Don’t miss vegan restaurants in Kansas City

Kansas City is one of the Midwest’s best-kept secrets.

You get the benefits of big city living with the easy pace of a smaller town.

This vibrant area is flush with outstanding veg-friendly and vegan restaurants.

Here’s a rundown of some of my favorite vegan, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly restaurants in the KC.

Some are on the Missouri side. Others are in Kansas.

Then continue scrolling to hear about what else to see & do between meals, as well as options beyond the Kansas City borders.

In this post:

The Fix is a vegan restaurant known for comfort food.

In this location’s former life it was a Midtown drug store.

Now they’re whipping up sandwiches, burgers, bowls, tacos, and burritos.

Plus, on the weekends you can get pancakes or biscuits & gravy.

The biscuit breakfast sandwich is INCREDIBLE.

It’s filled with Impossible sausage, melty cheese, and Just Egg, perfectly fried around the edges.

On the side, fried potatoes.

This vegan fried chicken is smothered in vegan gravy.

It’s a regular occurrence on the specials menu. They call it chicken-fried chicken.

It comes with a dollop of fluffy mashed potatoes, and green beans that taste just like Mom’s.

For a gluten-free option, try the street tacos.

Three corn tortillas are packed with your choice of Beyond Meat or portobello mushrooms.

They’re finished with grilled onions, pico de gallo, and cilantro.

On the side is flavorful Mexican rice.

For appetizers, they offer jalapeno poppers.

They are clearly made in house & massive. They almost remind me of chile rellenos, because of their size.

However, the filling is oddly lumpy and bland. I’d pass on these next time.

Mud Pie is a vegan bakery with ready-to-go cakes, grab-and-go lunches, and pre-bottled drinks sold in reusable and recyclable glass jars. (They used to have a full espresso bar, but not anymore.)

Mud Pie has moved around over the years. At one time there were even two locations. Now their single location is in Mission, Kansas.

Their menu items vary, but expect things like cinnamon rolls, savory kolaches, jalapeno cheddar or cranberry orange scones, muffins, or cupcakes.

On Saturdays and Sundays they have fried donuts!

Kansas City has a lot of vegan comfort foods, sandwiches, and fried food.

But if you have a hankering for something on the healthy side, check out Café Gratitude.

They have filling, substantive food that is simple without being boring.

Cafe Gratitude is a vegan restaurant, except for the honey used in some drinks. But it’s easy to skip those.

They’re also one of the few vegetarian restaurants in town that offers wine. (Most of the others are more casual.)

You may know Café Gratitude from their other locations in California. Expect a similar vibe with dishes that double as mantras.

So instead of asking for lentil curry, you can request it by its given name, “I am humble.”

This curry bowl is made with spicy & smooth lentils, spinach, and roasted sweet potatoes. It’s served over brown rice.

It’s finished with a drizzle of sweet tamarind sauce and coconut mint chutney.

Other favorites:

• I am Terrific: Raw pad Thai with kelp noodles, kale, carrots, cucumbers, herbs, and almonds
• I am Strong: Sweet potato tacos
• I am Grateful (Community Bowl): Black bean & rice bowl with kale and tahini sauce

Don’t leave without dessert.

The options change. But expect things like this dense and creamy blueberry meringue or strawberry cheesecake.

(For a taste of Cafe Gratitude at home, I have two recipes inspired by drinks there – celery cucumber juice & peach rooibos.)

Meshuggah Bagels is a chain with the kind of high-quality bagels you’d expect in New York City.

With every chewy bite, you’ll wonder if you’ve been transported to the East Coast.

They have locations in the Power & Light District, Midtown, Overland Park, and Liberty.

All of the bagels at Meshuggah are vegan – including the bialys.

Options include plain, everything, poppy seed, sesame seed, onion, garlic, salt, rye, whole wheat, cinnamon raisin, bialy, and chocolate chip.

To top your bagel, they have vegan plain cream cheese.

For more of a bagel sandwich situation, add sliced tomato, capers, and/or red onion.

If you’re looking for coffee to go with your bagel, I’d search elsewhere. Their only non-dairy creamer option is powdered.

Charcuterie boards are one of my all-time favorite things.

So when a business offers a vegan board with premium vegan meats & cheeses, I am all in.

The Pairing in the Crossroads neighborhood of Kansas City has a full bar.

Plus, you can grab any wine from their shelves. And they will open it for you. (Plus a $10 corkage fee.) Hey Malbec is our favorite.

This is not a vegetarian or vegan establishment. However, they offer colorful vegan charcuterie boards with a variety of spreads and sauces, olives, and pickled green beans. (Love their tangy flavor!)

Plus, vegan meats & cheeses from local business, No Bones About It.

When we were there, they were using a different vegan meat & cheese maker. Our board included three kinds of seitan – vegan turkey, pastrami, and thinly sliced Korean ribs.

For the vegan cheeses they had herb-crusted chevre, smoky queso, and mustard seed smoked gouda.

You can also treat the charcuterie as a sample tray, because The Pairing has a refrigerator and freezer area that’s well stocked with vegan meats, cheeses, and jerkys for sale.

If you’re craving Ethiopian food, Kansas City has a wealth of delicious options – including Mesob.

Mesob Restaurant features both Ethiopian and Caribbean fare. The restaurant has a date night vibe.

(Although, TV’s in restaurants aren’t my favorite. Sit away from the bar area if you get distracted by them.)

The vegetarian platter comes with yellow split peas, red lentils, cabbage & carrots, collard greens, and a green salad with tomatoes.

All of the wots are wonderfully layered in flavor. The cabbage is so tender, it falls apart in your mouth while you eat.

One platter is a good serving size for two people.

Other vegan Ethiopian options include portobello mushroom tibs, shiro with blended chickpeas, and asmara pasta in a portobello mushroom ragout.

I’m also curious to try their vegan paella on a future visit. It’s made with black mushroom rice, saffron broth, and a variety of veggies.

If you’re in town for a weekend getaway, here are some of my favorite things to do in the Kansas City area between meals.

City Market

City Market is a daily farmers market that is especially bustling on weekends.

Nearby Blue Nile Cafe also has tasty vegan Ethiopian options!

First Fridays

The first Friday of the month there’s a gallery walk in the Crossroads Arts District.

See a variety of artwork on display in the galleries. Then enjoy impromptu live music and dancing in the streets.

There’s a real party vibe.

Downtown antiquing

On the first Friday weekend of the month, meander to West Bottoms to check out eclectic antiques in dilapidated buildings.

I especially like Good Ju Ju.

Country Club Plaza

Catch up on your shopping at Country Club Plaza.

This 15 city blocks long plaza is dotted with fountains, sculptures, and designer shops.

While there a lot of chain stores, they also have some local haunts as well.

Most of all it’s nice to be outside & do some window shopping.

The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures

There are definitely sobering, sad, and troubling elements in the exhibits that elucidate the times, and are given with context.

President Truman and his wife, Bess, are interred on the grounds there.

Parkville is about twenty minutes from downtown Kansas City.

If you want to stay somewhere quiet with only the sounds of trains to lull you to sleep, it’s ideal for a low-key getaway.

Their charming Main Street feels like a walk back in time.

• Grab a soy latte at Parkville Coffee
• Walk by the Missouri River
• Take in the mini farmers market on Saturdays
• You can even see waterfalls

Content updated December 30, 2024. Since the original publishing date, some restaurants have been removed due to closure – including Mattie’s, Pirate’s Bone, Landoplenty, Kind Food, Wines by Jennifer, FUD in Parkville, Missouri. Originally posted June 4, 2015.