photo from Rojo’s Mexican Food

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: www.vrg.org/restaurant

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide:

Devil’s Lettuce, 9050 ​West Broad St., Glen Allen, VA 23294

Devil’s Lettuce is a standout restaurant in the grater Richmond metropolitan area, renowned for its rich, flavor-packed vegan comfort food that includes items consistently celebrated as the best meat replacement offerings anywhere nearby. Some particular favorites of both customers and the owner are the Sloppy Mac Wrap and Killer Tofu Toastie. However, the extensive menu showcases many more options, with an inventive blend of cuisines that ranges from Italian and American to Southwestern and Cajun. Such a fusion not only results in delicious dishes but also contributes to an eclectic restaurant culture that sets Devil’s Lettuce apart, encouraging vegans and non-vegans alike to discover how indulgent vegan foods can be.

Feast & Fallow, 305 W. 41st Ave., Vancouver, BC V5Y 2S5 Canada

Offering a comfortable, spacious café setting perfect for catching up with friends or getting some work done, Feast & Fallow aims to feed its community with fresh-baked bread, local coffee, sandwiches, and a Saturday all-day brunch, while also feeding the greater good, with education, advocacy work, and a volunteer program. Individuals who can commit the time can sign up for volunteer shifts and in return will receive training in areas including kitchen preparation and barista skills. The menu varies but prioritizes delicious baked goods, like their sourdough bread, cinnamon buns, and banana bread. Special attention is given to the quality of their coffee and espresso, and for some the coffee alone is enough to make them repeat customers. Oat milk is the default milk in their coffee drinks, but other plant-based milks are available.

Heal Mpls, 4171 N. Lyndale Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55412

Heal Mpls is a self-described faith-based, plant-based café that aims not only to nourish its diners with healthy, delicious food but also to offer a space for the community to gather and socialize. Heal is actually an acronym for “Herbs. Eats. All Love.” With a robust menu offering good-for-you options including smoothies, tacos, and bowls, you will want to visit this community time and again in order to try them all. Some of the most popular dishes include the Holistic Bae Bowl, made with pineapple Caribbean-inspired chickpeas, sautéed collard greens, and fried plantain, and the Fried Oyster Mushrooms, which are served with a choice of any of their six house made sauces (ranch, avocado, nacho, hot, mango habanero, and pesto). Smoothie options include the Tropical Mami, made with mango, pineapple, strawberry, peaches, papaya and an agave drizzle, and you can also build your own smoothie from a variety of fruit and veggie options. The coffee and tea options come with extra boosts, like the Golden Mylk Latte with anti-inflammatory turmeric, black pepper, coconut mylk, and agave, or the Hormonal Bae, which is described as a “maca cacao elixir.” Whether you go for the food and stay for the community or the other way around, Heal Mpls will certainly be able to feed both your body and soul. `

Les Mauvaises Herbes, 585 rue Saint-Jean, Quebec, QC G1R 1P5 Canada

Les Mauvaises Herbes offers a bistronomic experience—bistro foods prepared with gastronomic cooking methods—with an Asian influence. This is probably better understood by sampling their menu, which offers dishes such as a watermelon gazpacho with vegan feta and basil; Korean Pogos (corn dogs) served with a spicy ketchup and vegan Parmesan; and fried gnocchi in a coconut-curry sauce. If you are prioritizing the bar portion over the bistro, you will not be disappointed, with a selection of beers and cocktails, including a Pear Vodka and a Grapefruit Gin. But whether you are there for the food or for the spirits, don’t skip dessert: churros with maple cream.

Rojo’s Mexican Food, 217 James St., Seattle, WA 98104

Rojo’s Mexican Food offers plant-based, classic Mexican dishes made from scratch with in-house salsas, marinades, spice blends, and more. They serve Tacos (corn tortilla), Burritos (flour tortilla or bowl), Chimichangas (deep fried flour tortilla), and Quesadillas, most with rice, beans (refried or regular), salsa, and your choice of plant protein; some come with avocado, “cheese”, cilantro, and or nut-based sour cream which can also be ordered as Sides. Beverages include Aguas frescas, which are always made fresh in-house in seasonal flavors that rotate frequently.

Rico Rico Vegano, 677 Rand Ave., Oakland, CA 94610

Located in north-central Oakland, just across from Eastshore Park (near Lake Park Avenue and MacArthur Freeway), Rico Rico Vegano serves up a wide variety of Mexican fare featuring plant-based proteins (soy chorizo, soy chicken, and seitan-wheat gluten, among others) and veggies such as marinated hibiscus, sautéed zucchini, crispy fried cauliflower, sautéed cactus, and king oyster mushroom. Menu items include tacos and burritos galore, as well as a burrito bowl, salads, quesadillas, and other Mexican standards (rice, beans, chips, salsa, etc.).

Un Solo Sol, 1818 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90033

Inspired by reverence for the earth, sustainability, and health, Un Solo Sol creatively blends Latin American, Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Chinese cuisines. Small Courses/Appetizers include Bowls like organic quinoa, buckwheat, and millet House Porridge with almond milk, and maple or agave syrup, or Kheer–organic brown rice almond milk pudding with raisins, green cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla. Both come with fresh fruit mix, seeds, and nuts. There’s also Pupusa, organic corn tortilla stuffed with various options including organic black beans and loroco, (an edible flower bud) with curtido (pickled cabbage) and choice of house salsa, Lebanese-style Tabboule with parsley, organic quinoa-millet-buckwheat mix, tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, lemon juice, and fresh spearmint as well as many Soft Taco choices such as Al pastor made with Shiitake mushroom. Two of several Main Courses are Ghormeh Sabzi Persian herb stew with sautéed parsley, green onions, cilantro, spinach, fenugreek greens, kidney beans, and dried lemon, or Cholay North Indian curried organic chickpeas with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and various herbs. Both incorporate Portobello mushrooms or organic tofu. Choose from several Salads and Soups such as Nopalitos Salad of pear cactus, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro, Bok Choy Soup, and Pozole soup with hominy (dried corn with a bean-like texture), green leafy vegetables or dried peppers, salsa, spices, and white mushrooms or organic tofu. Sides offer Baked Plantains and many other choices. For Dessert there’s Steamed Sweet Potato with dark brown sugar, Kheer Indian organic brown rice pudding made with almond milk, and Stuffed Baked Plantain with brown sugar or mango jam.  There are some herbal teas, coffee and a few fresh fruit drinks too.