From vegnews.com
By Richard Bowie and Charlotte Pointing
From Chaka Khan’s café to Red Bamboo’s return, explore the vegan restaurant openings and comebacks worth celebrating across the US in 2026
From Colorado to Florida to New York City and beyond, chefs and restaurateurs have shown that they’re not giving up on the future of plant-based dining. And nor should they. There’s still an audience to serve, after all. According to the Plant Based Foods Association, around 70 percent of Americans eat plant-based foods, whether or not they’re vegan.
Here, we’re taking a moment to celebrate, in no particular order, some of the year’s most promising vegan restaurant openings. Whether you love a juicy hot dog, an expertly crafted pizza, or elevated plant-based, whole food cuisine, there’s something here for you.
Nacha Focaccia | AngieLMV Photography
1Nacha Focaccia in Brooklyn, NY
If you want to attract hundreds of customers on your opening weekend, offer them hearty focaccia sandwiches, indulgent sweet treats, and specialty lattes. That’s what Nacha Focaccia did in spring 2026, anyway. And it worked.
The Brooklyn plant-based café, helmed by vegan chef Charlise Rookwood and barista Naima Coleman, is still going strong.
“Nacha Focaccia is my first restaurant ever,” Rookwood told BK Mag after the opening. “I’m speechless at the community and how they’ve come out. The way they’ve embraced us. Because you never really know. You work on something for so long, and you get so attached to it, but it’s been amazing. I don’t know what the future is going to bring, but it’s crazier than I anticipated.”
Mother Other
2Mother Other in Denver, CO
Denver has seen a wave of vegan openings lately, and Mother Other is right in the thick of it. The restaurant is led by co-owners chef Alexi Mandolini and beverage director Taylor Herbert, who won The Great Food Truck Race in 2023. The vegan bar and restaurant opened in summer 2026 and specializes in comforting yet elevated whole-food, plant-based cuisine.
“Denver has a really strong vegan scene, and those folks really care about showing up and supporting vegan businesses,” Mandolini told VegNews earlier this year. “But those are just a fraction of the folks we serve each week. I think Denver diners appreciate creative and delicious food, vegan or not. It’s a city where an omnivore will just as easily enjoy a plant-based meal one weekend and a meal at a steakhouse the next.”
Lesbiveggies
3Lesbiveggies
Camden, NJ
Vegan, gluten-free restaurant Lesbiveggies closed in 2024, but in 2026 it made a triumphant return, serving up everything from Calabrian cornbread and Caribbean pastelon to hearts of paml penne alfredo and strawberry cheesecake-chai pancakes with caramelized pecans for brunch.
“I just feel like what I’m going for now matches my surroundings,” founder Brennah Lambert told Philadelphia Gay News about the restaurant’s new spot in Camden, NJ. “I feel like I’m in the right space.”
Matthew Kenney | Besos
4Besos in Birmingham, MI
Serial vegan restaurateur Matthew Kenney never gives up. In summer 2026, he opened Besos with local entrepreneur Dana Weeks. The Birmingham restaurant serves cocktails, brunch classics, late-night bites made with whole foods, and Detroit-style pizza, with the kitchen open until 1am.
“Besos is about raising the bar for what people expect when they dine out, bringing a level of craft, intention, and innovation that feels fresh to this community,” said Kenney. “We saw an opportunity to introduce something distinctly different here, and we could not pass up the chance to share that experience.”
Secret Vegan Kitchen
5Secret Vegan Kitchen in Oceanside, NY
It was about time Long Island got its own vegan deli, and Secret Vegan Kitchen was happy to oblige. The former pop-up opened in Oceanside in spring 2026, and, as expected, its plant-based Reubens, cheesesteaks, and housemade salads have been a big hit.
“While the pop-up life was fun and gave us the opportunity to reach customers in many different areas, I always wanted to turn this into a brick-and-mortar where we could become a hub for the community built around cruelty-free food,” owner Tiffany Gordon told VegNews.
