In 2013, #BlackLivesMatter was founded in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Some seven years later, and, sadly, the Black community still faces the threat of State-sanctioned violence. Now, the world is grieving George Floyd, another Black, unarmed man killed by a white police officer whose job was to keep him safe.
Many protesters have taken to the streets to highlight the injustices the Black community has fayced and in an effort to end white supremacy once and for all. In addition, people have been signing protests, donating to equality initiatives, and educating themselves about systematic racism.
Whilst it may not still be at the top of trending topics, we think it’s so important to keep this conversation going and continue to share resources with each other to continue to uplift and elevate the Black community, because we stand with you, and because Black lives still matter, and forever more will. Another great way we can support and uplift the Black community is by supporting black-owned businesses, so we put together a comprehensive list of the black-owned vegan restaurants, cafes, eateries that we love around the US.
If you like this article and agree it’s important to continue sharing this message of support, please consider sharing this resource on your platform to make this voice of resource louder, or tag a friend or two.
Atlanta, Georgia
Vegan junk food: Slutty Vegan
Expect bangin’ plant-based cuisine at Slutty Vegan, one of the most provocative vegan restaurants of them all! Slutty Vegan has some delightfully satisfying finds on their menu, coupled with even more interesting names, like their Hollywood Hooker (Philly cheesesteak), Sloppy Toppy (plant-based burger), and Skinny Dippers (Nola style fried pickles).
Pinky Cole is the founder and proprietor of Slutty Vegan, which she opened in 2018 in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Atlanta. The idea for the name came to be one evening when she was in her room craving some vegan junk food. One of her goals in opening the restaurant was to change the narrative around vegan food, particularly in those areas where people were under-informed. She hopes one day to have her own vegan bacon line, a reality television show, and a Slutty Vegan truck tour!
Minneapolis, Minnesota
100% plant-based soul food: Trio Plant Based
As Minnesota’s first plant-based and Black-owned restaurant, it was a no brainer to include Trio Plant Based in our roundup! The restaurant was founded in 2018 on a foundation of racial justice. Louis Hunter has owned the restaurant for over a year now, making it the first Black-owned in the state. Hunter lost his landscaping job in 2016 when he was unjustly arrested during a Black Lives Matter protest in the Twin Cities. He fought for over two years to get the charges dropped, and after being successful in doing so, he later invested and is now the owner of Trio Plant Based.
Hunter is committed to create unique soul food dishes made entirely of plants. Regardless of your lifestyle, everyone can get behind the tasty creations of this Minneapolis based restaurant, including their BBQ jackfruit fries, classic double cheeseburger, and their buffalo chikkin mac.
Chicago, Illinois
Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat
The options are seemingly endless at Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat in Chicago! This vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based restaurant has salads, entrees, smoothies, and most famous are their shakes! Pair their delicious vegan hoagie with their “Cookie Monster” shake or sip on something healthier like their “The Bad and The Boujee” fruit smoothie! Food item favorites include their bang’n buffalo shrimp and can’t believe it’s a pizza puff, made with vegan sausage and cheese.
Los Angeles, California
Vegan ice cream in Los Angeles: Divine Dips
You know a vegan restaurant is going to be amazing when Tabitha Brown casually stops by for a scoop or two! Divine Dips is making ice cream available to everyone, regardless of their lifestyles. The ice cream here is void of dairy and instead uses a delicious combination of organic coconut milk, cashews, nut milks, and other all-natural ingredients to create their mouthwatering scoops. It is also gluten-free! You don’t need to be vegan to love this ice cream, sweetened with agave nectar.
The mastermind behind Divine Dips is Diane Jacobs, who also dabbles in filmmaking, photography, recipe development, and even architectural design. Before Divine Dips, she was the founder and chief artist of the Cakeworks, where she worked for 12 years. She began tinkering with dairy and gluten-free recipes, and thus her incredible dairy-free innovation was born. If you are ever in Los Angeles, you need to check out Divine Dips.
Affordable hearty comfort food meals:
Compton Vegan
Owner of Compton Vegan, Lemel Durrah, is a genius — he’s made healthy and hearty, filling vegan food affordable and accessible. Offering pick up or delivery in West LA and Compton, get your fix of collard beans, all kinds of chick’n, creamy pasta, all the classics. No compromising on taste or price.
Insane vegan fried chicken goodness and serious feasts not for the faint-hearted:
Lettuce Feast
Family-owned plant-based Ethiopian eatery:
Azla Vegan
Accessible and affordable health-conscious vegan pop up: Baba's Vegan Cafe
Super loaded juicy vegan burgers: Vurger Guyz
Beautiful hearty rainbow plates of comfort:
Plate of Hue
Organic vegan food: Stuff I Eat
Stuff I Eat is a vegan and 95 percent organic restaurant nestled in sunny Inglewood, California! Chef B (Babette) is behind the award-winning food here. She is not only vegan but she is also an animal rights activist who has worked for nonprofits including the famous Mercy for Animals. She encourages wise food choices, and she makes it pretty easy given the delicious and healthy dishes here, which is inclusive of breakfast, salads, desserts, and more.
