Houston’s food scene is characterized by Texas-sized plates of barbecue, fajitas, and other meaty entrees. Fortunately, Houston’s culinary landscape is as vast and diverse as the city itself. Locals following plant-based diets and lifestyles will feel right at home and have plenty of vegan options to choose from without sacrificing southern spice or flavor.

Citywide vegan spots include Sinfull Bakery whose scrumptious cookies, pies, cupcakes, and other baked goods can be found in local coffee shops; beloved food truck and meal delivery service The Traveling Carrot; Sunshine’s, a health food store with a vegan-friendly deli and cooking classes; and prepared meal service Snap Kitchen with 20 Houston locations.

While vegan restaurants in Houston are plentiful, these five neighborhoods have the most to offer vegan Houstonians.

Chinatown

Quan Yin Chinatown Houston
Quan Yin Chinatown Houston / Photo by Stephanie / CC BY

Chinatown is colloquially known as “Asiatown” due to the various cultural groups that historically called the neighborhood home. The six-mile stretch of Bellaire Boulevard is a bustling business and residential neighborhood popular among families and business owners.

Pastimes include sampling the array of cuisines and food fusions like Houston invention Viet-Cajun crawfish and bargain hunting along Harwin Drive and the Hong Kong City Mall. Vegan residents can find meat-free dishes at many restaurants in the area, but the following are fully vegan or vegetarian providing the most options and putting diners at ease when ordering. 

Spots to check out:  

  • Quan Yin Vegetarian Restaurant: An all-vegan Vietnamese restaurant serving classic dishes like spring rolls, sweet and sour “pork," and curry “chicken” using meat alternatives. 
  • San San Tofu: An affordable vegetarian joint with plenty of vegan options and meat substitutes. Order a lunch combo from the cafeteria-style line or grab a bulging bahn mi sans mayo.
  • Pine Forest Garden: This unassuming, predominantly vegan buffet (a few dishes include dairy) offers a variety of options like sushi, dumplings, fried veggie sliders, and fresh soy milk. 

Upper Kirby

Pepper Tree Upper Kirby Houston vegan food
Pepper Tree Upper Kirby Houston / Photo by Jeff Gunn / CC BY

Upper Kirby, aka UK due to the distinctive red telephone booths marking the bounds of the neighborhood, is a commercial business district. Major thoroughfares like Richmond Avenue, Westheimer Road, and I-59 make UK a prime spot for urban professionals, while midcentury ranches tucked off of Wesleyan Street draw families and first-time homebuyers.

UK is all about location: The neighborhood borders artsy Montrose where Vibrant, a chic eatery with a variety of plant-based plates and nut milks, recently opened. And two national health food chains Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s sit half a mile apart. Vegans wanting to shop local can visit the Urban Harvest Farmers Market held every Saturday to buy local produce and goods. 

Spots to check out:

  • Pepper Tree: Order a variety of soup, noodle, and rice dishes a la carte or sample them all from the buffet at this vegan and MSG-free Asian restaurant.
  • Field of Greens: This majority-vegan restaurant has an extensive menu of soup, salads, sandwiches, and more. Gluten-free, soy-free, and sugar-free options are available as well.
  • Local Foods: A Houston health chain with daily vegan specials like the fried oyster mushroom po’boys and multiple menu mainstays including cashew queso and the veggie-stuffed garden sammie.

The Heights

Cold pressed juice
Cold pressed juice

The Heights is an idyllic neighborhood with ample greenspace, oak-lined streets, and a close-knit community. Spacious bungalows and New Orleans-style Victorians attract families while brunch spots and craft cocktail bars bring millennials and professionals.   

Bike trails along the bayou and local restaurants with scratch-made dishes emphasize the neighborhood’s commitment to health and wellness. Vegan goods from Sinfull Bakery are stocked in area coffee shops and many restaurants eagerly accommodate vegans.

Spots to check out: 

  • Verdine: This former food truck’s 100 percent vegan brick-and-mortar debut brings global eats like falafel, pozole, and an earthy mushroom-based bistro burger that stacks up against the city's best.
  • Revolucion Coffee + Juice: Cleansing cold pressed juicery and coffee shop with nut milks and acai bowls. 
  • Fat Cat Creamery: Dairy-free offerings include chai tea-flavored ice cream with a coconut milk base and seasonal rotations like raspberry sorbet and coconut vanilla bean.

Third Ward  

Vegan Tacos
Vegan Tacos / Photo by Bex Walton / CC BY

Third Ward is the former home of the world’s most famous sometimes-vegan performer: Beyoncé. The historic neighborhood is culturally rich and one of the last of Houston’s original six wards. Community outreach is a priority, and while the city has long been considered a food desert, residents are taking matters into their own hands and opening health food restaurants, co-ops, and food trucks.

Houston Sauce Co.’s food truck rolls into Third Ward weekly with vegan southern delicacies like mushrooms and grits, gumbo, and boudin balls. Green Seed Vegan, perched on the border of Third Ward and the Museum District, is one of the city’s most prominent vegan spots serving eclectic eats like a peanut butter and plantain panini and cauliflower nuggets. 

Spots to check out: 

  • Soul Food Vegan: Flavorful favorites like jambalaya, po’boys, and mac n’ cheese show that vegan food and comfort food aren’t mutually exclusive. 
  • The Doshi House: A community coffee house slinging specialty vegan street tacos rotating weekly. 
  • Crumbville: Across from historic community gathering place Emancipation Park, this bakery provides vegan cookies and cupcakes including seasonal offerings like ginger snaps.

Westchase

Loving Hut BBQ veggie burger
Loving Hut BBQ veggie burger / Photo by Tony Webster / CC BY

Westchase is a suburban enclave and business district straddling Houston’s outer loop. The neighborhood is much more affordable than the inner loop and home to over 1,500 businesses including major oil companies. Due to the ample amenities, residents will rarely have to venture to the city center, but Downtown is located a brisk 15 miles away when necessary.

Westchase is also near the Galleria neighborhood, a lively shopping district home to True Food Kitchen with a plethora of vegan menu items and natural food chain Flower Child.

Spots to check out: 

  • Veegos: Taco-lovers rejoice at Houston’s first vegan Mexican restaurant with jackfruit street tacos, tortas, and nachos drizzled with cashew cheese.
  • Loving Hut: A vegan fast-food chain serving everything from hearty bowls of pho and pad thai to burgers and build-your-own wraps with flan and cheesecake to satisfy any sweet tooth. 
  • Flying Idlis: An Indian vegetarian breakfast restaurant where dishes can be made vegan by request.