Food Critics: The best plant-based food in Kansas City in 2023 – KCUR
Whether it’s for health, ethics or a quest to find the right balance of flavors, there are a lot of reasons to eat a plant-based diet.
“I think it’s growing the segment of diners who are hoping for vegetarian and vegan options,” food writer Liz Cook said. “That’s become something that people are thinking about a lot more both for sustainability and ethical reasons, but also, really, climate reasons — we know how carbon intensive meat production is.”
Food blogger Chuck Munson has been a vegetarian since 1989. When he created his blog in 2019, he dedicated it to exploring the meatless options around our barbecue town.
“I’ve been through the challenges of trying to find vegetarian food in restaurants for decades, and it’s gotten a lot better,” Munson told KCUR’s Up To Date on Friday.
Below Cook, Munson and Kansas City food blogger Mary Bloch give their recommendations for restaurants around town with the best vegetarian and vegan options. Some make their entire menu meatless. Others provide plant-based options that keep diners coming back for more.
Liz Cook:
- Kinship Cafe – MVP Burrito. This cute, bright coffee shop on Strawberry Hill always has a few hefty vegan burritos available, all made with nicely browned Yoli flour tortillas. The MVP Wrap is stacked meaty portabella mushrooms, peppers and onions layered on top of fluffy turmeric rice and covered in gooey vegan mozzarella.
- Tacos Valentina – Vegan Crunch Wrap. While not veg-only, the pop-up taqueria offers vegetarian and vegan tamales and tacos that never feel like an afterthought. Try the vegan crunch wrap with soy chorizo for a fun (and far superior) take on a fast-food classic. The pop-up has a regular presence Thursdays at Casual Animal Brewing, Fridays at Alma Mader Brewing, and Saturdays at Big Mood Natural Wines.
- The Fix – Fried Chicken Sammie. Since The Fix opened, it’s had a reliable menu of all-vegan comfort food, including jalapeno poppers, “chicken” tenders, burgers, and fries, but the house-made fried “chicken” sandwich should shoot to the top of even omnivores’ lists. The restaurant was taken over this summer by Sav Brady, of The C Word Cakery, and the selection of vegan baked goods has expanded.
- Mattie’s Foods – Brisket and Mac & Cheez. Head to this Brookside institution for Mattie’s loaded vegan nachos, and one of the metro’s best meatless barbecue offerings: a glazed tofu “brisket” sandwich with a side of vegan mac and cheese.
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