned the first Michelin star ever given to a plant-based spot in America, and the food is the reason why. No tofu, no tempeh, just vegetables and creativity doing all the heavy lifting.

Must-try: Spaghetti Carbonara, Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms, Artichoke “Oysters”

Price: 50-100+ per person

Website: crossroadskitchen.com

Vedge, Philadelphia, PA

The word “vegan” doesn’t show up anywhere on the Vedge menu, and that’s not an accident. Owners Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby made that call on purpose when they opened the restaurant in a Center City brownstone back in 2011, because the mission was always about competing against every restaurant in Philly, not just the plant-based ones. Food & Wine named it one of the 40 most important restaurants of the past 40 years. Michelin recommended it in 2025. The bet paid off a long time ago.

Must-try: Seasonal tasting menu, custom-formulated seitan dishes, house-made bitters

Price: 50-80+ per person

Website: vedgerestaurant.com

Elizabeth’s, Washington, D.C.

Three Friday nights a month on the second floor of a row house in 2010, that’s how Elizabeth’s started. No full-time staff, no permanent menu, no guarantee it would last past the first year. Fast forward to 2026, and it’s a seven-course prix fixe tasting menu served inside a candlelit townhouse with 56 seats, the menu rotates monthly, the food is largely raw, and Big 7 Travel ranked it among the 50 best vegan-friendly restaurants in the world. From pop-up to world-class, the whole arc happened one course at a time.

Must-try: The full seven-course tasting (it’s the only option, and it’s worth every penny)

Price: $120 per person

Website: elizabethsgoneraw.com

Dirt Candy, New York City, NY

Chef Amanda Cohen’s Michelin-starred vegetable spot on the Lower East Side. Every dish focuses on a single vegetable, reimagined in ways nobody saw coming. Every single dish can be made fully vegan. Tip is included in the price, because Cohen was one of the first chefs in NYC to ditch tipping and pay fair wages instead.

Must-try: Carrot Waffles with peanut mole, Mapo Eggplant, celery bread with seaweed caviar

Price: $118 per person (tip included)

Website: dirtcandynyc.com

Plant, Asheville, NC

Scratch-made everything, globally inspired menu, bold flavours that don’t hold back, and just 47 seats in a cosy Asheville dining room. Plant has been doing all-vegan fine dining since 2011, pulling from culinary traditions across the globe and turning vegetables, spices, and creative techniques into plates that make people rethink what plant-based food can actually taste like. Asheville’s first all-vegan restaurant, and still the one everybody talks about when the city comes up in conversation.

Must-try: Peppercorn Crusted Seitan, Ginger Fire Sauté, Raw Enchiladas

Price: 13-35 per person

Website: plantisfood.com

Café Gratitude, Los Angeles, CA

Two locations in LA (Venice and Larchmont), organic everything, and every dish named as an affirmation like “I Am Beautiful” or “I Am Dazzling.” Chef Seizan Dreux Ellis runs the kitchen, the food draws from Ayurvedic principles, and the menu features mushroom “carnitas” and tempeh “ground beef” that actually slap.

Must-try: Buffalo Cauliflower, Chi-Rizo Breakfast Burrito, “I Am Caring” Nachos

Price: 20-35 per person

Website: cafegratitude.com

Norah, Portland, OR

Vegan Asian fusion with two Portland locations, named after “manora,” a traditional Thai dance. VegOut magazine put it on the 2024 list of the ten best vegan restaurants in the entire country. Fodor’s listed it among Portland’s fifteen best restaurants, period.

Must-try: Butter Tofu, Pad Thai Nachos, Mushroom Linguine with coconut-galangal sauce

Price: 10-25 per person

Website: norahpdx.com

Greens Restaurant, San Francisco, CA

The OG of American vegetarian dining, open since 1979, sitting in a converted warehouse at Fort Mason with Golden Gate Bridge views. The New York Times credited Greens as “the restaurant that brought vegetarian food out from sprout-infested health food stores and established it as a cuisine in America.” Not fully vegan, but vegan dishes are always on the menu.

