As our kids have four legs and tails, we are not tied to a school schedule and can go away after the holiday rush when airfares drop. We had not been to Miami in many years, so we decided to take a trip there for a post-Holiday vacation to see Ethan’s parents. We tacked on a few days in Ft. Lauderdale as well because it is so close to Miami. We are thrilled to see how the vegan scene is exploding in Miami. Ft. Lauderdale is still lagging, but there are some good options there too.

While there are plenty of restaurants with vegan options, we mainly stuck to the ones that are 100% vegan. I am taking these in chronological order of when we went to each one. I will highlight the ones you should not miss.

Miami:

L’Artisane Creative Bakery

Located in North Miami Beach, this vegan French patisserie is spectacular. In full disclosure, I am a little biased here as my friend and fellow Main Street Vegan Academy alum, Carolina Molea, is the owner and head pastry chef of this cafe. In addition to some of the best pastries I have ever had, they offer a selection of salads, sandwiches, and empanadas. So basically you can park yourself here and eat all day long. Start your day with one the croissants that were voted Best in Miami. In addition to the award winning regular croissant they also have a wide selection of flavored ones including pain au chocolat, nutella, and strawberry. My advice is to get there in the morning when they are freshly made and the chocolate in the pain au chocolat is still melted and warm. In our two visits here we did eat more than croissants. We tried two of the savory sandwiches: chicken salad and crab cake. The chicken salad is served on freshly made focaccia and is big enough that two people should easily share it. The crab cake itself is fantastic, but the challah bun it is served on it truly outstanding. (side note: L’Artisane supplies the buns for Planta in South Beach, but I am getting ahead of myself. I will get to Planta shortly). I am not a huge pastry person, but I almost could not control myself here. I wanted to try everything – and I almost did. Whether you get chocolate coated Monkey Bread, a cinnamon roll, a fruit filled Danish, or any one of the other delectable treats here, you will not be disappointed. The selection changes regularly, so go back often and find a new favorite each time.

L’Artisane Creative Bakery
7423 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, Fl. 33144
Tel: (786) 502-8595

Full Bloom
We had heard a lot of hype about Full Bloom and were very eager to try one of South Beach’s vegan fine dining restaurants. Full Bloom certainly lives up to the “fine dining” label. Everything was fine. Nothing was great or outstanding, just fine. Moreover, I don’t know that I would call this a restaurant. I mean, technically it is a restaurant in that they have menus, serve food and drinks, all the like, but there is no actual restaurant. The tables are on the front patio of Crest Hotel, there is no indoor seating. We tried a number a things on the menu and nothing was truly note worthy. The best thing we ate here was the kale salad in a creamy dressing. We also tried the special appetizer that night of mushroom scallops. The texture was good, but didn’t have much flavor. The tempeh piccata was very salty, heavy on capers, and very light on the lemon. Moreover, someone should tell the chef that cumin is not necessary, or for that matter welcome, in buffalo cauliflower. They do serve the Impossible Burger, but its preparation is nothing spectacular. If you are Lincoln Road and want an all vegan restaurant, this is the one, but I would not make a special trip to eat here.

Full Bloom
1670 James Ave,
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Planta
This location is the sister of the two Planta restaurants in Toronto. Located just a few blocks from the beach, Planta is not to be missed. Being so close to the beach, you can run in for lunch when the sun becomes too intense, have a meal, and then head back out for some afternoon rays. We liked our lunch here so much, that we came back the next day for dinner. The lunch and dinner menus are very similar, but there are a few changes between them. Make sure you order some of the maki rolls to start your meal. The tuna in the Spicy Tuna roll is made from dehydrated watermelon and is truly remarkable. The Volcano Roll featuring heart of palm as the crab is delicious. Another not to miss item is the Chicken Fried Mushrooms. The only thing we tried that we would not order again are the Lettuce Wraps. While they taste great, they are over priced for the amount of food you get and you will still be hungry (six cubes of tofu is not a $19 entree). Another point to take note of, the Italian Job pizza is really spicy. Remember the delicious challah buns from L’Artisane I mentioned above? Planta uses them for the Planta Burger and the Crispy “Chicken” Sandwich. It is like to 2 vegans stars colliding! The Crispy “Chicken” Sandwich is good, but there is so much shredded daikon on it, that the crispy gets a little soggy. My advice it to make a meal out of the small plates and sides and you will be very happy. Planta gets very busy on weekend evenings, so be sure to make a reservation.

