Vegan Guide to Monterey, Pacific Grove, & Carmel-by-the-Sea
Monterey, along with its neighbors Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pacific Grove, are part of California’s gorgeous central coast. The area is known for its dramatic coastline, an abundance of beautiful hiking trails, nature, and wildlife, chic boutiques, and a real estate market that will make you dream about what you would buy if you won the lotto. The area really has it all, including vegan food! This vegan restaurant guide to Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Pacific Grove will help you enjoy the sun, sea, and of course, find the best vegan food that includes breakfast, ice cream, burgers, and much more.
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Vegan & Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Monterey
Although there aren’t a ton of vegan restaurants in Monterey, these options won’t make you feel like you’re missing out.
El Cantaro
791 Foam St, Monterey, CA 93940
If you’re looking for authentic Mexican food that is 100% vegan, look no further than El Cantaro in Monterey. This restaurant is serving up an incredible menu of Mexican favorites like homemade tamales, chilaquiles, empanadas, tacos, and more! Try my favorite — the Hurache — a corn tortilla layered with beans, cheese, smoky cactus, and topped with avocado and a tangy tahini sauce.
But don’t worry, if you can’t decide what to order, check out their combination plates that feature samplings of multiple tasty options. Just make sure you save room for an order of fried plantains served with vanilla soy ice cream, strawberry sauce, and chocolate.
Hula’s Island Grill
622 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey, CA 93940
Although this laid-back, island-inspired restaurant isn’t 100% vegan there are multiple great vegan options to check out, and their staff is great about modifications. Check out their Jungle Tofu Bowl loaded with sweet plantains, black beans, rice, fried tofu, and covered in their special Jungle Curry sauce.
They also have multiple great taco options including spicy tofu tacos (just make sure you have them swap out the sundried tomato pesto aioli for a vegan sauce option).
Paprika
309 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey CA 93940
This is the perfect place for fresh, herbaceous Mediterranean dishes. It isn’t 100% vegan but has a full vegetarian menu full of dolmas stuffed with rice, lemon, and parsley, falafel served with house-made hummus, baba ghanouj or their own Loubiya (green beans simmered in tomato sauce and served with rice, hummus, and spinach). Make sure you save room for a sweet slice of house-made vegan Baklava! They are proud to be one of the few bakeries to make this traditional treat vegan!
Pizza My Heart
660 Del Monte Center, Monterey, CA 93940
Crispy, cheesy goodness isn’t off the table at Pizza My Heart! Their menu features multiple vegan pies as well as the option to create your own. While creating your own is fun, why not let the pizza experts do the work for you?
Check out the Mt. Diablo loaded with Miyoko’s plant-based mozzarella, Beyond Meat hot Italian sausage, garlic, fresh mushrooms, banana peppers, and fresh parsley. If you need something a little greener, try their Linda Mar topped with spinach, garlic, artichokes, broccoli, olives, and Roma’s — just add Miyoko’s mozzarella!
Ambrosia Indian
565 Abrego St, Monterey, CA 93940 (multiple locations throughout Monterey)
If you’re craving a savory bowl of Chana Masala, look no further than Ambrosia. Their traditional Indian fare has been delighting clients throughout the Monterey area with their locations in Cannery Row, Downtown, and Scotts Valley. They have a full vegetarian menu but also note all their vegan options, including a spicy Vegetable Vindaloo and their house specialty, Bhindi Masala (fresh crisp okra, tossed with onion tomato and fresh ginger).
Terra Superfoods
570 Munras Ave Suite 50, Monterey, CA 93940
Whether you’re looking for a berry-packed bowl for breakfast or a bountiful grain bowl for lunch or dinner, you’ll find it at this spot. The entire menu is vegetarian; they just use honey and bee pollen in a couple of items that can easily be omitted. You can build your own superfood smoothie bowl or leave it up to the experts — you can’t go wrong with their Terra Bowl — the nutty, berry combo is fantastic!