Must-try: Spring Rolls with coconut peanut sauce, Potato Griddle Cakes, seasonal pizzas

Price: 25-50 per person

Website: greensrestaurant.com

Native Foods, Multiple Locations

Fast-casual, fully vegan, operating since 1994. Native Foods has spots in California, Colorado, and Illinois serving a menu that looks like any American diner except there’s zero animal products anywhere in the kitchen. The chain almost went under a few years back, but former managers with 30+ years of combined experience bought what was left and kept it running. Prices sit between $13 and $22 a plate, the food is solid, and nobody at the table needs to know it’s vegan unless someone brings it up.

Must-try: Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, Twister Wrap, BBQ Brisket Burger

Price: 13-22 per person

Website: nativefoods.com

The Veggie, Madison, AL

Image Source: Web

Started as a home-based business, grew into one of the most recognized vegan spots in the Southeast. Chef Adyre Mason has been on Food Network, and the menu blends Southern comfort food traditions with plant-based creativity. Proof that the vegan scene ain’t just a coastal thing.

Must-try: Chimichurri Impossible Burger, Cajun Konjac Shrimp

Price: 10-20 per person

Contact: (256) 893-4709

Conclusion

The vegan restaurant game in America is legit right now. Michelin-starred tasting menus in LA, $10 comfort food plates in Alabama, Asian fusion joints in Portland, fine dining brownstones in Philly, plant-based eating covers every price point, every vibe, every craving in between. The food got better, the chefs got bolder, and the scene ain’t slowing down anytime soon. Happy World Vegan Day 2026, go eat something that is different.

Disclaimer: Indian Eagle claims no credit for the images featured on its blog site. All the visual content is copyrighted to its respective owners only. We mention the source name of the image whenever possible and found. However, if we miss acknowledging the owner’s source, please contact us. In case, owners don’t want us to use their images, we will remove them promptly. We believe in providing proper attribution to the original author, artist, and photographer. https://www.indianeagle.com/traveldiary/10-best-vegan-restaurants-in-usa/

 

Whole Foods Gets Vegan Steak, a New Fishless Caviar Hits the Market, and More in This Week’s Food News

From vegnews.com

By Charlotte Pointing

Vegan steak lands at Whole Foods, luxury seaweed caviar hits the market, Los Angeles’ beloved Vegan Street Fair announces its final event, and more in this week’s food news

Earlier this week, we brought you some sad news: Trader Joe’s cult-favourite Turkey-Less Stuffed Roast is staying off shelves for another year.

A moment of silence, please. You can read more about the loss here.

It’s not all bad news, though. This week, we have several exciting updates from the vegan food world, including new ice cream, steak, and even caviar hitting the market. 

Plus, there’s bittersweet news from one of Los Angeles’ most beloved vegan events.

A vegan Halloween flavour has arrived at Salt & Straw

Salt & Straw is embracing Halloween with its new vegan flavour: Chocolate Graveyard Cookie Crumble. | Salt & Straw

We know we can always count on Salt & Straw to provide us with innovative, delicious vegan ice cream. So, we weren’t surprised when we saw that its 2026 Halloween series features a new, spooky, plant-based flavour: Chocolate Graveyard Cookie Crumble. It’s made with dairy-free black cocoa coconut cream, topped with black cocoa cookie crumbles, and has bright red swirls of vegan white chocolate frosting. Sign us up immediately. 

Grab Chocolate Graveyard Cookie Crumble through October at all Salt & Straw scoop shops (or order it for nationwide shipping).

This new luxury seaweed caviar was two years in the making

Pearle’s new caviar is made with seaweed, tamari, and tomatoes. | Pearle

Caviar is considered one of the world’s most luxurious foods, but it comes with high ethical and environmental costs. It is traditionally made with sturgeon roe, and many sturgeon species are threatened with extinction.

