Brian Nagele
Home of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland is both friendly and Midwestern as well as edgy and alternative.
Cleveland is known as the Forest City for being surrounded by a vast system of forested nature reserves.
As a major metropolis, Cleveland has a diverse and vibrant restaurant scene that encompasses regional and global cuisines.
Cleveland’s restaurant scene also embraces its alternative edginess with a wide selection of vegan restaurants.
Whether you’re a vegan or interested in ditching dairy for the day, my list of the best vegan restaurants in Cleveland will impress converts and skeptics alike.
Pura Vida by Brandt Evans
170 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115
Phone: 216-987-0100
Pura Vida by Brandt Evans is a fashionable New American restaurant and cocktail bar in the heart of Downtown.
Chef Brandt Evans uses his expertise as a fine-dining chef to create traditional and vegan versions of regional American fare.
Chef Evans describes his meals as “urban picnics,” supplying a menu that is equal parts comforting and gourmet.
It’s also equal parts meat-centric and vegan. You’ll see barbecue duck confit fries alongside vegan nachos in the appetizer section.
My favorite main dish was the Jamaican Jerk Tofu Kabobs. These delicious skewers come with a side of cilantro-lime red cabbage slaw and black bean puree.
TownHall
1909 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: 216-344-9400
Visit Website
Townhall is a friendly, health-conscious New American restaurant that uses science-based nutrition to inform its menu.
Located in Ohio City in a peaceful space with greenery lining the walls, TownHall offers toxin-free coffee, cold-pressed juices made with the freshest fruits, and non-GMO, organic food.
They’ve been featured in a wealth of publications, including the New York Times, Esquire, and The Wall Street Journal. The menu features organic meat as well as vegan-friendly options.
I loved the buffalo cauliflower lettuce wraps with artisan romaine leaves stuffed with pickled vegetables, sprouts, and crispy buffalo cauliflower with chimichurri and bang bang dipping sauces.
Cleveland Vegan
17112 Detroit Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107
Phone: 216-221-0201
Visit Website
Created by owners and married couple Justin Gorski and Laura Ross, Cleveland Vegan is a cheerful vegan bakery, café, and catering service in the Detroit neighborhood.
The bright, country-chic café has a full vegan coffee bar, fresh baked goods, and a rotating seasonal menu for daily brunch and dinner.
They use locally sourced ingredients from a long list of purveyors and farms listed on their website. I recommend heading there for brunch.
I loved the Benedict Lox Plate with an English muffin. This delightful concoction is then smothered in cashew hollandaise sauce and served with breakfast potatoes.
Earth Bistro Cafe
11100 Clifton Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44102
Phone: 216-201-9338
Visit Website
Located in a small space in Edgewater, Earth Bistro Café is a counter-service café and dessert counter, delivering a locally sourced menu of sandwiches, entrees, and desserts.
They’re an especially popular take-out place due to a limited dining space. They offer Sunday breakfasts and an all-day menu with meat and vegan options alike.
Their vast selection of globally inspired sandwiches and burgers may be laden with dairy and meat, but most of them have vegan meat alternatives using Impossible meat and Just Egg.
They have phenomenal fried tofu sandwiches and a homemade plant-based burger called the Castro Burger.
I love the seasoning they use to marinate the tofu and the delicious ciabatta it came on.
Tommy’s
1824 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Phone: 216-321-7757
Visit Website
Tommy’s is a Cleveland institution, beginning as a neighborhood soda fountain in 1972 and moving locations four times during its 50 years.
Tommy’s maintains its old-school soda fountain menu in an updated, family-friendly restaurant in Coventry Village.
They aim to please all dietary preferences by offering meat, vegetarian, and vegan options. The thing to get at Tommy’s is one of their famous ice-cream drinks, namely their milkshake.
While classic malts aren’t in the cards for vegans, Tommy’s uses Tofutti soy-based ice cream and soymilk to create vegan takes on the classic soda fountain favorite.
I had a vanilla milkshake with a tempeh salad sandwich.
Taza – a Lebanese Grill
1400 W 6th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: 216-274-1170
Visit Website
Located in a refined dining room in Downtown Cleveland, Taza is an authentic Lebanese restaurant dedicated to fresh Lebanese dishes.
The charming atmosphere revolves around a traditional Lebanese stone oven delivering the most delicious fresh pita bread I’ve ever had in my life.
You get to start your meal with a steaming basket of fresh-baked pita with za’atar and oil. That alone is a reason to come to Taza.
Lebanese food, as part of the Mediterranean tradition, lends itself well to vegan options. I made a delectable vegan meal from their tabbouleh, hummus, and falafel.
Foodhisattva
2158 S Taylor Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Phone: 216-938-5675
Visit Website
Foodhisattva is a Pan Asian fusion café that uses plant-based, GMO-free, and eco-friendly ingredients.
Located in a small take-out storefront in University Heights, Foodhisattva creatively incorporates Asian flavors into regional American dishes.
As a primarily take-out restaurant, Foodhisattva thoughtfully supplies compostable to-go boxes and utensils.
The eclectic menu has both traditional and fusion items. There are classic Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean dishes, along with Asian-style nachos, tacos, salads, and burgers.
I loved the Banh Mi salad with their plant-based house omelet, coconut bacon, pickled carrots, daikon, jalapenos, and fresh cilantro topped with a drizzle of sriracha aioli.
