Are you a vegan in Athens, Ohio? Are you tired of constantly searching for vegan restaurants? After becoming vegan a few months ago, I’ve lived the constant disappointment of wanting to go out to eat but not knowing where I can go/what I can eat. Though I’m still pretty new to this myself, I’ve found a few places I can always count on for a mid-day snack, a sweet treat, a meal or an after-the-bars feast.
Grocery and Quick Grabs
Kindred market
First let’s talk groceries. Pretty much every grocery store in a populated area like Athens these days has a pretty decent variety of vegan options. What I like about Kindred Market is that not only do they have a huge variety of clearly labeled vegan options (definitely more vegan cheeses and meats than most chains), but they also have grab-and-go vegan soups, sandwiches, salads and more at the front.
When I tell you their vegan breakfast sandwich changed my life.
My only real issue with Kindred Market is that it is pretty expensive. Usually when I go here it is a special occasion or as a treat for myself. The breakfast sandwiches are $8 for a small biscuit, however like I said, they are phenomenal. If you join their rewards program, that may make it worth it, however I have never gotten anything personally out of the rewards. They do however have discounts for seniors on Tuesdays and a student discount (with student ID) on Thursdays.
Bagel Street Deli
Most plain bagels are vegan. As long as you don’t get one that you know has cheese or honey, you should be safe. As a vegetarian, I would always go for the BBQ Tofu bagel, and it was AMAZING. To make it vegan, just remove the cheddar or replace it with vegan provolone (which they HAVE!). They even have vegan cream cheese. Good on you Bagel Street Deli. Good on you.
I haven’t been but a few times in my life, but they have so many options for us vegans, why NOT go? Well… Maybe because the wait is always 15+ minutes and a bagel is $10….
I still recommend it as a treat. Especially when you have a hangover, it might save you.
Everyday meals
Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen
Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen was one I wanted to try for a while, even before I became vegan. I love Thai food, so I was eager! Their hours are a little weird and scattered, so it can be hard to figure out when they’re open.
I finally gave it a shot a few weeks ago because I was trying to find somewhere with vegan and non-vegan options for my girlfriend and me. We went on a Thursday, and I found out that their vegan menu is ONLY on Wednesdays. They had one or two vegan options on the day we went, but the whole reason I wanted to go was because I saw that they did a lot of vegan options.
I was able to get the Vegan Stir-fry Sprout & Tofu. It was really, really good.
So, if you go here, I recommend only going on Wednesdays for their GF and vegan menu. However, they do still have a few options on other days of the week that are still worth the trip!
Fusion Noodle Company
Fusion has been one of my favorite restaurants in Athens for years. I love their food and their rewards program. They don’t really list their vegan options as “vegan” so you kind of just have to know or ask.
When I asked my friend Juli, who spent 5+ years in Athens as a vegan, she said her definite recommendations are the udon noodles with tofu or the veggie wrap. Those veggie wraps….. SO GOOD. It’s also conveniently located right across from Buffalo Wild Wings (curse you BW3s and your cauliflower wings fried in beef tallow) and is open until 10 pm!
Casa Nueva Restaurant & Cantina
Casa Nueva is, in my experience, one of the most vegan friendly food joints in Athens. From breakfast to lunch to dinner, they have so many options for vegans and vegetarians, and their food is absolutely delicious. It is a bit more on the expensive side, but when you consider what they offer and what they stand for (and how genuinely delicious their food is), it’s worth it.
Especially when it comes to breakfast, there just aren’t that many options for vegans in Athens to go out to eat. That’s what makes Casa so special.
Avalanche Pizza
A pizza without cheese. That’s what you’re getting at Avalanche as a vegan. It’s nice that they have a vegan option even listed as one of their specialty pizzas, so they get credit for that. But WHERE IS THE VEGAN CHEESE?! There is obviously a demand for it, it’s the same price.
Their vegan special is called “The Teenage Vegan.” I recommend getting it as a take-and-bake and taking it home and adding your own vegan mozzarella. What’s a pizza without cheese? I mean c’mon. Do better Avalanche. But I still love you.