Long Count
6Long Count in New York, NY
Like Kenney, Ravi DeRossi has a passion for launching new plant-based concepts through his restaurant group, Overthrow Hospitality. One of his newest offerings is Long Count, an aged-wine and focaccia bar that opened in New York City’s East Village in January 2026.
“Long Count has to be one of the coolest bars I have ever been to,” DeRossi said. “Where else can you get a 30-year-old Cab Franc, and by the glass, as well as fermented black truffle arancini? It’s kind of insane what a little bit of patience does to flavour; it’s just really f*cking cool.”
Fungi Foods
7Fungi Foods in Oakland, CA
How many different ways can you transform mushrooms into delicious vegan dishes? For Fungi Foods, the limit does not exist. The eatery has been serving french fry-and-mushroom-“anchovy-infused caesar salads, KFC-style bowls, saucy wings, and fully loaded mac and cheese topped with fungi since spring 2026.
We know you’re huge fans: after all, the eatery took the title of Best New Vegan Restaurant in our fourth annual VegNews Restaurant Awards.
Vegan Van
8Vegan Van in Denver, CO
We told you Denver was witnessing a vegan boom. In October, popular vegan food truck Vegan Van opened its first brick-and-mortar location on Colfax Avenue. Owned by Justin and Brittney Gurule, the new spot serves the same tasty plant-based twists on fast-food favourites as the truck, including Crunchwraps, tacos, and loaded fries.
“We draw inspiration from all over,” general manager Hannah Eaves told VegNews. “We have featured specials inspired by KFC, Arby’s, Panda Express, and many more. It all goes back to the original goal Justin and Brittney set out with: make good food that we want to eat.”
Counter Culture
9Counter Culture in Austin, TX
Counter Culture was forced to close in 2022 amid rising costs and declining sales, but in 2026, it rose from the dead. Founder Sue Davis raised almost $50,000 on Kickstarter to open the beloved eatery’s new location in Windsor Park.
Why? “Austin needs a place like this,” she told VegNews. “Where everything is scratch-made and vegan, and nobody gets turned away.”
“It feels great to see so many familiar faces and new ones walking through our doors. I missed the regulars, the conversations across the counter, and the feeling of a full dining room,” she added.
Mother Board Analog Meats
10Mother Board Analog Meats in Tempe, AZ
In fall 2026, Damon Brasch opened a brand-new vegan deli inside his popular Tempe restaurant, Green New American. The key selling point? Hearty Italian-style sandwiches with the restaurant’s very own handmade deli cuts.
“We wanted to recreate the entire experience without sacrificing anything that makes an Italian sub so satisfying,” Brasch told VegNews in September. “And nobody has to die, be killed, or suffer for it. To us, it’s a no-brainer.”
Soda Club
11Soda Club in Denver, CO
Yup, we’re back in Denver. DeRossi usually launches his vegan concepts in New York, but in fall 2026, he announced a Denver location of Soda Club, his Bib Gourmand-recognized New York City eatery specializing in fresh pasta and Roman-style pizza.
“We kept many of the Soda Club classics that our guests love in New York City while tailoring the menu entirely to Denver’s energy, seasons, and landscape,” said Soda Club chef Amira Gharib. “Soda Club has a sense of comfort and neighbourhood hospitality with an undercurrent of culinary thought and fine-dining technique backing up every single plate and a twist on classics that keeps every bite exciting.”
Abuelita Coco
12La Nieta Vegan Cafe and Market in Chicago, IL
Chicago’s Bucktown neighbourhood welcomed a new plant-based Mexican café in September 2026 in La Nieta Vegan Cafe and Market. Born from Casandra Flores—the restaurateur behind Abuelita Coco, another Chicago favourite— La Nieta offers plant-based versions of familiar Mexican classics. The menu includes chilaquiles, fish tacos, birria quesadillas, and coconut meat calamari that patrons call “unreal”. Take advantage of its hybrid restaurant-marketplace model by picking up some pantry staples, tinctures, beauty supplies, or a slice of strawberry cake to go.
