Ultimate Des Moines vegan restaurant guide

(If you can only visit one or two places, Lucky Lotus and Dough Co. are my favorites!)

While there aren’t any fully vegan sit-down restaurants in the greater Des Moines area currently, there’s an all-vegan cinnamon roll shop, a vegan food truck and pop-ups, and plenty of plant-based options at non-vegan restaurants.

Scroll on for the many vegan dishes on offer. Plus, at the bottom of this post, you’ll find cruelty-free shopping options in town.

In this post:

Des Moines has two locations of the vegan cinnamon roll franchise, Cinnaholic!

One location is on Grand in the East Village (not far from Zombie Burger, and just around the corner from Raygun). The other location is in Ankeny.

At the East Village location, there’s seating inside with tables, couches, and a bar facing the window. Plus, there are a couple of tables outside to escape the crowds.

They have gourmet, create-your-own cinnamon rolls.

Plus, tempting treats like brownies and cookies. (The chocolate chip cookies are SO GOOD.)

Everything there is vegan, egg-free, and dairy-free.

We went with a cinnamon roll topped with vanilla frosting and strawberries.

And a second one topped with almond frosting and caramel drizzle.

They’re served fresh, hot, and undeniably delicious.

They also sell vegan soft serve ice cream. You can enjoy it in a cone. Or have it in a bowl with any of their cinnamon roll toppings.

Lucky Lotus is a Southeast Asian restaurant on Ingersoll Avenue with lots of vegan options. It’s my favorite restaurant in Des Moines!

The interior has a really attractive design with paper lanterns & parasols hanging from the ceiling.

The menu is clearly labeled with leaves next to what can be prepared vegan.

Here are some of my favorite options:

• Bing bing wrap with tofu (I LOVE a scallion pancake!)
• Crispy rice wraps (Or enjoy the fillings sans wrap in a Nam Khao platter.)
• Pad Thai with veggies & tofu
• Fiery Monk with tofu

The portion sizes are super generous.

Come ready to share or to have leftovers!

Plain Talk Books & Coffee has been an East Village staple since 2009.

A while back they started offering delicious vegan sandwiches with Herbivorous Butcher seitan, as well as slices & cheeses from Field Roast.

Ask for their separate vegan menu, where they have sandwiches like a chickpea tuna melt, buffalo grilled cheese, BLT bagel sandwich, and build your own offerings.

Plus, potato salad & pasta salad.

The bagels and breads come from River to River Bakery. You can taste the freshness.

The classic diner-style space is adorable. And you can also pick up some used books while you’re there.

Ritual Café is a longtime vegetarian restaurant & coffee shop in Des Moines.

Most of the sandwiches on the menu can be prepared vegan. And there are several items that are vegan as-is.

I love the positive & low key vibes there. Plus, they make a perfect soy latte.

For food options, I’ve enjoyed the grilled hummus sandwich prepared vegan, as well as the sweet potato & black bean burrito, which is very flavorful.

New World Kitchen

New World Kitchen used to have a full brick and mortar vegan restaurant in Des Moines, which I always enjoyed visiting. It’s not around anymore.

But they do have a weekly pop-up for meal prep-style dishes.

Their menu changes. But expect things like mushroom & millet vegan bacon strips, cashew queso, and taco salad.

Get all of the ordering details on the New World Kitchen website.

Zombie Burger

Zombie Burger is a Des Moines favorite amongst vegans & non-vegans alike.

They have locations in the East Village of downtown Des Moines and Jordan Creek.

For vegans at the downtown location, they have three burger options – a veggie nut patty, Beyond Meat patty, or a portobello mushroom.

At Jordan Creek, only the Beyond Meat patty is available.

My favorite thing to order is the Undead Glenn topped with shredded lettuce, pickles, and vegan zombie sauce. The zombie sauce is similar to a spicy Thousand Island dressing with sriracha instead of ketchup.

Vegan cheese is available for an additional charge.

Order the burgers with a side of regular or sweet potato fries.

El Michoacano Taquería is a casual, order-at-the-counter restaurant on Merle Hay Road. There are tables for dining in at the restaurant. Or food can be made to go.

It’s a non-vegan restaurant. However, everything can be made vegan. That includes quesabirria tacos, flautas, sopes, empanadas, burritos, and velvety refried beans.

They have soy-based vegan meat, as well as vegan cheese that I’ve heard is Follow Your Heart.

The separate vegan menu isn’t obvious in the restaurant. So choose what you want by visiting their website and choosing from the vegan menu.

Heads up: If you’re looking on your phone, it can be a little tricky to find it. Be aware that in addition to the separate vegan menu, there’s a tab to pull down for more options beyond tacos.

The vegan quesabirria tacos are filled with melty non-dairy cheese and seasoned jackfruit. They’re served with broth for dipping.

It’s like the French Dip sandwiches of tacos!

(Psst… You can see me noshing on it in this Instagram reel!)

Vegan sopes are made with a layer of masa dough that’s been fried into a cup.

It’s crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. They are topped with a soy-based meat, beans, lettuce, and vegan cheese.

