5 Vegan Spots in Vancouver for Creative Bites
It’s been a long time since veganism has been associated with the bland and unexciting; recent years have seen an explosion of flavourful recipes that are still plant-based, healthy, and beneficial for the environment. Meat has never been the only requirement for tastiness, and now vegan dining is more accessible than ever. A city defined by its health-conscious communities, Vancouver has more than its fair share of vegan restaurants. Here, we’ve rounded up a list of five recommended vegan spots in Vancouver.
Manna Sacred Meals
Jackfruit coconut curry from Manna Sacred Meals.
As a plant-based meal delivery service, Manna Sacred Meals marries environmentally conscious eating with home-based dining, targeting two prominent needs of recent times. Launched last November, Manna is a member of the Recycling Council of B.C. and offers ready-made meals in BPA-free, FDA-approved pouches. Manna goes the extra step to pick up all pouches from customers to clean the packaging before dropping it off at local recycling facilities. To top it off, recipes are designed by trained chefs with ingredients sourced from local farmers.
Manna’s weekly deliveries stretch all over the Vancouver area, as far east as Chilliwack and as far north as Whistler.
Mila
Mushroom and Sausage Tagliatelle from Mila. Photo by Hakan Burcuoglu.
Chinatown’s Mila is a global exploration of vegan recipes. From the jerk-seasoned smashed chips to the bulgogi tacos, Mila’s menu offers world tastes in plant-based iterations. Teeming with flavour, the dishes could fool even the most astute meat eater, featuring ingredients like carrot lox and celeriac.
Chickpea
Falafel platter from Chickpea.
Chickpea began as a humble food truck on the corner of Howe and Cordova in downtown Vancouver, but as word spread about its flavourful Middle Eastern menu, the food truck found a permanent home on Main Street while also expanding into catering services. The plant-based menu offers such favourites as falafel and shawarma, as well as hidden gems of Middle Eastern cuisine like sabich and shakshuka.
The Acorn
Photo by Eva Von Jagow.
Founder Shira Blustein launched the Acorn restaurant after touring the world as a vegetarian musician; for every unique non-meat dish she could find, there were more bland tofu-heavy options elsewhere she’d be resigned to. The Acorn, with its award-winning menu and locally sourced ingredients, is a revolt against the unimaginative. Dishes include a rutabaga with daikon and kimchi as well as a wild fennel and black oyster mushroom ravioli.
Eternal Abundance
Breakfast waffles from Eternal Abundance.
A grocery and café in one, Eternal Abundance is a vegan staple on Commercial Drive with a philosophy of providing only organic, plant-based, and local products. With deep roots in the community, Eternal Abundance prioritizes fair trade and local artisan producers while considering the long-term effects of organic farming both on the environment and on our bodies. Adapting for a COVID world, the grocery also offers delivery on orders, and almost all products come in returnable jars or compostable bags.
For more plant-based recipes and restaurant tips, click HERE.
