Must-Try San Francisco Vegan Food (this list is updated regularly!)
San Francisco is one of the best cities in America for vegans. Not only does it boast over a dozen vegan restaurants, but oodles of other eateries offer impressive plant-based options as well. In fact, many of these vegan-friendly restaurants aren’t on the standard “best of” San Francisco vegan food lists, so they may not be on your radar…until now!
Whether you’re dining with omnivores or herbivores, your options are virtually endless…
After living in San Francisco for over a dozen years, I now reside in the East Bay…but still come back to SF to dine every chance I get!
Restaurants are broken out into vegan restaurants and vegan-friendly restaurants below.
Must-Try San Francisco Vegan Restaurants
Wildseed (Cow Hollow)
Perhaps the most popular vegan restaurant in San Francisco (and now in Palo Alto too), Wildseed’s entirely plant-based menu is California cuisine that pulls in global flavors. With a bright & inviting interior and easily sharable plates, Wildseed is a smart choice to dine with friends and even introduce omnivores to plant-based delights.
While some of the menu changes seasonally, a handful of favorites are luckily always there, like the Neatball Masala with meatballs made from lentils and walnuts in a coconut masala sauce served with soy tzatziki, and the polenta cakes with cashew cream and tomato ragù.
If you can’t get enough of this craveable menu, you may just need to own the recipes! Eat Plants Everyday features recipes from the original Wildseed opening menu (developed and written by my dear friends Blair & Carolyn Warsham 😊). In fact, many of these recipes are still staples on today’s menu!
Shizen (Mission District)
Elevated vegan sushi and Japanese cuisine in a modern, minimalist space…it it tough to beat the Shizen experience.
The menu features shared plates, ramen, nigiri, and an abundance of creative sushi rolls. In fact, you will not believe what you are eating….like tomato sushi that you would swear is tuna, and melt-in-your-mouth eggplant nigiri.
Solid starters include the crispy Brussels Sprouts with agave mustard and wasabi aioli, and the texture of the Agedashi Tofu is perfection. The Spicy Garlic Miso Ramen broth is packed with flavor, albeit a bit messy for sharing (do it anyway!).
The Boddy & Soul tempura roll is a must-try, with the perfect balance of spicy and crunch; it includes spicy tofu, green onion, shichimi, sesame, spicy aioli, and sweet soy. For a sweet and spicy option, the Secret Weapon hits the spot, featuring a pickled pineapple and pickled jalapeño combo. And if you’re game for a little spice roulette, check out the Surprise Ending.
Not only is the food a work of art, the space is modern, clean, and warm.
Thankfully, I don’t have to travel too far to enjoy this killer vegan sushi regularly, thanks to their Berkeley sister restaurant, Tane Vegan Izakaya!
Enjoy Vegetarian (Chinatown & Sunset District)
With an extensive vegan menu offering practically every Chinese dish you could ever want, Enjoy Vegetarian is the perfect place to dine with a group (or get take out) as there are simply too many must-try options to choose just one or two! In fact, my son and I get take out here for our birthdays each year and order up a storm, happily enjoying leftovers for days!
Menu highlights include:
- chick’n drumsticks (the kids’ favorite!)
- wonton noodle soup
- General Tso’s chick’n
- twice cooked “pork”
- braised string beans
- spicy tan tan noodles with peanut sauce
- green vegetable fried rice
Enjoy has both a Chinatown and Sunset District location.
Vegan Mob (outer Mission)
Unfortunately Vegan Mob recently moved out of SF but still have a handful of Bay Area locations!
Mr. Charlies (downtown)
Vegan McDonald’s is in San Francisco, complete with happy meals and all! This international brand is on a mission to save the world one veggie burger at a time, and they have nailed the McDonald’s burger knock off, and the store experience, too!
The menu offers “Not a Hamburger”, “Not a Cheeseburger”, “Not a Chicken Sandwich”, double cheeseburgers, nuggets, and fries. Personally, my family agreed that all the burgers were winners…the nuggets just okay.
With locations in LA, Venice Beach, and Sydney as well, SF is one of a few lucky cities to experience McCharlie’s!
Cha-ya (Mission District)
For some of the cleanest eating around, check out Japanese Cha-ya. Inspired by “Shojin Ryori”, Japanese Zen Buddhist cooking, Cha-ya has been serving plant-based meals in San Francisco for twenty years (and my friends and I have been frequenting it since the beginning!).
My personal favorite is the steaming bowls of soba and udon noodle soups piled with veggies. Cha-ya also serves veggie sushi rolls, potstickers, tempura, and salads.
Rad Radish (Hayes Valley)
By the owners of Wildseed, Rad Radish is a fast casual restaurant serving entirely plant-based breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.
The vast menu has practically everything you can think of…with breakfast options including avocado toast, breakfast sandwich, French toast, chilaquiles, scrambles, and more. Lunch and dinner choices include pizzas, burgers, salads, and bowls.
