We've now updated this list with more vegan dishes and restaurants via your suggestions. Thanks!

Here's a big freaking list of vegan dishes you can find around Tucson! You don't have to be vegan to enjoy the restaurants on here ... But if you are, I hope you find some new places to put in your restaurant roster.

We've spent the past couple weeks eating at vegan spots like Tumerico, reaching out to the vegan community and searching the Internet for plant-forward dishes across town. I'm sure we've missed some gems, so email me at aberlin@tucson.com with your recommendations! We'll be adding to the list throughout the summer. I hope this inspires you to try something new, or at least tell a friend!  

*Editor's note: Some restaurants may appear twice on the list in different categories. We thought it would be easier to search that way ...

Breakfast/brunch

Tofu scramble at The Cup Cafe, with potatoes and fruit. 

• The Cup: The classic diner inside Hotel Congress serves a wicked tofu scramble with vegan sausage, fresh fruit and potatoes. It also recently introduced a vegan "Beyond Burger" for lunch. / website: hotelcongress.com / address: 311 E. Congress St.

5 Points Market and Restaurant: This trendy diner lets you substitute vegan sausage for eggs and cheese in many of the dishes, including the Breakfast Salad with butternut squash and roasted poblano peppers. There's also a Forbidden Rice Chilled Pudding with coconut, cashews and pistachios, as well as a smoked beet sandwich for lunch. / website: 5pointstucson.com / address: 756 S. Stone Ave.

Bentley's House of Coffee and Tea:  You can substitute tofu for eggs in any of the breakfast items, including the scrambles and the breakfast burrito. They also carry veggie sausage. / website: bentleyscoffeehouse.com / address: 1730 E. Speedway

Blue Willow: The homey midtown diner has a separate vegan menu with items like tofu scrambles, oatmeal, a breakfast burrito and several sandwiches including the sweet potato with hummus, red onion, spinach and tomato. / website: bluewillowtucson.com / address: 2616 N. Campbell Ave.

• Dedicated: This 100% gluten-free bakery and cafe also features plenty of vegan options like sandwiches and chickpea salad. Rice paper bacon is featured on both their breakfast sandwich and a rainbow BLT (plus avocado). / website: dedicatedgf.com / address: 4500 E. Speedway

Prep & Pastry: Check out the "plant-driven" section of the menu for a chickpea scramble with veggies, avocado, heirloom tomatoes, potatoes and more. There's also the oven-roasted sweet potato hash with corn, bell peppers, spinach and asparagus. / website: prepandpastry.com / addresses: 3073 N. Campbell Ave. and 6450 E. Grant Road

Welcome Diner:  The Three Sisters burrito on the breakfast menu has tempura battered squash, roasted corn, smoked pecan "cheese," guacamole and more. They also have a jackfruit po'boy for lunch that's braised in Barrio Rojo ale. / website: welcomediner.net / address: 902 E. Broadway

• Urban Fresh: This downtown nook offers tofu breakfast burritos, Irish biscuits in a coconut cream stout gravy, sweet potato pancakes and more from 8-11 a.m. / website: urbanfreshtucson.com / address: 73 E. Pennington St.

Burgers, sandwiches and wraps

The owners of Beaut Burger wanted to have the feel of a classic burger joint — without the meat.

• Beaut Burger: All of the "burgers" on this small stand inside the MSA Annex are vegan, made with a mixture of millet, beans, veggies and more. They also do a tasty vegan peanut butter ganache rice krispies treat. / website: beautburger.com / address: 267 S. Avenida del Convento

• La Cocina: This downtown hideaway has vegan burgers for lunch with your choice of toppings like avocado, green chiles and onions. Or check out the Quinoa Bowl with braised spinach, roasted veggies, Thai peanut sauce and tofu. They also do tofu scrambles for brunch. / website: lacocinatucson.com / address: 201 N. Court Ave.

• Ermanos Craft Beer and Wine Bar: The kitchen at this Fourth Avenue gastropub spent six months perfecting a brilliantly pink patty made from smoked beets and oats, among other ingredients. They also have a jackfruit torta made from the real deal, rather than a can, with special vegan buns from Alejandro's Tortilla Factory. / website: ermanosbrew.com / address: 220 N. Fourth Ave.

• Goodness: Almost anything on the menu at this casual spot can be made vegan by omitting cheese or substituting agave nectar for honey in the acaí bowls. Goodness does several vegan sandwiches, bowls and salads including The Veg sandwich with garlic kale, butternut squash, roasted peppers, hummus and more. / website: fukushuconcepts.com/goodness / address: 2502 N. Campbell Ave.