The Wild Plum Café
731 Munras Ave suite b, Monterey, CA 93940
This quaint café is the perfect place to go to start your day! Their breakfast menu features a “vegan favorites” section packed with savory breakfast tacos, veggie-packed potato skillet, tofu scramble, and much more! They also have a lunch menu, but it’s not as vegan-friendly as the breakfast menu!
Vegan-Friendly Ice Cream Shop in Monterey
Revival Ice Cream
463 Alvarado Street Monterey, CA 93940
This local creamery makes all its creations in small batches with local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients. The best part is there are always multiple vegan options, including their waffle cones which are vegan and gluten-free! If it’s in stock, you need to try a scoop of their decadent chocolate hazelnut and peanut butter chip — you’ll thank me!
Vegetarian Restaurants with Great Vegan Options in Pacific Grove
There aren’t any vegan restaurants in Pacific Grove, but these vegetarian and vegan-friendly spots are fabulous!
Happy Girl Kitchen Co.
173 Central Avenue in Pacific Grove, CA
This sweet little café is the perfect place for breakfast or brunch in Pacific Grove! Their café menu features a full coffee bar, house-made baked goods, snacks, and other grab and go fare.
I suggest that you start your day with their chickpea frittata and a couple of slices of toast. I know, toast sounds boring, but they make all their own breads and jams! The best part is they can and jar a myriad of jams, veggies, pickles, and more. The perfect thing to take home with you!
Julia’s Vegetarian Restaurant
1180 Forest Ave suite f, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
This place is so good you’re going to want to go more than once! Almost everything on their menu — from brunch to dinner can be made vegan and there is so much to try. Immune boosting and antioxidant-rich mushrooms are the star on their menu and can be found in many dishes from Cordyceps Al Funghi to Candy Cap French Toast.
If you’re looking to splurge then you must try the banana split French toast, it is just as decadent as it sounds! Caramelized bananas, vegan vanilla ice cream, toasted walnuts, and a sinfully sweet sauce top their house-made Candy Cap French Toast. Need something a little less sinful?
Try their Huevos Rancheros (crispy corn tortilla topped with beans, vegan egg, fresh poblano sauce, and guacamole). The smoky flavor of the poblano and beans with the crispy corn tortilla is an amazing combination.
Vegan-Friendly Restaurant & Dessert Spot in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Cultura Comida y Bebida
Dolores Street, between 5th and, 6th Ave, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923
Finding vegan food in Carmel-by-the-Sea isn’t easy, but luckily Cultura has an amazing menu of fresh flavors from Oaxaca, Mexico. Their menu is well marked for items that are vegan and the staff is super helpful and can point out other items that can easily be made vegan.
You can’t miss their smoky mushroom pozole or plantain tacos — these tacos are out of this world. The combination of the sweet plantain with the savory cashew crema will have you ordering more!
Make sure you save room for dessert, both their house-made churros and oat milk flan are vegan.
Carmel Belle
San Carlos St, Ocean Ave, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923
This little café is hidden amongst a cluster of small shops, if it hadn’t been for their street sign, we would’ve missed it. Their menu features smoothies, juices and a of couple vegan sandwich options all made with fresh, local veggies, but the real stars of the show are the desserts.
They offer multiple house-made raw, vegan, and gluten-free cheesecakes like tiramisu, mango lime, and blueberry. The flavors will make your taste buds dance! I suggest you order multiple flavors, don’t worry, they are small!
The Best Places to Stay (Near Vegan Food)
I recommend staying in Carmel-by-the-Sea or Monterey. Both locations are centrally located to neighboring cities and the start of Big Sur. Also, check out this lineup of vegan-friendly hotels throughout California.
Junipero Street &, Ocean Ave, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923
Book Your Stay
Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay
2 Portola Plaza, Monterey, CA 93940
Book Your Stay
Thank you for this post! Heading to Carmel and Carmel Valley and many of these places are on our list to eat (being with a vegan) it’s important to plan ahead. 🙂
Hi Erika! I am so glad you found it helpful. Carmel-by-the-Sea was the most difficult for vegan food but the two places I wrote about are the bomb! If you have any other questions about the area don’t hesitate to reach out. I hope you have a great trip.