When vegetarianism first emerged in the United States in the 1960s, it was mostly viewed as a fringe diet reserved for religious purposes and countercultural movements. Since then, meatless and animal-free diets have increased in popularity, and with that, the number of places catering to vegans and vegetarians. These are a few metro Detroit restaurants serving up meat-free alternatives and original plant-based creations.
LITTLE KIM
Opened in July 2025, Little Kim is located next door to chef-owner Ji Hye Kim’s first restaurant, Miss Kim, in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown district. The cozy spot offers fastcasual dining with South and East Asian influences. Little Kim uses plant-based proteins like chickpeas, tofu, and tempeh instead of processed imitation meat products. Signature dishes such as the creamy tomato soup made with gochujang — a traditional Korean fermented chili paste — and the paneer tomato sandwich served on Zingerman’s bread take center stage. The jjajangbap, a Korean-Chinese black bean sauce served over rice and tempeh, is another staple. For dessert, try the vegan chocolate cupcake from Zingerman’s Bakehouse.
FOLK
Corktown’s Australian-style café opened in 2018, serving all-day brunch and coffee in the historic Bagley-Trumbull Market building. Here, omnivores and herbivores can coexist happily, with a menu that has plenty of options for each to pick from. The restaurant offers two versions of the crunch wrap, with the vegan option consisting of smoked tempeh from The Brinery in Ann Arbor, vegan aioli and cashew cheese spread, pickled red onions, and a tostada from southwest Detroit. This savory handheld is neatly packed inside a grill-pressed spinach wrap with homemade salsa verde for dipping. The Farm Sammie stacks tempeh on top of a fluffy frittata with maple hot sauce aioli and shaved cheddar between two slices of toasted Zingerman’s sourdough bread.
SPACECAT V-STRO
Originally started as a pop-up restaurant, Ferndale’s Spacecat V-stro is a self-described “vegetarian comfort food laboratory” serving up nutritious plant-based foods. Spacecat makes its faux proteins in house, including the Breakfast Bomb sandwich’s maple sausage patty. It’s served with caramelized onions, kale, and thinly sliced carrot “bacon,” and it’s topped with a vegan cheese sauce. The Red Dwarf Burger has a lentil and beet patty, loaded up with avocado, “magic sauce,” purple cabbage, and the ubiquitous combo of vegan cheese and carrot bacon. A selection of madefrom-scratch vegan sweets, like the cinnamon chocolate coffee cake, completes the meal.
CACAO TREE CAFÉ
Opened in 2010, this plant-based fast-casual eatery aims to return cooking to a time when food was viewed as sacred. You won’t find an oven or stove here, since much of the food is raw, aside from the black beans and a daily selection of soups. The made-to-order smoothies contain a variety of superfoods, along with other organic fruits and vegetables. Create your own salad or choose from the café’s list of signature options such as the Farm Hand or Mexican salad, which comes with pico de gallo, cashew sour cream, and pickled onion chipotle vinaigrette. The handheld burrito is made with a crumble of seasoned almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla or served in a romaine boat. Grab a single or double shot of wheatgrass on your way out for a boost to your immune system.
THE KITCHEN BY COOKING WITH QUE
Featured on season 18 of The Great Food Truck Race, this event space and restaurant created by Quiana “Que” Rice is a food-centered “health and wellness hub.” While there are limited meat options available, plant-based dining is the focal point of the restaurant, providing a variety of inventive entrées, sandwiches, salads, and smoothies. The Vegan Surf & Turf is a mushroom-centric version of a carnivore classic. Lion’s mane is a steak stand-in, while the “scallops” are made from trumpets, and pink oyster replaces the lobster. Other originals, such as the Loco Moco entrée, are made with vegan replacements like Beyond Meat and Just Egg. In addition to a selection of lemonades and teas, Que’s offers craft cocktails made with fresh juices and zero-proof options.
ALE MARY’S
Other restaurants might have two or three vegetarian items on an otherwise meaty menu, but not Ale Mary’s. It offers a complete vegan menu, cooked on a separate station in the kitchen with its own fryers, oven, and flat top. Vegans don’t have to miss out on bar classics, like the Southwest Burger, made with an Impossible Burger patty, topped with pico de gallo, avocado, chipotle aioli, and Follow Your Heart provolone. The exclusively vegan milkshakes come in five flavors, including cotton candy, s’mores, and chocolate strawberry. Choose from an extensive list of whiskeys to add an extra kick to your shake.
FREYA
The 2024 Hour Detroit Restaurant of the Year offers a five- and nine-course tasting menu as well as à la carte dining on select days. And while the menu is constantly changing with the seasons, both vegans and vegetarians will always have a place at Freya. Here, the emphasis is on transforming simple ingredients into complex flavors and composed plates. The umami tofu, featured on a previous menu, consists of seared trumpet mushrooms, potato hash, braised greens, and grilled tofu in a savory miso broth. Freya’s take on the cassoulet, a traditionally meaty, rich French stew, is made with white beans, root vegetables, and an allium cream.
STREET BEET
What began as a pop-up collaboration between two co-workers at One-Eyed Betty’s in 2018 is now a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Corktown. Specializing in vegan fast food, Street Beet gained local fame for its veganized Taco Bell menu, nicknamed “Taco Hell.” Its Supreme Crunchywrap is a callback to those roots, made with a choice of walnut or Impossible chorizo, tostada, and all the regular fixings like nacho cheese sauce, lettuce, sour cream, and pico. Grab an Impossible smashburger with cheese, grilled onions, pickles, lettuce, and house sauce or a chicken nugget basket with your dipping sauce of choice from the sliding glass walk-up window on the side of the building. There’s no shortage of beverage options, with dirty sodas, mocktails, and malted milkshakes to go along with the familiar fare.
This story originally appeared in the February 2026 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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