• Urban Fresh: The green chile burger patty is made from tofu, flax, mushrooms and panko, and sports avocado, roasted green chile and more on a sesame seed bun. They've also got a raw seed burger made from sunflower and hemp seeds mixed with nuts and veggies. It's served on a lettuce leaf with tomato and onion. / website: urbanfreshtucson.com / address: 73 E. Pennington St.

• Welcome Diner: The Broadway spot does a Jackfruit PoBoy sandwich that's braised in Barrio Rojo Ale and topped with Carolina barbecue sauce and coleslaw on a birote roll. / website: welcomediner.net / address: 902 E. Broadway

Pizza

Scott Volpe at his Fiamme Pizza Napoletana portable wood-fired pizza oven outside of Tap + Bottle. 

• 1702: The campus-area pizza and beer joint has vegan pizza dough as Daiya mozzarella available for substitute. They also serve vegan calzones, sandwiches, a hummus plate and more. / website: 1702az.com / address: 1702 E. Speedway

• Fiamme: Vegan and gluten-free options are available at this Neapolitan pizza restaurant, upon request. / website: fiammepizzatucson.com / address: 4706 E. Sunrise Drive

• Falora: Vegan options at this trendy pizza restaurant include the Za Zucca with butternet squash puree, zucchini, garlic, sage and Brazil nuts. The crust itself is vegan, so most items can be made vegan without cheese. / website: falora.com / address: 3000 E. Broadway

• Fresco Pizzeria and Pastaria: The Very Vegan pizza has vegan mozzarella with red onions, mushrooms, black olives, Roma tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers and more. / website: frescopizzeria.com / address: 3011 E. Speedway

• Magpie's: You can substitute vegan cheese in any of the pizzas, like the veggie with green bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and more. / website: magpiespizza.com / addresses:605 N. Fourth Ave., 6342 N. Oracle Road and 105 S. Houghton Road

• Mod Pizza: They offer special vegan crust and Daiya cheese for vegans, with recipes like theLucy Sunshine with artichokes, garlic and more. / website: modpizza.com / addresses: 6351 E Broadway, 4386 N. Oracle and 3780 W. Ina Road

• Pionic Pizza: Substitute vegan cheese for $2 in any of the pizzas, or create your own./ website: pionicpizza.com / address: 2643 N. Campbell Ave.

• Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink: The vegan pizza at this downtown restaurant is a masterful combination of mushrooms, peppers, eggplant, onions and more, with nutritional yeast optional for $1. / website: reillypizza.com / address: 101 E. Pennington St.

• Renee's Organic Oven: Lot of vegan options, or you can substitute Daiya mozzarella for regular cheese. Try the Vegan Crush with red sauce, vegan pesto, olives, zucchini, artichoke, broccoli and peppers. / website: reneesorganicoven.com / address: 7065 E. Tanque Verde Road

• ZPizza: Get the Berkeley Vegan with Daiya cheese, vegan sausage, mushrooms, zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, red onions and bell peppers. / website: zpizza.com/tucson / address: 11165 N. La Cañada Drive

Mexican food

Chilaquiles covered in chocolatey mole sauce and topped with jackfruit carnitas at Tumerico. 

• Charrovida: This Mediterranean Mexican fusion spot at Casas Adobes boasts separate grills for meat and plant-based foods. Vegan options are plentiful and clearly marked, like cauliflower al pastor and a vegan plate of bandera enchiladas. website: charrovida.com / address: 7109 N. Oracle Road

• Tumerico: The entire menu at this Fifth Street nook is vegan, and changes every day. You won't miss the cheese, because there's a rich cashew cream on many of the dishes. And the guacamole is awesome. / website: tumerico.com / addresses: 2526 E. Sixth St. and 402 E. Fourth St.

• BK Tacos: There aren't a ton of vegan options besides veggie burritos, but they do have a vegan Sonoran dog upon request. / website: bktacos.com / addresses: 5118 S. 12th Ave. and 2680 N. First Ave.

• El Charro: This classic Tucson restaurant has a vegan menu with tamales, avocado tacos, vegan enchiladas, burros and more. / website: elcharrocafe.com / addresses: 311 N. Court Ave., 7725 N. Oracle Road and 6910 E. Sunrise Drive

• Desert Island Eatery: This eclectic restaurant has plenty of vegan Mexican items, in addition to Carribbean and soul food. You can order anything from vegan burritos and nachos to jerk barbecue tofu and curry chickpeas with potatoes. / website:facebook.com/desertislandeatery / address: 2513 N. Campbell Ave.

• La Indita: Ask for spinach and nuts in the Tarascan tacos, made from handmade corn tortillas and fried up into a half-moon. / website: lainditarestauranttucson.com / address: 622 N. Fourth Ave.

