Being a vegan in the Bay Area is easier than you might think.  The grocery stores have plenty of options and the restaurants either have vegan options or are completely vegan (the restaurants that don’t have any vegan options are a work in progress … stay tuned!).  And vegan food can be delivered at your door before you know it!

San Fransisco Bay Area Vegans, Baby guide author Erika Hazel, The Bizerkeley Vegan, at the New Jersey Veg Fest, July 2018.

Let’s start our journey in Oakland, California, named one of VegNews Magazine’s Top Vegan Cities in America ( we’re #5!) We’re home to the Golden State Warriors, the Oakland A’s … and some of the best vegan food on the planet.

We’ve assembled a map of the top 15 vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants in the Bay Area, too.

OAKLAND

Timeless Coffee 

Got Latte? Photo by @squatchisaurus.

Timeless Coffee is a 100 percent vegan cafe serving iconic lattes and eats like Friday pizza specials, specialty donuts and soft serve that you thought only existed at Disneyland (hello, pineapple soft serve … like Dole Whip but NorCal-style).

With two locations — one in Oakland and one in Berkeley — you can have affogatos, Chikn and Waffles or the vegan version of a bodega Bac’n, Egg, and Cheese! Come and get the ‘vegan fried egg’ or the Just Egg with your brunch in either the Piedmont neighborhood of Oakland or College Avenue in Berkeley.  Check their Instagram for their weekly specials. different locations, different weekly specials! $4 – 15

Donut Farm 

Donuts are not the only thing being farmed at the all-vegan Donut Farm in Oakland. This hot spot in business for more than a decade also offers such decadent eats like Garlickly Greens, Cornmeal Waffles and Pancakes and the Nashville Hot Chik’n Platter. Yup, this vegan donut fast-casual restaurant serves up retro vibes and retro vegan eats! Donut Farm is your one-stop-shop for gourmet donuts like Lemon Poppyseed, Salted Caramel or Whiskey Tangerine Fig (drool)!  Your breakfast and lunch staples are always a-plenty including hash browns, tofu scrambles and a grilled tempeh Reuben.   $3 – 15

Souley Vegan 

The Combination Plate at Souley Vegan: Grits, Yams, Cornbread, and Mac N Cheeze. Photo by @_plantpoweredyogi.

Need a little southern soul food in your life? Souley Vegan is your answer, tucked into West Oakland’s Jack London Square. BBQ tofu, okra gumbo over grits and Black-Eyed Pea fritters await you at Souley Vegan, as well as plenty of other vegan soul food specialties you’ll want to check out. Pro tip: hit the weekend brunch where the name of the game includes sweet potato waffles and sausage gravy over rosemary biscuits. If you’re not drooling over your keyboard, you’re reading this paragraph incorrectly. $5 – 20

Millenium Restaurant

Dinner at Millenium is served. Photo by @_plantpoweredyogi.

Your perfect vegan date night awaits at Millenium. This swanky vegan restaurant in Oakland is the perfect place for exquisitely plated foods and specialty desserts. With an award-winning menu and a focus on using local, sustainable and organic produce, Millenium will have you craving more of their coriander and arborio crusted Oyster mushroom starters and finishing up with desserts like the Strawberry Shortcake Trifle. $12 – 30 

The Veg Hub

 Philly Cheezesteak Sandwich at The Veg Hub. Photo by @veganchonise.

The Veg Hub, located in the Dimond District of Oakland, is a fast-casual restaurant that caters to the soul food lovers and sandwich experts of vegan meats and cheeses. Chef Chew is well known around the Bay Area for his Philly Cheezesteak sandwich and slammin’ side dishes.  Be sure to check out his famous “Bar-B-Chew” sandwich,  fried chicken (which looks more like chicken nuggets, but twice as tasty as their meat counterparts because of the crunchy exterior and tender, flavorful insides). Come hungry because you’ll also want to try the Mac N Cheeze; it’s good enough to share, but you won’t want to because of the cheezy goodness reminiscent of your childhood memories.  Looking for a healthier option? The Kale Salad is a colorful way to eat raw kale and the dressing it comes with is to die for. Just pull off of the 580 freeway and down the road to food that will make you order extra for when that midnight snack craving hits!  $7 – 12

Kube Nice Cream 

Cookies and Cream Nice Cream. Photo by @kubenicecream.

