The Best Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants in Seattle

Vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Seattle don’t get enough publicity. As a result, meat eaters often raise eyebrows anytime they have a vegetarian or vegan dining among them.

We’ve all been there: you’re going out for a group dinner and either you or someone you know is vegan or vegetarian. One of two things happen. Either your group goes to a meat-centric restaurant and the poor vegan/vegetarian eats raw lettuce. Or you go to a veg-friendly restaurant and all the meat eaters are fuming.

Fortunately, there are a lot of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Seattle that don’t suck. You just have to know where to look. I’m a proud meat eater, but I’ve found vegan restaurants in Seattle with dishes I go back for again and again…even when I’m not with other vegans.

So here it is. My list of the best vegetarian and vegan Seattle restaurants and what you should order at each.

Before I outline the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Seattle, some general advice. If you need to go vegetarian or vegan, stick to one of these cuisines:

• Indian – Good for vegans because it’s mostly vegetables and has little dairy
• Middle Eastern – Vegetable forward. Think hummus, roast cauliflower, eggplant, etc.
• Asian – A lot of Asian cooking is veg friendly with lots of tofu and no dairy

Below are Seattle’s best vegan and vegetarian restaurants. I’ve separated it into two sections: one with purely vegan or vegetarian restaurants where you won’t find meat and another with restaurants that aren’t exclusively vegan or vegetarian, but have a lot of options for non-animal eaters.

Best Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants in Seattle

Jump to Seattle restaurants best for:

• Vegetarians
• Vegans

Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Seattle

Here are spots with excellent vegetarian menus, even if they also serve some meat. Many also have options for vegans!

Cafe Flora

website | directions | neighborhood: Madison Valley | best for: brunch

My sister used to be a pescetarian, so we’d go to Cafe Flora for brunch on the regular back when I first moved to Seattle 15 years ago. I’ve actually never been there for dinner, but brunch…oh brunch. It is so. damn. good.

First, the ambiance. I love how they have a sunny atrium. There are also a ton of plants that really play into the veg vibes.

As far as the food, this place is vegetarian because it has eggs and dairy. But you can make pretty much anything on the menu vegan friendly.

What to get: If available and you’re vegetarian, I like the egg scrambles. They always have interesting mix ins without drying out the eggs.

Spice Waala

website | directions | neighborhoods: 3 locations in Capitol Hill, Columbia City & Ballard | best for: Indian kathi rolls

Spice Waala is some of my favorite cheap eats in Seattle and one of Seattle’s best Indian restaurants. Owners Aakanksha Sinha and Uttam Mukherjee started selling the Indian street food they grew up eating out of farmers markets. The menu includes kathi rolls, chaat, and bhel puri, all dishes you’ll rarely see at typical Indian restaurants in the US.

What to get: The aloo khati roll and papdi chaat “Indian nachos” are bomb. The aloo roll is vegan and includes potato, or you can make it vegetarian by adding a hard-boiled egg. The chaat is vegetarian with dairy sauce and some of the best chutney ever.

Livbud Cafe

website | directions | neighborhood: Fremont | best for: veg-forward all-day cafe

Livbud is on an extended break.

Livbud Cafe is a gorgeous cafe that feels like a third place. Need a morning smoothie or coffee pick me up? Livbud has that. Want swank cocktails and seasonal dinner plates? They have that too. You can spend all day eating every meal at Livbud, which is a concept that was sorely missing from the Fremont area before they opened.

What to get: Gosh, everything is good here. I love their make-you-own dip boards with veg-forward purees as a starter. Their oyster mushroom shawarma and veg burger are also quite good. Really you can’t go wrong with anything on their menu!

Preserve and Gather

website | directions | neighborhood: Greenwood | best for: a quick bite in an Instagrammable coffee shop

Preserve and Gather is a coffee shop in an unassuming area of Greenwood under a condo building on busy 85th Street. Walking in is even more unexpected. It’s so cute. It has a wall with gorgeous wallpaper that’s the perfect backdrop for Instagram photos. This is one of the best coffee shops in Seattle because they make yummy drinks using locally-roasted Fulcrum Coffee.

