5 Tucson restaurants that have embraced plant-based meals

In the last 20 years, the popularity of animal-free diets in the U.S. has blown up.

Plant-based burgers, pizza, Mexican food and desserts are no longer uncommon nor reserved for those identifying as vegan or vegetarian.

And Tucson restaurants have embraced animal-free cuisine.

Here are five eateries taking vegan fare to new heights in Tucson.

Lovin’ Spoonfuls Vegan Restaurant

A tight-knit community hoping for a happier planet for animals is the key to Lovin’ Spoonfuls.

Located in the Campbell Plaza at 2990 N. Campbell Ave., Lovin’ Spoonfuls has been serving vegan food since 2005. The restaurant serves vegan breakfast burritos, Philly cheesesteaks and even a fried chicken dinner that comes with vegan chicken, grilled veggies, garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing and house-made mushroom gravy.

The portions are big.

Co-owner Juan Irais Benavides has a history that runs deep with the space. He worked at Coco’s Bakery Restaurant in the same building years ago, and later worked at Lovin’ Spoonfuls under the original owner.

“There’s something about the people here,” Benavides said. “I worked here for about five years ... and for some reason I ended up here again.”

From the sauces and dressings to the soy patties, everything at the restaurant is made in-house. Benavides said that the most popular dishes tend to be the fried chicken dinner and the Wildcat burger, containing a house-made soy patty with caramelized onions, tempeh bacon, vegan bleu and sriracha mayo.

“You can’t go wrong with that,” Benavides said. “It has that homemade flavor you look for in comfort food.”

The restaurant has a small selection of board games for customers to play, as well as a book exchange corner that is always looking for donations of child-friendly reads.

Lovin’ Spoonfuls is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.

Learn more at

lovinspoonfuls.com.

Beaut Burger

Tucked towards the back of the MSA Annex, Beaut Burger, at 267 S. Avenida del Convento, puts a vegan twist on variations of classic, all-American burgers.

Co-owner Ari Shapiro says the idea was inspired by a craving.

“I had been craving a burger and some fries,” Shapiro said. “And not like a veggie sprouted black bean burger; I wanted In-N-Out.”

Shapiro says that he and his wife/partner, Kerry Lane, started thinking about why there were no vegan versions and decided to act on the impulse.

“I was like, if anyone could come up with it, it’s (Kerry),” Shapiro said.

From then on, Shapiro says that he was the idea guy and Lane was the chef.

Beaut Burger has been at its original location for about six years. Just a 20-minute Sun Link ride from the University of Arizona and a few minutes from downtown, the restaurant has attracted a loyal cross-generational clientele.

Shapiro says vegan versions of a mushroom burger and cheeseburger tend to be most popular menu items. The restaurant also serves a burger with a peanut Thai sauce, jalapeno, cilantro and romaine, and a burger with zhoug (jalapeño pesto), ranch, cucumber and lettuce, some of their more unique options.

Beaut Burger is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Check it out at

beautburger.com.

Cafe Desta

It was never Zee’s plan to own a restaurant.

On the contrary, Huruy “Zee” Zerzghi came to the United States from the African country of Eritrea on a scholarship to the UA to earn his master’s and doctorate degrees in environmental science. Zee worked at Cafe Desta under the original owners, but when COVID threatened the restaurant’s future, he and three partners bought it.

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“I’ve never had any business experience before,” said Zerzghi, who is now the sole owner. “It was difficult actually, but we have had a good Eritrean and Ethiopian community to help us.”

Clean hands and big appetites are a necessity when walking into Cafe Desta.

The restaurant’s dishes are served on injera, an Ethiopian tortilla-thin bread that doubles as a dish and utensil. The restaurant has meat-based dishes, but has become known for its selection of vegan fare containing lentils, peas and cabbage. The restaurant also offers gluten-free bread and is popular for its Ethiopian coffee.

“We import almost all of the spices from back home,” Zerzghi said.