A super delicious & decadent option!

Vegan flautas are filled with mild potatoes.

The fried tortillas are topped with non-dairy cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado. They are served with a fried jalapeño on the side.

Vegan refried beans are topped with non-dairy cheese and guacamole.

They said that typically they serve a thin avocado sauce as their guacamole. But if you want a chunky guacamole, just ask for the thick style.

The guacamole has lots of bright lime flavors and tastes very fresh. The refried beans are beautifully smooth.

Of course, you can also get tacos. They offer a variety of sauces & styles.

During warm weather months, vegan food truck, Veggie Thumper, brings plant based comfort food to the Des Moines metro.

Menu options change, but look for dishes like a Frisco melt, vegan Philly cheesesteak (above), vegan pulled pork, tacos, and nachos.

For dessert, don’t miss the fudge bars, which are guaranteed to melt in your mouth.

They also have occasional specialty pop-ups around holidays in cooler months. Keep an eye on their Instagram page for details.

When you need Ethiopian food in a hurry, you can’t beat Gursha in the Drake neighborhood.

Simply order at the counter. Then wots are ladled onto injera right in front of you.

Plus, all of the vegetarian options are fully vegan, which means you have lots of options.

My favorites at Gursha are missir wot with berbere seasoned lentils and alicha with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes.

Ordering for one? Pick two vegetarian wots of your choice.

Or if you’re going with another person, have all of the vegetarian wots on one plate to share (shown above).

If you’re not a fan of injera, they also offer rice.

Just down the block from Gursha Ethiopian Grill, you’ll find Dough Co. Pizza. (They have a location in the Drake neighborhood as well as one in Ankeny.)

They make a delicious New York style thin crust pizza that’s perfectly puffy around the edges.

They have lots of tempting vegan options – including an irresistible vegan taco pizza!

Enjoy any of their pizzas with Impossible sausage and vegan cheese. Or if you feel like a sandwich instead, order a vegan grinder. (Everyone raves about them!)

In addition to pizza & sandwiches, you can also order vegan breadstick bites to start, and cinnamon dippers for dessert.

(For an inside peek, check out this Instagram reel I made featuring their taco pizza!)

Open Sesame Lebanese café is a located in the Des Moines East Village.

It’s a small space, but decorated in such a way that feels like a special, hidden gem.

The vegan options are not marked on the menu. However, when we were there, the staff had no problem pointing us to vegan dishes and/or telling us how to modify non-vegan offerings.

The vegetarian sampler plate is vegan by default.

It’s loaded with hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, tabouli, and dolmas.

A Dong is a Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Des Moines with a large and varied menu. The have ample indoor seating and a parking lot, which makes it an easy place to hit up for lunch or dinner.

They have a separate vegetarian section on the menu. And the friendly staff is very knowledgeable about what can be prepared vegan. So be sure to let your server know you’re vegan when ordering.

The tofu stir-fried with curry and vegetables (CƠM TÀU HỦ XÀO CÀ RI) is dotted with fresh broccoli, carrots, and cilantro in a fragrant sauce. It’s served with rice on the side.

The Vietnamese-style crispy pancake (BÁNH XÈO CHAY) is listed in the “light entrees” section of the vegetarian menu. However, it’s a very generous portion size.

The thick crepe is stuffed with tofu, bean sprouts, and veggies. It’s served with side of crispy lettuce, cilantro, mint, cucumbers, and lemon sauce for drizzling.

I found this entree to be a little bland. It mostly tasted like the oil the pancake was cooked in. So I added soy sauce from the table. I’ll order something else next time.

I’ve heard great things about about the vegetarian stuffed tofu (CƠM TÀU HỦ DỒN CHAY). It’s served with sauteed vegetables and tomato sauce. I definitely want to try that the next time I visit.

Malo is a Latin restaurant in downtown Des Moines with a nice outdoor patio.

They have a few vegan items including:

• Vegan burrito with refried beans & tater tots
• Portobello tacos (A good spicy kick and well-rounded flavor!)
• Crispy onion & avocado taco

Vegan chorizo is also available for an additional charge.

For more of a sit-down restaurant vibe, Cool Basil in Clive is a great option.

While this Thai restaurant isn’t entirely vegan, they’re happy to prepare dishes without fish sauce, oyster sauce, and eggs when possible. You just have to ask.

Plus, when you get your receipt at the end of the meal, the words “no fish sauce, no oyster sauce” are printed right on it. That gives some assurance that the message got through to the back of the house.

They don’t offer seitan.  However, tofu is available or they can replace meat with extra vegetables.

I like to get something different every time I go, as there are plenty of vegan-izable options to go around to vary your order.

Ceviche Bar is located in the East Village in downtown Des Moines.

They really make the most of the small space, which is beautifully decorated. And there’s also patio dining outside.

In addition to a variety of cocktails and non-vegan options, they have a separate vegan menu.

The vegan menu is basically made up of side dishes and veggies they’re already using on the main menu, just with the meat removed. (For a reduced cost too, which I appreciate.)

They have rice and beans either with grilled yuca or tostones, a salad, or paella.

