In March Bob went to a conference in San Francisco, and while he had the trip booked a while in February I decided to bite the bullet and go with him. It’s been 20 years since I went and I figured it was a good opportunity to take some R & R. We stayed at the beautiful Adagio Hotel, a Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel, which is just two block West of Union Square. Bob would be at the conference during the day, so I busied myself doing all the tourist things exploring the city and playing Pokemon Go. I’ll share those details in another post soon, but today I want to focus on eating vegan in San Francisco!
Eating Vegan in San Francisco
Eating vegan anywhere, let alone traveling, can be easy if you research, plan and are willing to try new things. For breakfast we chose to eat at the hotel, with just a bagel, OJ, and a cup of tea. Thankfully there was a Trader Joe’s just off Union Square which we were able to buy some healthy vegan snacks and beer. Eating vegan in San Francisco was actually pretty easy. Bob had been to the bay area previously but this was his first time as a vegan so we did some research before we went and ate some pretty tasty meals!
Loving Hut
After checking into the hotel it was almost dinner so we went in search of our first meal in San fransciso! Being near Union Square there was no shortage of shops, and there is a BIG Westfield Mall. Inside the mall, is the usual food court and this one has a vegan place called Loving Hut. Being a chain Loving Hut currently has 200 locations in 35 countries, with 38 restaurants in the US alone. For our meal we had the Spring Rolls, and the Steamed Table Combo (two items with rice). The Spring Rolls we delicious, and our Sweet potato curry, mushrooms and rice really hit the spot! Definitely recommend.
Golden Era
Our first full day in San Francisco I was busy sight-seeing at Pier 39 and skipped lunch, opting to graze on an apple, and a clif bar. So by the time dinner rolled around I was RAVENOUS. We decided to hit up a place called Golden Era that was just a few blocks away. Although this was not in the best of neighborhoods (definitely don’t walk there, get a Lyft/Uber) we really enjoyed it and ended up going there twice! The first time we had the drumsticks, chow mein and rainbow salad. Plus we took a slice of the Oreo Cake to go, and devoured it later.
The second time we opted for Golden Rolls to start, Bob stuck with the rainbow salad as he enjoyed it, and I went for sweet potato curry with noodles. Very tasty, but definitely do not walk through the Tenderloin area. This was our first time using Lyft this trip and it was super easy and very convenient.
Flying Falafel
We like checking out places that get recommended and this place came highly recommended to Bob so we checked it out and we were NOT disappointed. The Flying Falafel is a little hole in the wall place. There is some limited seating outside but that’s it, it’s a grab and go place. However, the food is AMAZING, all vegan, and super busy. I had the signature “Flying Falafel pocket”, a freshly baked pita full of veggies, with falafel balls and sauces. Eating vegan in San Francisco never tasted so good! In fact so good we went again for lunch a couple of days later!
Urban Remedy
Wednesday I had a full day planned touring Alcatraz and ended up walking to Pier 33 via the Embarcadero at the Port of San Francisco. In the ferry building I happened upon a place called Urban Remedy selling vegan “to-go” food. Exactly what I needed! I snapped up “The VLT” to dig into. Though vegan, organic, non-gmo, and gluten free it was a little oily for my tastes. I love that this option is available though if vegans need something on the go.
Vegan Picnic
Wednesday night we were just too beat from long days and decided we did NOT want to leave the hotel room. So we did something we hadn’t done (talk about a week of firsts!) and we ordered delivery online via GrubHub. The place we chose was called Vegan Picnic, somewhere we’d looked at going but as it closed at 6.30 we knew it would be tight, so opted for delivery. While it took a while (40 mins) it was exactly what we needed. We ordered the VP burger and the Crispy Chicken. We ordered one of each side (macaroni salad/creamy coleslaw) but ended up getting two coleslaws which was a little disappointing but I ate both anyway. I really wish they did fries as an option also though. We were Jonesing for some french fries that night!
Academy Cafe at the Academy of Sciences
On my last full day sightseeing I took a bus to Golden Gate park to the Academy of Sciences. On their website they link their dining options and one was the academy cafe with vegan options and things that could be made vegan. Score! I had initially planned on getting burger and fries, but upon getting to the cafe saw that they had a flier with the vegan options and no burger was listed. Although I looked, I couldn’t find any of the vegan sushi. So instead I opted for their 3 bean chili in a bread bowl. Personally I’ve never been impressed with chili from a restaurant in the US. It all seems bland and more what we in England would call stew. Not spicy at all. The bread bowl made up for it, and the beer I washed it down with helped too. Overall a good meal, but not the one I was looking forward to.