The restaurant owner says that compared to other Ethiopian restaurants in Tucson, Cafe Desta is the most vegan-friendly.

Up until recently, Zerzghi had also been working as a professor at the University of Arizona. He says that obtaining his graduate degrees at the UA has opened up opportunities for him to help refugees who might not have had the same chances.

“I came here with a bachelor’s of science already, so it was easier for me,” Zerzghi said. “For them, it’s very hard. Especially with the language barrier (and) the cultural shock.”

Zerzghi says he hopes Cafe Desta can serve as a safe and familiar space for the refugee community in Tucson.

“I always try to help my community, that is my passion,” he said.

Cafe Desta, 758 S. Stone Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Get more info at destacafe.com.

Houlden’s Rise Above

With buttery, flakey croissants and chocolaty, gooey pastries, it can be hard to believe that Houlden’s Rise Above is a completely vegan bakery.

Owner and baker Hannah Houlden started the business as a home-based passion project in 2019. What began as a delivery of eight pastries per day to Presta Coffee Roasters has rampantly grown to daily deliveries to 10 locations and a booming bakery on Fifth Street and Rosemont Boulevard.

“I don’t know why, but it just struck something,” Houlden said. “It’s been all word of mouth.”

Houlden says the bakery’s menu rotates weekly based on what she feels like making and customer recommendations sent via Instagram. The baker’s sweets can be found at Coffee Times Tucson, Midtown Vegan Deli and Market, 5 Points Market and Restaurant, Screwbean Brewing, Yellow Brick Coffee, Presta Coffee and Whole Slvce Pizza.

For a wider selection of desserts and treats, customers have to wait until the weekends when the bakery, at 5029 E. Fifth St., opens its doors.

“We can do so much more savory stuff here,” Houlden said. “I really just love cooking for people, so our savory foods are our special items (at the bakery).”

The brick-and-mortar opened in November 2022, and for the first couple years, Houlden and her husband were a two-person operation. She recently hired a team that has helped her increase the amount of baked goods she produces.

“I have more room to create, and not just survive,” Houlden said. “I think that’s something the retail space really let us do, is allow us to have help and support.”

Houlden’s Rise Above is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays. The weekly menu and daily deliveries can be found at instagram.com/houldens.riseabove.

Zayna’s Mediterranean

Tucsonans can find a taste of the Mediterranean just off of Speedway and Belvedere Avenue.

Originally from Syria, Riad Altoubal opened Zayna’s Mediterranean in 2005. The restaurant, named after the owner’s daughter, outgrew two locations before taking up the nearly 5,500-square-foot former home of Molina’s Midway, 1138 N. Belvedere Ave., about six years ago.

“We’ve had a good following of people with us, but ever since we’ve started doing social media networking, it’s been so crazy,” said Heather Smith, the restaurant’s community liaison. “It’s not only people that are vegan and vegetarian, but it’s also a lot of people that are on different diets, like for their cholesterol.”

Smith says that some of the most popular vegan dishes include the falafel plate, tabbouleh plate and cauliflower. Most of the dishes are made of chickpeas, fava beans, parsley and other vegetables.

“The Mediterranean cuisine is naturally just a vegan/vegetarian option,” Smith said. “Its real, whole ingredients.”

The restaurant’s lunch specials, offered Tuesday through Friday, include some of these vegan options with a side of fries and an ice tea or soda. The restaurant also offers vegan baklava, a pistachio or walnut based dessert, and certified vegan wines.

Zayna’s Mediterranean is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Visit zaynamediterranean.com for more info.

Limitless vegan options

With award-winning chef Wendy Garcia’s Tumerico, 2526 E. Sixth St., serving vegan Latin American cuisine and Ari Shapiro’s months-old Whole Slvce Pizza, 160 S. Avenida del Convento, offering vegetarian alternatives for all menu items, there are plenty of ways to eat plant-based while fulfilling all cravings in Tucson.