The menu is small, but well executed. They make their baked goods, yogurt, and ricotta cheese in house. They offer vegetarian toasts and sandwiches alongside charcuterie plates. I always get the vegetarian toasts for a quick lunch that doesn’t make me feel gross after.

What to get: One of their ricotta toasts and sea salt cookie. Their homemade ricotta is amazing and their salty chocolate chip cookie gooey.

The Juicy Cafe

website | directions | neighborhoods: 2 locations Downtown & South Lake Union | best for: a healthy lunch to-go

The Juicy Cafe is a place I discovered back when I worked in downtown Seattle. Its original location is hard to find tucked away in the Convention Center. But when you find it, it’s full of locals trying to squeeze in a healthy lunch between meetings.

They’ve since opened another location. Their menu features homemade juices and vegan or veg-based grain bowls. You can add cheese and meat on top if you’d like. Either way, this is one of the best healthy restaurants in Seattle.

What to get: The Smokey Southwest Avocado Bowl. I love the combination of New Mexico-inspired flavors.

The Carlile Room

website | directions | neighborhood: Downtown | best for: veg-forward dishes served in moody lighting

This is Tom Douglas’ most veg-heavy restaurant. It offers classic new-American dishes for all tastes, but it’s vegetable dishes are where it shines. They also offer the Impossible burger (another non-meat beef brand).

What to get: Any of the vegetable small plates. They rotate seasonally and always balance flavors and textures beautifully.

Bounty Kitchen

website | directions | neighborhood: Queen Anne | best for: a bright, order-at-the-counter brunch

This is another one of those Instagrammable cafes in Seattle. There’s a ton of light, cute wallpaper, and plants galore. The menu is heavily vegetarian and vegan, with a useful key to let you know what dietary restrictions it caters to. They also have a popup once in awhile serving vegan hot dogs.

It’s casual, so order at the counter and grab a number. Don’t forget to grab some of their yummy citrus-infused waters before you sit.

What to get: The good morning avocado sandwich. The roasted tomato adds so much flavor, almost as if it was sun-dried without the chewy texture.

Stoneburner

website | directions | neighborhood: Ballard | best for: Italian, veg-forward dishes

Stoneburner is on my dishes you must try in Seattle list. The dish included in that list has meat in it, but surprisingly a lot of items on their menu do not. It’s a great place to come with a group of meat eaters and non-animal eaters. Plus the decor is full of carefully-curated vintage finds.

What to get: Their salads. They have a really awesome Caesar salad that they make with snap peas or Brussel sprouts depending on the season, but really any of their salads are bomb. This is one of my go-to Seattle restaurants whenever I get a hankering for some of the best salads in Seattle.

Cafe Turko

website | directions | neighborhood: Fremont | best for: Turkish dishes for sharing

This family-run Turkish restaurant has a lot of eggplant, chickpea, and cauliflower-heavy dishes perfect for vegans and vegetarians. I love it so much that it’s featured in my self-guided Seattle food tour in Fremont.

What to get: The rainbow hummus plate. Their hummus is incredibly creamy and I love the twist they take by adding beets or yams to their classic recipe.

Aviv Hummus Bar

website | directions | neighborhood: Capitol Hill | best for: Israeli food

This cafe up in north Capitol Hill on 15th is a bit off the beaten path, but worth seeking out. They’re serving some of the best Middle Eastern food in Seattle, especially creamy hummus topped wit yummy items like mushrooms, eggplant, and meat. Despite the animal products thought, this is a fantastic place for vegans. And omg their fluffy pitas are the thing of dreams.

What to get: The sabich pita sandwich with fried eggplant, hummus, and other goodies. It has a hard-boiled egg in it, but ask them to remove it. And definitely add a falafel to make this pita extra special and put it in the category of the best Seattle sandwiches.

Portage Bay Cafe

website | directions | neighborhoods: 5 locations in Ballard, Ravenna, U-District, West Seattle & SLU | best for: brunch with vegetarian options

Portage Bay is loud and often has a wait. You’d think that be enough to deter me, but rather they’ve ended up on my best brunch in Seattle list. They have an extensive menu with options for all palates. Plus there’s a topping bar for adding goodies to your French toast or pancakes.