Vegan ice cream can be found at Curbside Creamery, Timeless Coffee, and Mr. Dewie’s Creamery … but if you’re looking for an all-vegan ice cream stop, you’ve found it at the farmers market mainstay Kube Ice Cream. Mind-blowing creamy confections of sweetness and organic ingredients like key lime, dark chocolate and pecans can be found in Kube Nice Cream. The key lime is like biting into a juicy, fresh lime with just the right amount of sweetness that makes you feel like you’re on a tropical island (instead of on your couch).  Also try the toasted pecan and salted caramel; it’s the best thing to ever happen to ice cream. Why? The pecans have this toasted flavor throughout the coconut ice cream in a decadent way that wraps any tongue in a hug (seriously!) and the salted caramel is the perfect sweetness swirl that completes the flavor palette. $5 – 12

Nature Vegetarian 

Sizzling Mapo Tofu from Nature Vegetarian. Photo by  @the_bizerkeley_vegan.

Nature Vegetarian is the vegan Chinese food restaurant in Oakland you’ve been searching for. Here, classic Chinese dishes with the flavors and textures you know from non-vegan life can have the strictest omnivore in your life reaching for seconds! The best place to start is the pineapple sweet and sour veggie pork. This dish delivers a flavor that mimics the meat version (and will likely trick your omni friends into thinking they’re eating meat). Point in case: we took a non-vegan friend here and she devoured her vegan chicken chow mein. The got-to here: mapo tofu that comes in a sizzling plate and completely melts in your mouth. Add a side of rice to fill you up. Also a must: the honey walnut shrimp. The chefs cook the veggie prawns to such a realistic and tender texture, plus the creamy sweet sauce that the veggie prawns are coated in balance out the dish perfectly. $8 – 14

Now as we hop on BART (our light rail/subway system) or into our cars we travel to the foggy city on the coast for which our region is named after; San Francisco.  Forget about Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 for a minute and take a trek to some of San Fran’s best vegan eats!

SAN FRANCISCO

Cybelle’s Front Room 

One of the burgers to eat before you die according to Veg News Magazine! Photo by @cybellesfrontroom.

CyBelle’s, CyBelle’s, CyBelle’s … how many ways can we explain our love for thee? Cybelle’s Front Room is a vegan-friendly restaurant in San Francisco that has captured our little vegan hearts in all the ways: excellent staff, expansive and delicious menu, tons of vegan options and transparency (thank you!!!) regarding no cross contamination amongst non-vegan food. The cherry on the vegan cupcake — the family who owns this particular franchise are the best folks ever! We always feel like we’re walking into a friend’s house and greeted with warmth and care. At Cybelle’s Front Room, they want you to be happy and get you exactly what you want. Start off with a Green Goddess pizza or the For Heaven’s Sake Impossible Burger. It won a spot in VegNews for being named one of the 20 Burgers to Eat Before You Die at #6! Here’s what you get: two 1/3 lb Impossible patties, house-made cashew smoked Gouda, house-made vegan garlic aioli and double vegan bacon strips on a toasted vegan pretzel bun. Don’t forget the vegan ranch (OMG), and their vegan Parmesan! Bonus: they even have vegan drink options! It’s certain — we’re forever CyBelle’s faithful! $6 – 30

OmSabor

Cosmic food from OmSabor. Photo by @the_bizerkeley_vegan.

Cosmic vibes and amazing vegan food; what more could you want!  OmSabor’s crafted meals will make you question what you have been eating your entire life. The vegan pop-up restaurant in San Francisco hosts dinners via Feastly where a six-course meal is awaiting your mouth. Whether it’s mushroom and squash blossom ravioli or a jackfruit carnitas tostada, there are so many flavors to indulge in. The only question is what day and what cuisine will you be enticed by! Chefs Dhani and Luis will take care of you and make sure you leave with a full belly and a happy heart.  $5 – 40

Nick’s Kitchen 

Can you hear the sizzle of the Sisig? Photo by @the_bizerkeley_vegan.

If you’ve grown up eating Filipino food and it warms your soul as much as it warms ours, head over to Nick’s Kitchen in Daly City, San Fran’s next door neighbor. Here, garlic rice, tocilog and chicken adobo are favorites along with the sizzling tofu sisig. There’s no real way to describe sisig until you’ve bitten into the crackling morsels of crispy and juicy tofu that are bathed in an authentic sauce that commands the respect of folks who eat traditional pork sisig. Take note — get your face covered in Nick’s signature ribs. The flavor can only be described as “on-point” and you will tear through their meaty texture with glee! $10 – 15

Shizen Vegan Sushi Bar & Izakaya 

Roll on over to Shizen in SF! Photo by @the_bizerkeley_vegan.

