For many travelers, vacation is an opportunity to experience a destination through local fare. However, when a typical restaurant’s menu might have one token vegan option, the experience isn’t quite the same. And more often than not, plant-based-foodies find themselves creating an entrée from a jumble of side dishes.
Fortunately, for vegan and veggie-loving meat-eaters alike, plant-based options are growing in popularity, and cities like Orlando are leading the way.
According to PETA, more than 30% of restaurants in The City Beautiful offer vegan dishes, ranking Orlando as the number six most popular vegan restaurant destination in the country.
From north to south, here are just a few of the best vegan restaurants in Orlando.
Ethos Vegan Kitchen
Opened in 2007 and nestled in the heart of Winter Park, Ethos Vegan Kitchen is a veteran Central Florida eatery. This family-owned and operated restaurant is committed to providing good food at a fair price and doing business as socially and environmentally aware as possible.
The menu is 100% vegan and features hearty, homestyle fare. They also offer a selection of vegan beer and wine and vegan bakery items made from scratch daily. And it’s no surprise that Ethos consistently ranks the best vegan restaurant in Orlando.
Try one of these dishes to satisfy even the largest appetite:
Yo Mama’s lasagna
Meatloaf
Bay cakes
Tofu Coconut Curry Wrap
Market on South
Head south about five miles to Orlando’s Milk District to get a taste of Market on South, where you’ll find vegan restaurants Dixie Dharma and Valhalla Bakery. This shared market space consists of a restaurant, bakery and bar offering a full plant-based dining and beverage menu, including BBQ and desserts.
At Dixie Dharma, be sure to try:
Florida fried green tomato
Carolina BBQ pulled jackfruit
The Orlando Bird (Dixie Dharma’s famous Sloppy Joe)
Valhalla Bakery offers decadent cakes, cupcakes and more. All desserts here are served egg-free, dairy-free and vegan-friendly.
Taste test a few of our favorites like:
Succulent flower pot cakes
Ginger molasses cookies
Put Da Lime in Da Coconut Cake
Cinnamon rolls (Sundays only)
Leguminati
Just slightly further south is one of Orlando’s newest local hubs, The Hourglass District, and home to vegan restaurant Leguminati.
Find this mobile food truck turned brick and mortar in The Hourglass Social House alongside another local favorite, Foxtail Coffee. As one of Orlando’s newest vegan options, Leguminati offers a laid-back atmosphere (furry-friends welcome) where you can enjoy indoor or outdoor seating and casual eats.
The menu is known for its crunch wraps but also includes sandwiches, burgers, bagels and beer.
Save your appetite for one of these crunch wrap variations:
Crunch Mac
Buffalo Crunch
Chicken Parm Crunch
Read “3 Action-Packed Nights Orlando” for ways to enjoy O-Town once you’ve re-fueled.
