Newcomers Guide 2024: Where to eat your greens
Whether you already eat plant-based, you're veggie-curious or you're just looking to expand your culinary horizons, Orlando has plenty of tasty eats sans meat and dairy. From ice cream and doughnut shops to Nashville-hot chicken sammies and burgers, these are the vegan and vegetarian hot spots feeding Orlando's hungriest hordes.
Dharma Southern Chick'n
Dharma Southern Chick'n sells 100% plant-based comfort foods, with both indoor and outdoor seating. Chick'n Nugz, Nashville Hawt sandwiches and Georgia Peach Sloppy Joes are just some of the big bites you can grab from this vegan spot.
Drunken Monkey
This reliable Bumby Avenue coffee spot offers breakfast, lunch and dinner options for those plant-based or plant-curious. The vegan breakfast wrap (the Treehugger) is an all-day affair, and the rotating soups have a loyal following, too.
The Earthy Kitchen
The Earthy Kitchen offers plant-based Puerto Rican home-style dishes, like stews, empanadas, soups, desserts and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
Earthy Picks
This new vegan cafe in downtown Orlando is a Latin-inspired, fully vegan eatery. The menu boasts colorful, vibrant dishes like the all-day brunch burrito, tacos, bowls and salads.
Ethos Vegan Kitchen
Ethos Vegan Kitchen offers up a completely plant-based menu for lunch, dinner and brunch on the weekends. The spot boasts "hearty, home-style fare," and with their vegan take on a shepherd's pie, jerk "chickun" sandwich and decadent ice cream sundaes, they live up to it. There's often a wait time, but you can buy desserts and "beef jerky" to snack on in the meantime.
The Greenery Creamery
This artisanal ice cream spot offers endless flavors and combinations to satisfy any sweet-tooth cravings, both vegan and not.
Leguminati Vegan Eatery
Located in the Hourglass Social House, Leguminati Vegan Eatery is all plant-based and offers a variety of wraps — including their much-healthier-than-Taco-Bell take on the iconic crunchwrap — burgers, sandwiches, bagels and beer to wash it all down.
Loving Hut
Loving Hut's menu highlights homemade vegan Asian dishes, drinks and desserts. From sushi to dumplings to stir fries and noodles, this East Colonial spot has plenty of plant-based goodness to choose from.
Sitting in a prime location, this Mills Avenue eatery specializes in vegan burgers, fries and shakes. The menu says "fast food" but the indoor and outdoor seating areas offer a casual dining spot.
Purgatory Orlando
A plant-based concept that aims to "fuck shit up," Purgatory serves up massive burgers, sandwiches and late-night eats. You'll have to track down this pop-up at various events around town to get a taste, but it'll be well worth it when you do.
With restaurants in Orlando, Winter Park and Windermere, Toasted is mostly known for its dairy-filled sandwiches, but their vegan menu is a true hidden gem. Vegan grilled cheeses, truffle melts, burgers and cheese fries are just some of the plant-based stars of the show.
Valkyrie Doughnuts
Whimsical unicorn and tardigrade murals adorn the walls of this vegan doughnut and sweets shop owned by Celine Duvoisin of Valhalla Bakery. Valkyrie is known for its Instagrammable plant-based doughnut creations made from scratch.
Veggie Garden
Veggie Garden brings Orlando Vietnamese cuisine that is completely vegan (although some drinks contain dairy!). The small space is optimal for a quick bite or grabbing food to go.
Winter Park Biscuit Co.
Inside East End Market, Winter Park Biscuit Co. continues to draw crowds hungry for its vegan twists on comfort food classics. The Crispy Chik Sandwich, chopped cheese and breakfast biscuit sandwiches are some of the more popular eats on offer.