That’s why Pearle spent two years developing a more sustainable alternative using seaweed, tamari, and tomatoes. According to the brand, its new shelf-stable vegan caviar “celebrates the flavours of the sea with a delicate burst of briny, savoury umami,” without relying on threatened fish.

Intrigued? Order it now directly from Pearle’s website.

Mycelium steak just landed at Whole Foods

MyForest Foods’ new vegan steak is thinly sliced and full of umami. | MyForest Foods 

New York brand MyForest Foods is on a mission to prove there are no limits to what mycelium can achieve as a meat alternative. Crispy, smoky, umami-packed bacon? Done. Tender pulled pork? Check. Now, the brand has moved on to juicy, savoury, thinly sliced steak, and it’s so good that it has landed in more than 500 Whole Foods Market stores nationwide.

“Pile it onto a cheesesteak, build an Italian beef sandwich, or make it the main event for a good ole’ fashion MySteak & Potatoes,” the brand states.

If you want to try it, do yourself a favour and move fast. According to MyForest Foods, its entire product portfolio is on sale at Whole Foods Market through October 20.

Oatly launches fibre-rich drinks in the UK and new flavours in the US

Oatly’s new drinks pack in 5 grams of fibre per serving. | Oatly

Is fibre the new protein? Oatly is betting on it. The popular oat milk brand has just launched two new drinks in the UK: Fibre Barista and Fibre Low-Cal, each of which packs in 5 grams of the essential nutrient per serving. Plus, they’re fortified with calcium, iodine, vitamin B2, and vitamin D.

“We designed Fibre Barista Edition and Fibre Low-Cal Edition to make it easier to incorporate more fibre into everyday diets,” said Kate Overy, a registered nutritionist and Oatly’s nutrition science communications lead.

“With most people in the UK not consuming enough fibre, getting an extra five grams can be as simple as choosing an oat drink that’s designed with fibre in mind. It’s a convenient, everyday choice that can help contribute to fibre intake without dramatically changing daily habits.”

For now, the fiber drinks are only available in Sainsbury’s in the UK. Could the US be next? Watch this space.

Until then, Oatly has something for American consumers, too. Earlier this year, we reported that Oatly Matcha Lattes and iKaffe Popcorn Flavor were on the way, and the time has finally come. Churro oat milk has also joined the line-up. Keep an eye out at stores near you.

Los Angeles’ iconic Vegan Street Fair is coming to an end

MoreUnique Photography / Vegan Street Fair

After 12 years, Vegan Street Fair is coming to an end. Founder Jessica Cruz announced in an Instagram Reel that the large-scale event is no longer sustainable and that it is time to move on.

“I’ve been holding on for way too long,” she said. “The market is no longer asking for a large-scale vegan event like this, and I haven’t wanted to listen.”

Cruz did, however, confirm that the team behind the beloved event “will be regrouping” and “figuring out what’s next.”

Before that next chapter is revealed, there is still time for one final celebration. The last Vegan Street Fair will take place at Westwood Village in Los Angeles from 11am to 4pm and will be free to attend.

“It’s time to move on,” added Cruz. “We’ve had a really good run.”

https://vegnews.com/mycelium-steak-vegan-caviar-food-news-of-the-week 

America’s 19 Best Vegan Restaurants Have Been Chosen. Here Are the Winners

From vegnews.com

With nearly 350,000 votes cast, the fourth annual VegNews Restaurant Awards has broke records. Now it’s time to celebrate who you chose as the country’s best plant-based restaurants

In  Oakland, a new all-mushroom restaurant is serving up KFC-style bowls and saucy lasagne to hungry weekend diners. In Orlando, a 100-percent vegan Cuban spot is racking up local awards for its sour orange-lime-marinated mojo pork and Malecón-style fish sandwiches. And all across the country, eateries are bringing next-level plant-based eats (think Texas toast tuna melts in Detroit, Indian-Mediterranean fusion in Los Angeles, and caviar-stuffed croissants in Manhattan) to hungry vegan and veg-curious diners alike, proving beyond a doubt that plant-powered eating is still hot. So we say, it’s time to celebrate!

