Just a few years ago there were only a few vegan restaurants in Las Vegas, and plant-based options on menus were pitiful, consisting of limp asparagus and carrots, or salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Getting a decent vegan meal seemed impossible.
But now the impossible has become, well, The Impossible! These days, many restaurants offer vegan (and vegetarian) menus, and the number of restaurants in the valley continues to grow. Here are just a few of the places where you can go beyond those tired veggies and into a new realm.
Let’s bite into what has become the poster child for vegan meats, the Impossible Burger. Find it at Hearthstone at Red Rock Resort (702.797.7344), where you can get the monster meatless burger for dinner or weekend brunch. If you want to try the other trendy faux burger option, Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place (702.632.9364) offers a Beyond Meat burger. Both options emulate the look, taste and mouth feel of hamburgers and can be found at many places in Las Vegas. David Chang’s new Moon Palace at The Palazzo (702.607.3060) offers Impossible sliders, while even White Castle at Casino Royale (702.227.8531) gets in on the burger action with veggie sliders.
If it’s Mexican food you crave, you’ll find many vegan options, such as in the Arts District’s Tacotarian (725.251.3853), where you can find an enormous number of tacos, from carne asada to plantain. Hussong’s Mexican Cantina at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place (702.632.6450) features a full vegan menu, and Pancho’s Vegan Tacos (702.898.9001) will make up a seriously rocking, huge plate of carne asada fries for you. Umm, umm, spicy! For nachos, Nacho Daddy at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood (702.462.5000) has a delicious plate with our old friend Gardein Chick’n, plus a boatload of other options. Chef Stacey Dougan piles it high with her Nachos Grande at her Simply Pure at Container Park in downtown Vegas (702.810.5641), featuring a beef-style protein, cheddar sauce, sour cream and pico de gallo.
Fancy pizza? Many pizza joints offer plant-based pies, from Slice of Vegas at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place (702.632.6470), with a vegan supreme pie and a full vegan menu, to Evel Pie (702.840.6460), where the Viva Las Vegan is similar to your basic cheese pizza, with vegan mozzarella and tomato sauce.
Two locals favorites recently announced new menus for the fall, including a lovely vegan menu at restaurateur Elizabeth Blau’s Honey Salt (702.445.6100). I’ll gladly take the asparagus here! At The Stove in Henderson (702.625.5216), the Beyond Meat bratwurst and “eggs” gives you a solid breakfast option.
And those locals options just never seem to end, with Chef Kenny’s Asian Vegan Restaurant (702.889.0939) cooking up a freaking amazing crispy beef and broccoli, plus sushi! Violette’s Vegan (702.685.0466) offers a diner-style menu in a pretty space, and recently added a weekend brunch. For Italian cuisine, take the drive to Tarantino’s Vegan (725.777.3888), a family-owned restaurant with all those Italian staples, like eggplant and Chick’n Parmesan, meatball sandwiches and a build-your-perfect pasta bar.
Whether you are staying on the Strip, or venturing out to explore the valley, you’ll find these plant-based restaurants are worth the drive.
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