I highly recommend the Neatball Masala, which comes from the Wildseed menu…a meatball dish made from lentils and walnuts, served with a coconut masala sauce and soy tzatziki; such a unique mix of flavors and textures.
Other standout dishes include the beet poke bowl with forbidden black rice, the orecchiette and spicy sausage arrabbiata, the oat milk soft serve, and the chocolate chip cookies!
Nourish Cafe (Nob Hill)
With a name that describes exactly how you feel while enjoying their uber-fresh dishes, Nourish Cafe is a cute and quaint spot for wholesome bowls, wraps, sandwiches, toasts, smoothies, salads, and baked goods.
And with a casual walk up and order format, Nourish is a great spot to dine in or take out (think park picnic!). They offer vegan catering as well.
Judalicious (Outer Sunset)
For raw vegan goodness, head out west to Judalicious. With gorgeous fresh juices, smoothies, salads, waffles, soups, bowls, and raw wraps/tacos, this spot is one of two spots at the top of my list of places to try next (see ⬇️ for the other)!
Beach’n (Outer Sunset)
Just a few blocks down the road towards the beach from Judalicious is Beach’n, a breakfast and lunch joint serving up vegan comfort food.
Breakfast/brunch choices include French toast (standard or sticks), tofu scramble, vegan Bronx bagels with vegan cream cheese (or jam), loaded breakfast burritos, and gluten-free Smothered Hashcakes (3 ways). Lunch options include Buffalo Mac’n & CheeZen, a Mexican style crunch wrap, plant-based chicken sandwich, and cauliflower Buffalo bites. Plus don’t miss the extensive coffee menu with both cold and hot options.
Note: Beach’n is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Vegan-friendly Restaurants in San Francisco
Hinodeya (Union Square, downtown, & Japantown)
This ramen gem offers two stellar vegan ramen options: the Vegan Creamy Ramen with soy milk features Inari (sweet fried tofyu), shiitake mushrooms, fried kale (omg to die for!), kabocha squash, and spinach wheat noodles. And the Zen Vegan Ramen has a lighter mushroom and seaweed broth and comes with Inari, nori, spinach, mushrooms, fried kale, and wheat noodles.
The Katsu Curry is another tasty and mild entree if you aren’t feeling ramen…it comes with spring rolls in the vegan version. And try the green gyoza appetizer (skip the creamy sauce), spicy edamame, and veggie spring rolls to start…all solid apps.
Guys, this vegan ramen is so authentic that all of my omni friends (and husband) order the Creamy Vegan Ramen instead of the meaty ones every time they visit, too!
Good Good Culture Club (Mission District)
Uber flavorful dishes with a hip, colorful ambiance complete with lush rooftop garden dining, the Mission District’s Good Good Culture Club delivers on all cylinders! The New American menu is inspired by Lao cuisine, and the result is incomparable to anything else in the city.
Do not miss the Hodo Yuba dish: tofu skins with bean sprouts, black bean-sesame-miso dressing and fried shallots, so flavorful and unique, you will be a yuba lover after experiencing this dish if you aren’t already!
The endive salad with pomelo, Thai basil pesto, smoked tofu, and pepitas with hot mustard vinaigrette is another standout item. And the kimchi spiced potato chips with cashew dip and pickled peppers is a tasty starter, a fun spin on onion dip. Finally, the cocktails are 👌🏼 as well!
The menu updates seasonally but always carries a handful of vegan items (always clearly labeled).
Greens
This vegetarian restaurant has been a San Francisco staple for 45 years! That’s right, Greens opened on the Bay in 1979 and has been serving up meat-free, vegetable-forward gourmet dishes ever since. Located in Fort Mason, the warehouse space turned art gallery dining room boasts a panoramic view of the Marin Headlands, Golden Gate Bridge, and Marina. So while you may come for the food, you will stay for the atmosphere!
With seasonally-forward, internationally-inspired flavors, about half of the menu is vegan (with even more dishes labeled “vegan possible”). Sample spring menu items include beet tartare, root vegetable biryani with tamarind chutney, wild mushroom dumplings, fresh pappardelle pasta with creamy sesame sauce, and earl grey tea cake.
Greens is open for weekend brunch and weekday lunch, in addition to dinners of course. They are closed Mondays.
Señor Sisig
Señor Sisig offers unique Filipino Mexican fusion food around the Bay Area and they give equal love to the vegan community with an entire vegan menu!
Simply choose your vegan protein – chicken, pork, Tocino, or chorizo – to top your entree. Choose from tacos, burritos, nachos, fries, or salad. All dishes are complete vegan accoutrements like sour cream and cheese. You can even add a vegan egg on top!
Gott’s Roadside (Ferry Building/Embarcadero, Mission Bay, SFO)
For a quick & tasty walk-up-and-order spot that appeases all diets, Gott’s Roadside is it. With locations throughout Northern California, including 3 locations within San Francisco, you’re likely to pass one in your travels around the bay.
And while the menu is limited to a few vegan items – Impossible burger, Impossible nuggets, Falafel salad (sans cheese), fries, and hummus/veggies – you can get creative by adding them to other menu items and subbing out the meat. My personal fav (that I dream about) is the Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Impossible nuggets.
