If you ask people what kind of food Memphis is known for, most will say barbecue. It’s true folks. So what’s a plant-based eater to do? Never fear, your vegan foodie guide is here! You can find a good mix of 100% vegan and vegan-friendly joints that even your meat-loving travel buddies will be down to try. Here are my top 5 favorite vegan restaurants in the city of Memphis!
WATCH MY VIDEO (and continue reading below)
1. LYFE Kitchen
The Type: Vegan-Friendly
The Hood: Downtown
The Grub: Modern comfort food
The Vibe: Vintage with a contemporary twist
No arguments here when traveling with a non-vegan. LYFE Kitchen serves food for all. Their vegan options are indicated on the menu with a V symbol for our convenience. Here, you can chow down indoors in the newly renovated vintage dining area or out on the patio. I came here for lunch and ate the curried rice noodles, which had a bit of a kick—but I guess I should have expected that from a dish with the word “curried” in it.
2. Mama Gaia
The Type: Vegan
The Hood: Midtown (2 locations: Overton Square and Crosstown Concourse)
The Grub: 100% organic
The Vibe: Delicious, clean, fast, healthy, and fresh
Mama Gaia has a couple locations, but I went to the one at Crosstown Concourse in Midtown, where I sat down with owners Philipp and Cru von Holtzendorff-Fehling. The husband and wife duo launched the company after their own personal life-changing experience with organic and plant-based eating. In 2010, Cru was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, so she self-prescribed a diet change to all organic and plant-based foods. Her health miraculously improved and that’s when the lovely couple started Mama Gaia, Memphis’s first 100% organic vegan restaurant.
They recommended I try the Memphia Pita, which turned out to be the perfect vegan barbecue-flavored dish I was hoping to experience in Memphis. It consists of smoked tofu, house-made barbecue sauce, southern slaw, and smoked onions. *drool*
3. Fuel Café
Type: Vegan-Friendly
The Hood: Midtown
The Grub: Pizzzzaaaa
The Vibe: Super chill
The #1 complaint I hear from people who are on the fence about going vegan: “But…how will I live without cheese?” I want to take all those people to Fuel Café. This is officially vegan pizza heaven.
With crust that’s fluffy on the inside, yet crispy on the outside and delectable cheese that’s made in house out of cashew nuts—each pizza slice tastes like a flavorful, cheesy masterpiece. They sell vegan pizza slices and most of their other menu items can be converted into yummy vegan dishes. I ordered the Carrot Hawaiian pizza, which traditionally comes with ham, pineapple, and bacon, but they made a non-meat version that was drool-worthy. I devoured every slice.
4. Raw Girls Memphis
The Type: Vegan
The Hood: Cooper Young District in Midtown
The Grub: Superfood smoothies, cold pressed juices, raw foods
The Vibe: Therapeutically bohemian
I love food trucks. I love them even more when they’re vegan. Pretty sure this is the first vegan food truck I’ve ever encountered—so needless to say I was eager to give it a go.
Raw Girls Memphis is a great spot for those looking for some food therapy. They have superfood smoothies, cold pressed juices, raw foods, and medicinal soups for the health-conscious. I wanted something light, so I opted for some avo toast that I washed down with a superfood 22g protein smoothie made with hemp protein, flax, almond milk, cacao, vanilla, sea salt, and cinnamon. Feel your vegan powers grow with each sip.
5. Otherlands Coffee Bar
The Type: Vegan-Friendly
The Hood: Midtown
The Grub: Breakfast and lunch made from scratch
The Vibe: Artsy and quirky
Last, but not least, check out this vegan-friendly coffee shop! I’m actually not a coffee drinker, but that’s neither here nor there. Otherlands Coffee Bar serves more than that. This café has teas, smoothies, breakfast, lunch, and pastries to choose from. I went here for breakfast on my last morning in Memphis and ordered a protein smoothie and veggie sausage. The perfect sendoff before hitting the road back home to Georgia.
So that’s a wrap! These are just a few of many vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants you can find around town—and you can look through an entire list of tasty places on Vegan Crunk. I gotta say, I was impressed that Memphis had everything I needed to satisfy my plant-based cravings. Not bad for a city known for its world famous barbecue.
Now head on over to my Memphis Travel Guide to plan out your itinerary. You’ll see my top 15 favorite things to do in the city.
Also, you can discover more Memphis at memphistravel.com.
*This foodie adventure was sponsored by Memphis Travel, but please believe all opinions are ALL me. In other words, I legit enjoyed stuffing my face and believe you will too. 😉
Which of these Memphis vegan restaurants do you think is the best? Let me know in the comment section below!
LIKE THIS POST? PIN IT!