• Tania's 33: This popular west-side restaurant has lots of vegan fillings including lentils, cauliflower, soy chorizo and hibiscus. / website: tanias33.com / address: 614 N. Grande Ave.

• Tucson Tamale: Try the vegetable curry tamale or the blue corn and veggie tamale for vegan options. / website: tucsontamale.com / addresses: 2545 E. Broadway, 7159 E. Tanque Verde Road and 7286 N. Oracle Road

Asian and Indian food

The veggie ramen at Raijin Ramen is packed with zucchini, bok choy, corn, bean sprouts and more. 

• Raijin Ramen: This isn't necessarily a vegan hotspot, but they do have a vegan ramen made from a soy broth with zucchini, bok choy, seaweed, corn, bean sprouts and more. / website: facebook.com/raijinramen.tucson / address:2955 E. Speedway

• Bombolé: Two vegan combo plates are on the menu at this new downtown lunch spot, with rice, Indian lentils and Honduran cabbage salad. / website: eatbombole.com / 100 N. Stone Ave.

• Ghandi Cuisine of India: This midtown Indian restaurant is known for having several vegan options on its lunch buffet. / website: gandhicuisineofindia.com / address:150 W. Fort Lowell Road

• Golden House Chinese Fast Food: This casual restaurant on the southeast side devotes a large part of its menu to vegetable and tofu dishes as well as veggie chicken, beef and shrimp substitutes. / website: goldenhousetucson.com / address: 9431 E. 22nd St., Suite 127

• Govinda's: This midtown spiritual center has a nightly buffet with vegetarian and vegan options, and does Indian night on Tuesdays. / website: govindasoftucson.com / address:711 E. Blacklidge Drive

• Guilin: This is the best place to get vegan Chinese food in town. It's known for its vegan renditions of chicken, beef, duck and more. / website: places.singleplatform.com/guilin-chinese-restaurant/menu / address:4445 E Broadway

• Karuna's: The entire menu at this Thai restaurant can be adapted for vegan preferences by changing meats to tofu and eliminating the eggs or dairy in the dishes. / website: karunasthaiplate.wordpress.com / 1917 E. Grant Road

• Senae Thai Bistro: Many of the dishes on the vegetarian menu can be made vegan, and the Gaeng Karee Gai yellow curry can be made vegan by substituting chicken for tofu. / website: senaethai.com / address: 63 E. Congress St.

• New Delhi Palace: This Indian restaurant has several vegan dishes on the menu, like lentils, potatoes and more. / website: newdelhipalacetucson.com / address:6751 E Broadway

• Yoshimatsu: You'll find vegan options all over the menu, with kushi yaki vegetable skewers, noodle dishes, tofu bento boxes and tempura. / website: yoshimatsuaz.com / address:2741 N. Campbell Ave.

African and Mediterranean food 

Chef Mustafa Al Shati poses with his brick oven at the new Za'atar location on Grant and Country Club.

•  Za'atar: This Middle Eastern restaurant focuses on delicious breads of Iraq and Iran, with plenty of vegan dips to mop them up like hummus and the eggplant baba ghanoush. / website: facebook.com/Zaatar-Mediterranean-Restaurant / address: 2825 N. Country Club Road

•  Cafe Desta: Ethiopian food naturally has a lot of vegan options, and this downtown restaurant spells them out on a separate section of the menu. You can also get a vegan plate with all seven. / website: cafedesta.com / address: 758 S. Stone Ave.

• Pita Jungle: Most of the falafel dishes like the falafel plate, falafel bowl and falafel lettuce wrap are vegan, in addition to many of the dips. / website: pitajungle.com / addresses: 7090 N. Oracle Road and 5340 E. Broadway.

•  Queen Sheba: This midtown Eritrean restaurant has a similar menu to the Ethiopian spots, with options like avocado salad, green spinach and cabbage. / website: queenshebatucson.com / address: 5553 E. Grant Road

• Zayna Mediterranean: Servers are trained to help customers with vegan items. Many dishes like the house salad or the falafel and cauliflower sandwich can be prepared vegan upon request. The fryer is also vegan-friendly. / website: zaynamediterranean.com / address: 1138 N. Belvedere Ave.

•  Zemam's: This Ethiopian restaurant has 10 veggie dishes to put on your injera bread, like shiro chickpeas, red lentils, gomen wat collard greens and more. / website: zemams.com / addresses: 2731 E. Broadway and 119 E. Speedway

Dessert

Cashew Cow’s raspberry ‘ice cream’ is swirled with a housemade fruit puree that tastes like fresh fruit and cream.

