It's easy to find vegan options at many restaurants and eateries across the city. But many of the items provided are afterthoughts; the "vegan dish" is often a salad without cheese, and they're rarely the most scrutinized items on the menu.

If you're a long-time vegan visiting the area, or a resident interested in exploring the local vegan cuisine, Patch is here to help. Here's a selection of some of the best vegan spots in Brooklyn, divided into fast/casual and table service restaurants.

Many vegans prefer to go to all-vegan restaurants. They like to support those businesses that cater to their needs and values. And when someone specializes in food completely free of animal products, they're much more likely to do it right.

It's nice to see a vegan restaurant try to offer this kind of food without relying on soy patties and the like, but it's even nicer to see one succeed so well.

You would never guess from the outside that this restaurant is something special, but thank God for second impressions. Toad Style, named for fighting technique in a 1978 kung fu movie (yes, seriously), takes a risk by doing what few other vegan restaurants will do — offering a completely soy-free menu — but the results are impressive. Without mimicking meat, Toad Style brings a vegan take to the sandwich shop classics, like a lentil mushroom cheeseburger (with homemade almond cheese), an eggplant parm and a jackfruit barbecue sandwich.

Don't miss out on trying some of the sides, either. The cheesy fries and fried cauliflower may not be the healthiest dishes around, but I promise you: you won't care.

Calling Riverdel Fine Foods a restaurant may be a bit of a stretch — officially, it's a vegan cheese shop. But it serves sandwiches and has (very limited) seating, so it counts. Just north of Prospect Park, it's the perfect place to drop in before a picnic.

It's worth going to for the selection of vegan cheeses alone, from producers like Bryt Life, VTopia and Cheezehound. One basil cashew spread stands out, but there are far too many types to try in one go. Don't expect it to be cheap, but do expect high quality.

Screamer's Pizzeria

620 Manhattan Ave., Greenpoint

Screamer's Pizzeria has taken the place of Champs Junior, the former slimmed-down version of the well-known vegan diner. Now, they offer a range of vegan pizzas, either as whole pies or individual slices, as availability allows.

The pizzeria doesn't have much seating, and it hasn't been around very long, so some of the kinks are still being worked out (Screamer's only took cash at my last visit). But the slices are solid, so any vegan pizza lover should be sure to stop by.

It wouldn't hurt if it expanded the menu beyond pizzas and calzones — some subs or salads would be a welcome addition — but limited space might constrain the options. But New York City is far too big and populous a city not to have a vegan pizzeria, and Screamer's is more than up to the challenge of filling that niche.

Dun-Well Doughnuts

222 Montrose Ave, East Williamsburg

Dun-Well Doughnuts is sadly the city's only vegan doughnut shop, but if we are only going to have one, we couldn't ask for much better. The offerings are sweet and doughy, and the toppings are always creative, bordering on artistic. What's almost as good as going every day? Following Dun-Well Doughnuts on Instagram.

The rustic decor and beautiful chopped-wood serving plates are aesthetically pleasing, a nice complement to the unique fare. It's often hard to find a place to sit, though, so you might have to eat your doughnut on the run.

Best vegan restaurants with table service:



Champs Diner

197 Meserole St., East Williamsburg

Champs Diner may be the most famous vegan restaurant in Brooklyn, and for good reason: its nostalgia-inspired diner style is full of charm, and its extensive menu includes many gems. Every time I go, though, it's hard not to simply order the country-fried seitan sandwich, served on Texas toast with vegan bacon and a hearty helping of salad greens.

But other exceptional items include red velvet pancakes, with chocolate chips and delectable coconut cream, a BLT with avocado and the breakfast burrito. I must also mention a phenomenal pair of starters: tempeh wings (which you'll order with buffalo sauce, if you know what's good for you) and mozzarella sticks.

Previously, the menu had a number of lackluster offerings, like a disappointing buffalo chick'n salad. But Champs has slimmed down the menu recently, apparently to focus on its strengths. Unfortunately, a delicious pairing of crepes were lost in the shuffle, while a relatively mediocre burger mysteriously remains.

While the restaurant itself had extensive seating, if you're looking for a nice weekend brunch, be prepared for a wait. Spending an hour outdoors ahead of your meal is not unheard of for larger groups at peak times, though a couple or a single diner looking for counter space shouldn't have to wait too long.