VegNews editors gathered more than 300 vegan brick-and-mortar nominees, and readers voted to crown the best of the best. The votes are in: which city is taking home the most wins? Who was named Chef of the Year? And which restaurant did you choose as the best in the entire country? We present to you … the fourth annual VegNews Restaurant Awards.

Plant Power Fast Food

Best Vegan Fast-Food Restaurant

Plant Power Fast Food
California & Nevada

Four years in a row, VegNews readers have spoken and named this San Diego-born chain the best when it comes to quick, convenient vegan food. Is it the saucy, crispy Western Burger with onion rings and bacon? The In-N-Out-esque Iconic Fries layered with melted cheddar, grilled onions, and secret sauce? The impossibly thick oat milk “Blizzards”? Yes, yes, and yes.

2nd Place: Slutty Vegan (Multiple Locations)
3rd Place: Mr. Charlie’s (Multiple Locations)
Editors’ Vote: Mr. Charlie’s (Multiple Locations)

Best Vegan Fast-Casual Restaurant

Next Level Veggie Grill
Nationwide

Next Level Veggie Grill

The “All-American Vegan” renaissance is here, and it’s powered by two fan-favourite vegan forces. When Oregon’s Next Level Burger acquired the famed Veggie Grill brand, it birthed Next Level Veggie Grill, a fun and casual eatery specializing in comforting handhelds, fresh salads, wraps, bowls, superfood smoothies, and desserts. And now as one, Next Level Veggie Grill is giving America a new reason to crave vegan.

2nd Place: Chloe’s (New York, NY)
3rd Place: Native Foods (California & Colorado)
Editors’ Vote: Winter Park Biscuit Co. (Orlando, FL)

Best Casual Vegan Restaurant

Monster Vegan

Monster Vegan
Philadelphia, PA

From the classic monster movies played as backdrop to the jack-o’-lantern candles to the skeleton standing in at the DJ booth—Monster Vegan is campy, a bit creepy, and designed to be craveable. And with a menu with everything from souped-up cheesesteaks and hoagies to butter chicken and plant-based clams and linguine, it’s no wonder horror fans and vegans are hooked.

2nd Place: Follow Your Heart Cafe (Canoga Park, CA)
3rd Place: BeeWali’s Vegan AF (Los Angeles, CA)
Editors’ Vote: The Plot (Oceanside, CA)

Best Vegan Upscale Restaurant

Crossroads Kitchen
Los Angeles, CA & Las Vegas, NV

Jakob Layman

After 13 years in the spotlight, Crossroads Kitchen continues to raise the bar for vegan fine dining. New sleek booths and banquettes have refreshed its Los Angeles dining room, while special dinners with culinary heavyweights like Jet Tila, Cat Cora, and Michael Voltaggio keep the concept of elevated dining exciting. With polished service, ambitious plates, and plenty of Hollywood history—Crossroads remains the destination for a special night out.

2nd Place: Pura Vita (West Hollywood, CA)
3rd Place: Anixi (New York, NY)
Editors’ Vote: Little Saint (Healdsburg, CA)

Best Vegan Diner

Doomie’s Home Cookin’
Los Angeles, CA

Doomie’s Home Cookin’

Late-night LA eaters had a scare this year when Hollywood institution Doomie’s lost its Fountain Avenue location after landlords pushed out the restaurant for redevelopment. But luckily, it found a new home—a colourful, brighter location on storied Melrose Avenue where it’s doling out loaded cheesy fries, gargantuan chicken sandwiches, and hand-scooped milkshakes without missing a beat. Doomsday averted: long live Doomie’s.