What to get: The migas. It’s like an omelette made with a crisp tortilla that includes eggs, potatoes, cheese, chipotle, and cilantro-lime crema.

Best Vegan Restaurants in Seattle

Non-animal-product eaters, I see you. Here are the best Seattle vegan restaurants.

Harvest Beat

website | directions | neighborhood: Wallingford | best for: a fancier multi-course meal

There aren’t that many multi-course, vegan or vegetarian restaurants that make it on the list of the best fine dining restaurants in Seattle, but funny enough, this isn’t the owners of Harvest Beat’s first venture into fancy vegan fare.

Owners Jan and Aaron Geibel used to own the vegetarian multi-course restaurant Sutra with co-owners Amber Tande and chef Colin Patterson (you might recognize the latter from a brief stint on Top Chef Texas).

Things unfortunately didn’t work out and Sutra closed. Colin Patterson went on to open a restaurant in Leavenworth called Mana, which is similar in concept but not vegetarian. You can read about my experience at Mana, which I think is one of the best restaurants in Leavenworth, Washington.

After the split, the Geibels decided to open the multi-course vegan restaurant Harvest Beat down the street. For about $135 per person, you get a completely vegan 5-course meal.

They’re doing really interesting things with vegetables, people. I still remember that they created a meringue dessert out of chickpeas. It was revolutionary that you could use chickpeas to make something that matches the technical complexity of a meringue. It’s this dish alone that has me convinced Harvest Beat is one of the best restaurants in North Seattle.

This place is best for a fancier meal, as it’s a dimly lit, pricier restaurant that only has one seating per night at 7 pm (6:30 pm on Sundays). Be warned: it’s a bit woo-woo, as the meal begins with a gong and a speech from the chef. He gives thanks to the farmers and talks about the menu before guests are served. Yet I’d say it’s arguably the best place to go meatless in Seattle.

What to get: Besides the tasting menu, get the non-alcoholic beverage pairing. I found it to be one of the most interesting parts of the meal. Think of the most interesting cocktails you’ve had, but sans alcohol.

Next Level Burger

website | directions | neighborhood: 2 locations in Ballard & U-District | best for: plant-based burger

I really don’t like fake meat products. The majority I’ve had taste too processed for my liking. Yet, Next Level won me over with the handling of their plant-based burger.

They started in Bend, Oregon and now have locations along the west coast and in Texas. They’re also conveniently located inside the U-District Whole Foods so you can grab a quick bite before food shopping.

What to get: TheAmerican Chzburger with the meat-free Beyond patty. I don’t understand how this plant-based burger can taste exactly like an all-American burger, but it does. You’ll have no idea you’re going meatless because it rivals some of the best burgers in Seattle!

Veggie Grill

website | directions | neighborhoods: 2 locations Downtown & U-District | best for: a quick, hearty veg-based meal

I really don’t like national chains. I read that book “Eat This, Not That” in high school and it changed my life learning how unnecessarily caloric chains are. As a result, I never go to them.

But one day I was desperate for a healthy lunch when working downtown, so I stopped in. I ordered the Sonoran Bowl and was hooked. I was amazed at how a menu that sounded like they just threw veggies together could be so flavorful. Now it’s our go-to place whenever we go shopping in U-Village. If you love grain bowls, definitely come here.

What to get: The Sonoran bowl. Honestly, I haven’t tried much of the menu because I always crave this and get it every time. It has southwest-inspired flavors with black bean, avocado, and roasted tomatoes on top of quinoa.

Kati Vegan Thai

website | directions | neighborhood: 2 locations in South Lake Union & Kirkland | best for: Thai food

This vegan Thai restaurant rules. Heck, it’s one of Seattle’s best Thai restaurants period. One of my old coworkers was vegan and recommended this spot for after work hangs. Obviously all us meat eaters were dubious, but our tune quickly changed once food started arriving at our table.

Their menu features vegan everything, from fried rice to popular veg takes on classic meat appetizers. For example, they have wings made with oyster mushrooms and jackfruit on sticky rice. This is a great spot when you need a Seattle restaurant for group dining because of its modern mid century vibes and yummy cocktail menu.

