739 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
https://www.rasplantbased.com/
Ethiopian is one of my favorite cuisines. Lots of delicious and robust herbs and spices. Many Ethiopian dishes are inherently vegan, but everything at Ras Plant-Based is plant-based/vegan! I've tried a good handful of the dishes they have there, and my favorites are the Shiro (ground chickpeas), Missir (red lentil stew), and the Ras Kitfo (usually a beef tartare, but instead made with pea protein crumbles). You can get the entrees with rice or injera, but I always get injera. Black-owned.
676 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY | 235 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY | 112 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY | 380 Broome St, New York, NY
http://www.luanneswildgingernyc.com/home.html
I'm not 100% sure LuAnne's Wild Ginger is Asian-owned, but I think it is? Correct me if I am wrong. But, they feature an all-vegan Asian fusion cuisine menu. Lots of Thai-, Vietnamese-, Chinese-, Korean-, Japanese-, and other inspired dishes.
I have tried a good handful of their dishes, and my favorites are the Jap Chae, Singapore Mei-Fun Noodles, Pad Thai, and the Malaysian Curry Comfort Stew. The Grilled Miso Eggplant appetizer is also quite amazing.
637 Washington Avenue (Corner of Bergen and Washington), Brooklyn, NY
https://www.nurishbk.com/
Healthy café with lots of vegan- and vegetarian-friendly options, but also sustainable meat options as well. Lots of various sandwiches, warm bowls, and salads as well as smoothies, juices, and a wide array of breakfast foods. I love being able to create my own warm bowl and salads. I almost always include their shiitake bacon, roasted broccoli, roasted corn, and tofu with both. Black-owned. Elijah, the owner, is super friendly.
824 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
https://banhmiplacebklyn.com/
There are lots of Vietnamese restaurants around Brooklyn and NYC, but not that many of them have that many vegan-friendly options. But Banh Mi Place has vegan and vegetarian options for their banh mi sandwiches, salads, vermicelli salads, and pho with tofu, mock chicken, mock beef, or mock pork. They also have quite a few bubble tea offerings, and the milk teas can be made with soy milk instead of dairy milk.
My go-to item is the Vermicelli Salad with Vegetarian Pork (sometimes extra vegetarian pork).
707 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn, NY
http://www.memeshealthynibbles.com/
There aren't a whole lot of things that I can get from Meme's Healthy Nibbles, but what I CAN get is awesome. They have a vegan "chicken" curry wrap with an option for a vegan gluten-free wrap, and it is divine. A mild curry and tofu, combined with the light sweetness of raisins. Lots of greens and carrots, too. There also some vegan desserts that they carry, but the availability depends on the day. I had a great vegan & gluten-free brownie as well as an apple muffin. Lots of smoothie and juice options, too. Black-owned.
740 Bergen St, Brooklyn, NY
https://www.instagram.com/thebakeryonbergen/
While not a vegan bakery, The Bakery on Bergen usually has at least a couple of vegan cookies and/or cupcakes available. You can call ahead and request specific items to be made vegan as well. I have had their oatmeal cranberry coconut cookie, and it is SO GOOD. They've also had a peanut butter cookie that practically melts in your mouth. I honestly don't think you could tell they were vegan if you weren't told that they were! The owner is both Black AND Asian!
709 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY
https://www.seamless.com/menu/sweet-basil-709-franklin-ave-brooklyn/1033923
There are also a lot of Thai places around the city and my neighborhood, but not all of them can make their dishes vegan. Some Thai places are able to make their dishes without fish sauce or oyster sauce, but some say that their sauces are already pre-made and cannot be customized. But Sweet Basil Thai has few specifically vegan dishes made with soy protein. I have only had the Basil Soy Protein, and I don't know if I will ever try any other the other vegan dishes, because the Basil Soy Protein dish is SO GOOD. I think I just really, really like basil and garlic sauce. Yum.
I often order here the day before I have to go into work, so I can make a lunch using the leftovers of the Basil Soy Protein and other veggies or noodles, and I get to have an amazing lunch at work!
766 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY
https://www.kimchigrill.com/
I haven't gone to Kimchi Grill quite as often as I did closer to the beginning of the pandemic, but there are a handful of things that I love to get from here. The first is the Ssam Burrito, which is essentially a burrito made with a giant rice paper wrapper, or you could think of it as a giant summer roll. Inside the rice wrapper is green leaf lettuce, white rice, white kimchi, sesame leaf, and their special SSAM sauce. So good! I also enjoy their tacos and their kimchi bowls. All of these items can be made with a vegan protein of your choice: Spicy Korean Tofu (my favorite), Tofu Edamame Falafel, or no protein and just roasted veggies. You can also customize your level of spiciness depending on your tolerance of heat.
They also have a Tofu Korean Soup Bowl, Tofu Mexican Soup Bowl, and a Tofu & Kimchi Stew, all of which I am curious about. I've also had the Japanese Curry Rice, which was good, too. Plus a LOT of other vegan-friendly items I have yet to discover. They also serve pork, chicken, beef, or fish for the omnivorous crowd.
796A Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY
https://www.elbarriobk.com/
Not Black- or Asian-owned, but there are a few awesome vegan options. My current favorite being the Vegan Sweet Ribs Burrito (which you can get as a burrito or as a naked burrito bowl [no tortilla]). The vegan sweet ribs are so good! Comes with rice, beans, corn, tomatoes, and lettuce with the option to add other toppings as well. They also have (last I checked) an amazing vegan and gluten-free tres leches cake and a cookie sandwich. I was quite addicted to the tres leches cake for a while - if I'm going to be honest. They also have a new burrito/naked burrito bowl with the Impossible Burger "meat" that I will have to try!
They also have vegan nachos, but it's just tortilla chips with guacamole, salsa, and beans. No cheese. I'm not convinced that qualifies as nachos, but it was still tasty nonetheless.
180 Ralph Ave, Brooklyn, NY
https://greedi-kitchen.com/
I most likely won't be able to visit Greedi Kitchen anymore since their Bergen St location closed, but their Ralph Ave location remains open, and I highly recommend paying them a visit if you can. I love all of their tacos (mock chicken, beef, or fish) and their nachos (I preferred beef, as mushroom was tasty but not very filling). I WAS visiting their Bergen location at least once a week, sometimes twice a week, because their food is that good! The bowls weren't quite what appeals to me, but I know they are very popular with other people, so it's probably just a personal preference thing.