2nd Place: The Modern Vegan (Las Vegas, NV)
3rd Place: The Tasty (Philadelphia, PA)
Editors’ Vote: The Tasty (Philadelphia, PA)

Best Vegan Pizzeria

Boxcar Pizza
Portland, OR

Boxcar Pizza

“Keep Portland Weird” may be The Rose City’s unofficial motto, but Boxcar Pizza takes the command seriously. Which is why on any given weekend, you can expect out-of-the-box creations like its thick Detroit-style pies piled with fried chicken, coleslaw, and honey mustard; jerk soy curls, pineapple, and barbecue sauce; and yellow curry chicken, banh mi pickles, and sweet chili mayo. Who knew weird tasted so good?

2nd Place: Donna Jean (San Diego, CA)
3rd Place: Double Zero (New York, NY)
Editors’ Vote: Paranormal Pizza (Bethlehem, PA)

Best Vegan Deli

Ben & Esther’s
Portland, OR & San Diego, CA

Ben & Esther’s

Ben & Esther’s has mastered the art of the vegan Jewish deli, from perfectly schmeared and loxed bagels to towering Reubens, knishes, latkes, matzo ball soup, and plenty of pickles. Plant lovers looking for the full-fledged deli experience—with all the salty, schmaltzy, carb-loaded comfort you could hope for—you’ve found your spot.

2nd Place: Maciel’s Plant-Based Butcher & Deli (Los Angeles, CA)
3rd Place: The Butcher’s Son (Berkeley, CA)
Editors’ Vote: The Herbivorous Butcher (Minneapolis, MN)

Best Vegan Italian Restaurant

Pura Vita
West Hollywood, CA

Linda Pianigiani Photography

Good Italian food has never needed much reinvention, and Pura Vita knows it. Diners return to this eight-year-old landmark for its house-made ravioli, silky cacio e pepe, elegantly layered eggplant parm, and Neapolitan-style pizzas with blistered crusts—all made with plants, yes, but just as timeless and perfected as the originals.

2nd Place: Tarantino’s Vegan (Las Vegas, NV)
3rd Place: Monster Vegan (Philadelphia, PA)
Editors’ Vote: Pura Vita (West Hollywood, CA)

Best Vegan Asian Restaurant

Spicy Moon
New York, NY

Spicy Moon

Spicy Moon is taking over New York, one spicy, savoury plate at a time. With a new Long Island City outpost joining its Manhattan empire—and a Bed-Stuy location on the way—there are more chances than ever to dig into earthy cumin tofu, chili oil-slicked dan dan noodles, and numbing dry pot. Plus, with bakeries, cafés, bar programs, and rooftop dining joining the expansion plans, the Spicy Moon universe is getting deliciously crowded.

2nd Place: Chef Kenny’s Dim Sum (Las Vegas, NV)
3rd Place: Alice & Friends (Chicago, IL)
Editors’ Vote: Spicy Moon (New York, NY)

Best Vegan Sushi Restaurant

Planta
Multiple Locations

Planta

Planta’s next move? Bigger, bolder flavours and even more locations. The Miami-headquartered chain sharpened its focus in 2026 to become a US-exclusive brand, with its sights set on expanding the reach of its upscale, globally inspired menu from its current California, New York, Chicago, and DC outposts to new cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland. Get your chopsticks ready: unagi eggplant, ahi watermelon, and carrot salmon rolls are coming.

2nd Place: Beyond Sushi (New York, NY)
3rd Place: Shizen (San Francisco, CA)
Editors’ Vote: Ma-Kin Sushi (Agoura Hills, CA)

Best Vegan Soul Food Restaurant

Souley Vegan
Oakland, CA

Souley Vegan

A year into its triumphant return to Oakland, Souley Vegan is firmly in its rebirth era, with plenty to celebrate. Chef Tamearra Dyson’s plant-based Creole cooking now has more room to shine, with expanded hours, Sunday brunch buffets complete with DJs spinning live music, and a menu packed with mouth-watering Southern staples like okra gumbo, Louisiana hot links, and Cajun spaghetti.

