Whether it’s Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, or just because you feel like it, sharing wine, food, and great conversation with your special person at a romantic restaurant is hard to beat.
Vegan menus at restaurants used to be few and far between, but luckily, this is no longer the case. In fact, nearly 50 percent of restaurants across the US now offer vegan dishes, research suggests. But if you want to head somewhere where you can sample everything on the menu (and why not? It is a special occasion, after all), then you’ll be pleased to know that entirely vegan eateries are also on the rise. To help you find the perfect one for your dreamy evening out, we’ve compiled some of our favorite romantic restaurants below in no particular order.
Romantic vegan restaurants
Planta
1 Planta
Multiple locations
With locations in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and more, Planta is committed to providing North Americans with a unique, luxury plant-based dining experience. Across its restaurants, its dishes are seasonal, fresh, sustainable, and, above all, delicious. Expect to find plenty of sushi, salads, and upscale pizza topped with creamy cashew mozzarella.
Find it here
Kusaki
2 Kusaki
Los Angeles, CA
Sushi lovers, listen up: Kusaki is a must-try. The Los Angeles omakase and sushi restaurant presents unique, artfully hand-crafted, fish-free cuisine, all of which is bursting with flavor. Some of the standout options include the Shishito (which features a brioche bun, fried shiso, charred maitake, and shishito aioli) and torched nigiri.
Find it here
Crossroads Kitchen
3 Crossroads Kitchen
Multiple locations
Crossroads Kitchen has long been one of the go-to vegan restaurants for fine dining in Los Angeles, there’s no doubt. Now, with two more locations in Las Vegas and Calabasas, more diners than ever can experience the fresh and unique flavors of Crossroads’ plant-packed menu. Choose from options like eggplant short rib with a foraged mushroom bordelaise, scallopini parmesan, and truffle mushroom Bianca pizza.
Find it here
HanGawi
4 HanGawi
New York, NY
HanGawi is an authentic and traditional Korean dining experience, so expect to find low tables, a peaceful, calm ambiance, and a shoes-off policy. You can also, of course, expect to find nourishing gourmet meals, including spicy sesame leaf tofu patties, Korean vegan sushi rolls, and Mongolian hot pot, all of which are 100 percent vegan. It’s no surprise this eatery has been awarded a prestigious Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide.
Find it here
Apteka
5 Apteka
Pittsburgh, PA
If you want to sample the flavors of Eastern Europe in an upscale, James Beard-nominated restaurant, Apteka is the place to visit. The eatery proves that the region’s traditional foods, which are often laden with meat and cheese, can all be made totally vegan without sacrificing a pinch of flavor.
Find it here
Eleven Madison Park
6 Eleven Madison Park
New York, NY
Three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park made headlines in 2021 when chef and co-owner Daniel Humm removed all animal products from the menu. But you can rest assured that the quality of this prestigious, world-renowned restaurant didn’t suffer. In fact, the food just keeps getting better and better.
Find it here
Gracias Madre
7 Gracias Madre
West Hollywood and Newport Beach, CA
California’s Gracias Madre serves unbeatable organic, plant-based, and flavor-laden Mexican cuisine, all of which is made with locally sourced ingredients. Choose from dishes like chorizo empanadas, which are loaded with soy chorizo, zucchini, onions, bell peppers, and salsa chipotle, and sizzling platters of grilled seasonal vegetables with pumpkin seed tofu.
Find it here
Anixi
8 Anixi
New York, NY
New York’s Anixi is a celebration of the vibrant mezze and hearty entrée dishes of the Mediterranean, particularly those of Greece, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. Everything is not just vegan, but also kosher and gluten-free, too.
Find it here
Millennium
9 Millennium
Oakland, CA
Millennium’s fresh, flavor-packed menu is an assortment of worldly plant-based cuisine, all of which is carefully crafted with sustainable, organic ingredients from local farms. In 2016, this popular Oakland eatery was also awarded a respected Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide. The menu is ever-changing, but you can expect to find options like allspice and pimento roasted honeynut squash and pomegranate and walnut glazed tempeh.