The Ferry Building location is now serving Oatly vegan soft serve ice cream made from oat milk! Order in a cone or add it to a shake or float!
Gumbo Social (Dogpatch & Ferry Building Farmers’ Market)
You can get vegan cajun food in SF, folks😃! I recently discovered Gumbo Social at their Ferry Building farmers’ market stall behind the ferry building and I can’t wait to check out their Dogpatch location soon! Note: the farmers’ market menu is more limited but always includes a vegan option.
About a quarter of Gombo Social’s menu is vegan! The California Greens features collard greens and kale along with a mix of beans and spices. The Vegan Gumbo includes okra, black eyed peas, hominy, and mushrooms. And the vegan West Coast po-boy is made with jackfruit and hearts of palm. They even have vegan pork rinds as a side dish!
This joint may be the best vegan cajun food around…watch out NOLA!
Rhea’s (Mission District)
Sandwich shop and corner store combo Rhea’s has been one of San Francisco’s treasures for nearly two decades. They proudly serve drool-worthy vegan sandwiches, perfect for afternoon beach or park picnics. Flavorful, filling, spicy (if you want it to be), and inexpensive…this is THE PLACE!
Rhea’s offers 4 vegetarian sandwich choices that can all be made vegan with their vegan aioli, sans the cheese:
- Veggie Steak Sandwich features Rhea’s famous marinated vege-steak with pickled red onions, pickled jalapeños, and chili sauce on an acme roll.
- Vegetarian BBQ Chicken Sandwich includes shredded cabbage, pickled veggies, and BBQ sauce.
- Church Street Sandwich comes with veggie chicken, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and pepperoncinis, plus various sauces, on a toasted acme roll.
- MDX Sandwich features smoked veggie chicken, avocado, chipotle pesto, dill potato chips, and veggies on a whole wheat roll.
Be sure to tell them it’s vegan and they will take care of you with all the appropriate fixings!
Every one of these sandwiches is dynamite, it just depends on your flavor preferences. My family often orders one of each and shares!
Arizmendi Bakery (Inner Sunset)
For topnotch baked goods, nothing beats longstanding co-op Arizmendi Bakery. My husband and I have been frequent customers for 25 years, thanks to their multiple locations (East Bay too)!
While the menu changes slightly, vegan staples include the English muffins (which we stock up on and freeze), breads, vegan scones, and the epic daily vegan pizza!
RT Rotisserie
This unassuming walk-up-and-order joint is located in the Panhandle’s main grocery store, Falletti Foods on Oak Street. With a few solid vegan options, RT Rotisserie focuses on vegetables, like the roasted cauliflower sandwich with red beet tahini, cucumbers, and herbs on a fresh pita…and gorgeous sides like the seared broccoli with Chimichurri and toasted garlic, and the shredded cabbage and almond salad.
And don’t miss the fresh seasonal sorbet soft serve…a vegan’s dream!
Cybelle’s Front Room (Inner Sunset District)
CyBelle’s Front Room legitimately has a vegan cult following, and for good reason! They have veganized every conceivable comfort food, whether Italian or otherwise!
While it’s tough to pick from the 70 vegan menu items (I am serious!) across the categories of starters, pizzas, sandwiches, calzones, pastas, and desserts, suffice it to say that it is best to bring along some friends for this experience.
While we have admittedly only tried about half the menu so far😂, standouts include wings (we get both hot and garlic parm sauces), the ubergarlicky garlic knots, Vegan Hot Mess Express (spicy chick’n sandwich on pretzel bun), vegan pepperoni pizza, and the to-die-for Oreo beignets for dessert.
Do not miss CyBelle’s for killer San Francisco vegan food!
Citrus Club (Haight Ashbury)
My #1 favorite restaurant throughout my 20’s (a long time ago!), this hip Haight Ashbury joint has been serving up huge nourishing bowls of soup goodness for literally decades!
While all of their dishes are deliciously cozy, I guarantee you will never have a more flavorful broth than the Tom-Ka Thai Coconut Tofu Soup. Rich and spicy coconut veggie broth with rice noodles, carrots, cabbage, snow peas, cilantro, chilis, onions, and fried tofu. Sometimes I like to substitute soba noodles for a healthier bowl.
The spring rolls with peanut sauce a dynamite too..they offer tofu, veggie, or avocado. And the garlic edamame are especially tasty, too.
The perfect spot for a cold and rainy day, nothing is more heartwarming than a big bowl of Citrus Club.
So now, who’s hungry looking at all this delicious San Francisco vegan food!?! Please let me know what you think of these spots, or any of your favorites I missed, in comments below!
Finally, for more delicious vegan food in Northern California, check out:
- East Bay Vegan Food Not to Miss
- Can’t Miss Walnut Creek Vegan Dishes
- Awesome Vegan Asian Food in Oakland
- Somona Vegan Fod & Wine
Cheers!
–Jenn
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