Marcia Gagliardi wrote this story for Visit Oakland.
When I received the assignment to research restaurants for the Vegan Trail for Visit Oakland, I didn’t expect to find and visit over 20 vegan restaurants and businesses. Whoa, really? Yes! We aren’t talking about vegetarian restaurants that have a vegan option for some of their dishes — these are completely vegan businesses.
Oakland’s ever-expanding vegan scene stretches all over town, and is anchored by long-standing spots like the Ethiopian Cafe Dareye, Vietnamese Golden Lotus, macrobiotic Shangri-La Vegan, and the upscale (and globetrotting) Millennium. Two Mammas’ Vegan Kitchen has been serving down-home sandwiches and the best vegan Benedicts for brunch since 2014.
The latest wave of vegan restaurants includes a couple popular Black-owned spots (and trucks) that offer a healthier and planet-friendly alternative to fast food, with crave-worthy portions, like Instagram-ready Malibu’s Burgers (even the milkshakes are plant-based) and the hearty fried chicken sandwiches and tenders from Don’t be Chick’n.
There’s an enthusiastic fan base for a couple spots serving vegan soul food, like the ample plates of vegan BBQ from Vegan Mob — with some Mexican and Filipino influences in their Fusion Meals — and the flavor-packed, Louisiana Creole-style dishes at Souley Vegan. (Chef-owner Tamearra Dyson has expanded to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and even beat Bobby Flay on the Food Network!)
A number of places are creating their own plant-based proteins, like the housemade diced Louisiana hot links at Souley Vegan. Taqueria La Venganza is making plant-based carnitas (with shredded soy skin marinated in a smoky citrus brine), pollo, and even chicharrón. Señor Sisig Vegano uses a marinated and char-grilled soy protein to make pork sisig, chicken sisig, longanisa chorizo, and tocino. With these housemade, seasoned proteins, all the authentic flavor is there. Bare Knuckle Pizza has a high-quality lineup of Neapolitan pizzas with some of the best vegan melty, creamy mozzarella you’ll ever taste (from local vegan deli The Butcher’s Son).
Something I really appreciated about the mother-daughter duo at Hella Nuts is they developed their own ground walnut meat since they want to avoid soy in their cooking; they use it in their old-school, Taco Bell–inspired lineup of dishes, and you won’t miss the beef. Something I noted about their cooking is how fresh everything tastes — you can tell they really love to eat (and prepare) their vegetables. Roasted and Raw also has a healthy, vegetable-forward focus in their dishes.
As a meat-eater, there’s always something in the back of my mind that says, “It’s good for a vegan substitute…” but the question remains: would I eat the vegan version instead of a beef burger or cheese pizza or fried chicken? One place where this doesn’t even enter my thoughts is the outstandingly creative Lion Dance Cafe, with the most flavor-packed, seasonal, Chinese-Singaporean dishes. Their shaobing sandwiches are simply amazing sandwiches, period.
Have fun exploring the Vegan Trail — there’s a unique story at every spot, and so many well-made, creative dishes worth traveling across town for. And stay tuned for the addition of artisan and craft-made vegan fare that you can find at farmers’ markets in Oakland.