Find it here
Plum Bistro
10 Plum Bistro
Seattle, WA
In 2019, chef Makini Howell made the New York Times’ list of the top Black chefs changing America. And if you want to find out why, you need to head to Seattle’s Plum Bistro. The chic eatery is on a mission to impress even the most meat-loving carnivores in society, and we have to admit, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who won’t enjoy its tempting menu of bowls, burgers, pastas, and hearty supper dishes. The latter includes carne asada, crispy eggplant parmesan, and chipotle plant beef tostadas.
Find it here
Nic’s On Beverly
11 Nic’s On Beverly
Los Angeles, CA
Described as “a love letter to Los Angeles,” Nic Adler’s Nic’s On Beverly is focused on giving its diners the very best of California cuisine, which is why all of its dishes are made with fresh local produce. Expect to find dishes like cast iron roasted tofu, crispy mushroom sandwiches, and indulgent wood-fired Detroit-style pizzas.
Find it here
La Semilla
12 La Semilla
Atlanta, GA
La Semilla offers a slice of Latin flavor in the middle of Atlanta. Its “scratch-made, forward-thinking fare” includes a delicious selection of small plates “para la mesa,” including Mantequilla Beans, Chochoyoes, and Ensalada De Case. For your main, tuck in to handhelds like Crunch Wraps, Cubanos, and carne asada tacos.
Find it here
Ubuntu
13 Ubuntu
Los Angeles, CA
Created by Shanarri “Greens” Freeman, another James Beard-nominated chef, in collaboration with vegan restaurant group Overthrow Hospitality, Ubuntu offers a delicious dive into the flavors of African countries like Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana in the middle of Los Angeles. Mouth-watering delights include jollof arancini, Red Red Stew, and lion’s mane pie.
Find it here
Cadence
14 Cadence
New York, NY
Another offering from Freeman and Overthrow Hospitality, Cadence is a little different from LA’s Ubuntu, but it is just as delicious. The organic, soy-free menu is a celebration of soul food, so you can expect to find everything from biscuits and gravy to smoked grits to maple buttermilk cornbread, and so much more.
Find it here
Shojin
15 Shojin
Downtown LA and Culver City, CA
In its two California locations, Shojin offers a plethora of delectable Japanese dishes, including sushi, ramen, and small plates, including gyozas and tempura. One of the standout options is the chef’s omakase tasting menu, which features rock “shrimp” skewers, maple-glazed Brussels sprouts, Shojin shiso gyozas, and spicy “tuna” on crispy rice.
Find it here
Twelvemonth
16 Twelvemonth
Burlingame, CA
Burlingame’s Twelvemonth embraces a vegetable-forward, low-waste approach to food, and the majority of its ingredients are sourced from local farmers. Dinner options are a true celebration of the plant kingdom, with entrée choices like pear curry, Squashio e Pepe, and charred cabbage salad.
Find it here
Bloom Plant Based Kitchen
17 Bloom Plant Based Kitchen
Chicago, IL
As you’d expect from a restaurant called Bloom, the menu at this popular Chicago eatery is unique, fresh, and entirely plant-forward. Some of the delights on offer include Turnip Causa with fermented and smoked turnips, miso guava eggplant, and root vegetable pot pie.
Find it here
Pietramala
18 Pietramala
Philadelphia, PA
This small restaurant in Philadelphia is certainly not lacking in flavor. With a menu focused on produce from Pennslyvania, the dishes are constantly changing, but you can always expect to enjoy fresh, unique, and show-stopping flavors. Examples of the types of dishes you can expect to find include blistered carrots, farro risotto, and tonnarelli with sweet potato, aged tofu, and cracked pepper.
Find it here
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Charlotte is a writer and editor based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