Planta
850 Commerce Street,
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
305-397-8513

Atlas Meat Free Deli
Drop whatever you are doing and get to Atlas now! Currently operating as a food truck with picnic tables for dining, in July Atlas is opening a brick and mortar location a few feet away from where they are now located. Although the address is on 79th Street, you will need to walk about 50 yards or so down 1st Ave to find it tucked away. I am sort of glad it is hard to find, because I am sure that if it were easier, it would be continually packed. All of the “meats” are made in house and are exquisite. The menu is filled with huge sandwiches, sides, and items to order by the pound. The Wood-Bone Wings are the BEST, and I am not one for hyperbole, vegan wings I have ever had. The “wood bone” is like the wooden stick from a dixie ice cream cup and is surrounded by seitan chicken that is fried and tossed in a sauce that is the perfect combination of heat and tang. The four wings could be a meal on their own, but as there was more food coming, I didn’t eat all them all. (Side note: Ethan took one bite and had to put it down as it was “too chickeny” for him). The Buttamlk Fried Chk’n is the BEST (yes, I am using it again) vegan fried chicken sandwich. It is a deep fried seitan cutlet with cheddar, creamy slaw, pickles, and garlic aioli on a pretzel bun. My mouth was in heaven eating this. The thin cutlet is well seasoned and coated so that you get a great crunch in each bite. The Kansas City Burnt Tips is a generous portion of their pastrami smothered in bbq sauce, topped with creamy slaw and crispy onions. The Rachel on Rye, is Atlas’ take on the classic Reuben featuring smok’d pastrami, cheese, sauerkraut, and mustard all piled high on jewish rye and then pressed to a golden brown. Like a true deli sandwich, the Rachel can easily be a meal for 2 people. Ethan’s parents*, who are not vegan, absolutely loved Atlas. In fact, his father said, “I don’t care what it is, it is delicious.” Tip: make your meal a combo to add seasoned waffle fries and a drink. I like Atlas so much that if I found a cheap flight to Miami, or even Ft. Lauderdale, I would fly down just to get lunch here. It is clear why Altas Meat Free Deli won the Miami New Times award for Best Vegan Restaurant in 2017.

NOTE: right now they are only open for lunch. Once the brick and mortar is open, they will be open for dinner too.

*They have since been back without us. That is how good it is!

Atlas Meat Free Deli
98 NE 79th St
Miami, Florida 33138
305-323-6661

Pura Vida
This small cafe near the South Pointe Pier, very close to Planta, is a good place to grab a smoothie or breakfast bowl. This spot is definitely not vegan, but has some vegan options. As most vegan travelers know, finding breakfast can be a challenge. We stopped in here after our morning walk along beach and were very happy to see they have acai and pitaya bowls. The breakfast menu also has oatmeal and avocado toast. In addition to breakfast, they have savory options for a light lunch including a vegan wraps and salads. They also offer juices, smoothies, and vegan baked goods if you are wanting a sweet treat. With all the heavier vegan options we’d been eating, it was nice to find a good juice and smoothie bar to help us fill up on fruits and veggies.

Pura Vida
110 Washington Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Charly’s Vegan Tacos
This was truly a surprise find us. We loved Charly’s when we ate there in Tulum, Mexico, so we were so excited to see they opened a location in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. Unfortunately, we didn’t love the tacos here as much. The Guaca-mango (guacamole with mango on top) and Tostones appetizers are very good. After our appetizers, we each ordered the taco trio which allowed us to try three different tacos. The Al Pastor taco is so overly seasoned with cloves, that neither of us could finish it. The Yuba and Asada tacos were good, but not outstanding. There are still other tacos and lots more on the menu that we didn’t try, so knowing how great their good can be, we will definitely be back to try them. Also worth noting is the Wynwood neighborhood. The neighborhood is filled with beautiful graffiti, and is worth checking out just for that. 

