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Besharam offers vegan feasts to diners on Minnesota Street.
Eric Wolfinger

14 Phenomenal Restaurants for Vegan Diners in San Francisco

These are the best places to get your plant on

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Besharam offers vegan feasts to diners on Minnesota Street.
| Eric Wolfinger

The restaurants featured on this list include terrific, top-tier vegan options, but are not dedicated vegan businesses. Some happen to be, such as Divisadero Street’s Wholesome Bakery and Bayview’s Vegan Mob. Others maintain dynamite items for the plant-based pals, such as Bandit’s vegan breakfast sando or Señor Sisig’s vegano burritos, while pop-ups like the Mushroom SF and Vegan Hood Chefs put plants exclusively front and center. Needless to say, any of these 14 restaurants are well worth a visit.

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Wildseed

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Wildseed, local restaurateur Adriano Paganini’s plant-based restaurant and bar, is one of the buzziest players on the plant-based restaurant scene, with a menu of local, vegan, and seasonally-driven dishes like “neatball” masala and a rigatoni bolognese (with Impossible “meat”). The Meyer lemon cheesecake feels and tastes so genuinely cheesy that you’ll think a mistake has been made.

Señor Sisig

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Señor Sisig’s first permanent location in the Mission serves a meat-free menu of Filipino-inspired dishes including burritos stuffed with adobo garlic rice and fries topped with your choice of protein, nacho cheese, sour cream, guac, and pico de gallo. But you can also get your fix at the Ferry Building outpost.

Vegan pork California sisig burrito Señor Sisig

Eastern Bakery

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Don’t forget there’s affordable vegan food at even old-school Chinatown bakeries. Eastern Bakery, which opened in 1924, is well-known for its coffee cake and mooncakes. But this is the ideal spot for sesame balls: For just a few bucks, this treat vegan is an adzuki lover’s dream.

Food at Eastern Bakery. Paolo Bicchieri

Roam Artisan Burgers

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This upscale and expanding burger mini-chain, complete with three kinds of fries known by their adorably-cute name the fry-fecta, is more and more a plant eater’s delight. The vegan burger is stuffed with Violife’s dairy-free cheddar, Umaro’s salty, crispy “bacon,” and an in-house vegan patty of quinoa, black beans, brown rice, and dates.

A burger.
The vegan burger from Roam.
Paolo Bicchieri

Nourish Cafe

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Nourish Cafe has two locations in San Francisco: one in the Inner Richmond, and another at 1030 Hyde Street in Nob Hill. Completely plant-based, the restaurants serve juice, smoothies, bowls, and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch (the Nob Hill location also offers dinner). Just Date, a whole-sugar fruit company run by Bay Area-based M.D. Sylvie Charles, provides the date-based syrup.

Golden Era Vegan

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Long before the Impossible Burger, Golden Era was confounding vegans with its fake “chicken” and “beef” in flavorful Chinese dishes. It’s worth nothing this spot is owned and operated by followers of Supreme Master Ching Hai, so while the food is indeed delicious, folks uncomfortable with religious propaganda should probably steer clear.

Rad Radish

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This recent addition to the Hayes Valley corridor is an all-day cafe for the animal-avoidant diner in your life. There are Vietnamese iced coffees in the morning, served with “chicken” and waffles, and a new line of pizzas at night. A bright palette with a fast-casual service style makes dining at Rad Radish a colorful pleasure.

Wholesome Bakery

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Wholesome Bakery isn’t just vegan, it’s also free of gluten, soy, and trans fats. At the Divisadero Street cafe, you can find a solid selection of sandwiches, bowls, and salads, but go for the baked goods, including indulgence-worthy brownies, cookies, and cakes. Online ordering is available, and local delivery is free.

Indochine Vegan

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On the corner of 16th and Valencia streets lies one of the city’s most unsung fully vegan restaurants. The menu includes teriyaki chicken, fish and chips, chow mein, and all of it made with old-school soy-versions of meat. Cha-Ya up the street is a home run, too, but the affordable prices and inventive, plentiful dishes keep fans coming back to Indochine year after year.

Food at Indochine Vegan. Paolo Bicchieri

There’s a timeless joy in noshing at Dolores Park, possibly San Francisco’s most Instagrammable park. Tenderloin sandwich superhero Bandit is a newcomer to the neighborhood, but eating the vegan sando on one of those sun-struck benches or grassy hills is an undeniable treat. The sandwich costs about $12 and features an Impossible pork patty, avocado, house-made aioli, and a gluten-free bun.

Food at Bandit. Paolo Bicchieri

Beach'N SF

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Michael Petite’s first vegan hangout Judahlicious, which is just up the street on Judah Avenue, serves bowls and smoothies for a bit of lighter fare. Beach’n and its riffs on breakfast burritos and scrambles are worth trying, if the numerous other attempts to encourage diners to get hyped on Michael Petite’s restaurants haven’t yet worked already.

Besharam

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Much has been written about chef Heena Patel’s East Side restaurant, a palace of South Asian fare. Not quite as much has been made of how inclusive the menu is: Entire tasting menus can be made vegan, with gold-topped halwa for dessert. Longtime bartender Alex Okarkau has even made an app to make sure guests only eat what they want to.

Food at Besharam. Paolo Bicchieri

Firefly Restaurant

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This Noe Valley restaurant is a mainstay for neighborhood residents craving an affordable night out, and more so for those with dietary restrictions. Yes, just about everything is gluten-free, but pretty much all the items can be prepared plant-based, too. The Japanese sweet potato tostones, laden with a citrus and ginger glaze, are one such vegan delight.

