Our local food scene is as vibrant as ever, so it’s no surprise there are a slew of local chefs serving up fresh, vegetarian bites across town. From vegetarian burgers to scrumptious vegan ramen, here are some restaurants serving up meat-free fare in Indianapolis.
🥕 100% plant-based
10th Street Diner , 3301 E. 10th St. | This delicious diner offers all the classics, minus the meat. Order from a rotating list of specials, plus grab brunch food and plenty of dessert choices.
Burgeezy , 335 W. 9th St., Ste. D. | Inside of the AMP at 16 Tech is this vegan burger spot, serving up Beyond and Impossible patties, plus sides like seitan or cauliflower wings. Bonus: Grab breakfast Friday + Saturday mornings.
🍊 The brunch bunch
Soulshine Vegan Café , 6516 Ferguson St. | Kickstart your morning with the all-vegan loaded burrito and a specialty latte. It also has rotating chia seed puddings that will keep you coming back for more.
Cafe Patachou , multiple locations | Voted one of Bon Appetit’s Ten Best Places for Breakfast in the Country, this spot has several vegan options on its brunch menu. We recommend the vegan omelette made with a garbanzo flour “crepe,” hummus, and cashew ricotta.
🌮 Food trucks
Good Vegan, Bad Vegan , 2401 N. Harding St. | This food truck will hit the spot. If we were to order for you, we’d get the raw tacos made with a spicy kale salad.
Nacho Mama’s Food Truck | This truck has all your cravings — vegan nachos and tacos as well as vegetarian options like the Holy Guacamole Nachos, made with queso blanco and Spanish rice.
Black Leaf Vegan | This family-owned restaurant that specializes in plant-based products has food truck roots. Its vegan loaded nachos are a fan favorite.
🍔 For the vegan carnivore
Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant , 5352 W. 38th St. | This spot was the “2021 Vegan Best of Indy Winner” at Indy VegFest . You can’t go wrong with a combination plate.
Shoyu Shop , inside Strangebird, 128 S. Audubon Rd. | The Japanese-inspired comfort food from Shoyu is served up at Strangebird Wed.-Sat. from 5-10 p.m., with vegan options available for most menu choices. So. Much. Ramen.
Tlaolli , 2830 E. Washington St. | Vegan items include jackfruit tacos, Hibiscus flower tacos, and the NoNoNo taco (no meat, no dairy, no gluten). Tamales fans can also find the NoNoNo tamal.
Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh , 1340 E. 86 St. | Falafel + portobello mushrooms are offered as protein choices to make stuffed pita, salads, and rice bowls.
🍄 Bring it home
Mrs. Murry’s Naturals , 2432 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. | If you want to maximize your time together at home, consider stopping by Cleo’s Bodega and Café to pick up a Cinnabomb cake or some chili.
4 Birds Bakery , 1058 Virginia Ave. | Granola, crackers, and cookies are just a few 4 Birds’ products sold all over town, at its storefront in Fountain Square, or available for online order.
Cluster Truck , delivery only | The to-go kitchen offers vegetarian mains like the spiced chickpea bowl, Mediterranean wrap, and chickpea wrap. Bonus: The Cluster Truck menu will tell you what’s vegan and what’s vegetarian.
Brewer Bakes , 2442 Central Ave. | Get vegan cookies delivered in flavors like snickerdoodle, sunbutter and carob chip.
🍽️ Chef it up at home
Check out our favorite tips and tricks for serving veggie-focused fare from your own kitchen:
- To make zucchini, carrot, or beet noodles, try a veggie spiralizer that magically turns vegetables into noodles.
- Tired of wasting money on spices you use once? Broth Bomb combines all the spices you need for a flavorful meal.
- Harness the power of fresh and high-quality spices from James Beard Award-winning chef Meherwan Irani.
- A tofu press draws out water and can help tofu firm and crisp up once you cook it — the one linked here is dishwasher safe + works in twenty minutes.
- If your least favorite part about veggie prep is chopping, this all-in-one vegetable chopper can minimize prep time.
- Use a sprouting jar kit to grow microgreens and sprouted beans at home.
- If you’re making fresh bread, this Sourhouse starter jar was designed to be the easiest-to-clean sourdough starter jar in the world.
- For the ultimate veggie food prep, this glass storage container set keeps lunches and leftovers organized.
- Need some good recipes? Browse cookbooks “Inspiralized: Turn Vegetables into Healthy, Creative, Satisfying Meals” for veggie spiral recipes, “The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100” for plant-based ideas, or “The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook” from America’s Test Kitchen
Pro tip: Indy VegFest has a whole map dedicated to plant-based meals around the city — check it out here .