Vegan & Vegetarian Restaurants in Baltimore
Get your plant-based foodie fix with an on-the-go or indulgent meal from one of Baltimore's vegan or vegetarian restaurants.
Here in Baltimore we love our seafood. But we also have vegetarian and vegan-friendly options that are just as delicious and well-loved. We’ve selected a few of our favorite restaurants with plant-based and meatless dishes for you to check out.
Quick Bites
Baby’s On Fire
Music lovers will delight in this husband-and-wife-owned Mount Vernon business, which features dozens of bins of vinyl to flip through while enjoying your morning dose of caffeine. After browsing the musical selection, you can enjoy Stumptown Coffee, breakfast pastries and light bites. The menu is very vegan-friendly and includes items like the Le Tigre tofu wrap, The Eno vegan pastrami panini and a beloved vegan mac and cheese.
Enjoy a steaming cup of coffee at Baby’s on Fire in Fell’s Point, which also boasts an impressive record collection. Photograph by Justin Tsucalas.
Harmony Bakery
Get your sweet tooth fix without worrying about what you can order—everything on the menu is 100% vegan and gluten free. In addition to fresh-basked cookies, cakes and breads, Hampden-based Harmony Bakery offers quiches, flatbreads and meatless burgers.
GreenHouse Juice Cafe
Stop by GreenHouse for fresh-pressed juices and smoothies on the go, or sit down and enjoy their fully vegan menu of wraps, salads, bean burgers, “ribs” and more. This Charles Village spot is the perfect spot to stop before a stroll around Druid Hill Park.
Red Emma’s
Part café, part bookstore and part community events space, Red Emma’s is a radical worker cooperative that aims to create a welcoming environment for all. The books are from independent publishers and the menu is 100% vegetarian with a fully vegan brunch. Plus everything is sustainable and ethically sourced.
Delicious Dinners
Foraged
Described as a “hyper-seasonal” eatery, this petite Hampden restaurant takes farm-to-table to the next level—the forest. Foraged chef Chris Amendola turned his passion for finding food in nature into a menu here, loaded with local, seasonal, and foraged ingredients, offset by a nose-to-tail program, and sprinkled with flowers and herbs grown in a hydroponic garden installation on one interior wall. Though not an entirely vegan restaurant, the daily menu always includes meatless options like mushroom stew and fermented ramp toast.
Gertrude’s
Gertrude’s might be known for its Chesapeake Bay cuisine, but they’ve also perfected a few vegetarian options that are just as tasty. The vegan “crab cakes” made of zucchini and paired with an Italian vegetable stew can’t be missed. And the restaurant’s location on the grounds of the Baltimore Museum of Art make it an ideal dinner spot after perusing the museum’s collection.
Gertrude’s offers plenty of outdoor seating nestled among the Baltimore Museum of Art’s Sculpture Garden
Golden West Cafe take out window in Baltimore.
Golden West Café
This Southwest comfort food spot has some of the best tacos in Hampden. Nearly everything on the menu is vegan or can be modified with vegan chorizo, cheeses, eggs and sauces. Don’t skip on the Mission Impossible Burger. Plus, Golden West has a late-night bar and takeout window for easy service at any hour.
The Helmand
For over twenty years, The Helmand has been serving fine Afghan cuisine to Baltimore from its Mount Vernon location. You’ll see a lot of lamb and beef options, but there are just as many delicious meatless options. The kaddo borwani and the banjan borwani are crowd-pleasing appetizers. For your entrée, try the dolma murch (stuffed peppers) or the mushroom lawand.
Land of Kush
Land of Kush serves vegan and vegetarian soul food so good you won’t believe it’s veggie. Everything on the menu is v-friendly, from the crab cakes and BBQ ribs to the curry chicken and sweet potato cake. Just a few blocks from the heart of Mount Vernon, Land of Kush is a perfect spot after a day of exploring the Washington Monument or the Maryland Center for History and Culture. They also help produce Vegan Soulfest, a 3-day food and musical festival that takes place every year in the summer.
Rocket to Venus
Located in the heart of Hampden, Rocket to Venus is known for its creative takes on comfort foods for both omnivores and plant-based eaters. There are vegan and vegetarian versions of almost every bar bite on the menu, including vegan wings, Beyond and black bean burgers, meatless cheesesteak and crispy tofu banh mi. Whether you’re stopping by for a casual dinner or a late-night bite, Rocket to Venus delivers an “out of this world” dining experience.
The Royal Blue
This colorful eatery in Station North Arts & Entertainment District may be known for its eccentric decor, glittery dancefloor and specialty cocktails, but the vegan offerings are just as impressive. You have your pick of meat-free cheesesteaks, burgers, buffalo tenders and BBQ in addition to bar bites like fried pickles, mac and cheese and hearty salads.
Nepenthe Brewing Co.
Bet you can’t tell at first glance that this burger from Nepenthe is completely meat-free!
This hip Hampden brewery appeals to foodies and beer enthusiasts alike, offering a menu packed with bold and flavorful vegan dishes. Snack on beer-battered broccoli, crispy cauliflower covered in Manchurian sauce, bulgogi-fried mushrooms or the Cajun-inspired Voodoo fries. Want something more substantial? Try the tofu or tempeh-based sandwiches or swap the meat in a burger or melt for a plant-based protein. Wash it all down with a pint of their house-brewed beer or a specialty cocktail.
Oleum
Tucked in historic Fell’s Point, Oleum is known for its globally diverse menu full of artistic takes on not-so-traditionally vegan dishes. Think fettuccine alfredo with soy cream, seared plant-based steak and even a meat-free meat lovers pizza, plus brunch favorites like tiramisu pancakes. The warm atmosphere, accented with earthy tones and greenery, creates the perfect backdrop for an upscale vegan dining experience.
Slutty Vegan
As shocking as the name is, the meat-like flavors bursting from this Baltimore Peninsula eatery’s vegan burgers are even more surprising. Top sellers include The Sloppy Toppy, a vegan patty with vegan cheese, jalapenos and caramelized onions and the Fussy Hussy, a vegan patty with cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion, Plus, you have to grab an order of the Slutty Fries with Slut Sauce. Next door, Bar Vegan offers a more upscale sit-in experience and an expanded menu that includes a mushroom-based jerk kabob and a crispy “chik’n” sub.
Swap Out the Swine
The pursuit of a healthier diet led Marvin Montague and his wife Aleah to remove meat from their diets and replace it with mushroom-based alternatives. They started with Shroomacon, a flavorful mushroom meat bacon that reviewers swear tastes like the real thing, and expanded their menu to include a pulled BBQ shroom sandwhich, a “crab” shroom BLT and more. Follow their Instagram to keep tabs on their food truck.
