Nine Fine Nashville Restaurant Options for Vegans and Vegetarians

Whether you’re getting ready for a little self-deprivation during Lent or trying to eat healthier for any number of reasons, eating a plant-based diet isn’t a bad idea. Even if it’s not a full-on lifestyle decision, there are plenty of great restaurants in Nashville where you can enjoy a meal without a hint of meat, and you won’t even miss it!

Here are some of the best spots in town for enjoying vegetarian or vegan fare.

The Wild Cow has been an East Nashville favorite since 2009, and their entire menu can be made vegan by omitting dairy cheese. Even without the cheese, The Wild Cow’s offerings of salads, sandwiches, tacos and bowls offer plenty of variety for anyone’s taste. Their black bean Patty Melt is one of the best veggie burgers in town.

Just a half block down Eastland from The Wild Cow is their sister restaurant, Graze Nashville. Fans of The Silly Goose were sad to see the charming little cafe go, but when they heard that Graze would be opening in the space, happy days were here again! The new owners maintained the fun, funky bistro vibe and pushed the menu even further toward elegantly-plated plant-based dishes that exhibit international flavor influences. Open for dinner every night except Monday and for brunch on the weekends, Graze has quickly become a neighborhood fixture.

When AVO first opened in a remodeled shipping container just off Charlotte, some wondered how they could make a menu of raw vegan dishes interesting enough to attract Nashville diners. They needn’t have worried because a quick peek at AVO’s Instagram feed demonstrated that they were creating elegant and delicious food in that little kitchen. Although they do cook a few items on the menu now, AVO is still committed to seasonal plant-based food along with an excellent menu of teas, cocktails, beer and wine.

If you’re looking for variety, Sunflower Cafe in Berry Hill is an excellent choice for vegan and vegetarian fare. Think of it as a “non-meat and three” featuring a long list of salads, wraps, burgers and bowls which can be augmented by your choice from more than a dozen hot and cold side dishes ranging from smoky collard greens to nutty Pad Thai salad. Sunflower Cafe’s generous happy hour(s) from 3:00 until 6:00 M-F offers $2.00 beers, $2.75 kombucha drinks and $5.00 appetizers, so you can enjoy several hours of healthy happiness at really affordable prices.

With a recent move to Nashville’s up-and-coming Buchanan Street Business District, The Southern V can now share their brand of delicious vegan food to even more hungry guests at their cozy new eatery. Husband and wife team Tiffany and Clifton Hancock started out serving their healthful fare at a pop-up in the Nashville Farmers Market in 2015 before moving into a small restaurant location near Fisk and finally to their new space on Buchanan. Many of the most popular entrees at The Southern V revolve around their house seitan recipe which they market as “Chick’n”, including in a Nashville Hot Fried Chick’n dish that doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to spice levels. You can also get it on a biscuit as part of their popular weekend breakfast service.

Even after The Southern V moved out of the Fisk neighborhood, that didn’t mean you could no longer find great vegan and gluten-free cuisine in the area anymore. Vege-licious Cafe has stepped in to their old space near Watkins Park to satisfy the hunger of diners looking for down-home plant-based food. Like a healthy soul food shack, Vege-licious cafe plates up brunch, lunch and dinner from a menu that would look at home at any of the city’s best meat and threes, just without the meat. Vege-licious also offers a juice cleanse service if you want to jumpstart your system with some delicious fruit and veggie juices.

Originally opened as a place for Vanderbilt students to find certified kosher food offerings, Grins Vegetarian Cafe has become a favorite of the broader community of students and diners looking for delicious vegetarian options. The name is a double pun, pronounced “greens” but spelled like the grin it will bring to your face when you dig in to one of their black bean + sweet corn tacos for lunch or a Nutella panini for a sweet morning snack. Operated by the same folks who run Bongo Java, Grins is also a fine spot for a great cup of coffee on the Vandy campus.

For more sweet treats that are at least slightly healthy, check out Vegan Vee Gluten-free Bakery in West Nashville. The talented bakery staff creates muffins, donuts, cookies and cakes using sweeteners like organic sugar, maple syrup, agave and Stevia or brown rice syrup instead of the processed sugars that most bakeries depend on. They also sell their wares to other retailers all over town, so look for the Vegan Vee label if you want to make sure you’re not eating a bunch of artificial ingredients.

While it’s not strictly a vegetarian restaurant, much of the menu at Butcher & Bee is designed around fresh, seasonal vegetables cooked in inventive ways with bold flavors to satisfy even the most ardent carnivore. From their craveable whipped feta with fermented honey appetizer to larger plates like crispy avocado rice or “chicken fried” cauliflower, a meal at The Bee is one of the most delicious and healthy dining experiences in town.