Late Night Eats
Jimmy Johns
Everyone knows Jimmy John’s, that classic sub sandwich chain with freaky fast delivery. But did you know that they have vegan options? This was lifechanging for me because I LOVE a good sandwich.
My go-to is always a #6 “The Veggie” on French bread with no cheese or mayo, add ALL the Jimmy’s fixin’s and a bag of Jalapeño Jimmy Chips.
The French and Thick Sliced Wheat breads are both vegan options, but you can also order any sandwich as an “Unwich” where they replace any bread with a lettuce wrap.
Most toppings are pretty self expalatory, but here is a list that I use when I need to double check: https://veggl.com/cheat-sheets/vegan-options-at-jimmy-johns/
Big MaMma’s burritos
During my first few years in Athens, I never really went to Big Mamma’s. Maybe 2-3 times total. However, when researching things to eat one night after the bars, I discovered that Big Mamma’s has Vegan Chorizo!
One of the hardest things to find at restaurants as a vegan is actual protein options (besides tofu, lol). Big Mamma’s having vegan chorizo was a huge win for me. At about $10 a burrito, it can be a little pricy, but if you’re drunk enough, it’s worth it. And it’s so, so good. Make sure to grab a punch card!
O’Betty’s Red Hot
My house. My home. When it comes to late night eats, O’Betty’s is truly THAT GIRL. I have put all of my friends onto this, it is just so, so good.
In case you aren’t familiar with O’Betty’s, let me break it down. It’s a gourmet hot dog place. BUT! The hot dogs are named after pin-up girls and historical baddies. They also do specialty dogs based off artists and musicians coming through Athens from time to time!
You might be thinking “How can a hot dog place be vegan?” Well…. They have vegan hot dogs (they call them shy dogs), they have vegan (shy) chili, and they even have vegan (shy) bacon bits. Every dog they have, you can get a veggie version. Unfortunately, they have yet to get vegan cheese, vegan mayo or many other vegan toppings.
My go-to is always a shy dog NO BUN (the bun has honey…), shy chili, yellow mustard and chopped onions. They also have the most delicious fresh cut french fries. The garlic fries or shy chili fries with onions are my absolute faves.
Casa Nueva – Late Night Tacos
Now I have never PERSONALLY had these late-night tacos, but I have always heard rave reviews about them. They have a tofu option and I’m sure you can make it customized to be vegan. They are only offered on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30 pm – 2:30 am. According to an ad from March 2025 in the Athens News, Late Night Tacos Returns!, Casa Nueva, Athens, OH, you can also get chips, salsa and desserts to-go at this time.
As I mentioned before, Casa is one of the most vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurants in Athens. And probably the most gay friendly too. Definitely check it out if you haven’t.
Sweet Treats
Insomnia cookies
Insomnia cookies saved me. When you’re vegan, finding a sweet treat can be hard. Finding a tasty sweet treat is even harder. But Insomnia is here to save you too.
Insomnia typically has 4 vegan cookie flavors. Sometimes they have seasonal ones (PLEASE bring back the vegan fried ice cream cookie Insomnia I am begging). They have chocolate chunk, double chocolate chunk, birthday cake and gluten free chocolate chip.
To be honest, I tried the birthday cake one and it was…. not my favorite. The double chocolate chunk one though… AMAZING. Definitely give that one a try and stay on the lookout their seasonal vegan options.
Whit’s Frozen custard
A few weeks ago, my professor took our class to Whit’s and offered to buy everyone a scoop (absolute boss move on her part). When she announced in class that we were going to Whit’s, at first, I was excited because who doesn’t love free ice cream. Then, disappointment fell over me when I remembered that I would probably be the only one left out because, obviously, as a vegan I can’t eat ice cream.
Then, we got there. I look up at the menu, and it turns out they have a vegan frozen custard! Made with oat milk, of all things. It was definitely very oat-y. I enjoyed it though. They even have their toppings marked as vegan or not. They only have vanilla but add some toppings and you’ll be okay. I got peanut butter.
The day they get chocolate…they won’t be able to get rid of me.