Photos and article by Lauren Z. Ray

I have been raving about Richmond’s vegan scene for some time now. Everyone seems to be surprised, and so was I (at first)! Now I’ve eaten my way through RVA and can tell you, this is a Vegan Foodie’s paradise. From sushi to pizza, they do not disappoint in their vegan options. After a month, I have now compiled my list of favorites.

Here are my Top 5 Fav Vegan Foods in Richmond ⬇️ :

  1. The Veganzilla sushi roll at Sticky Rice. 🍣

Many will question if vegan sushi can hold up against the seafood version, and the answer is YES. At Sticky Rice they have created the best sushi roll I have ever had, ‘The Veganzilla’. It’s jam packed with flavor and a little crunch.

2. Vegan Pepperoni & Jalapeño pizza at The Hop Craft Pizza and Beer. 🍕

I love pizza. Who doesn’t? I hit the ‘create your own pizza’ and ordered the vegan pepperoni, jalapeño & vegan cheese pizza from The Hop, and after one bite I thought they forgot to make it vegan. After checking the receipt and looking closer I realized it was no mistake, it just tasted that amazing! Cheesy and delicious – this is now my favorite pizza.

3. Drunken Noodles from Sabai. 🍜

Best thing on a cold day – Thai food. We stopped by Sabai to warm us up and give us something tasty to eat, and they succeeded. The drunken noodles have plenty of veggies and sauce and the noodles were cooked to perfection. The best part is, they offer tofu as an alternative to meat in most dishes.

4. Toasted Coconut Ice Cream at Scoop. 🍦

Don’t even get me started on this ice cream. I am not usually a sweets person, or even a dessert person – but I may have just converted for this ice cream at Scoop. The flavor was amazing, tasted like a macaroon, and was so creamy. I love when vegan ice cream is creamy, and they nailed it at Scoop.

5. The Vegan Chorizo Taco & Potato Taco at Don’t Look Back.

If you’re looking for authentic tacos, with tons of vegan options, Don’t Look Back is the place. We ordered the vegan chorizo taco and the potato taco and were blown away. So much in fact that I forgot to take a photo eating them, so this photo with an empty tray will have to do. Super flavorful, not bland at all and with really great salsa, this restaurant needs to be your next stop. 

Ok, I think I have proven to you that Richmond is the place to be if you’re vegan. They pretty much nail every cuisine and make some of the best vegan food I have ever tried. I am traveling to my next destination soon (as I am a full-time traveler), and I will really miss this food. If you’d like to follow along with me on my adventures of living in a new city every month and trying all the vegan food – here is my Instagram handle @laurenzray . See you soon, Richmond!

Lauren Z. Ray is a Vegan Travel Blogger who lives in a new city every month. She has been traveling the world non-stop for the last 3 years, visiting 23 countries so far! Her goal is to show how traveling as a vegan can be easy by providing travel tips and the best vegan food in each city on her Instagram and YouTube Channel.