Whether you’re following a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, participating in meatless Mondays or simply looking to switch things up, Oklahoma’s meat-free dining scene has something to satiate herbivores and carnivores alike.
Oklahoma City
The Loaded Bowl
Vegans and meat-eaters all flock to The Loaded Bowl for Southern-inspired flavors that pack a punch in the restaurant’s biodegradable bowls and plates. Making waves in 2013 as the state’s first vegan food truck, the brick-and-mortar eatery in Oklahoma City’s Farmers Market District serves rich comfort foods that you won’t soon forget.
Menu mainstays include the “Garfield Lasagna” with tofu ricotta and creamy cashew cheese or the “Down Home Bowl” with an addictive barbecue-topped cashew mac and cheese. Stop by for a satisfying lunch or dinner, or for The Loaded Bowl’s brunch menu featuring dishes like cheesy vegan chorizo grits and tofu scrambles. Whatever you choose, this purveyor of “conscious comfort food” is unlikely to disappoint.
The Red Cup
Located near OKC’s Asian District, The Red Cup is a long-time haven and hub for vegans and vegetarians in Oklahoma City. Founded in 1995, this eclectic, down-to-earth café has earned a reputation as a destination for robust, plant-based breakfasts, brunches and lunches.
Complete with a coffee and tea bar, the Red Cup offers hearty meals without the post-dining sluggishness you might get with large portions of meat. Start your morning with gluten-free biscuits and gravy, or grab a breakfast burrito filled with savory tofu scramble. You won’t miss any meat in The Red Cup’s famous chili pie, with your choice of chips or pasta loaded with house-made chili. Vegan eating stays interesting at this artsy joint with new daily specials on the regular.
Picasso Café
A Paseo Arts District favorite since 2009, Picasso Café and Chef Ryan Parrott take great care to ensure the menu’s dedicated vegan and vegetarian section is plentiful in vibrant, creative entrees.
Mushrooms take on a meaty role with the “chicken fried” portobello mushroom, an ode to down-home Oklahoma cuisine doused in creamy vegan gravy. The hearty theme continues with vegan mac and cheese, topped with jackfruit and cashew cheese sauce. Simple but flavorful roasted artichoke ravioli boasts zesty flavors in a lemon cream sauce, while vegan quinoa tacos provide a lighter but flavorful option.
Picasso’s affection for plant-eating customers spreads beyond the regular menu. Once a month, the restaurant serves a dinner with five courses of vegan and vegetarian entrees, along with wine pairings.
Vast
Fine dining in Oklahoma is much more than a slab of premium steak. Travel to the top of Devon Tower in the heart of downtown OKC to experience elevated vegan eating at Vast. This premier restaurant regularly accommodates vegans with excellent brunch, lunch and dinner options, and on the last week of every month, Vast’s vegan tasting menu is a sight to behold for meat-free crowds.
Every dish on this special menu is made with painstaking detail and imagination. When making a reservation, inform Vast you’re coming for the vegan menu, and the chefs will bring your plant-based dreams to life. Past vegan tasting menus have included tomato carpaccio with smoked onion jam, beet risotto with chive oil and rigatoni pasta with morel mushrooms and English peas. Dessert always rounds off the meal nicely, with luxurious treats like pistachio baklava with orange blackberry.
Green Goodies
If you’ve got a hankering for vegan sweets, head to Classen Curve in Nichols Hills for delectable vegan cupcakes, cookies and more at Green Goodies. Since 2009, this vegan, gluten free-friendly bakery has customized desserts for those with food allergies and dietary restrictions. Cupcakes, cookies and pastries are made from scratch daily, and modified to meet most customer’s needs.
Bite into the bakery’s signature Hostess-style chocolate cupcake with vegan cream inside, or grab any number of Green Goodies’ seasonal cupcake flavors. For breakfast, try a vegan cinnamon roll with a fresh local coffee. Know a vegan in need of a sweet treat? Make their day with a dozen assorted cupcakes or cookie sandwiches. Vegan eating doesn’t always have to be healthy, but it sure can be delicious at Green Goodies.
Holey Rollers
Some customers may be unaware they’re eating vegan when they bite into the delectable donuts and pastries at Holey Rollers. This Paseo Arts District stop makes vegan and gluten-free pastries with a more health-conscious yet indulgent edge. Choose from a large assortment of donuts with natural flavors like Mexican hot chocolate, spiced chai or salted caramel. While you’re at it, try pastries like the large fritter topped with vegan icing and pecans or scrumptious cinnamon rolls. Holey Rollers also offers savory vegan items like breakfast tacos and English muffins, along with a full coffee bar.
Elemental Coffee
All kinds of coffee lovers are welcome at Elemental Coffee, including the vegan variety. This downtown OKC shop serves homemade vegan breakfast, brunch and lunch items alongside their locally-sourced coffee.
