by: Ellen Kanner www.soulfulvegan.com

https://ellenkanner.substack.com/

Miami is sunshine, swelter, beaches, body-con locals, and bedazzled tourists, but there’s more to this city, too. Miami is always busy reinventing itself. The vegan scene alone has gone from huh? to happening in just 20 years, even earning Miami a spot among PETA’s Top Ten Vegan Destinations.  We do award-winning vegan burgers and bowls, but what’s really exciting is the way the local vegan scene has been showing its true colors — and flavors. The Magic City is just a hop from the Caribbean and  Central and South America. Miami’s vegan restaurants are bringing that to the table with street eats and splurges, wellness and wowl.Here are my picks for the best vegan restaurants in Miami.

Kicking off the list of the best vegan restaurants in Miami –Got friends who swear they’d never go vegan? Planta’s cool South Beach space and vibe, warm service, splashy cocktails, and over-the-top burgers, pizzas, and nachos might trigger a rethink. We’re talking classic comfort food but totally plantbased. Must-have starters include fried cauliflower tots  and, for a local spin, croquetas  — little fried puffs stuffed with mushroom bacon and oozy cashew mozzarella. Both the tots and croquetas are sharable. Good luck with that. You’ll have an easier time sharing the mammoth pizzas, with thin, crispy crusts, more vegan mozz, and toppings like potato-based chorizo. A sky-high swirl of the kitchen’s flavor-of-the-moment soft serve makes for a sweet finish.

Planta , 850 Commerce St., Miami Beach, FL 33139.

Sleek, chic, elegant, and Asian. Planta Queen offers date night destination dining. Planta’s sister restaurant in Coconut Grove serves up stylish cocktails with a splash of whimsy like the Mezcal Me Maybe — smoky mescal, a zing of ginger liqueur, and a citrusy hit of passionfruit and lime. Ttruffles enrich melt-in-your-mouth spinach-shiitake dumplings and add the right amount of funk in the truffle fried rice. Thai creamed spinach is rich with coconut milk, gently warming with curry, and finished with domino-sized cubes of fried tofu.. For more chili heat, the beloved Bang Bang Broccoli features crispy fried broccoli napped in a sweet chili sauce, and topped with a blizzard of crushed peanuts.

Planta Queen,3015 Grand Ave Suite 201, Coconut Grove, FL 33133. 

L’Artisane Bakery , voted Miami’s best bakery by New Times and VegNews readers, produces joy by way of vegan pastries like impossibly light, crispy macarons, donuts like Boston creme and a classic glazed that’ll make you forget the big-name brands. and chef/owner Carolina Molea’s award-winning signature croissants. swirled and shot through with strawberry, pistachio, dulce de leche, and more.  All-day brunch items include fluffy mile-high pancakes and omelets,  croissant sandwiches and flaky empanadas. Score a seat at this little Coral Gables charmer, linger over croissants and cappuccino and enjoy.  Bonus — L’Artisane ships treats nationally.

L’Artisane Bakery 2526 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 3314  .You can also taste L’Artisane’s greatest hits at its downtown outpost, Julia & Henry’s, 200 E Flagler Street, Downtown Miami, FL 33131,

Good things come in small packages at Minty Z, Coconut Grove’s tiny 12-table eater., offering bold, plantbased spins on Asian classics. Massaman curry, a fan favorite, is a bowlful of shaved vegetables, ropy noodles, and tofu in a creamy curried coconut broth cooled with a garden of fresh green herbs. Vegetable-intense fried rice is studded with housemade cauliflower kimchi.  Dim sum is a must, like ube bao, fluffy buns filled with a mellow mash of purple sweet potatoes and coconut. Fried faves include crispy Cuban corn wontons and avocado spring rolls. Try it all with the dim sum feast or the eight-course omakase tasting menu of Minty Z’s best. Wine, beer, sangria, sake and kombucha make it even better.

 MintyZ, 3206 Grand Avenue, Coconut Grove, FL 33133.

Love Life Cafe a longtime leader in Miami’s vegan community, has gotten the upgrade it deserves in  spacious new digs.  It’s still in Wynwood, still offers favorites like its award-winning veggie burger, significant salads, and signature arepas, but now Love Life offers more menu items and more flavors of the world.  Vegetable sushi and vegetable ramen, delightfully slippery noodles in in a rich dashi broth, swing Asian, while the picadillo bowl and sancocho, a beloved South American stew, reflect local Latin flavors.  Everything’s rich and satisfying, with a delicious dollop of plantbased wellness baked right in.

Love Life Cafe 545 NW 26th Street, Wynwood 33127.

Last on the hit list of the best Vegan restaurants in Miami —Vegan Cuban Cuisine nails Miami’s love language — Cuban cuisine — and does it vegan..  Yes, really. All your favorites are on the extensive menu, even a vegan Cuban sandwich. Sliced plantbased ham and cheese and seasoned jackfruit is stacked high and piled on house-made Cuban bread, dressed with vegan mayo, mustard, and pickles, then toasted and pressed. It’s got all the flavor of the original but none of the carne. Soy crumble muscles out the usual ground beef in slow-simmered picadillo. Imperial rice is as golden, creamy and cheesy as you remember, without the dairy and chicken. Located in Sunset Drive strip mall, Vegan Cuban Cuisine mostly does takeout business, but come March, will offer indoor seating for 35.                                 Vegan Cuban Cuisine 9640 SW 72nd Street, Miami, FL 33173