2nd Place: Dirty Lettuce (Portland, OR)
3rd Place: Soul Veg City (Chicago, IL)
Editors’ Vote: The Land of Kush (Baltimore, MD)

Best Vegan Latin Restaurant

Tacotarian
Las Vegas, NV & San Diego, CA

Tacotarian

Seventeen tacos, two cities, and more locations on the way: Tacotarian doesn’t mess around when it comes to helping vegan Mexican go mainstream. Born in Las Vegas and inspired by Mexico City, the fast-growing chain serves everything from saucy al pastor and chili-braised jackfruit barbacoa to crispy avocado Baja tacos. And with franchising opportunities in the works, expect to see a whole lot more Tacotarian in the near future.

2nd Place: Mis Tacones (Portland, OR)
3rd Place: Penelope’s Vegan Taqueria (Chicago, IL)
Editors’ Vote: The Cocinita (Miami, FL)

Best Vegan Healthy Restaurant

Cafe Gratitude
Los Angeles, CA

Cafe Gratitude

If there’s anywhere that can turn a healthy meal into a full-on affirmation sesh, it’s Los Angeles. At Café Gratitude, special collaborations (don’t miss wellness influencer Radhi Devlukia’s limited-time Ayurvedic menu), organic ingredients, and dishes with names like “I Am Whole” and “I Am Mindful” help fuel LA’s health obsessives—and anybody else looking for a nourishing, plant-forward meal.

2nd Place: Le Botaniste (New York, NY)
3rd Place: Caravan of Dreams (New York, NY)
Editors’ Vote: Trilogy Sanctuary (La Jolla, CA)

Best Vegan Doughnut Shop

Donut Friend
Los Angeles, CA

Donut Friend

Donut Friend has been satisfying Los Angeles’ sweet tooth since 2013, when musician Mark Trombino traded drum kits for doughnut pans and opened his DIY pastry playground in Highland Park. More than a decade later, the shop is still serving up its hardcore- and pop-punk-inspired doughnuts, from triple chocolate Fudgegazi bismarcks to the Saves the Danish bullseye filled with cream cheese and blueberry jam.

2nd Place: Doe Donuts (Portland, OR)
3rd Place: Dottie’s Donuts (Philadelphia, PA)
Editors’ Vote: Vegan Doughnut Company (Lakewood, OH)

Best Vegan Ice Cream Spot

Like No Udder
Providence, RI

Like No Udder

Providence’s Like No Udder is doing dairy-free ice cream the old-fashioned way: delicious. Recently named the best ice cream shop in all of Rhode Island, vegan or not, Like No Udder now takes home this national title thanks to its menu of small-batch scoops, swirls of soft serve, ice cream sandwiches, shakes, floats, ice cream-topped fruity slushes, and endlessly customizable Dairy Queen-inspired “Unicorns.”

2nd Place: Kate’s Ice Cream (Portland, OR)
3rd Place: Awan (West Hollywood & Los Angeles, CA)
Editors’ Vote: Runaway Cow (Chicago, IL)

Best Vegan Bakery

Vegan Treats
Bethlehem, PA

Vegan Treats

At Vegan Treats, dessert comes with options—dozens upon dozens of them, to be exact. Danielle Konya’s Bethlehem bakery has spent two decades perfecting an enormous line-up of treats, with something to sate any palate. In the mood for an oatmeal banana chocolate chip cookie, or a raspberry white chocolate brownie? How about a strawberry crunch cannoli, a fluffy coconut bun, or a whole French silk pie? It’s indulgence taken to the next level—and it’s the best in America.

2nd Place: Cinnaholic (Nationwide)
3rd Place: Houlden’s Rise Above (Tucson, AZ)
Editors’ Vote: Délice de Bernay (New York, NY)

Best Vegan Coffee Shop

Grindcore House
Philadelphia, PA

Grindcore House

Sixteen years in, Grindcore House is still Philadelphia’s caffeinated punk-rock institution. The all-vegan South Philly mainstay serves its own signature roasted coffee alongside bagels, tofu breakfast sandwiches, and hearty deli-style fare, all with a soundtrack that thumps harder than your morning. Add its tight-knit community and unapologetically DIY spirit, and there’s plenty to celebrate about this Philly original.