Nah Dogs
13Nah Dogs in St. Petersburg, FL
Jeff and Jenny Howe started Nah Dogs as a food cart in 2019, and the concept proved such a hit that, by 2026, they had no choice but to open a brick-and-mortar.
All of Nah Dogs’ hot dogs are made with Loma Linda’s Big Frank Vegan Hot Dogs. Options range from classic Chicago-style dogs to more creative combinations, including the Frito Pie Dog and the Wedge Salad Dog.
“I think this town is progressing more toward a vegan and vegetarian lifestyle,” Jenny told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “So it seemed like a good time to finally do it.”
Throne Room
14Throne Room in San Diego, CA
Kory Stetina has suffered his fair share of knockbacks. In 2025, he opened Dreamboat and Vulture, but both closed within a year. Still, he didn’t give up. In summer 2026, he announced the opening of Throne Room.
The new cocktail bar sits inside Kindred, Stetina’s popular vegan heavy-metal bar in San Diego.
“Throne Room expands upon some Kindred lore,” Stetina tells VegNews. “Its origins trace back to a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired placemat map we created for Kindred’s 2017 Coachella pop-up. That deliberately silly and indulgent map imagined a secret enchanted dwelling hidden beneath the restaurant, as a way of introducing festival-goers to Kindred’s playful mysticism.”
Chaka’s Plantbaed Café
15Chaka’s Plantbaed Café in Serenbe, GA
Even Chaka Khan has opened a vegan restaurant in 2026. Chaka’s Plantbaed Café in Serenbe is a sister location to the original Plantbaed Café, which chef and restaurateur Anne Onyeneho founded in nearby Vinings in 2024.
According to Onyeneho, Khan loved Plantbaed so much that she wanted one of her own. And what Khan wants, Khan gets.
“She’s a legend,” Onyeneho told Essence. “We’re hyperlocal in our business, and I feel like this relationship could be the beginning of the most beautiful opportunities.”
Red Bamboo Kitchen
16Red Bamboo Kitchen in New York, NY
This year has been quite the whirlwind for Red Bamboo Kitchen. Back in February, the vegan Chinese restaurant announced it was closing after 24 years in business. Then, in fall 2026, it revealed its return as a takeout spot on West 38th Street.
Fans were thrilled by the news, to say the least. “I could literally cry! This just made my entire year,” commented one Instagram user on the post announcing Red Bamboo Kitchen’s new location. Another added: “So happy to hear this; [this] news literally made my week.”
Vegan Vato NewMexiCali Eatz
17Vegan Vato NewMexiCali Eatz in Albuquerque, NM
Vegan Vato has always done things its own way. The Albuquerque restaurant brings Mexican, New Mexican, and California influences together in a menu that includes everything from green chili-loaded burritos to seitan mushroom asada Philly plates. And after building a following as a food truck and food pod, the business opened its own storefront in Old Town in summer 2026, giving fans a permanent place to get their saucy, cheesy, meaty fix.
Street Beet
18Street Beet, Pour Decisions & Soft Spot in Detroit, MI
Detroit’s beloved comfort-food outpost Street Beet technically misses the 2026 cut-off by just a few weeks, having opened its first brick-and-mortar location mid-December 2025. But we’re making an exception for this Motor City favourite, which has spent the year growing its footprint with two new concepts. Soft Spot brings nostalgic, all-vegan soft serve to a walk-up window, with rotating flavours, sundaes, floats, and creative slushies. Meanwhile, Pour Decisions is an oat milk coffee shop designed for lingering, with plenty of room to work, free Wi-Fi, and pastries to go with your latte.
La Casa de Mamá
19La Casa de Mamá in Portland, OR
Look out Portland, you’re getting your first all-vegan Mexican panadería. Family-run La Casa de Mamá has spent more than five years building a following at pop-ups and farmers markets, and in December 2026, it will open its first storefront in North Portland. Expect traditional Mexican pastries like conchas, flaky empanadas, alfajores, and tres leches cake, with plans to expand into savory staples like tamales, taquitos, and pozole. Can’t wait for opening day? Online orders for pickup are already available.