Elemental’s grab-and-go breakfasts are perfect for busy weekday mornings, with transportable vegan burritos filled with seasoned tofu and veggies, avocado toast, sweet and savory pastries, and more. For lunch, Elemental offers multiple sandwiches, tacos and other quick provisions. Try the “Hudson” street taco filled with sesame ginger garlic tofu, or the “Costanza,” a vegan take on a pastrami sandwich with stone ground mustard on rye. If you have more time on the weekend, stop by Elemental for vegan brunch dishes like biscuits and mushroom gravy, French toast or hearty breakfast sandwiches.
Plant
Founded by raw food chef Emma Ryan, Plant is a one-stop shop for all things healthy. Whether it’s a superfood salad, a colorful smoothie or a grab-and-go bite, this chic eatery in OKC’s Midtown District is completely vegetarian and gluten free. Dishes here are full of ingredients sourced directly from Oklahoma farmers, from the organic kale to the fresh butternut squash. Be sure to stop in for weekend brunch, featuring delicious options like quinoa “chorizo” tacos and fluffy banana pancakes. Plant also hosts a variety of community events throughout the year that combine plant-based education with engaging activities, knowledgeable speakers and delicious food offerings.
Edmond
Conscious Community Cafe & Co-op
Enjoy a quality plant-based meal at Conscious Community Cafe & Co-op in Edmond. Located inside Energetic Wellness Center, this café works with Oklahoma farmers to provide organic dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Choose from substantial vegan and vegetarian dishes like the vegan chili, fruit bowl, and avocado toast made with fresh produce sourced from local farms. These good-for-you entrees are full of flavor and made from scratch in a relaxed, farmhouse-inspired interior.
Hidalgo’s Cocina & Cantina
It’s sometimes hard to find a traditional Mexican food restaurant with bountiful vegan options, but Hidalgo’s Concina & Cantina offers just that with an entire menu section dedicated to meat-free eats. This colorful, friendly Edmond spot takes familiar Mexican flavors and turns them into fresh, plant-based meals.
Order the Burrito Verde, a flour tortilla filled with steamed corn, beans and spinach and topped with a tasty tomatillo sauce, or try the Aldo’s Special with rice, steamed veggies, grilled onion, steamed beans and pico de gallo. Enjoy the satisfying sizzle of Hidalgo’s fajitas, a mix of vibrant veggies served with diced avocados and corn or flour tortillas. With these great vegan options and more, it’s easy to enjoy classic Mexican flavors while staying healthy.
Tulsa
Chimera
Sustainability and green eating go hand-in-hand at Tulsa’s Chimera Café. Along with locally-sourced coffee, this Tulsa Arts District café serves vegan options for breakfast, lunch and dinner in a warm, industrial atmosphere.
Start your morning with a breakfast taco like the Tokyo Eye with adzuki strips, tofu scramble, poblano and avocado crema, or order the Twinster’s Vegan Plate with a savory mixture of tofu, black beans, potatoes and adzuki strips served over arugula and topped with avocado. Lunch includes satisfying vegan items like the Super Veggie Wrap with Portobello mushrooms, the curry chickpea sandwich or several hearty salads. For dinner, try the battered cauliflower wings with a spicy wing sauce for an update on traditional chicken wings.
Ediblend Superfood Café
For some of the freshest, fastest food in Tulsa’s Utica Square, Ediblend Superfood Café is a great option. Try this shop’s daily selection of nourishing juices, smoothies, salads and more to stay energized throughout the day.
In the morning, grab a “Pre-Workout” smoothie with kale, orange, blueberries, banana, dates and coconut water or have a breakfast cup with organic oats, chia seeds, pure maple syrup or fresh fruit. Try a taco salad for lunch with walnut taco “meat” on arugula, cashew sour cream, corn, avocado, tomatoes and peppers. This upscale drink café also offers a coffee bar to fuel your day in Tulsa.
Elote Café
Hit up Tulsa’s Deco District for a modern take on Mexican food at Elote Café. Vegan and vegetarian-friendly, this restaurant prioritizes fresh ingredients from local farms. Plant-based eaters will appreciate the veggie broth-based tortilla soup that can be made vegan, or the quinoa taco salad on a crunchy shell. Tacos come in customizable vegan options and the healthy veggie burrito comes stuffed with black beans, sweet potatoes, spinach and caramelized onions. With a commitment to sustainable food and practices, you can feel good about choosing Elote next time you crave Mexican flavors.