They also have a vegan Cubano sandwich with no vegan meats, but instead romaine, sautéed peppers, capers, and asparagus.

The vegan paella comes with corn, bell peppers, green beans, onions, and a few spears of asparagus. On the side, several slices of Texas toast.

The dish was supposed to be served with fried plantains, which was a big selling point for me. But when I ordered it, they were nowhere to be found.

The paella was fine, but oily & salty. There’s room for more flavor.

(I had paella leftover. So when I got home, I added smoked tofu to it, as well as pickled jalapeños. It really added a lot.)

If Ceviche Bar added some vegan meats or smoked tofu to the dishes, it would take them up a notch.

(A Cuban sandwich would be a lot more tempting stuffed with seitan instead of just romaine and asparagus.)

As you can see from the pictures, it wasn’t especially busy. However, our server seemed really annoyed we were there, and only interacted with us when he absolutely had to. So all in all, I wouldn’t hurry back.

Fong’s Pizza has two locations – downtown Des Moines and Ankeny.

It is a quirky, divey restaurant, specializing in unusual pizzas.

The downtown Des Moines location has a lot more vegan options & a clearly marked menu.

It includes cauliflower wings and garlic cheese bread made with non-dairy cheese for appetizers.

For your entrée, look for avocado rangoon pizza, ramen pizza, or build your own.

They have lots of unique sauces & styles, but no vegan meats.

The atmosphere is fun. And they have late hours, which is nice.

Blaze Pizza is a fast food chain that’s similar to Chipotle in concept.

A pizza maker stands behind the counter and slides down a row of toppings with you, asking which ones you’d like on your individual pizza.

(Depending on your appetite, one pizza could serve two.)

The pizzas are cooked in a brick oven for 180 seconds and served with blackened crisp edges. Both the traditional & gluten free crusts are vegan.

You can go with the thin crust or high-rise for a little extra, which gives a more pillowy crust.

The classic red and spicy red sauces are vegan along with the barbecue sauce or olive oil.

They also offer Daiya vegan cheese and vegan chorizo. The chorizo is reminiscent of Trader Joe’s soy chorizo.

Other vegan topping options include: artichokes, arugula, banana peppers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, jalapeños, mushrooms, olives, pineapple, red onions, red peppers, sautéed onions, spinach, vegan chorizo, and zucchini.

(For more fast casual options, check out this post on vegan fast food.)

For a sit-down option, Centro in downtown Des Moines has some vegan options.

Tofu gnocchi is on both the dinner and weekend brunch menus.

When I had this dish, I found it to be inoffensive but dull. However, since I visited, this menu item has been updated.

The tofu gnocchi now includes mushroom bolognese, baby kale, cashew cream, and pine nut gremolata.

Centro also has wood-fired pizzas on offer.

The vegan sausage pizza comes with house-made sausage, vegan mozzarella, and red sauce.

Railroad Bill’s gives you that greasy spoon experience with vegan French toast, biscuits & gravy, and cheesesteak sandwiches.

They have a separate vegan menu, which is always appreciated.

The space is small, and it can get busy on weekends. So you may have a wait. There’s a small outdoor eating area as well.

The vegan Bill’s Breakfast comes with a turmeric-heavy tofu scramble, toast, home fries, and vegan sausage.

The scramble is on the oily side & dotted with bell peppers and onions. I prefer a wider variety of seasonings in my scramble.

(The vegan pork rinds pictured above are no longer available.)

The Collective

The Collective is a vegan + sustainable shop in Highland Park.

Look for natural body products like razors with replaceable blades, deodorants, and body butters.

You can do bulk refills of soaps, shampoos, and cleaning sprays.

While I was there, I picked up bamboo toothbrushes and wooden tops for my mason jars.

They are open Wednesday through Sunday. You can also find them doing pop-up occasional pop-ups throughout the summer.

MARNē

MARNē is a sustainable + vegan boutique in the East Village. They sell quality, high-end staples like tops, bottoms, and dresses.

You can also find vegan bags, shoes, and body products. I spied several pairs of Matt & Nat shoes while I was there.

Stock up on vegan and gluten-free baked goods and specialty products at Thistle’s Summit. (Don’t forget the oatmeal cream pies!)

This downtown Des Moines plant-based bakery and catering company has lots of tasty treats for your kitchen – including cheeses from one of my favorite dairy-free cheesemakers, Darë.

They are open Thursday to Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm.

The downtown farmers market runs from the first Saturday in May through the last Saturday in October.

It has a festive, fair-like atmosphere with food vendors, locally grown produce, live music, arts and crafts.

It’s a great place to meet up with friends and enjoy the summer vibes.

Grab a smoothie, juice, or raw tacos at the Fresh Wheatgrass Girl tent at the corner of 3rd & Court Avenue.

For more plant-based options in the Hawkeye state, check out these posts:

• Cedar Falls
• Cedar Rapids
• Decorah
• Fairfield
• Iowa City
• Iowa Farm Sanctuary
• Mason City
• Quad Cities

Content updated December 31, 2024. Originally posted June 24, 2014.