Vegan Cuban Cuisine
No carne, no queso, no jamon – no problem. Vegan cuisine and Cuban cuisine once seemed an impossible mix until Vegan Cuban Cuisine cracked the code. Their extensive menu has it all, from crispy croquetas to creamy flan, made with love and the magic of plants. Even the classic Cuban sandwich gets a vegan makeover, with sliced plant-based ham and cheese and seasoned jackfruit. Everything’s stacked high on house-made Cuban bread, then dressed, pressed and toasted, just like your vegan abuela’s.
SoBe Vegan
Let’s be clear. SoBe Vegan isn’t on South Beach, it’s at the W Fort Lauderdale. But it brings South Beach style and a new streamlined plant-based menu. Developed by chef Horacio Rivadero, formerly of Plant Miami, SoBe Vegan’s menu works to balance wellness with cravability. Handhelds, light bites and bowls are made with organic produce, as is the wealth of fresh, cold-pressed juices. But folks keep coming back for the crispy: crispy waffles and the crispy mushroom sandwich.
Rabbit Hole Life
Crispy wings, cheesy grits, barbecued ribs – nothing’s off-limits and everything’s vegan at Rabbit Hole Life. This Black-owned business serves up a welcoming vibe and a plant-based menu offering something for everybunny, including a kids menu. Best bets are mix plates like the Spring Ting platter, jerk plant-based chicken, creamy mac and cheese, collards, and a maple muffin. Lighter but just as big on flavor is the Rabbit Food salad, a bountiful mix of rainbow kale and shaved Brussels sprouts tossed in a creamy (but creamless) dressing.
The Plantisserie
Imagine a classic deli. Now make it vegan and organic. It’s not fantasy, it’s The Plantisserie. Dine in or take away prepared foods including a dozen different empanadas, daily specials like umami miso-glazed eggplant and basmati rice, plus comfort classics like shepherd’s pie (no sheep), vegan tuna salad, and Cuban ropa vieja made with jackfruit. Everything comes in compostable serveware. Artisanal plant-based cheeses, pastas, tarts and more await in the market area and deli case.
Planta Queen
Planta’s sister restaurant brings a plant-based spin to Asian cuisine – not austere Asian, more like bring-it-on Asian. Crispy fried florets of Bang Bang Broccoli are napped in a sweet chili sauce and topped with a blizzard of crushed peanuts. Even small bites go big on flavor. Pressed, spiced watermelon bumps out tuna in their version of ahi nigiri. From messy but mushroom-intense Thai lettuce wraps to udon noodles bathed in a creamy truffle sauce, everything’s made to share, except maybe the artisanal cocktails.
Planta
All your classic comfort faves go big and plant-based at Planta. Start off with fried cauliflower tots or croquetas – little fried puffs stuffed with mushroom bacon and oozy cashew mozzarella. Move on to over-the-top burgers, mammoth thin-crusted pizzas or overstuffed nachos. Finish sweet with a platter-sized cookie or sky-high swirl of the kitchen’s flavor-of-the-moment soft serve. Planta keeps it local, with some of its produce grown not just in-house but on-house, at Planta’s rooftop garden.
Peel Soft Serve
At Peel Soft Serve, two ingredients – bananas and coconut milk – come together for creamy, dreamy vegan ice cream, and a whole lot more. What makes Peel extra-delicious is the brand’s commitment to transparency and sustainability. Owner/founder Valeria Alvarez sources local ripe bananas that may be lacking in looks. but deliver big sweetness and flavor, so there’s no need for sugar. Banana skins go back to local growers for composting, so there’s no waste. Everybody wins. Bonus: look for flavors using local seasonal tropical fruits like black sapote.
Love Life Cafe
This longtime leader in South Florida’s vegan community has spacious new digs, but kept its heart and commitment to serving high-vibe vegan food that satisfies at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sure there’s avo toast, but the bowls offer better value, from savory picadillo made with Beyond Meat to sweet, creamy açai, studded with fresh fruit. Other wins are the cafe’s award-winning veggie burger, signature chlorophyll-infused arepas and Love Life salad, with a whole lotta quinoa, kale, chickpeas and more. Everything’s made fresh and generously portioned.
