Not only is New Orleans a vibrant, culturally-rich and jazz-steeped city of fun, it’s also extremely welcoming for vegetarians and vegans alike. Home to more than 84 veg-friendly establishments, it’s easy to see why The Big Easy is one of our favorite sightseeing destinations. From vegan cajun sliders to hearty gumbos, no stomach will go hungry as you enjoy the sights and sounds of this historic city.
1. Seed Cafe – Vegan
Address: 1330 Prytania St.
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Weekends 10am-10pm
Phone: 504.302.2599
Website: http://seedyourhealth.com/
A trio of tasty dips from The Seed Cafe.
Poboys, gumbo and ceviche are just three of many healthy and tasty offerings of this local cafe. Seed prides itself on being sustainable, local, organic and environmentally friendly. Some of the standouts include their beignets, eggplant poboy and artichoke cakes.
2. Rolls & Rock – Vegan
Address: 1522 St Bernard Ave
Hours: Tue-Sat 12:00pm – 7:00pm, Closed Mon & Sun
Phone: (619) 621-9278
Website: https://www.facebook.com/rollsandrock/
Try to resist the many flavors of poboys at R&R!
Holy smokes, tacos, poboys and sushi! This lovechild of NOLA, Japanese, Mexican and vegan cuisine has resulted in a dizzingly delicious array of artful culinary creations. Buffalo popcorn tofu, fried mac n cheese, mesquite BBQ roasted jackfruit and seitan chicken-fried steak are just a few of the insanely delicious ingredients of Rolls & Rock’s Rich Girl Poboys. Innovative sushi using many of the same indulgent proteins make cucumber rolls look like boring oatmeal. The tagline of this business, “Vegan AF,” explains it all!
3. Sweet Soulfood – Vegan
Address: 1016 N Broad St New Orleans, LA 70119
Phone: (504) 821-2669
Hours: Monday – Friday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm, Sat 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. Closed Sunday
Website: http://www.sweetsoulfood.net
Traditional flavors of NOLA mix with contemporary vegan cooking at Sweet Soulfood.
A favorite of Yelp reviewers, this unassuming buffet-style restaurant has attracted rabid fans and ardent enthusiasts of their mac n cheese, bread pudding and jambalaya. They also stock a wide variety of ice cream flavors, out of which chocolate banana swirl is much loved choice. Limited seating, takeout preferred.
4. Vegan Chef NOLA – Vegan
Address: 1625 Baronne Street New Orleans, LA 70113
Phone: (504) 777-1989
Hours: Sun-Thurs 5:30 am – 9:00 pm; Closed Fri and Sat
Website: https://vegan-chef-nola.business.site/
Taste the love and care in VCNOLA’s homestyle cooking.Authentic NOLA flavors are lovingly infused into all of Chef Lakeba’s cooking, which includes mac n cheese, cauliwings, jackfruit sandwiches, and okra gumbo. Reviewers love the spices, tastes and bang for their buck of this cozy cafe.
5. Herban Oasis
Address: 1683 N. Claiborne Ave
Phone: 504.453.2080
Hours: Varies, see website
Website: https://herban-oasis.com/
Stop by, try a few things, buy a few a things!
Technically, though this is a pop-up market stand at the New Orleans Vegan Market, it still deserves a spot on this list. Filling, healthy and tasty seasoned eats like jackfruit “pulled pork” sandwiches, chili mac n’ cheese bowls and nachos with butternut squash-based cheese can all be had, in addition to natural foods, detoxing plant concentrates and bagged snacks.
6. Carmo – Veg-friendly
Address: 527 Julia Street New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504) 875-4132
Hours: Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Website: http://www.cafecarmo.com/menu
A true crowd pleaser, both vegans and omnis will be right at home at Carmo.
This vegan-friendly, tropical themed restaurant has plenty of unique dishes to satisfy the discerning diner. Their Rico entree features grilled plaintains topped with vegan cheese, smoked seitan, avocado and their signature sweet + spicy “Rico” sauce and their Kahlua Chocolate Pecan Cake is a rare treat for alcohol-loving sweet-tooths.
7. Meals from the Heart Cafe – Veg-friendly
Address: 1100 N Peters St Bay 13 (at French Market), New Orleans, LA, 70126
Phone: 504-525-1953
Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Website: https://facebook.com/pages/MEALS-FROM-THE-HEART-CAFE/126409233527
Filling, healthy and delicious food, like this vegan crab taco.
Conveniently located in the French Market, this fan-favorite dishes up their famous crab cake tacos, fluffy pancakes and, of course, gumbo! Seating is booth-style and first-come-first-served, though worth the wait. During mardi gras, they also serve a veganized traditional King Cake (similar to a cinnamon roll), make note!
8. Gumbo Shop – Veg-friendly
Address: 630 Saint Peter Street New Orleans LA, 70116
Phone: 504-525-1486
Hours: Sun – Thu, 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, Fri & Sat, 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Website: http://www.gumboshop.com
NOLA’s famous gumbo, veganized!This super-popular restaurant specializes in… wait for it… GUMBO! As if their moniker didn’t already drop a hint, Gumbo Shop serves up a mean vegan gumbo, though make sure to call beforehand as the vegetables in it change seasonally. Besides gumbo, Gumbo Shop doesn’t offer much else in the way of vegan choices.
9. Bennachin – Veg-friendly
Address: 1212 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116 French Quarter
Phone: (504) 522-1230
Hours: Sun – Thurs: 10am – 9pm Fri – Sat: 11am – 10pm
Website: http://www.bennachinrestaurant.com/
Not so easy to find Cameroonian cuisine, so enjoy!Cameroonian and Gambian food get a chance to shine at Bennachin, a cozy hole-in-the-wall that has cultivated a loyal following. Popular dishes include the black-eyed pea fritters, Kone Ni Makondo (Black-eyed peas in tomato and onion stew served with fried plantains and coconut rice) and Yasa (Cabbage, carrots in onion and garlic sauce
served with rice or cous cous).
10. Bearcat Cafe – Veg-friendly
Address: 2521 Jena St, New Orleans, LA 70115
Phone: (504) 309-9011
Hours: Tues – Sun 7 am – 4 pm, Closed Mondays
Website: https://www.bearcatcafe.com
Are you a good cat or a bad cat today? Cleverly dividing their menu into “Good Cat” and “Bad Cat” sections depending on the day’s mood, Bearcat Cafe has something for everyone. Their vegan grilled cheese, xiong mao (panda in Chinese) noodle and creamy queso dip will have you clawing for more!
Photo Credits: Featured / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
