Vegan Friendly Dining in Benicia & Vallejo

If you thought that Vallejo was a vegan food desert, then you may be surprised by the watering spots that we’ve found. While many restaurants have menu items that are incidentally vegan or can be made vegan with several alterations, we will be looking at a few local restaurants that specifically cater to a vegan diet, some of which offer tasty dairy or meat alternatives.

First we will take a look at Ike’s Love & Sandwiches, a chain restaurant that has an entire vegan menu that features vegan beef, turkey and chicken alternatives as well as dairy free cheese alternatives. They also have a sandwich, the Mare Island, that is exclusive to Vallejo. The writer personally recommends the Handsome Owl from their menu. They are located in Gateway Plaza which is surrounded by stops served by Route 7A and Route 7B.

Also in Gateway Plaza is Mod Pizza, another chain restaurant, where you can order fully customizable 6-inch or 8-inch pizzas. They offer dairy free cheese and all of the veggie toppings that you could want.

On the other side of town we have Vaishnu Express Cafe, an Indian restaurant with several vegetarian and vegan options. Their chana masala, chana saag and delicious samosas are all vegan. They are located near the Sonoma Blvd & Highway 37 stops that are served by Route 1 and Route 2.

Towards southeast Vallejo, we have Urban Counter which has a rotating menu that currently offers a vegan burger that has a vegan patty, cheese and mayo and comes with a side of fries as well as a vegan curry burrito. They are located right next to the Springs Rd & Hilton Ave stops served by Routes 7A and 7B. They are open from 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays.

If you’re looking for a dessert rather than a meal then you can venture to Downtown Benicia where you will find the entirely vegan bakery, Fox and Fawn Bakehouse, which you can visit via the East H & 1 St stop served by Route 20. They serve vegan cakes, cupcakes and cookie dough. Route 20 will be going away soon in September, so be sure to stop by there while you can.