Maimonides of Brooklyn (M.O.B.)

525 Atlantic Ave., Boerum Hill

While many New York restaurants boast voluminous menus with seemingly endless options, which sometimes leads to an uneven food quality, M.O.B. keeps a short menu and rotates items out frequently. This allows M.O.B. to focus on what it does best, without taking up counter and storage space with extra ingredients.

And what does M.O.B. do best? Flatbreads, most notably, which are essentially single-serving pizzas on fluffy crusts. The flatbreads are called, somewhat confusingly, "MOBs." The Iron Man MOB is covered with sauteed kale, shitake mushrooms and horseradish aioli, while the Pizza MOB has cashew cheese, tomatoes, spinach and walnut parmesan. Both are terrific, though some may find them a bit light as a meal on their own.

The MOB nuggets make a filling starter to share, though "nuggets" is a bit of a misnomer; they're more like savory biscuits made with tofu and seitan. Other instant favorites on the menu include a grilled romaine salad and the creamy mac & cheese, which is even better when topped with carrot bacon.

V-Spot

156 5th Ave., Park Slope

V-Spot is best known, and rightfully so, for its empanadas. The Philly cheese empanada is the best option, but the Colombian empanada with potato, corn and seitan is also a strong choice. V-Spot also has a fine dessert menu and an actual bar — not common at New York City's vegan restaurants.

The restaurant also serves, in my view, the best vegan nachos in the city, largely due to the use of unbeatable sprouted corn chips. V-Spot also makes its own fresh salsa, which can be bought by the bottle if you're a fan (you will be). The V-Spot burrito and avocado BLT wrap are two favorites, though the side salads have at times been unimpressive.

Loving Hut

76 Bushwick Ave., East Williamsburg

Loving Hut is actually an international chain of vegan restaurants, though unlike typical chains, each location has its own menu. Brooklyn's Loving Hut has an impressive selection of dishes with a wide variety of cultural influences, though with a generally Asian-fusion motif.

The sesame seitan plate is a satisfying pick, and don't let the pictures on the menu fool you: the serving sizes are hefty. You probably won't be complaining, because the food is well seasoned and flavorful, if perhaps a bit heavy on oil at times.

But there's a lot to choose from, so there's likely something for everyone to enjoy. Yuca fries, scallion mango pita bread and a stuffed eggplant are just a few of the vegan items you're unlikely to find elsewhere in the city.



Little Choc Apothecary

141 Havemeyer St., Williamsburg

If your heart sank when you read that Champs had removed crepes from the menu, feel free to rejoice. Little Choc Apothecary is an all-crepe restaurant — a "creperie," you might say, but I won't — nestled in Williamsburg.

This charming spot offers an enticing menu of crepes (which, if you're unaware, are light and thin flour pastries that are folded like omelets) with both sweet and savory fillings. If you want a sweet crepe, you can choose from a list of fillings that includes fruit, nuts and various sauces. For a savory crepe, you'll select from a pre-set list including a burrito crepe, a seitan and kale crepe, a pizza crepe and a tofu scramble crepe.

The crepes themselves are light and sweet, and the freshly made fillings should satisfy most tastes. Little Choc earns extra points for offering a coconut milk as a creamer for its quality ice coffee. It's an option that's too often overlooked, even at vegan joints.

Sun In Bloom

460 Bergen St., Prospect Heights

Sun In Bloom's menu has raw foods, macrobiotic dishes, refreshing soups and plenty of fresh-pressed juices. It's also one of the best locations for gluten-free vegan options (though as always, be sure to inform your server of any food restrictions).

A ginger miso tofu scramble, a variety of macro bowls (featuring mostly unprocessed foods like rice, beans, sauerkraut and collard greens) and a futomaki roll are the most appealing dishes; honorable mention goes to a satisfying if slight slice of avocado toast. Sun In Bloom is not the cheapest vegan spot around, to be sure, and those with big appetites might find the serving sizes underwhelming. But the dishes are wholesome and nutritious, and in all likelihood, you'll walk out feeling healthier than you walked in.

The decor is pleasing and deserves a mention. With plain wooden tables and bright white tiled walls, it feels homey and clean, and large windows in the front let bright natural light by midday. It's a relaxing and welcoming place for a meal.

Photos 1 and 2 (above) courtesy of Little Choc Apothecary. Photos 3 and 4 are courtesy of Champs Diner.