— Visit Philly · Philadelphia Top 10 Guide · created over 2 years ago
Those in search of healthy choices will be thrilled with the region’s vast and ever-evolving dining scene. From upscale white tablecloth with inventive vegetable creations to raw foods, Philly’s veg-friendly scene offers possibilities a plenty.
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Spot 2 items to earn this badge.Inexpensive lunch specials are popular at Center City’s Su Xing House. Menu options include Kung Pao tofu, soybean nuggets with sweet and sour sauce and sesame seitan. People can order veggie versions of their favorite soups, noodle and rice dishes, and gluten-free options are available.
A $12 Sunday dinner buffet and daily all-you-can-eat dim sum specials make New Harmony Vegetarian a filling destination for vegetarians, vegans and their omnivorous dining companions alike. Those in the know save room for the vegan dessert offerings, including dairy-free “cheesecake.”
Café de Laos devotes an entire page of their Thai menu to vegan and vegetarian dishes, served in an intimate BYOB just steps from a bustling Vietnamese Market in South Philadelphia. The lunch crowd takes advantage of an inexpensive, three-course menu.
Always packed with a super-hip crowd, Passyunk Avenue’s Cantina Los Caballitos dishes out vegan and vegetarian dishes with as much innovation as their traditional menu items. With free chips, a well-stocked bar and equally equipped jukebox, everyone leaves full and happy.
Culinary couple Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby make veggies haute at Vedge, where each of the menu’s small plates pack a powerful, palatable punch. And save room for the Cherry Lemonade dessert: BBQ cherries, cornbread, jalapeño butter and lemonade sorbet.
Miss Rachel’s Pantry calls South Philadelphia home. The vegan catering and meal delivery company opened a kitschy-chic dining room in May 2012 for private events and once-weekly pre-fixed dinners enjoyed around a reclaimed wood farmhouse table.
The newest vegan fast-food cafe in the Rittenhouse neighborhood, welcomes a line out the door for specialties like its crispy “chicken” and ranch sandwich and its Philly “steak.” Focusing primarily on take-out, menu items are good to go in eco-friendly packaging.
The all-you-can-eat dim sum, available for just $12, is a big draw for starving artists and students at Kingdom of Vegetarians, a Chinatown destination. An array of dumplings and the curry “shrimp” are popular choices at this kosher vegan eatery. or cancel The all-you-can-eat dim sum, available for just $12, is a big draw for starving artists and students at Kingdom of Vegetarians, a Chinatown destination. An array of dumplings and the curry “shrimp” are popular choices at this kosher vegan eatery.
Local vegans unite at Grindcore House, a completely dairy-free cafe that serves Vegan Treats pastries and Philadelphia Bagel Company bagels. Need more locavore cred? The building also serves as a Community-Supported Agriculture pickup location for Lancaster Farm Fresh.
Philly vegans have a pizza joint to call their own: Blackbird Pizzeria is the new casual eatery spearheaded by former Horizons chef Mark Mebus. In addition to pizzas and salads, there are seitan-mushroom cheesesteaks and tofu sandwiches.
Vegetable lovers flock to Bucks County, where Mike Jackson’s Blue Sage Vegetarian Grille turns out creative, big-portioned vegetarian food (no meat substitutes) in a cozy, romantic atmosphere.
Weekend brunch draws vegans from all over the city to Mi Lah Vegetarian, home to a completely vegan menu featuring favorites like beer-battered seitan and waffles (made with a local brew), tofu benedict and oversized pancakes with blueberry soy butter. Their eclectic dinner menu features tofu, seitan and inventive vegetable dishes.
New Hope’s brand-new vegan dining destination, Sprig & Vine offers a Sunday brunch menu (think warm doughnuts, strawberry and vanilla cream-filled French toast and a tempeh reuben), along with an elegant dinner menu featuring delicacies such as slow-roasted vegetable pavé with soft polenta.
Chef and co-owner Shannon Dougherty lets her own vegetarian preferences influence the menu at A Full Plate Café and Catering, her quirky, casual eatery in Northern Liberties. Park the dog outside and enjoy a vegetarian “riblet” sandwich, which can be made dairy-free; fried green tomato salad; or a spinach and black bean burger.
At Govinda’s Gourmet Vegetarian, vegans can choose from a $14.95 buffet or order from the a la carte menu, featuring mock-meat dishes such as pan-roasted “duck” with sweet potato puree and peanut ginger sauce. Attached to Govinda’s is the casual Govinda’s Gourmet To Go, a laid back shop offering sandwiches and wraps (such as the “chicken” cheesesteak and “tuna” salad wrap), tofu and veggies.
Regulars recommend the faux orange beef at Singapore Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. Specialties include more than two dozen veggie dim sum options, more than a dozen bean curd dishes and chef’s specials such as eggplant fritters, stuffed mushrooms and mock chicken and shrimp in a garlic mango sauce—all certified kosher.
