Our Favorite Black-Owned Vegan Restaurants in Brooklyn
Gone are the days when eating vegan meant hunting down a health food store or opting to dine at home due to limited options. These days, you’ll find a ton of tasty vegan options in most food stores and in more and more restaurants, so whether you’re a full-time or part-time Brooklyn vegan, you’re health-conscious or simply vegan curious, you have plenty of choices when it comes to plant-based food.
November 1 is World Vegan Day, and we thought what better way to celebrate than with a list of some of our favorite Black-owned vegan restaurants in Brooklyn.
ZED Eats and Drinks
Prospect Lefferts Gardens / Flatbush
A love for music and plant-based cuisine are at the heart of ZED’s, and you’ll see this the minute you step inside the restaurant. If you’re craving cool-weather Brooklyn vegan comfort foods like grits, chicken and waffles, grilled cheese, nachos, a cheeseburger, curry goat or oxtail, this is the place to go. On the less decadent side, they also offer a juice and smoothie menu. And for dessert? Vegan chocolate cake or ice cream. We also love that ZED’s has live jazz music and reggae night.
ZED Eats and Drinks
675 Flatbush Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Slutty Vegan
Fort Greene
Since opening Slutty Vegan in Atlanta’s West End, Pinky Cole has brought her signature vegan menu to eight locations, including one here in Brooklyn. The playfully named menu items attract vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Choose from a range of plant-based burgers, chicken, New Orleans-style shrimp and crispy crinkle-cut fries. An energetic staff keeps you smiling, even if you encounter a bit of a line. And as if this all-star CEO wasn’t already doing enough, she also runs The Pinky Cole Foundation to promote Black economic progress through educational programs, networking, leadership, fundraising and philanthropy.
Slutty Vegan
690 Fulton St
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Sol Sips
Bushwick (currently online and catering)
Not only is Sol Sips Black-owned and female-owned, but the owner, Francesca Chaney, is in her early 20s and already making waves in the Brooklyn vegan community and food world. She started out doing popups from 2015 to 2017 and then got an opportunity to purchase the commercial space where she started her restaurant. During Covid lockdowns, Sol Sips started offering meal kits (some of which have a sliding-scale option) which you can purchase online, and right now they’re focusing on vegan catering and online orders, and also offering their kitchen for rent to other aspiring entrepreneurs.
Sol Sips
276 Knickerbocker Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11237
Ras Plant Based Ethiopian
Crown Heights
Bright Ethiopian-inspired murals, plentiful plants and a cozy bar welcome you at Ras, where you will find a beautiful presentation of organic, kosher-certified Ethiopian food portioned atop artfully cut injera. Select from appetizers like the lentil or mixed veggie sambusa (crispy stuffed pastry), and entrees that include combo platters, shiro (ground chickpeas), and mushroom or tofu tibs (sliced “meat”). And be sure to try the coffee or a cocktail too.
Ras Plant Based Ehtiopian
739 Franklin Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Ital Kitchen
Crown Heights
Ital serves up delicious food that celebrates the Rastafarian movement. Chef-Owner Michael Gordon uses jackfruit, seitan, mushrooms and other vegetables to make vegan jerk chicken, oxtails, turmeric stew and veggie burgers, among other popular dishes. Enjoy your meal inside the cozy restaurant or in the welcoming backyard garden.
Ital Kitchen
1032 Union St
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Aunts Et Uncles
Flatbush
From the moment you enter Aunts Et Uncles, you’ll be in awe of the stunning design, eye-catching art, curated merchandise and warm color palette. Business partners/husband-wife duo Nicole and Michael Nicholas specialize in vegan Caribbean food that includes lobster rolls, mac and cheese, chicken sandwiches, salads, french toast and other breakfast classics. The secret’s definitely out as they were reviewed last year by The New York Times. Like most of the Brooklyn vegan restaurants on our list, Aunts Et Uncles is proof that eating vegan goes way beyond salad and fruit.
Aunts Et Uncles
1407 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11226
Black Rican Vegan
Smorgasburg, Prospect Park
Technically Black Rican Vegan operates out of their Bronx kitchen but because they serve food at Smorgasburg in Prospect Park, we wanted to feature them on our list. They offer a selection of vegan soul and Puerto Rican food such as mofongo (a mashed plantain-based dish with spices), chopped cheese egg rolls, chicharron, oyster mushroom burgers and empanadas. You’ll also find them popping up at other events, which you can stay up to date with on their Instagram.
Black Rican Vegan
Breeze Hill, Prospect Park
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Bunna Cafe
Bushwick
Since 2011, Bunna Cafe has been a plant-based Ethiopian staple here in Brooklyn. Written up in The New Yorker and Bon Appétit, among other publications, Bunna is known for their cocktails, Ethiopian coffee, lentil sambusa and satisfying feasts of varying sizes, with options like rosemary mushroom tibs, collard greens, ground chickpeas, cabbage and beats all served atop—and with plenty of extra—tangy injera.
Bunna Cafe
1084 Flushing Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11237
Fatboy’s Vegan Burgers
Bed-Stuy
More than just another vegan burger spot, Fatboy’s is known for their spicy burgers, large menu of veggie and sauce toppings, spicy nuggets and tater tots. Choose from seasoned tots, tots loaded with vegan cheese sauce and a chopped patty, or tots topped with mozzarella and gravy.
Fatboy’s Vegan Burgers
537 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11216
For more ways to support Black-owned Brooklyn businesses, visit Black-Owned Brooklyn or check out our blog posts on date night ideas at Black-owned Brooklyn businesses.