•  Cashew Cow: You'll be surprised to learn that all of the ice cream at this midtown spot is made from cashew milk. Non-vegan friends will love it too, it's that good. / website: cashewcow.com / address: 6 S. Eastbourne Ave.

•  B-Line: This Fourth Avenue cafe usually has a vegan dessert option in the display case, like the strawberry peach pie. Check ahead for availability. / website: thebline.xyz / address: 621 N. Fourth Ave.

•  Hub Ice Cream Factory: This downtown ice cream shop has rotating vegan ice cream flavors, as well as sorbet. / website: hubicecream.com / address: 245 E. Congress St.

•  La Estrella Bakery: Both the chocolate and glazed doughnuts at this Mexican bakery are vegan. / website: laestrellabakeryincaz.com / addresses: 5266 S. 12th Ave. and 120 South Avenida del Convento, Suite 100

•  Lovin' Spoonfuls: This local vegan spot has an entire pastry case filled with vegan goods, plus various vegan milkshakes./ website: lovinspoonfuls.com / address: 2990 N. Campbell Ave. Suite 120

• Tilted Halos cupcakes at Caruso's: The Fourth Avenue Italian restaurant serves vegan cupcakes in a jar from the local online bakery Tilted Halos. It's $7 for two cupcakes with flavors like raspberry, lemon vanilla bean, and hibiscus lemonade. You can eat them there or take them to-go. / websites: tiltedhalos.org and carusositalian.com / address: 434 N. Fourth Ave.

Late-night options

The vegan burger, top, and jackfruit asada torta at Ermanos. 

• Ermanos Craft Beer and Wine Bar: The late-night menu at this Fourth Avenue gastropub has some vegan options like the roasted beet vegan burger and jackfruit asada torta with cashew aioli./ website: ermanosbrew.com / address: 220 N. Fourth Ave.

• Cans Deli: This Fourth Avenue restaurant recently expanded its food menu with several vegan sandwiches like a reuben with pastrami-style beets and a Banh Mi sandwich with marinated tofu. There will also be a vegan grinder with honey cashew "cheese" and the CLT with crunchy carrots done up like bacon.  / website: cansdeli.com / address: 340 N. Fourth Ave.

•  Geronimo's Revenge food truck: Find them parked next to Che's Lounge on Fridays and Saturdays until about 2:30 a.m. The food truck serves vegan mac and cheese, vegan cheesy fries and vegan tacos. They've also got different vegan specials like the cauliflower wings. / website: facebook.com/geronimosrevengefoodtruck / address: 350 N. Fourth Ave.

• Shot in the Dark: This all-night coffee shop has vegan wraps like theDe Jardin with hummus, tomato, pesto, spinach, red onion, sprouts and more. You can also make most of the vegetarian items vegan by subtracting the cheese. / website: shotinthedarkcafe.org / address: 121 E. Broadway

• Tallboys: Vegan options are clearly marked at this late-night Fourth Avenue diner. Choose from vegan tacos and burros, a vegan salad with beets, avocado, nuts and more. / website: tallboysaf.com / address:600 N. Fourth Ave.

Vegan and vegetarian kitchens

These vegan tacos from the Tasteful Kitchen are wrapped in daikon radish. 

• The Tasteful Kitchen: This vegetarian restaurant puts an emphasis on non-GMO ingredients and keeping produce in its natural state. Try the miso eggplant with coconut black rice and Thai curry sauce. / website: thetastefulkitchen.com / address:722 N. Stone Ave.

• Beaut Burger: All of the "burgers" on this small stand inside the MSA Annex are vegan, made with a mixture of millet, beans, veggies and more. They also do a tasty vegan peanut butter ganache rice krispies treat. / website: beautburger.com / address: 267 S. Avenida del Convento

• Food Conspiracy Co-Op: Check out the hot bar during lunch at this Fourth Avenue grocery store. Lots of vegan options. / website: foodconspiracy.coop / address: 412 N. Fourth Ave.

• Lovin' Spoonfuls: Since 2005, Tucson's most popular vegan restaurant has provided an eclectic menu that caters to people with unique diets. They've got pastas, rice dishes, fried "chicken," burgers and more. / website: lovinspoonfuls.com / address: 2990 N. Campbell Ave. Suite 120

• Urban Fresh: Healthy salads and wraps are the name of the game at this downtown lunch spot. Try the raw Rainbow Wrap with sunflower seed pate, avocados, peppers, sunflower shoots and more in a lemon cashew dressing. / website: urbanfreshtucson.com / address: 73 E. Pennington St.

• Zinman's: This funky neighborhood vegan bistro has a little bit of everything; it even mills its own grains right next door. They've got tofu scrambles, Ethiopian food and pasta salad?! / website: zinmans.com / address: 111 W. Fourth St.


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