Since 1979, Greens restaurant has been a proving ground for wickedly talented women chefs — starting of course with founding chef Deborah Madison, who’s kitchen family tree also includes Annie Somerville, Denise St. Onge, and current Greens executive chef Katie Reicher. The landmark restaurant has been all vegetarian since day one, and continues to star pristine local produce in spring rolls, salads, and atop pizzas. This original SF vegetarian gangster’s dining room offers stunning views of the bay and Marin Headlands beyond, though you can also dine al fresco if you’d prefer.

Wildseed, Adriano Paganini’s plant-based restaurant and bar is one of the buzziest players on the veg scene, with a menu of local, vegan, and seasonally driven dishes like “neatball” masala and a rigatoni bolognese (with Impossible “meat”). Orders for takeout can be placed here. There’s also indoor and outdoor dining seven days week, with reservations here and a waitlist here.

This fully plant-based “vegan comfort food” spot’s Cow Hollow location has temporarily closed, but its Polk spot is open for takeout and delivery. Its menu offers a bounty of mock meat offerings, like fake tri-tip, counterfeit crab cakes, and faux chicken with gluten-free waffles. Online ordering is available here.

While most Thai restaurants have plenty of meatless options, this Tenderloin restaurant removed the guesswork, as all its offerings are meat-free (yes, that even means fish and seafood are off the menu). Dishes include classics like papaya salad and pad Thai, and the spot also offers fresh takes on standards like fried rice and faux meat. Order can be placed online for takeout or called in to 415-440-8344.

Long before the Impossible Burger, Golden Era was confounding vegans with its fake “chicken” and “beef” in flavorful Chinese dishes. It’s worth nothing that this spot is owned and operated by followers of Supreme Master Ching Hai, so while the food is indeed delicious, folks uncomfortable with religious propaganda should probably steer clear.

The first weekend vegan Italian comfort spot Baia opened for takeout in the massive Hayes Valley space that once housed Jardiniere, it sold out of popular dishes like its plant-based mozzarella sticks in a flash. The restaurant is the first SF spot in plant-based empire-builder Matthew Kenney’s domain, and the first outing by SF tech/philanthropy vets Kyle and Tracy Vogt, who worked with Kenney to develop the all-vegan menu.

Wholesome Bakery isn’t just vegan, it’s free of gluten, soy, and trans fats. At its Divisadero Street cafe you can find a solid selection of sandwiches, bowls, and salads, but Wholesome’s real strength are its baked goods, including indulgence-worthy brownies, cookies, and cakes. Online ordering is available here, and local delivery is free.

Beit Rima serves its exceptional hummus, falafel, and mezze to its many Bay Area fans from its Castro and Cole Valley locations. It has a vegetarian-friendly menu, with the majority of items inherently free of meat. Must-orders include the ful (smashed fava bean spread with lemon relish, with a highly recommended optional soft boiled egg), shakshuka, and delicata squash with brown butter lebneh and pine nut dukkah.

Cha-Ya serves some of the tastiest — and prettiest — vegan Japanese fare you can find in the city, including delicate salads, hearty noodle dishes, and inventive sushi rolls. They’re open for takeout with a limited menu and hours Wednesday–Sunday. Call 415-252-7825 to place an order.

Owner Michael Petite doles out vegan breakfast and lunch items at this Judah Avenue raw cafe. Waffles, smoothies, and bowls are all staple fare. Petite recently opened Beach’n, another vegan shop, just a few blocks toward the water, to bring more of the vegan flock to the avenues.

Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant — which is run by a family of devout Buddhists — is also kosher, making the restaurants a hit with those of many faiths. Where this Chinese-influenced spot really shines is its soup, all of which are made with flavorful, hearty broths that put meat-based broths to shame. Call 415-682-0826 for takeout, or order online here.

This Bernal Heights restaurant is not exclusively vegetarian, nor need it be. Chef-owner Greg Lutes’ Michelin Guide New Discoveries 2021 restaurant has an expansive patio, a YOLO (you only live once) wine pairing, and, thankfully, vegetarian items for the high end diners such as potato leek soup, casarecce (available gluten-free, too), and porcini mushroom and black truffle ravioli “francese.”

Rheema Calloway and Ronnishia Johnson, the talented chefs behind this pop-up turned mainstay at Speakeasy in Bayview, can not be praised enough. They cater, host classes online, and are big brunch advocates — plus their mac n’ cheese, a coconut milk-based riff, entirely changed the vegan game in San Francisco.