Since 1979, Greens restaurant has been a proving ground for wickedly talented women chefs — starting, of course, with founding chef Deborah Madison, whose 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 pizzas. This longstanding San Francisco vegetarian dining room also offers stunning views of the bay and Marin Headlands beyond, though you can dine al fresco if you’d prefer.

Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant — which is run by a family of devout Buddhists — is also kosher, making the restaurants (one in the Sunset and one in Chinatown) a hit with those of many faiths. Where this Chinese-influenced spot really shines though is its soups, all of which are made with flavorful, hearty broths that put meat-based broths to shame.

Nourish Cafe has two locations in San Francisco: one in the Inner Richmond, and another at 1030 Hyde Street in Nob Hill. Both locations, which are completely plant-based, serve juice, smoothies, bowls, and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch.

From the same team behind Wildseed comes breakfast vegetarian food (vegan, actually) every day of the week. The chicken and waffles are made of red velvet beets and flaxseed waffles and Tindle chicken. For lunch, there are loads of sandwiches, burgers, and even flatbreads.

There are actually a number of legitimate vegetarian options on Balboa Street, including the vegan enchiladas at Cielito Lindo, but the vegetarian goose at New Dumpling King is worth a double take. For $10 one gets ten slices of soy protein, mushroom, veggies, and spices — this dish is a marvel of vegetarian cuisine. Plus, mapo tofu and garlic eggplant are worthy contenders, too.

Craving tofuna? Shizen’s vegan sushi bar and izakaya offers a menu of rolls filled with creamy tofu and topped with imitation fish eggs made of tapioca, as well as tempura-fried veggies, bean curd skewers, and miso ramen.

Mohamed Aboghanem’s newest outfit in the Inner Sunset is just getting started, and the unsuspecting shop already shows promise. The former owner of Saha in Berkeley, Aboghanem has been cooking vegetarian and vegan food for well over a decade. Bread pudding, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, baklava, and almond bear tortes are all on deck.

Yes, Peruvian food is better known for carnivorous dishes including ceviche and various riffs on steak. And while Jose Calvo Perez’s newest restaurant certainly packs a protein punch, some of that power comes from the shop’s tofu saltado. The dish is nourishing and a fine alternative to the other saltados, and an order of yucca fries puts one soundly on vegetarian cloud nine.

Udupi Palace has faced some controversy over labor issues in the past but promises to turn over a new leaf suggest vegetarians are free to enjoy the South Indian restaurant’s giant dosas, spicy curries, and sweet chutneys free of guilt over human or animal exploitation. Entree prices top out at around $14, even for dinner, so they’ll also fill you up without breaking the bank.

This Bernal Heights restaurant is not exclusively vegetarian, nor does need it to 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), and porcini mushroom and black truffle ravioli “francese.”

A favorite for sandwich-seekers on Ocean Avenue, Dinosaurs keeps two vegetarian options on its menu at all times. For $11.75 diners can score crispy tofu or roasted portobello bahn mi at any of the business’ three San Francisco locations. Plus, the $10.90 tofu and taro spring rolls, complete with shreds of jicama and rice noodle, make a choice vegetarian side.