MIAGuide
The Best Vegan Restaurants In Miami
Our favorite Miami spots for plant-based Cuban sandwiches, croissants, dumplings, and more.
If you're a vegan, you already know that the days of being limited to leafy greens, tofu, and a small mountain of french fries are long gone. Thankfully the places on this guide have much more exciting menus. Most of them are fully vegan, and if they're not, you won't have any trouble finding plenty of options that'll work.
THE SPOTS
Planta Queen is a vegan restaurant in Coconut Grove with a sister restaurant on South Beach, which is also a solid fancy vegan option (although we like this location’s menu and relaxed atmosphere better). The dishes here aren’t perfect reproductions of the Asian foods they claim to imitate, but they’re still really good. Perfect example: a vegan version of crab rangoon that doesn’t quite taste like crab rangoon, but is still one of the best fried dumplings in Miami—even before a dunk in the outstanding sweet and sour sauce.
As unbelievable as it sounds, the experience here feels like going to a real Cuban cafeteria—not a vegan cafe. The fried “beef” empanadas are excellent, and the croquetas are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and deeply savory. Even their flan delivers the same flavors and textures as the traditional ones. The Cuban sandwich here, while not quite traditional with its mayonnaise and bread-and-butter pickles, is very good and definitely an interpretation any cubano aficionado should try.
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Coney Burger is a sidewalk restaurant in Little Havana serving a menu heavy on American nostalgia with burgers, chili dogs, soft serve, and mac and cheese. What makes it different from your average burger stand is that—in addition to the usual meat versions—there are plant-based variations of everything on the menu. It’s all very good too, so this is a great option if you’re with a mixed group of vegans and non-vegans—or if you just want a plant-based burger that could pass for the real thing. The mac and cheese with plant-based pepperoni crumbles is also worth ordering, and you can end things with a vegan soft serve cone.
Manna is a narrow Downtown restaurant, and another one of those places good for a quick, casual breakfast or lunch. They’ve got the usual suspects: açaí bowls, smoothies, and veggie bowls. But they also have a great coconut meat ceviche served with arepa wedges, burritos wrapped in nori, and a selection of arepas—which are arranged more like a flatbread and piled with falafel, avocado, and more tasty things. It’s chill enough in here to read a book on your lunch break and usually quick enough to get back before that meeting you’re probably going to be late too anyway.
There are a lot of places in Miami where the legions of post-spin-classers go to drink something green and eat an açaí bowl. Under The Mango is probably our favorite of such places—and definitely South Beach’s best version of this type of place. The small cafe has a menu full of things that’ll make you feel better about your recent intake of fried food. There are açaí and smoothie bowls, a spicy kale melt, juice, and enough caffeine options to get you motivated to sign up for another spin class, even though the one this morning almost made you pass out.
Believe it or not, Coconut Grove is home to two spots for vegan dim sum. Minty Z (who also have a location in Midtown) serves some really tasty and meat-free dumplings, bao, and more dishes great for sharing with a date or a couple of friends. They've got lots of small plates you can crowd the table with: dishes like a kimchi hot dog, vegan shrimp shumai, sesame seitan wings, and more. You can also eat it in a cute dining room beneath a painting of a sloth eating noodles.
The best thing about Wynwood’s Love Life Cafe is the options. They have a lot of them—all plant-based—including pizza, burritos, tacos, bowls, arepas, burgers, and salads. The next best thing is that it pretty much all tastes very good. Their veggie burger is stacked tall with guacamole, pickles, plant-based cheddar, and a “superfood patty.” The El Chamo Bowl is a lovely mix of brown rice, black beans, shredded jackfruit, plantains, avocado, guasacaca sauce, and cilantro aioli. And just a head’s up if you haven’t been here in a while, they’ve moved to a new location in Wynwood with a bigger dining room.
The Plantisserie is a place you can hit up whether you’re looking for a quick meal or need some dinner supplies to cook at home. The Little River market/deli has plant-based empanadas, lasagna, ropa vieja, and a very good shepherd’s pie. It’s all available to-go or for indoor and outdoor dining. If you’re in more of a rush, they also sell frozen versions of most of their entrees, as well as vegan pizza, lentil burger patties, organic wines, and some more pantry items that will probably cause you to spend $25 more than you planned.
Vegetarian Restaurant By Hakin is a little restaurant and market in North Miami Beach. Even though its name says vegetarian, everything here is vegan. They have good versions of Philly cheesesteaks, banh mi, and burgers. They also serve some vegan versions of Caribbean dishes like ackee and saltfish with “vegan fish.” It’s a low-key spot with a comfortable dining room and shelves full of holistic medicine, and it’s a solid option for a healthy weeknight dinner or easy takeout.
L’Artisane is a small vegan bakery perfect for picking up something sweet for breakfast or sitting down and eating a croissant sandwich for brunch or lunch. The croissants are what this place does best—and they come plain, in sweeter versions like chocolate or almond, or as sandwiches stuffed with avocado, mushrooms, and more. There are other good things here—like danishes and macarons—and it’s quiet enough to bring a laptop and get some work done.
The Last Carrot is a little family-owned spot that’s been operating in Coconut Grove since the ’70s. They have some counter seating good for solo dining and a few small tables—both inside and outdoors. They serve veggie pitas, smoothies, and small mountains of vegetables they call a salad. It’s a decent option for a post-workout meal or a quick work lunch where you and your coworker can say mean things about your boss over an avocado pita.
This Tamiami vegan spot is an animal sanctuary that makes an excellent breakfast burrito, french toast, veggie burger, and great smoothies. Everything is 100% vegan and they serve breakfast all day, so it’s a great brunch option on weekdays or weekends. After eating, check out the cows, fluffy silkie chickens, bunnies, pigs, and giggly turkeys. It’s all outdoors, but the chickens keep the bugs away, and they have plenty of fans and parking. Multiple yoga classes are offered daily, and it’s very family-friendly. Just keep your eyes on Frank The Rooster. He loves plantain chips.
The Vegan Marie is a vegan restaurant and shop in Little Haiti where the food options change just about daily. It's one of those places where you find out what's on the menu by having a conversation with the chef, who'll happily tell you what they have that day. It could be a spicy seaweed wrap, or a filling platter of legumes, chickpeas, veggie balls, and perfectly ripe Florida avocados. But it'll probably be very tasty. The space is sort of a cross between restaurant, botánica, and market. They also sell a housemade cocktail called Chiré Pantalèt (translation: you don't want to know). It's a dangerously good mixture of sugarcane moonshine, passionfruit, and ginger that you most definitely want in your fridge.
