SFGuide
The Best Vegan Restaurants In San Francisco
photo credit: Wildseed
The city is known for things like carne asada-stuffed burritos, seafood, and croissants made with an entire bucket of butter—so it’s understandable if you think it might be hard to find great vegan food. The places on this guide will prove you wrong. It’s full of spots for 100% plant-based everything, from empanadas and cinnamon rolls to sushi and loaded crunch wraps. And if you’re looking for a guide to the best vegetarian restaurants, we’ve got that, too.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Julia Chen
This beach-themed Outer Sunset vegan cafe (and Judahlicious sister spot) bills itself as a place for comfort food. In the Beach’n-verse, comfort translates to hearty servings of fluffy yet crispy french toast sticks, and crunch wraps full of refried beans, pickled jalapeños, and guacamole. Order them all, plus the potato hash cakes, which are basically tater tots the size of hockey pucks, and topped with mushrooms, “cheese” sauce, or ancho crema. It’s a counter-service situation, so find a communal table after ordering (and flip through a book from the back shelf while you wait). If the fog lets up, the sidewalk tables in front of this bright teal storefront are ideal.
There aren’t many vegan sushi places in the city. But this casual Mission spot stands out for its creative plant-based special rolls bursting with textures. The excellent Prime Suspect has creamy gochujang aioli, crunchy sweet potato crisps, and slabs of soft marinated eggplant draped over it. Tiny rice crackers and vegan caviar dot the top of the Surprise Ending (one roll is secretly spiked with habanero aioli). And we never leave without ordering the lightly fried Boddy and Soul decorated with spicy aioli and shichimi togarashi for an added kick. Whether you're vegan or not, a meal inside the place that looks like a Swedish sauna is always a good time.
photo credit: The Vegan Hood Chefs
The SF-based roving food truck (which you can usually find at the Ferry Building farmers market) is on a mission to create access to 100% vegan meals for local disenfranchised communities. And these meals are nothing short of game-changing. The menu constantly rotates, but you’ll see things like shrimp tacos, crispy grit cakes, “poke” fries, po’boys, jerk chicken and waffles, and other battered, fried, and coconut-marinated foods. Many dishes are brightened with pineapple slaws and tangy chipotle sauces and aiolis. Where they pull up varies, but stay glued to their Instagram feed where they announce upcoming pop-ups, festival appearances, and more.
photo credit: Joey Backs
Filipino Mexican street food mini-chain Señor Sisig has a completely vegan menu they dub Señor Sisig Vegano. It’s available at all of their locations, including the Mission and Ferry Building. That’s good news for plant-based eaters looking to wolf down solid jalapeño-heavy sisig tacos, loaded fries and nachos topped with vegan cheese, and french-fry-stuffed burritos. Pretty much anything on the menu can be swapped with either soy-based chicken or chili-coated tofu (we prefer the tofu). Come by the Mission outpost to enjoy weekday lunch or dinner on the patio.
Judahlicious is a fully vegan cafe in the Outer Sunset where you can fuel up with smoothies, acai bowls, and wraps before or after a day at Ocean Beach. Like at Beach’n, the portions are super-sized—salads are piled high with mango chunks and slices of avocado, gigantic wet burritos are drizzled with cashew crème, and gluten-free waffles arrive with a mound of acai on top. Post up with your heap of food, and enjoy the no-rush ambiance while a rotation of surfers and families steadily stream in and out.
photo credit: Wildseed
Wildseed fits in nicely with the health-minded places in Cow Hollow, and it looks like Free People, Key West, and Venice had a baby. This sort of scene-y spot specializes in plant-based, Italian and Mediterranean-leaning dishes of mostly passable pizzas, pastas, salads, and sharing plates. There’s a standout king trumpet mushroom ceviche, a paprika-heavy chicory salad, and fruity juices and cocktails to match. Another perk is that this spot has a range—come for brunch/lunch, daily Happy Hour, or to sit at the bar to drink a spiked green juice after afternoon yoga.
photo credit: Julia Chen
At Peña Pachamama, a flamenco dancer’s skirt might billow over your head while you’re eating. Roll with it—you’re at this North Beach live music venue and restaurant to have a good time over Bolivian vegan dishes. The large organic sampler is a great order for the table: it comes with a flaky empanada, plant-based albondigas, chewy and sweet plantains, and more. Or go for the chef’s special, a plate loaded with mashed potatoes, saucy portobellos, and a seasonal greens salad. There’s also a full bar, and plenty of seating around the stage, so round up a group and get here to drink one too many margaritas during dinner and the show.
photo credit: Rad Radish
Rad Radish is the model citizen for vegan fast-casual. The menu at this semi-industrial, modernist spot runs the gambit, from salads and grain bowls to pizzas, pastas, and sandwiches. These Mediterranean-Italian-ish (and occasionally Mexican) dishes are excellent vegan interpretations that’ll make you question whether you’re really at a vegan restaurant (you are, and a great one at that). Standouts include the al pastor bowl with tangy green salsa, the spicy impossible meat and jackfruit meatballs, and the super creamy vanilla oat milk soft serve with decadent chocolate sauce. Our only other advice: look for vegan pizza elsewhere (the coconut mozzarella used on most of the pies isn’t exactly a flavor powerhouse).
photo credit: Julia Chen
For a place with “nourish” in the name, this vegan spot in the Richmond (a second location is in Nob Hill) delivers plant-based cafe staples that are, surprise surprise, nourishing. The breakfast and lunch spot has some seats but runs an efficient takeout operation, so your move is to get here when you have only 10 minutes to scarf down lunch. There are pretty solid spinach wraps stuffed with a garden’s worth of red peppers and cabbage, bowls of tamari, garlic, and paprika-marinated tofu over quinoa or brown rice—they’re leveled up by a range of creamy sauces and dressing, like sriracha miso, or jalapeño cashew mayo. For your drinkable fruit and vegetable fix, a bunch of supergreen, pitaya, and baobab juice smoothies fill the menu.