Vegan sushi? Yes, please. The vegan sushi capital of Northern California lies in San Francisco at Shizen Vegan Sushi.  The beautifully done interior decor and expertly crafted plates show off the finest in sushi cuisine, vegan or not. Be transformed by the appetizers, salads, ramen or one-of-a-kind rolls. Start with the tempura veggies, share (if you want!) the shizen poke salad and then proceed to vegan sushi specialties like the Philidelphia, Boddy and Soul or the Secret Weapon rolls.  If you ask your waiter about the Surprise Ending Rolls don’t say we didn’t warn you!  $8 – 15

We will finish our vegan travels in the Berkeley, California, home to Cal (UC Berkeley), social and political movements and vegan fare.  After you eat in Berkeley, you might begin scrolling Craigslist for your new University Avenue apartment because you will be hooked for life!

BERKLEY

Saturn Cafe 

Breakfast burrito anyone? Photo by @squatchisaurus.

An out-of-this-world menu awaits you at Saturn Cafe. What more could you want from Saturn — whether it’s their signature milkshakes (can you say Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint Shake?!?), coconut cream pie french toast (gluten-free upon request) or vegan Huevos Rancheros, you and your vegetarian and vegan friends can dine in the comfort of this vegetarian restaurant in San Fransisco that’s a retro-style diner across from either UC Berkeley or UC Santa Cruz.  The wait may be awhile, but don’t worry, it will all be worth it once you’re clinking giant vegan milkshakes and sharing hearty vegan nachos. $5 – 15

Cinnaholic

Caramel and sprinkles for the win at Cinnaholic. Photo by @the_bizerkeley_vegan.

When you say the word addicted, the vegan Cinnaholic comes to mind. For us, it was love at first roll. Start with a Classic Roll and select from more than 20 flavors, including some seasonal specials like pumpkin spice or tiramisu. Don’t stop there! Add as many toppings as you’re allowed. Remember — Cinnaholic now has sprinkles! Their cookie dough is perfection for any sweet tooth —  it’s loaded with chocolate chips and more decadent than anything you can imagine (read: give me two scoops please!). $2 – 10

The Flying Falafel 

Friends and Flying Falafel go together so well. Photo by @squatchisaurus.

Fast food has never tasted so fresh.  The Flying Falafel is located in both San Francisco and Berkeley and the food is so good, we eat it almost weekly! (read: it’s our favorite thing to order on Uber Eats). Favorites from either location are the Chick’n Shawarma pita or plate. The Flying Falafel makes eating healthy easy with their plentiful raw foods that are included with every plate, pocket, and pita: cucumbers, tomatoes, pickles and other fresh veggies. Each plate is a colorful masterpiece with a hearty serving of hummus and your choice of main including sesame or spicy falafel balls, Chick’n Shawarma, mushrooms, or spicy kebab! Don’t leave without getting your fingers red from the crispy and flavorful seasoned fries!  Sometimes we just get the fries, they’re that good! $4 – 9

The Butcher’s Son

#thisismyaddiction from The Butcher’s Son (Berkeley). Photo by @thevegsocialite.

Last but certainly not least, our last stop on the Bay Area vegan tour.  If you ask us where we live, the answer is most likely The Butcher’s Son (TBS).  TBS is every vegan’s dream come true; think marketplace, deli, an expansive menu that we have yet to conquer (soon!), and most importantly BRUNCH!  This place is the definition of “everything you can eat, I can eat vegan.”

@thevegsocialite recently had this to say about TBS’s #thisismyaddiction meal:

“This dish hits the spot every time! The mozzarella is super creamy, they aren’t skimpy on the bacon, and the avocado overflows. The perfect touch is the butter garlic toasted ciabatta bun. I would eat this every day if I could.”  

If this review doesn’t make you stop what you’re doing and head over, I don’t know what will! Brunch is every Saturday and Sunday and the back patio rose garden is sure to make every bite even more beautiful. $5- 15

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– Erika Hazel, The Bizerkley Vegan

For more exciting vegan adventures and food destinations, please follow the contributing food bloggers on Instagram: @_plantpoweredyogi, @squatchisaurus, @thevegsocialite, and @veganchonise

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