Antoinette Baking Company
Antoinette Baking Company in Tulsa Arts District creates traditional and vegan goods fit for royalty. The storefront, decorated with various pastries and baked goods, is enough to draw in anyone with a sweet tooth. Gander at vegan brownies, chocolate cakes, specialty pies and more in this French-styled restaurant-bakery. Perfect for special occasions or surprises, Antoinette lets you design your own vegan cake with flavors like lavender, chocolate and vanilla bean. A box of vegan and gluten-free chocolate chip sea salt cookies will brighten any day of the week, or linger longer in the shop for Antoinette’s tasty breakfast and brunch options, like mushroom toast on sourdough or veggie hash. This picture-worthy bakery also includes daily vegan and vegetarian specials that will keep you coming back for more.
The Tropical Restaurant & Bar
Food tastes better when it’s fresh from a garden, especially from The Tropical Restaurant & Bar’s garden in Tulsa. Somewhat of a hidden gem off I-44, this modern Thai spot offers an impressive list of vegan and vegetarian cuisine with bold herbs grown in their own backyard.
Choose from vegan starters like garlic edamame, crispy corn cakes or fried Thai tofu topped with sour herb salad. Savor a hot bowl of three-kind mushroom soup, or have a refreshing Thai salad made with mixed greens and produce from the garden. Further down Tropical’s menu, you’ll find vegan specials like stir-fried vegetables with jasmine rice and pad see yu with tofu, rice noodles, veggies and sweet soy sauce. Try The Tropical for plenty more delicious dinner options, as most dishes can be modified to be vegan or vegetarian.
The Vault
Vegan dishes have a mid-century modern twist at The Vault in Tulsa. Once the First National Auto Bank in the 1950s, this restaurant offers a separate, unique vegan menu in addition to their retro-style entrees. Start with cauliflower “wings” with hot sauce, celery and vegan Green Goddess dressing, or the fresh spinach and apple salad with candied pecans and vegan cheese. The Vault’s main plates are vegan takes on old classics, like the “BLT” made with smoky eggplant, apple aioli, heirloom tomatoes and lettuce on Farrell Family sourdough, or the Vault pasta with rotini pasta, garbanzo beans, veggies, vegan cheese and pecans in a lemon-garlic white wine reduction. These vintage-inspired dishes might remind you of your grandma’s cooking – minus the meat.
Norman
The Earth Café & Deli
The Earth Café & Deli is considered a Norman institution for vegetarians and those with plant-based diets. Opened in the mid-1970s, The Earth is a small organic grocery store, café and coffee shop owned by couple Kate and Richard Haas. Stop by any time of the day and you’re sure to meet some friendly Norman locals and long-time patrons. The primarily vegan and vegetarian café housed in a quaint brick building offers health-focused breakfast, lunch and dinner in a relaxed, approachable setting.
Customers flock to The Earth for its affordable approach to quality, healthy eating, as most items on the menu are $10 or under. Start the day with tofu breakfast tacos, potato quiche, or granola with yogurt and fruit. The Earth’s down-home flavors are equal parts comforting and nourishing. Grab a cup of veggie soup and a salad for lunch, or dig into some organic blue corn nachos. If you’re on the go, pick up an organic smoothie or juice made on the spot, and fill up on caffeine with the café’s locally-sourced coffees and teas.
Ardmore
Veggies Health Food Store & Vegetarian Restaurant
A vegetarian oasis in Ardmore’s dining scene since 1997, Veggies Health Food Store & Vegetarian Restaurant is a one-stop shop for plant-based education, groceries, meals and more. For exclusively vegan and vegetarian dishes with exciting flavors, stop by the restaurant for the organic salad bar, daily meal specials, soups, smoothies, juices and tasty baked goods.
Owners Tom and Mary Bernt treat every customer like family, evident through their thoughtful, home-cooked meals. Rotating menu items like “Tantalizing Tamales,” “Practically Perfect Pizza” or “Kinda like a Krab Kake” make vegetarian eating delightful. Don’t forget to try one of Mary’s scrumptious desserts, like blueberry lemon bars or vegan snickerdoodle bars. Next time you’re driving down I-35, be sure to stop by Veggies for a filling meal.
Depew
Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy
Experience farm-to-table dining directly from the source with a multi-course dinner at this popular Depew dining destination. Sitting on 400 scenic acres in rural Oklahoma, Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy grows all its food on a sustainable farm that guests can tour before enjoying a flavorful, seasonal menu full of innovative combinations. Owners Lisa Becklund and Linda Ford not only offer vegetarian and vegan options, but also dedicate several weekends throughout the year to an entirely plant-based tasting menu.
Take a seat at the community table on the screened-in porch and dig into plant-based options that delight the eyes as much as the taste buds. Without traveling long distances and being treated with pesticides, Oklahoma agriculture is truly the star of the show at Living Kitchen. You’ll find that summer squash, winter root vegetables, chanterelle mushrooms, fresh leafy greens and a refreshing variety of other certified organic heirloom produce take center stage in over nine veggie-centric entrees that engage the senses. Book your reservation well in advance, as high numbers of devoted epicureans visit Living Kitchen throughout the year.