L’Artisane Bakery
Folks flock to L’Artisane for light, crispy macarons, donuts from Boston creme to classic glazed, and chef/owner Carolina Molea’s award-winning signature croissants in flavors including chocolate, almond, and dulce de leche – all vegan. But there’s more to this bakery than exquisite plant-based pastries. All-day vegan brunch items include fluffy pancakes, flaky empanadas and hunger-slaying plates like vegan chorizo and eggs, and biscuits and gravy. Visit the newly expanded Coral Gables location or taste some of L’Artisane’s greatest hits at Julia & Henry’s downtown. L’Artisane also ships nationally.
The Krazy Vegan
The Krazy Vegan has the vegan wings, tacos and burgers you want – classic comfort food that’s animal-free. The Krazy Mon — a plant-based patty piled high with fried jackfruit and vegan bacon. is finished with jerk sauce and served on a vegan brioche bun. Like all eight Krazy Vegan burgers, it comes with an order of fries. Locations are mighty far from Philadelphia, but you’d never know it – the vegan Philly cheesesteak is a fan favorite. You’d be krazy to miss it.
Ittle Litaly
Formerly known as Veganaroma, the name has changed, but the Italian vibe, menu and gorgeously gooey housemade nut-based cheeses remain. The mozzarella in the bright Caprese salad is made with cashews. There are nuts but no cream in the creamy Alfredo sauce, and the pasta it’s tossed with is egg-free. Many dishes get a dusting of parmesan made with almonds and nutritional yeast. The focaccia, crispy outside, pillowy inside, is topped with tomatoes, olives and caramelized onions and needs no further adornment.
The Chocolate Chip Bakery, Wynwood
You can have your vegan, kosher, gluten-free cake and eat it too at The Chocolate Chip Bakery. Cupcakes and donuts, breads and bagels are all baked fresh daily with no artificial ingredients. The menu also offers breakfast items, burgers and specialty coffee drinks, like the iced Purple Rain, a lavender-infused latte, all available for takeout or delivery. Chocolate Chip’s husband-and-wife team of David Palmo and Alejandra Jimenez bring to the bakery culinary backgrounds and a passion for animals.
Good Food Conspiracy
For more than 40 years, this organic market/grocery store/juice bar/deli has been the local health-food headquarters in the lower Florida Keys. This vegetarian/vegan market is packed with snacks, dried fruits and nuts plus essential oils and products like organic reef-safe sunscreen. Their popular wraps (tofu melt, homemade peanut butter PBJ) and organic fruit smoothies are fresh and always delivered with a smile.
Full Bloom Gourmet Vegan Cuisine
Vegan, kosher, a menu that leans into whole foods, and a location only a block or so from the beach – Full Bloom’s all that. Popular starters include ropa vieja bites made with shredded seasoned jackfruit perched atop sliced plantain rounds and crispy cauli-floret wings (hold the fowl) with a tangy vegan ranch dressing. Meaty but meatless mains include lemongrass-infused lion’s mane mushroom and a savory chickpea cutlet that gets oodles of umami from a porcini demiglace.
Coconut Grove Farmers Market
Every Saturday, this longtime farmers market is in business rain or shine, from 10am-7pm. You’ll find lots of produce – some local, some imported – and an impressive collection of plant-based raw and prepared foods. Try Courtney’s Cookies –gluten-free and vegan, and her dairy-free ice cream sandwiches (the current special is creamy, dreamy banana caramel).
The Cocinita
A vegan oasis in two major business districts, The Cocinita offers a massive menu for pickup or delivery. Pots of fresh herbs tell you you’ve come to the right place. Beyond Meat burgers are served up eight different ways, but the real menu standouts include local flavors like rich, satisfying sancochito, that meaty Dominican stew. Who knew it could be vegan? Taste more Latin love with the arepas, overstuffed with vegan meat, tofu, avocado and plantains.
White Rose Coffee
What makes this café different from other ventanitas on SW 8th St.? Per’la coffee, minimalist black-and-white decor, and vegan pastelitos and empanadas by Bloodless Vegans, plus an artsy vibe.