Z Pizza
Bob’s conference was at the Moscone Center and directly opposite was Z Pizza. Somewhere I know does vegan pizza! Every day when Bob and I discussed dinner plans, I would suggest pizza and get vetoed. Until the last night when we devoured a large pizza between us. We had vegan cheese, sweetcorn, red onion, mushroom and pineapple and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. Down to the last bite. Z Pizza is a chain with multiple locations nationwide (details on their website). Definitely recommend for vegan pizza!
That about wraps up our week of eating vegan in San Francisco. We enjoyed eating vegan in San Francisco but it’s time to get back on track with our regular diet. I’ll be posting more about our San Francisco trip soon!
Questions
- Have you been to San Francisco?
- Where is your favorite destination for foodies?
- Have you tried grub hub or the other food delivery services?
Ttrockwood
I’ve been to san Francisco soooo many times yet actually never eaten at one of the all vegan restaurants due to not so open minded omni traveling companions/significant other.
What’s really awesome is about anywhere they are knowledgeable and able to help identify vegan options! We like to go for chinese or japanese, i always find some tasty tofu dishes and lots of veggies
Di Hickman
Oh that sucks re having closed minded travel companions! hopefully you get to try some tasty vegan restaurant foods soon!
michelle
What a great traveling guide for vegans. I’m not a vegan but I actually have a Loving hut in my city and it is FANTASTIC. I could eat there anytime and have no complaints!!
Di Hickman
Yes Loving Hut was so good! Love their food
Hannah Vu
Wow the food looks yummy! I wish that I could visit SF one day so that I could explore vegan food myself. Thanks for sharing!
Di Hickman
Definitely put it on your bucket list, so much to do there!
chichi
I totally agree with you if we do a bit of a research vegan or any diet for that matter can be easy to follow on trips!
Di Hickman
for sure! It comes with the territory of having different nutritional needs.
Amber Nelson
I wish there were more places around here that are vegan friendly. What great choices!
Di Hickman
Awww nowhere round you with vegan options?
JANA IANKOVA
My husband and I are long-time vegans and also found that SF was super easy to find options. Thanks for presenting a lot of the places we haven’t tried yet.
Di Hickman
No problem! Hope it helps next time you’re in SF <3
blair villanueva
All these foods looks delicious! Thanks for sharing these vegan places to get delicious meal. Hey, you should create a vegan-food-app locator!
Di Hickman
Thanks. I think there is one already for most cities, but honestly just typing vegan into google maps can give you options!
Style & Life by Susana
This all looks so delicious!! I have thought many times to try to eat a little more vegan. Hope to visit SF one day its on my bucket list!
Di Hickman
Meatless Mondays is a good way to start. One meal or day at a time!
Evelyn, PathofPresence
SF was like a 2nd home for me growing up. Though, I didn’t really learn to appreciate it until I was adult. My fave place to eat is a little Indian place in Pacific Heights. Will need to explore these vegan options you mentioned. It all looks so delicious!
Di Hickman
We almost went to a vegan place round the corner from the restaurant, but instead wanted to try the thai place.
Echo
Oh my god, this all looks so good! Now, I really want some Asian food!
Di Hickman
I know I had a real craving for it in SF!
Samuel frodo
Woow way to go San Francisco… Sounds like vegan paradise
Di Hickman
I think L.A is vegan paradise! But that’s a whole other post I need to do lol
Kiwi
This post makes me happy. I am so happy SF has so many vegan friendly options!
Di Hickman
I was so cool! And so many places we didn’t get to try… yet!
Dr. Ashley
This is a great roundup of vegan restaurants in San Francisco. While I don’t identify as a vegan, I am always open to trying out new foods 🙂 I wish I would’ve come across something like this a few years earlier, when I was regularly traveling out there for business! But maybe for next time 🙂
Di Hickman
Always good to google wherever you go to now. So much info out there!
Krista
Yummy! The foods look great! I lived in San Francisco for 5 years, and hands down, they have absolutely the most amazing and diverse restaurants. Thanks for sharing!
Di Hickman
Yes they do! I don’t know that I’d like to live there, super expensive I hear!