2nd Place: Timeless Coffee (Oakland, CA)
3rd Place: Coffee and Plants (Studio City, CA)
Editors’ Vote: Clownboy Coffee (Rochester, NY)

Best Vegan Bar

Mothership
San Diego, CA

James Tran

Mothership has crash-landed on an uncharted planet and, frankly, seems pretty happy about it. The San Diego bar’s elaborate sci-fi universe imagines a stranded space crew making a new home among tropical plants and intoxicating spirits, with the spaceship itself transformed into a psychedelic watering hole with excellent cocktails, stellar bites, and absolutely no return flight.

2nd Place: Ladybird (New York, NY)
3rd Place: Charlie was a sinner. (Philadelphia, PA)
Editors’ Vote: Ladybird (New York, NY)

Best Vegan Chef

Tara Punzone
Pura Vita—West Hollywood, CA

Heidi Calvert

Italian food and hospitality are in Tara Punzone’s DNA. Raised in a Brooklyn Italian-American family with neighbourhood sandwich shop owners for grandparents, Punzone first dreamed of opening a vegan Italian restaurant at just 12 years old. Fast-forward through jobs at some of the country’s best vegan restaurants (like New York’s Pure Food & Wine and Los Angeles’ Real Food Daily) plus a stint living in Rome to learn about Italian flavours, Pura Vita was born. Since the restaurant and wine bar’s opening in 2018, Punzone has become a bona fide staple in the Los Angeles food scene. And with her 2025 cookbook Vegana Italiana, she brings her food philosophy into home kitchens across the world, cementing Punzone as one of the defining voices in vegan Italian cooking.

2nd Place: Haley Duren (Long Count—New York, NY)
3rd Place: Tal Ronnen (Crossroads Kitchen—Los Angeles, CA)
Editors’ Vote: Tara Punzone (Pura Vita—West Hollywood, CA)

Best New Vegan Restaurant

Fungi Foods
Oakland, CA

Fungi Foods

For Jake Stolz, mushrooms are at the heart of everything. Having only grown his first ‘shroom in 2022, the Oakland entrepreneur’s trajectory is as fast-growing as his hallmark oysters. An apartment-born mini mushroom operation soon took root and blossomed into a full-scale farm. Then, Fungi Foods was created as a pop-up, serving fried mushroom wings and sandwiches at local farmers’ markets. And now, Stolz’s brick-and-mortar is showcasing all the versatility mushrooms have to offer, slinging everything from loaded mac and cheese and lasagne to KFC-style mashed potato bowls and Pittsburgh Caesars—umami-rich salads topped with oyster mushroom anchovies and a pile of crispy fries. It’s a mushroom renaissance, and Fungi Foods is just getting started.

2nd Place: Not Ya Mama’s Vegan Café (Salem, MA)
3rd Place: Mother Other (Denver, CO)
Editors’ Vote: Secret Vegan Kitchen (Oceanside, NY)

Best Vegan Restaurant in America

Crossroads Kitchen
Los Angeles, CA & Las Vegas, NV

Crossroads Kitchen

There are vegan restaurants, and then there’s Crossroads Kitchen. With locations in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Chef Tal Ronnen’s fine-dining fixture has spent more than a decade proving that plant-based dining can be ambitious, expansive, and downright fun without ever feeling like a compromise. The menu covers an impressive amount of ground, from inventive takes on meat and seafood to handmade pastas, indulgent sides, creative desserts, and a brunch spread that goes especially big in Vegas. With its eighth consecutive VegNews Restaurant Award win, Crossroads proves it remains the touchstone for modern vegan dining, with the influence and staying power to make plant-based food part of the mainstream conversation.

2nd Place: Monster Vegan (Philadelphia, PA)
3rd Place: Pura Vita (West Hollywood, CA)
Editors’ Vote: Little Saint (Healdsburg, CA)

https://vegnews.com/restaurant-awards-2026