Food.
Tostones from Firefly.
Paolo Bicchieri

Vegan Mob

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Toriano Gordon puts his city on the map when it comes to vegan soul food. Now a veritable plant-based empire, Vegan Mob has become well-loved for plates of protein and sides — think spicy fried chicken and brisket with Smackaroni and candied yams — in addition to all-day breakfast, tacos, lumpia, and much, much more.

Food at Vegan Mob. Vegan Mob

Wildseed

Wildseed, local restaurateur Adriano Paganini’s plant-based restaurant and bar, is one of the buzziest players on the plant-based restaurant scene, with a menu of local, vegan, and seasonally-driven dishes like “neatball” masala and a rigatoni bolognese (with Impossible “meat”). The Meyer lemon cheesecake feels and tastes so genuinely cheesy that you’ll think a mistake has been made.

Señor Sisig

Señor Sisig’s first permanent location in the Mission serves a meat-free menu of Filipino-inspired dishes including burritos stuffed with adobo garlic rice and fries topped with your choice of protein, nacho cheese, sour cream, guac, and pico de gallo. But you can also get your fix at the Ferry Building outpost.

Vegan pork California sisig burrito Señor Sisig

Eastern Bakery

Don’t forget there’s affordable vegan food at even old-school Chinatown bakeries. Eastern Bakery, which opened in 1924, is well-known for its coffee cake and mooncakes. But this is the ideal spot for sesame balls: For just a few bucks, this treat vegan is an adzuki lover’s dream.

Food at Eastern Bakery. Paolo Bicchieri

Roam Artisan Burgers

This upscale and expanding burger mini-chain, complete with three kinds of fries known by their adorably-cute name the fry-fecta, is more and more a plant eater’s delight. The vegan burger is stuffed with Violife’s dairy-free cheddar, Umaro’s salty, crispy “bacon,” and an in-house vegan patty of quinoa, black beans, brown rice, and dates.

A burger.
The vegan burger from Roam.
Paolo Bicchieri

Nourish Cafe

Nourish Cafe has two locations in San Francisco: one in the Inner Richmond, and another at 1030 Hyde Street in Nob Hill. Completely plant-based, the restaurants serve juice, smoothies, bowls, and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch (the Nob Hill location also offers dinner). Just Date, a whole-sugar fruit company run by Bay Area-based M.D. Sylvie Charles, provides the date-based syrup.

Golden Era Vegan

Long before the Impossible Burger, Golden Era was confounding vegans with its fake “chicken” and “beef” in flavorful Chinese dishes. It’s worth nothing this spot is owned and operated by followers of Supreme Master Ching Hai, so while the food is indeed delicious, folks uncomfortable with religious propaganda should probably steer clear.

Rad Radish

This recent addition to the Hayes Valley corridor is an all-day cafe for the animal-avoidant diner in your life. There are Vietnamese iced coffees in the morning, served with “chicken” and waffles, and a new line of pizzas at night. A bright palette with a fast-casual service style makes dining at Rad Radish a colorful pleasure.

Wholesome Bakery

Wholesome Bakery isn’t just vegan, it’s also free of gluten, soy, and trans fats. At the Divisadero Street cafe, you can find a solid selection of sandwiches, bowls, and salads, but go for the baked goods, including indulgence-worthy brownies, cookies, and cakes. Online ordering is available, and local delivery is free.

Indochine Vegan

On the corner of 16th and Valencia streets lies one of the city’s most unsung fully vegan restaurants. The menu includes teriyaki chicken, fish and chips, chow mein, and all of it made with old-school soy-versions of meat. Cha-Ya up the street is a home run, too, but the affordable prices and inventive, plentiful dishes keep fans coming back to Indochine year after year.

Food at Indochine Vegan. Paolo Bicchieri

Bandit

There’s a timeless joy in noshing at Dolores Park, possibly San Francisco’s most Instagrammable park. Tenderloin sandwich superhero Bandit is a newcomer to the neighborhood, but eating the vegan sando on one of those sun-struck benches or grassy hills is an undeniable treat. The sandwich costs about $12 and features an Impossible pork patty, avocado, house-made aioli, and a gluten-free bun.

Food at Bandit. Paolo Bicchieri

Beach'N SF

Michael Petite’s first vegan hangout Judahlicious, which is just up the street on Judah Avenue, serves bowls and smoothies for a bit of lighter fare. Beach’n and its riffs on breakfast burritos and scrambles are worth trying, if the numerous other attempts to encourage diners to get hyped on Michael Petite’s restaurants haven’t yet worked already.

Besharam

Much has been written about chef Heena Patel’s East Side restaurant, a palace of South Asian fare. Not quite as much has been made of how inclusive the menu is: Entire tasting menus can be made vegan, with gold-topped halwa for dessert. Longtime bartender Alex Okarkau has even made an app to make sure guests only eat what they want to.

Food at Besharam. Paolo Bicchieri

Firefly Restaurant

This Noe Valley restaurant is a mainstay for neighborhood residents craving an affordable night out, and more so for those with dietary restrictions. Yes, just about everything is gluten-free, but pretty much all the items can be prepared plant-based, too. The Japanese sweet potato tostones, laden with a citrus and ginger glaze, are one such vegan delight.

Food.
Tostones from Firefly.
Paolo Bicchieri

Vegan Mob

Toriano Gordon puts his city on the map when it comes to vegan soul food. Now a veritable plant-based empire, Vegan Mob has become well-loved for plates of protein and sides — think spicy fried chicken and brisket with Smackaroni and candied yams — in addition to all-day breakfast, tacos, lumpia, and much, much more.

Food at Vegan Mob. Vegan Mob

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