Metro Detroit Vegan Restaurants to Try
Jake Newby
| 5 min read
Tasty vegan options have never been so easy to find in the city of Detroit.
Vegan restaurants with creative menus and delicious dishes have either opened in metro Detroit or seen a spike in popularity in recent years. Whether you’ve eaten plant based for a while or are just now starting to eat vegan, these spots are more than worthy of your attention.
Most popular dish or item: Vegan Italian sub and vegan Philly cheesesteak.
Location: 603 S. Washington Ave. in Royal Oak.
Information: This vegan friendly sub shop got off to a rough start when it opened its doors at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. But it overcame difficult circumstances to become one of the go-to vegan options in Royal Oak.
Oak House Deli General Manager Bill Palchak prepares a vegan Philly Cheesesteak sandwich
Oak House’s vegan menu is modeled after his regular menu, so their vegan options are meat-free takes on some of the most popular sandwiches around. There are vegan taco subs, vegan pizza subs, vegan “egg” sandwiches and even vegan soups, pasta salads, potato salads and coleslaw. Oak House Deli is open seven days a week. Between Monday and Friday, it is open from 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. On weekends, it’s open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Most popular dish or item: The Veggie D and Margherita.
Location: 5163 Trumbull Ave. in Detroit.
Info: Flavor is king at Pie-Sci pizzeria. All vegetarian and meaty pizzas at Pie-Sci can be made vegan; customers just need to request “Follow Your Heart” mozzarella or house-made cashew cheese, as well as protein substitutes. For instance, BBQ-style meaty pizzas can include jackfruit instead.
The restaurant dedicates a section of its menu to special, seasonal “secondary” ‘zas. Peek at the pies coming out of the Pie-Sci oven right now. Pie-Sci is open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant also offers a special brunch menu on Sundays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Most popular dish or item: Artichoke Po Boy, Bánh mì sandwich and chili cheese fries.
Location: 33043 Grand River Ave. in Farmington.
Info: Chive Kitchen in Farmington boasts a menu inspired by both Western European flavor profiles and California fusion. The vegan café satisfies comfort food cravings, too, as vegan Reubens, vegan burgers, and fried artichoke bowls demonstrate. Chive also offers hot and ready daily specials, deli items, homemade baked goods and more.
A sweet rice bowl from Chive Kitchen
The restaurant – which also offers a full bar – is open between Tuesday and Saturday from noon until 7 p.m. each day.
Most popular dish or item: Breakfast bowls.
Locations: 719 Griswold St. (Detroit); 3381 Rochester Road (Troy); 37628 Ford Road (Westland).
Info: Aratham Gourmet to Go has carved out a niche as a vegan grab-and-go shop that residents of Troy, Westland and Detroit can depend on. At Aratham, organic ingredients and whole foods are king. Menus in each of the business’ three locations change each week to include rotating items that always list the nutritional quality and calories.
The balanced menu features an assortment of salads, soups, pasta dishes, rice dishes, vegetable bowls, sandwiches, and sweets 12 months a year. It’s just the styles of cuisine that vary. One month may feature a poached pear salad, a “lobster” sandwich, chunky heart beet soup and Mediterranean, an American-style BLT wrap, and peanut butter “Twix” bars for dessert.
Each Aratham location is open between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday through Saturday.
Most popular dish or item: White truffle, fig balsamic, and garlic noir cheeses. Tiramisu and pistachio delight mini cakes.
Location: 135 Pierce St. in Birmingham.
Info: Michigan’s first and only plant-based cheesery was built on the belief that food is medicine. Artisanal cheeses at Planthropie are cashew-based and made from scratch. All cheeses and desserts are free from dairy, refined sugar, grains, soy, gluten, additives, fillers, oils, and flavorings.
Vegan cheese from Planthropie
The business also makes in-house liquid dessert drinks – like hot chocolate, mocha and matcha – its own tea and botanical options and small bite desserts, like raspberry chocolate truffle balls, brownie truffle balls and more. Planthropie does cheese flights, tasting tours, bricks and artisanal cheese boxes and more. The business is open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Sundays.
Most popular dish or item: Vegan coney dog and Big Mock sandwich.
Location: 3411 Brush St. In Detroit.
Info: The menu at Chili Mustard Onions (CMO) is like a mash-up between a greasy spoon diner and a fast-food restaurant, only every single bit of it is vegan. When you eat at his restaurant LaCombe likes to say you are “guilt-free eating.”
CMO is lauded by customers for its creative takes on fast food signature sandwiches and spice blends, which are often the heroes of the dish. CMO’s in-house cheese sauce is also soy-free and gluten-free, as are most items on the CMO menu.
NOTE: CMO owner Pete LaCombe announced that CMO expected to shut down in December 2022. At the time of this writing, the restaurant continued to operate at its normal hours.
Photo credits: Pie-Sci, Chive Kitchen, and Planthropie.
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