7 Best Vegan Restaurants in Tampa Bay
Our 8-month-old son has a dairy allergy so we’ve been eating “close to vegan” this year entirely and finding the best dairy-free/vegan restaurants in the Tampa Bay area was tricky. We searched around for resources but ultimately the best source has been friends referring us to restaurants they’d tried and enjoyed. If you are vegan or if you just want to try some amazing food in Tampa and St. Petersburg you will not want to miss these.
3 Dot Dash Vegan Kitchen
This great little vegan kitchen is connected to (inside) the Jug & Bottle located in Seminole Heights. When we first moved to Seminole Heights and started renovating our bungalow in 2019 this was a regular stop. We would be able to try some local kraft brews from Brew Bus, Coppertail, or Angry Chair and get a vegan fried Chik’n sandwich. Their entirely vegan menu includes chik’n sandwiches, burgers, seasoned fries, mac n’ cheese and much more. Parking can be a bit chaotic but it’ll give you time to check out the massive Seminole Heights mural in the back!
Order 3 Dot Dash online HERE
Ground Foods Cafe
Staying in Seminole Heights a couple of blocks from 3 Dot Dash you have this other vegan gem focusing on Italian food. We had Ground Foods Cafe recommended to us and took one of our foodie friends while he was in town to give it a try – it did not disappoint. This cafe shares the building with a distillery so if you’re out with friends you can pop over for some stiff drinks after eating some amazing Italian food. Our foodie friend in town from Richmond, VA loved this place and said it was some of the best vegan food he’d ever had (a big statement). When you do try this place be sure to get the Carbonara, the Margherita pizza, and some of their authentic Italian beers!
Order Ground Food Cafe Online HERE
Farmacy Vegan Kitchen & Bakery
Quick story about this place, when we first moved to Seminole Heights we attended a “town hall meeting” at the public library about Duckweed Grocery opening a new location. Our goal was to get a feel for the neighborhood committee and the owner of Duckweed was there describing/pitching their new location off Florida Ave. Needless to say, we were super excited about this place coming to the neighborhood and we went to the downtown Duckweed with Farmacy Vegan Kitchen inside the following week. If you’re a grilled cheeze lover, this is the spot. Between the amazing grilled cheeze and burgers, you can’t go wrong with grabbing lunch and healthy groceries while in Duckweed.
Order Farmacy Vegan Kitchen Online HERE
Dharma Fine Vittles
In the Armature Works food hall, this creative gem has a 100% vegan menu and a great brand. We’ve gone here multiple times after walking the Riverwalk for a quick snack given they have awesome side dishes. With 3 locations they’re one of the biggest “chains” we have on this list of favorite vegan restaurants. Started as a vegan hot dog cart in Orlando, it became a late-night drunk food sensation and the founder Shaun Noonan turned it into a trailer expanding now into 3 locations in Tampa, Orlando, and Sanford, FL. We love a great founding story and Dharma Fine Vittles has a solid one. When you try this place out be sure to get the Cheesy Curly fries, The Nashville “Hawt”, and the Orange Bird.
Order Dharma Fine Vittles Online HERE
Golden Dinosaur
Jumping over to beautiful Gulfport we have this amazing cafe serving sandwiches, desserts, kombucha, beer, and wine, located on Beach Boulevard. Voted best vegan place by Creative Loafing two years in a row (2019 & 2020) this place has an incredible menu. Recommended to us by the same vegan friend who suggested Ground Foods Cafe in Seminole Heights we were super excited to check this place out. Scooch being a big fan of Rubens this place did not disappoint and we definitely ordered too much food – luckily it travels well. Grab a Tempeh Ruben, kombucha, and a Cuban to enjoy on their open patio, or just stroll down to Beach Boulevard to the beach. Such a fun place with great vibes and highly recommend making the trip to check this place out.
Order Golden Dinosaur Online HERE
Cider Press Cafe
Finally, we have the Cider Press Cafe in Saint Petersburg, FL located off beautiful Central Ave. Having a baby with dairy sensitivities has been tricky but finding places like this makes it much easier. Not knowing much about this place when we arrived we got some delicious smoothies (highly recommend)the Wingz, and the bang bang shrimp. From there we ordered burgers and everything was amazing. Our son Charlie even had some of the perfectly cooked sweet potato fries. When you go there be sure to try the smoothies and walk around on Central ave when you’re done eating. Central Ave. in Saint Petersburg is a special strip of small businesses and amazing cafes like this one.
Order Cider Press Cafe Online HERE
*BONUS* Hale Life Bakery
Many of these places have Hale Life donuts available and this is by far our favorite vegan & gluten-free bakery in Tampa. For every member of our family’s birthday over the last year, we’ve bought Hale Life donuts to celebrate with. If you are in South Tampa we highly recommend stopping in their location to grab a dozen of their lemon-blueberry, cookie monster, and other special flavors. With locations in Tampa, Downtown St. Pete, and Clearwater, you’ll be able to get a donut while traveling all over Tampa Bay.
Order Hale Life Bakery Online HERE
Overall, the Tampa Bay area has some amazing options for vegan food. Having been dairy-free for a while now it’s impressive how much better we all feel. If you have someone in your household that has dietary restrictions we encourage you to try it for a while to experiment because, why not?
If you are interested in learning more about local vegan restaurants send us a DM on Instagram @scoochandsteve
Love,
Scooch & Steve
