Founded by San Diego power couple Jessica and Davin Waite, the Plot offers dishes built on vegetables that still satisfy even the staunchest omnivore. Start with dishes like the lion’s mane mushroom “crab cakes” and chayote squash ceviche to share and save room for the shepherd’s pie which, even meatless, is one of the best versions in San Diego.

This gem in Escondido specializes in foods from Queretaro, Mexico. The pambazo — a torta lathered in red chile salsa, grilled, and then stuffed with soyrizo con papas, shredded lettuce, avocado, and red onions — is a particular standout.

This Encinitas tasting room and restaurant from a local brewery serves a vegan menu that includes kimchi croquettes with gochujang aioli and a hearty double deluxe burger with shallot jam, vegan cheese, smoky seitan, and Thousand Island dressing.

Tucked between storefronts, a long hall leads into the cozy covered patio at this La Jolla cafe where chef Martin Hall whips organic vegetables into soups and sandwiches that showcase seasonality, from the popular Bombay burger to the loaded Full Tank spicy hummus sandwich. Even the side salad accompanying most dishes is boldly crafted, with dressed cabbage, delicate pea tendrils, and a scattering of roasted fennel, sesame, and sunflower seeds.

After years in the restaurant industry, Jacob Russell branched out on his his own with a low-key Mission Beach sandwich shop that’s perfected the art, layering of vegetables, vegan meats, and vegan cheese between slices of locally baked bread. His attention to detail creates some of the best sandwiches to be found in San Diego.

Located in the vegan-heavy food court of Grossmont Center, Victor Gamboa’s El Veganito has been a San Diego favorite since his days as a pop-up. The massive phish burrito is a bestseller, along with Veracruz-style sopes, masa cakes topped with black beans, onions, vegan carnitas, avocado, and cashew cotija cheese.

Lumi alum Justin Ramirez produces a stunning array of vegan sushi from his College Area ghost kitchen. Though there is no dining in, pick-up or delivery is seamless. The menu ranges from classic rolls with avocado or shiitake mushrooms to intricate creations like the Ritz with “shrimp” tempura topped with a hyper-realistic “smoked salmon”, spicy mayo, and thin slices of lemon.

Owners and siblings Napatr and Katiya follow their own muse at Grains, where the menu fuses the complexity of Thai flavors with international favorites, resulting in dishes like the Drunken Angel, spicy serrano and garlic-sauced angel hair pasta with tofu and fresh peppercorn, as well as popcorn cauliflower with cashew ranch and Buffalo sauce, and spicy salt and pepper king mushroom strips.

There’s no such thing as too many tacos, especially vegan ones. Expanded from Las Vegas in 2022, this North Park hotspot serves house-made seitan al pastor and mushrooms asada tacos folded into corn tortillas. The menu also offers flautas, burritos, and quesadillas plus margaritas (or aguas frescas) to top off a meal.

This instantly popular vegan spot in Little Saigon prepares many Vietnamese dishes that are rarely found without meat. Here, traditional-style bún huế comes beefless and steamed bánh bèo cakes are topped with crispy root vegetables and tofu. The menu focuses on organic produce, made-from-scratch mock meats, and a generous menu of banh mis all served on house-baked bread.

This compact Hillcrest bakery turns out accomplished vegan versions of classic pastries, from almond croissants to chocolate brioche knots. If you spot the croissant muffin, crowned with caramelized sugar and seasonal fruit, be sure to order it.

As San Diego’s original vegan drive-through, this Bankers Hill spot serves burgers with house-made tempeh (or black bean or “beefy”) patties on local Sadie Rose Baking Co. focaccia buns. Not to be missed are the strawberry almond milkshakes and the excellent raw tacos with walnut and pecan “meat.”

Scratch-made sauces and seasonal vegetables fill the menu of chef Roy Elam’s restaurant. Crushed California tomatoes and local Scratch House cheese are featured on pizzas, the centerpiece of the menu, but seasonal dishes like fennel tempeh with roasted mushroom lasagna, or the sea bean Caesar salad with cherry tomatoes and house bread turned into croutons are equally enticing.

One of San Diego’s oldest vegetarian restaurants went fully vegan during the winter of 2020. Centered in the heart of Balboa Park, it offers an array of vegetable-based soul food via dishes like Jamaican veggie patties filled with spicy cabbage or jerk tofu or Louisiana Creole gumbo with collard greens and salad.

Purple orchids and sherry floats dress the cocktails at this top-notch bar that also happens to be one of San Diego’s best vegan restaurants, where chargrilled seitan skewers smothered in chimichurri, harissa, and horseradish aioli are a perpetual customer favorite. Some of the best dishes can only be had during brunch, like pancakes smothered in bourbon butterscotch with caramelized apples, pecans and whipped coconut cream.