Anna in the Raw
In lobby connected to hotel, 1300 E 9th St, Cleveland, OH 44114
Visit Website
Anna in the Raw is a chef-driven raw food and juice bar concept in Downtown Cleveland known as Good to Go Café.
Owner, chef, and local Clevelander Anna Harouvis comes from a long legacy of chefs in Cleveland. She’s dedicated to raw food practices for a healthy lifestyle.
Her mission has been delighting palates for the past 18 years. A nod to her Greek heritage, Anna’s juices are all named after Greek gods.
I ordered the delightfully energizing Apollo juice with fresh fruits and veggies. Along with a myriad of fresh juice blends, you can get breakfast and lunch at Anna in the Raw.
The Green Kitchen
14206 Lorain Ave, Cleveland, OH 44111
Phone: 216-331-1441
Visit Website
The Green Kitchen is an all-vegan comfort food pop-up in the Jefferson neighborhood dive bar called the Little Rose Tavern.
Head Chef John Hagerty creates a decadent menu of famous American comfort food from the Midwest, South, and Northeast using all plant-based ingredients.
Even if you don’t want to drink at the bar, The Green Kitchen operates a separate take-out service. Their elevated comfort food is as gourmet as it is decadent.
I couldn’t have asked for a more delicious meal than their Nashville Hot Fried Chicken with cornbread, hot sauce, coleslaw, a pickle, and spicy crema drizzle.
Empress Taytu Ethiopian Restaurant
6125 St Clair Ave., Cleveland, OH 44103
Phone: 216-391-9400
Empress Taytu Ethiopian Restaurant is a family-owned restaurant and coffee bar in a festive and quirky space in St. Clair-Superior.
The décor can only be described as an Ethiopian Tiki hut, with straw and wood palapas, bright African-clothed chairs, and staff that are the epitome of warm hospitality.
Ethiopian food is one of the more vegan-friendly cuisines in the world.
They serve their satisfying lentil and vegetable stews, salads, and curries in colorful receptacles beautifully arranged around a large round tray. Their injera tasted like a tangy, fluffy cloud.
Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant
2240 Lee Rd, Cleveland, OH 44118
Phone: 216-465-3239
Visit Website
Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant is a family-friendly traditional Ethiopian restaurant in an authentic dining space in Cleveland Heights.
It feels like you’re walking into an Ethiopian home when you go to dine at Zoma, with a rustic open kitchen, traditional art lining the walls, and live music to serenade your delicious family-style meal.
Zoma has an Ethiopian coffee menu and sells Ethiopian honey wine, known as Tej, along with a traditional wine list. They have a separate vegan and vegetarian menu.
Dishes get served atop fresh injera. My favorite dishes were the spicy collard greens and the split red lentils in a berbere garlic and onion sauce.
Boaz Fresh Lebanese Ohio City
2549 Lorain Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: 216-458-9225
Visit Website
Boaz Fresh Lebanese is an Ohio City favorite for authentic Lebanese food served in a fast-casual, counter-service eatery.
They use traditional Lebanese recipes for all your favorite dishes that you can mix and match in fully customizable plates, salads, bowls, and wraps.
They also have a smoothie and soup bar. If you’re hungry, I recommend one of their large entrées that features three or more dishes on one platter.
I stopped by for lunch, so I wanted a convenient hand-held option. I opted for the hummus and falafel pita with pickled cucumbers, turnips, and tomatoes.
The pita was rolled into a perfectly symmetrical hot-pressed cylinder that was convenient and delicious.
Johnny Mango
3120 Bridge Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: 216-575-1919
Visit Website
Johnny Mango is one of the best vegan restaurants in Cleveland. It’s a festive, tropical fusion restaurant and cocktail bar in Ohio City, specializing in Asian, Latin, and Caribbean cuisine.
The colorful dining space covered in greenery and tropical art is a wonderful setting to enjoy a healthy meal.
Whether you want Pad Thai, nachos, or loaded plantains, Johnny Mango’s eclectic menu is a party for your tastebuds.
The cocktail bar has an equally festive menu of margaritas, mojitos, and caipirinhas. I had a margarita with my vegan nachos, covered with black beans, house-made salsa, scallions, and vegan cheese sauce.
REBOL
101 W Superior Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: 216-505-5898
Visit Website
REBOL is a coffee and juice bar, café, and build-your-own plant-based eatery in a fast-paced, industrial-chic space in downtown Cleveland’s Public Square.
They use toxin-free coffee and organic, non-GMO ingredients in their extensive menu that has dishes for every diet.
They have a customizable build-your-own salad or Naan bowl menu, along with signature dishes to pair with a craft coffee, tea, or canned cocktail. I went for the Powerplant bowl with:
- Rice
- Tempeh sofrito
- Hummus
- Grilled vegetables
- Cashews
- Chimichurri
- Crispy garlic
- Coconut crisps
Whether you’re gluten-free keto, paleo, or vegan, there’s something for you at REBOL.
Best Vegan Restaurants in Cleveland
- Pura Vida by Brandt Evans
- TownHall
- Cleveland Vegan
- Earth Bistro Cafe
- Tommy’s
- Taza – a Lebanese Grill
- Foodhisattva
- Anna in the Raw
- The Green Kitchen
- Empress Taytu Ethiopian Restaurant
- Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant
- Boaz Fresh Lebanese Ohio City
- Johnny Mango
- REBOL