Charly’s Vegan Tacos
172 NW 24th Street
Miami, FL 33127  

Chef Chloe and the Vegan Market
This is Chloe Coscarelli’s dessert only spot located in the St. Roch Market. Stop in here for some cake, cupcakes, and other baked goods. You can even try the Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake cupcake that won on Cupcake Wars. This is not a stand alone shop, but rather located in a food court. We got there right before closing, so there was almost nothing left, but we did get try her birthday cake which is yummy.

Chef Chloe and the Vegan Market
St Roch Market
140 NE 39th St
2nd Floor
Miami, FL 33137

Ft. Lauderdale

Green Bar & Kitchen
We reviewed GBK a few years ago here. The menu has had some changes over the years, but it remains one of the only 100% vegan option in the Ft. Lauderdale beach area. The menu changes are due in part to the fact that a large restaurant group has invested in GBK and are now part owners. While the new menu has some very good additions, most notably, the Brussels sprouts, the service has really gone downhill. When the original owners, Elena and Charlie, were the sole owners, at least one of them was always present, helping control the staff. Now, it seems like there is no management or supervision. Service is spotty and no matter when we were there, the staff seemed to be running in all different directions with no real structure or direction. We visited 3 times over this last stay and each time there was a different problem with our service. In short, the food is decent, but nothing spectacular. The stand out items are the coconut burger and the aforementioned sprouts. When you have little competition, I suppose you don’t have to really try hard. Perhaps the opening of Copper Branch will push GBK to up its game and surpass where it once was.

Green Bar & Kitchen
1075 SE 17th Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
954-533-7507

The Hummus House
This is a truly happy find. While not 100% vegan, they do have eggs and cheese on the menu, the majority of the menu is vegan (and all vegan items are labeled “VG”). Hummus House makes some of the most delicious falafel we have had outside of Israel. We split an appetizer order of falafel, so we could try other things on the menu as well. We also tried two of the bowls, the Meatless Shawarma and the Spicy “Beef”. The Shawarma was by far our favorite. The bowls are simple and straight forward – a generous serving of hummus topped with the Shawarma, “Beef”, or any of the other options available. Each bowl comes with a side of Israeli pickles, red cabbage salad, pita, and a spicy sauce “schug.” Be warned, the schug is VERY spicy. The bowls are also available as pita sandwiches that include the Israeli salad and tahini sauce. The salad is a little heavy on red onion, but thankfully it is mild and not overpowering. Be sure to get a glass of the Frozen Limonada to go with your meal. This frozen mint ginger lemonade is very refreshing. I am often leery about trying hummus restaurants lest they use cumin in everything. Thankfully, at Hummus House, they do everything Israeli style with no cumin. They also get a special shout out for their tag line, “Meatless and proud!”

Hummus house is just over the bridge from the beach on the mainland. It is easy to get to from the beach making it a great option for lunch if you don’t want to be gone from the beach for too long. They also deliver if you aren’t in the mood to get from your towel or beach chair.

Seasons 52
Located in the Galleria Mall, this omnivore restaurant has a full vegan menu, you just have to ask for it. Many of the items are not vegan, but are easily made vegan by leaving off the cheese or changing the dressing. The menu is very helping in identifying what should be left off to make a dish vegan. This upscale restaurant is a great option if you are dining with omnivores who refuse to go to a vegan or vegetarian restaurant. While the entree options are limited – gnocchi or pasta, which are both excellent – there are plenty of appetizers, soups and salads to choose from. The only vegan dessert option is fresh berries – not that there is anything wrong with that. Seasons 52 is definitely worth checking out.

Seasons 52
2428 East Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL  33304
954-537-1052

Wilton Creamery
In Wilton Manors, a short drive from Ft. Laurderdale, we found this ice cream shop that offers vegan ice cream. The vegan ice creams are all coconut based and they also have sorbets. This shop is similar to the “make your own sundae” places that existed when we were kids. You first chose your flavor and number of scoops and tell the server if you want toppings or just the ice cream, for topping there is an additional charge (note: this is not per topping). If you want toppings, you can really go crazy on the combinations. All vegan topping options are clearly labeled on the menu. I went for marshmallow sauce and chocolate sprinkles – I don’t recall the last time I saw a vegan marshmallow sauce option so how could I not? After a day in the sun, who doesn’t want some ice cream?

Wilton Creamery
2301 Wilton Drive #C4
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
954-565-1183