—PETA 2019— Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Cities Vegan eating is exploding in popularity all over the U.S., as more people discover how it helps the Earth, benefits human health, and saves countless animals. New vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants are popping up everywhere. From sprawling metropolises to small towns, businesses are updating their menus with exciting animal-free options—which isn’t surprising, considering that the number of vegan Americans has increased by 600% in just three years, according to research firm GlobalData. In fact, The Economist dubbed 2019 “the year of the vegan.” Just ask folks in Dallas , Orlando, and Tulsa —all three cities are debuting on our annual list.



pledge to go vegan This year, San Francisco took the top spot. PETA’s “Lettuce Lad and Lady” helped celebrate the city’s accomplishment with a ride on its iconic cable cars.

Read on to get the dish on the tastiest vegan eats across the country!

1. San Francisco

2. Los Angeles

3. New York City

4. Portland, Oregon

5. Detroit

No question about it—Motor City is a big wheel when it comes to vegan eats. Make your first stop Chili Mustard Onions—Detroit’s (and the world’s?) first all-vegan Coney Island–style eatery, serving up a vegan take on the classic Detroit Coney Dog (a veggie dog smothered in chili, mustard, and onions) along with gyros, Southwest Detroit Nachos that use waffle fries in place of the usual tortilla chips, and more. Next up is Detroit Vegan Soul, where the soul food is made from whole food. The Soul Platter—mac ‘n’ cheese, smoked collards, maple-glazed yams, black-eyed peas, and a cornbread muffin—is still rocking it, but the “catfish” tofu sandwich gets big props, too. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pie-Sci (@piescipizza) on Jun 18, 2019 at 7:37am PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chili Mustard Onions (@chilimustardonions) on Nov 12, 2018 at 6:34pm PST Woodbridge’s Pie-Sci Pizza can make nearly any of its inventive pizzas vegan with homemade vegan meats and drool-worthy cashew cheese. Seasonal faves include the “Nacho Mama” nacho pizza with veggie beef crumbles, vegan chili-lime tortilla chips, and vegan queso or the vegan BLT with tofu-bacon and homemade vegan herb mayo. In nearby Hamtramck, Nosh Pit—which also has a completely vegan food truck—serves up its take on Buffalo “wings” (with fried jackfruit and seitan), homemade mac ‘n’ cheese, and much more. At Old Shillelagh, the shepherd’s pies are filled with a house blend of Beyond Burger, lentils, and a rich Guinness gravy. Detroit Restaurant of the Year, Ima, boasts vegan jicama tacos, curries topped with roasted tofu, vegan pho, and more. Viral popup Street Beet offers vegan takes on your fave fast-food guilty pleasures with its “Taco Hell” and “Detroit FAKE Chicken” events, Corktown’s Brooklyn Street Local serves up vegan poutine, and catch southwest Detroit’s first (and only!) vegan taco truck, Rocky’s Road Brew, for its jackfruit al pastor or fried “chicken” tacos.

6. Orlando, Florida

7. Dallas

8. Nashville, Tennessee

Vegans in the know are singing the praises of Music City. How about BBQ jackfruit sliders or a Nashville hot chick’n sandwich (crispy seitan with chipotle mayo)? Get them at The Southern V. The Grilled Cheeserie does a vegan sammie—pair it with the coconut shake. Butcher & Bee‘s fire-roasted carrots are served with coconut cream, peanuts, and sambal onions. Vege-licious Cafe soaks its V-Licious Taters in house-made vegan cheese sauce and tops them with black-eyed pea salsa. The BE-Hive Deli Market makes mouthwatering meat-free meats like pepperoni and jalapeño-pineapple sausage that can also be found in The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club‘s pineapple jalapeño brat and The Wild Cow‘s French Quarter Dip (BE-Hive seitan marinated in Creole seasoning with au jus dipping sauce). View this post on Instagram A post shared by The BE-Hive (@thebehive) on Aug 16, 2019 at 10:01am PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by KOKOS®️ Plant Based Ice Cream (@kokosicecream) on May 18, 2019 at 5:08pm PDT More taste-tempters include Sunda‘s shiitake edamame dumplings, True Food Kitchen‘s kale guacamole and cauliflower polenta, and Graze‘s Buffalo Chx’n Quesadilla and Vegasaurus smoothie (with kale, spinach, apple, banana, pineapple, alfalfa sprouts, and apple juice). Kick back at Two Boots Nashville for the Vegan Larry Tate Pizza topped with Daiya and vegan ricotta, then cool off with seasonal dairy-free ice cream flavors like Dutch apple pie at KOKOS. Ready for a nightcap? Corsair Distillery makes whiskey from quinoa, and Bob Dylan’s premium vegan whiskey is getting its own Nashville distillery in 2020. Take that, Jim Beam.

9. Washington, D.C.

When vegan dining’s on the ballot, The District is a capital destination. It’s been a year since Pow Pow went 100% vegan—dig into the Wu Banger (with orange fried “chicken,” soy feta, and Sriracha cashews) or the Natalie Porkman (with sweet-and-sour pork seitan, grilled pineapple, and pickled onions). NuVegan Cafe‘s vegan crab cakes and ELife Restaurant‘s spinach casserole (with a side of nondairy cheese squash) will do a body good. So will Smoke & Barrel‘s vegan sampler (with wings, spare ribs, smoked tofu, chili, and slaw), Ben’s Chili Bowl‘s Vegan Chili (with a hearty serving of TVP and “love”), the cauliflower steak at Logan Tavern, Busboys and Poets‘ vegan “chicken” stir-fry … View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fancy Radish (@fancyradishdc) on Oct 4, 2019 at 10:11am PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pow Pow (@eatpowpow) on Sep 9, 2019 at 4:06pm PDT … and LEON‘s one and only LOVe Burger (a beetroot-soy patty with Carolina mustard-mayo and smoked gouda-style vegan cheese). One of the most recent additions to the veg scene, Fancy Radish, will tantalize your taste buds with its with its rutabaga fondue and spicy dan dan noodles. For something a little—OK, a lot—sweeter, get a double scoop of dark chocolate truffle ice cream at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, the orangesicle shake at HipCityVeg, or the Cap’n Crunch doughnut from the soon-to-open Donut Run (D.C.’s first-ever vegan doughnut shop).

10. Tulsa, Oklahoma