Oakland, California
Vegan BBQ and soul food: Vegan Mob
Bold flavours and good vibes: Souley Vegan
San Diego, California
Breakfast & brunch: Spoiled Vegans
Enjoy the best meal of the day at Spoiled Vegans in San Diego, California. The extensive breakfast and brunch menu here will have even the latest of sleepers rising early to get their hands on the amazing items here. For example, one of their most popular items is their buffalo chik’n breakfast sandwich, with a vegan air-fried spicy “chicken” patty, a JUST egg folded patty, smoked gouda cheese, dill pickles, and house-made buffalo aioli on a sourdough “McMuffin.”
This restaurant even donated a percentage of sales to the Black Lives Matter movement in June and continues to aid the Black community in San Diego.
New York City, New York
The best Ethiopian food EVER: Bunna Cafe
Unbeateable comfort food: Seasoned Vegan
Manhattan: Urban Vegan Kitchen
Brooklyn: Ali’s Trinidad Roti Shop, American Vegan, Brotoklyn Tea, Brooklyn Suya, Cafe Ezrulie, Cheryl’s Global Soul, Cuts and Slices, Greedi Vegan, Ital Kitchen, Juices For Life, Natural Blend, Nourish, Rain Eatery and Juice Bar, Ras Ethiopian, Sol Sips
Queens: Veggie Castle
Bronx: H.I.M Ital Health Food, Juices For Life, Next Stop Vegan
Delivery: How Delish HD, Veggie Grub, BAD Gyal Vegan
Kansas City, Missouri
Vegan comfort food: Topknotch Vegan Vittles
Chow down on some vegan soul food thanks to Topknotch Vegan Vittles in Kansas City! The menu here will delight your taste buds, with rare finds like a vegan Philly cheese sandwich made with jackfruit and a spicy seafood bowl on the menu. Kimberly Vincent is behind this tasty restaurant, and after facing a physical life obstacle herself, she had a newfound passion for veganism. She tries to spread the word with the help of her delicious food, and we certainly think she’s succeeding!
Happy Apple Cafe
Kansas City is renowned for its BBQ, so it’s wonderful to see vegan restaurants harnessing this love for soul and comfort food in their cruelty-free venues, including Happy Apple Cafe. This cafe opened in October 2018 (Happy Cow says that it is closed, but it is not). Get ready for vegan French toast, fried cauliflower, strawberry cream cake, and so many more delicious finds.
In addition to food, Happy Apple Cafe is incredibly vocal about the need of equality. On their Instagram, they said:
“We don’t support racism, sexism, misogyny, xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, ageism, or anything else hate related. Our focus was and always will be to create an inclusive space and make each individual feel at home when they walk thru our doors.”
Dayton, Ohio
Vegan soul food: That’s Soul Vegan
We head to Ohio to check out That’s Soul Vegan. Home style recipes and fresh ingredients come together as one to create the delicious dishes at this vegan restaurant in Dayton. Their menu is inclusive of items including cauliflower wings, fiesta corn, stuffed meatloaf, banging burritos, and many more tasty and cruelty-free mains. This is one restaurant you need to add to your culinary journey the next time you’re in Ohio!
Little Rock, Arkansas
Vegan junk food & desserts: MeMe’s Twisted Potato
Fresh ingredients and delicious recipes are behind the tasty creations at MeMe’s Twisted Potato in Little Rock, Arkansas. The comfort food here is sure to sooth you, with menu items like their vegan meatloaf with southern stir-fried potatoes, Lolita rueben, twisted potatoes, and a plethora of mouthwatering sides.
San Antonio, Texas
Vegan junk food & desserts: Go Vegan San Antonio
The menu at Go Vegan San Antonio will make you drool. From a vegan mac ‘n cheese and tempeh bacon sandwich to their savory tofu tacos, you truly won’t know what to order when frequenting this vegan food truck.
Nashville, Tennessee
Vegan Southern-Style Eats in Nashville: Southern V
Baltimore, Maryland
Vegan soul food restaurant: The Land of Kush
Riverdale, Maryland
Organic & mostly raw hip-hop-inspired dishes: Gangster Vegan Organics
Eatonville, Florida
Vegan cafe with a Jamaican flair: DaJen Eats Cafe & Creamery
Charlotte, North Carolina
Celebrity chef owned all-vegan soul food restaurant: Veltree
Portland, Oregon
100% Vegan Cajun, Creole, Southern cuisine: Dirty Lettuce PDX
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit's premiere 100% vegan soul food restaurant: Detroit Vegan Soul
More Information About Amazing Black-Owned Businesses You Need to Check Out
If you loved this article about how to support the Black Lives Matter movement with your wallet, then be sure to check out these other amazing articles featuring even more amazing and black-owned businesses. In addition to voting, making donations, protesting, signing petitions, educating yourself, and showing solidarity on social media, supporting black-owned business with your purchases is just another way in which to move the movement forward.
- 21 Black-Owned Vegan Businesses to Support Right Now by Audrey Enjoli for Live Kindly
- The VegNews Guide to Vegan Black-Owned Businesses for VegNews
- 11 Black-Owned Vegan Businesses To Support That Ship Nationwide by Mohini Patel for Veg Out
- 7 Black-Owned Vegan Businesses You Can Support Right Now by Hannah Bugga for Choose Veg
- The Ultimate Guide to Black-Owned Vegan Restaurants for Animal Equality
- Black Owned Vegan Restaurants in NYC Infographic by @jessica_joan
- Highly rated Black-owned vegan eateries across North America for Yelp