What to get: Khao soi. This northern Thai coconut milk curry soup is often served with chicken, but their tofu version is top notch.

Bimbos Cantina

website | directions | neighborhood: Capitol Hill | best for: Mexican food

You might be saying, “Hey, wait a minute, Bimbos isn’t vegan!” And you’d be partially right. Bimbos Cantina serves meat eaters. However, they have a menu completely dedicated to vegans. And as a meat eater I can tell you, it tastes amazing.

We got the burrito with vegan chorizo and vegan supreme nachos. Both were good, but the nachos were the true standout. They are smothered in this “cheese” sauce that had me questioning how the heck they got the oozy consistency. But I didn’t think about it too hard before scarfing them down. This is definitely one of the best vegan dishes I’ve had in a while…you’d never guess it was meat free!

When I asked the owner, Jeff, why the vegan menu, here’s what he had to say:

“We’ve been doing vegan food for 25 years, before vegan food was a thing. My partner Rebecca was vegan, as were a lot of our friends, so we wanted items on the menu that they could order. Working with local vendors is something we’ve always believed, so between that and wanting a heavy vegan menu, we’ve become mostly all organic and locally sourced, with 99.5% biodegradable service items. It became so popular we decided to recently create a completely vegan menu so our friends don’t have to find them hidden within the menu. Now we’re the only taqueria in town doing vegan.”

What to get: The vegan supreme nachos. You won’t be able to tell their vegan. If you’re feeling daring, get the stoner nachos made with spicy Doritos instead.

Frankie & Jo’s

website | directions | neighborhoods: 3 locations in Capitol Hill, Ballard, & U-District | best for: vegan ice cream

You’d never guess this ice cream shop serves all plant-based ice cream given how creamy and yummy their ice cream is. Plus when you walk in, you’re transported into cool Palm Spring-esque mid century vibes with a lot of pastels and plants.

That’s because the aesthetic was created by two queens of branding: Autumn Martin and Kari Brunson. These stylish women have some serious culinary cred. Autumn was a pastry chef at Canlis, then a chocolatier at Theo, and then founded Hot Cakes. Kari founded Juicebox Cafe, a vegetable-focused restaurant that unfortunately closed.

They use house-made sprouted cashew milk and gum-free coconut milk for their ice cream base, gluten-free and vegan mix-ins, and natural sugars like dates or maple syrup. I’m big on ice cream texture and am blown away by how they can get such a creamy texture not using dairy.

They are also on my list of the best Seattle dessert delivery because they ship pints of their vegan ice cream nationwide. If you’re looking for dessert options for other dietary restrictions like gluten free, check out my guide!

What to get: The strawberry milk flavor. It’s super creamy and refreshing!

Araya’s Place

website | directions | neighborhood: 3 locations in U-District, SLU, & Bellevue | best for: Thai food

I was torn whether or not to put Araya’s Place on this list. I immediately thought of it as a Seattle restaurant for vegans. However, I’ve had dishes I didn’t love here. So could I in good faith put it on my list of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Seattle?

I decided to add it because it has a dish I crave again and again: their banana curry. It’s sweet and super banana-y. My boyfriend thinks it’s a touch too sweet, so it’s not for the banana haters, but if you like cooked bananas you will love this dish.

What to get: Besides the massaman banana curry, get the tofu satay to start.

Other Seattle vegan & vegetarian restaurants to try

There are still a few vegan and vegetarian places I need to try.

• Loving Hut (Chinatown-ID)- Vegan Vietnamese chain
• Chu Minh Tofu (Chinatown-ID) – Another vegan Vietnamese spot
• Sunlight Cafe (Roosevelt) – Vegetarian cafe
• Wayward Vegan (Roosevelt) – Fully-vegan restaurant
• Life on Mars (Capitol Hill) – Cocktail bar with a surprising vegan menu

More restaurant ideas

• Pescetarians will love eating at the best fish restaurants in Seattle and best poke in Seattle
• Vegetarians will love eating their way through the best pizza in Seattle
• Vegetarians that eat dairy will appreciate these best ice cream shops in Seattle
• Vegans and vegetarians alike drink, amiright? Take them on a crawl of my favorite Ballard breweries or visit the best Seattle urban wineries