A quarter century ago, Aratana Nualkhair led the way on vegan Thai food in the Northwest. Now Araya’s Place has three Seattle locations and a broad menu filled with finds like avocado curry, tofu satay, and drunken noodles. And yet so many regulars (plant-based eaters and omnivores alike) confess, they can’t get past their regular order of pad thai.

A window inside the venerable Vietnamese chainlet’s South Lake Union location offers a freestanding menu, mostly plant-based renditions of flavors from across Southeast Asia. Coconut and curry, dan dan noodles, and Lao-style crispy rice salad pack big flavors, as does a choyrizo banh mi that defies geography in the tastiest manner possible. 

Seattle’s stalwart vegan pizza tavern has worn booths that look like their own tiny rooms, and a ton of old-school flourishes like cheesy breadsticks, cookie pizza, a calzone option, and the ability to stuff your pizza crust with Teese, one of the better plant-based mozzarellas out there. These are no minimalist pies; toppings proliferate on soft chewy crusts, with a few options by the slice.

Chef Makini Howell—Seattle’s version of vegan royalty—puts out cultured, plant-based plates at her flagship restaurant. Howell has added multiple dishes to Seattle’s meatless canon (her mac and yease, a properly decadent tofu reuben, some incredible salads), but she also knows when to keep things straightforward, like pan-roasted cauliflower or truffle-topped gnocchi.

Enormous burritos and petite street-style tacos are great showcases for plant-based proteins. The Rojo’s menu includes frequent reminders that, yes, everything is vegan—helpful to alleviate concerns as you choose from typically carnivorous fillings like asada, carnitas (probably the best protein in the house), chick’n, and al pastor. Everything bursts with flavor and the location on the steep slope of James Street, formerly home to Il Corvo, is handy for workday lunch or food en route to the stadiums.

The former owner of Capitol Hill’s beloved meatless dive the Highline resurrected this vegan punk bar in 2020. Some Highline favorites surfaced here, like the french dip and reuben made with house seitan. This is assuredly a bar, serving burgers and nachos in those little plastic baskets, but the kitchen makes an impressive amount of stuff in house. 

That perfect egg white foam atop your cocktail is actually the work of chickpea juice, and the stunning vinyl collection nods to the owners’ deep ties to the local music scene (KEXP’s John Richards is a partner). Patrons get to pick records to play, but you might be too busy with the plant-based disco fries, the chop cheese, or the brunch menu that comes with its own slate of careful drinks.

A classic American burger stand with an enormous menu hides inside the Roosevelt Whole Foods, complete with a rare (and fairly impressive) lineup of milkshakes. The Oregon-based company, with an additional location in Ballard, piles its sandwiches with toppings and flavor, and adorns its packaging with messages about eating better for the planet.

Three plant-filled shops offer a mind-blowing lineup of vegan scoops—crazy decadent, deeply flavored, and in no way a dietary consolation prize. Flavors like dirty horchata, date-sweetened chocolate, or pickled blueberry channel Southern California; sorbets step away from the nut milks with combos like beet-strawberry-rose. Every last scoop, chocolate sauce topping, and vanilla-maple waffle cone is both vegan and gluten-free. (F&J pints are also available at some local grocery stores.)

Vegan croissants are a rarity, but a plant-based bakery in the heart of Fremont pulls off a commendable version (classic, almond, and the occasional chocolate) thanks to the magic of vegan butter. Lazy Cow also makes tasty retro-looking layer cakes. The bakery supports mutual aid organization La Casa del Xoloitzcuintle and operates a community fridge and food pantry inside its large space.

These newcomers (two brick-and-mortar, plus a truck in Ballard) have cascaded across town, bringing doughnuts in a rainbow of flavors that sparkle—sometimes literally thanks to edible glitter. The all-vegan dough isn’t as light as a typical brioche doughnut; they almost resemble King’s Hawaiian buns, but make a worthwhile canvas for birthday cake, strawberry lemonade, everything bagel, or lemon poppyseed. Coffee drinks come with a wee doughnut, skewered on a stir stick.

As the name implies, this North American chain specializes in cinnamon rolls piled with frosting, sprinkles, pie crumbles, chocolate sauce, and all manner of edible flair. But anyone craving vegan, gluten-free junk food should also investigate the edible cookie dough.