Most comfort foods count cream, butter and meat among their primary ingredients. But if you’ve adopted a plant-based diet — or even if you’re just vegan-curious — there are plenty of spots around metro Atlanta that offer dishes that will warm your soul and fill your belly without the meat and dairy.
BAD Gyal Vegan. At BAD (Blessed Ambitious and Determined) in Marietta Square Market, you’ll find chef Chyna Love’s Caribbean vegan dishes, including her signature Voxtail, mac and Jeeze and Sweet Baddie yams. Also try the curry skrimp — shrimp made from konjac root — and the Baddie cheezesteak with plant-based Beyond meat, grilled mushrooms, onions, sweet peppers, vegan cheese, ketchup, mayo and Yankee Jerk sauce.
68 N. Marietta Parkway NW, Marietta. badgyalvegan.com
Cafe Sunflower. This was one of the first vegan restaurants to open in Atlanta, and there are several menu items that qualify as comfort food. But nothing satisfies like the restaurant’s supreme nachos, which feature chips topped with three-bean chili, vegan cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos and salsa. And don’t sleep on the Saturday brunch, which offers plant-based versions of such dishes as chicken and waffles, chicken biscuits, blueberry pancakes and breakfast burritos.
2140 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. 404-352-8859, cafesunflower.com
Go Vegan Grill. Comfort food is the name of the game at this eatery, which serves indulgent, plant-based, Southern-style main dishes, including smothered vegan turkey wings, Salisbury steak and gravy, barbecue ribs and vegan meatloaf. Sides include collard greens, mac and cheese and candied yams.
2179 Lawrenceville Highway, Decatur. 404-481-5923, govegangrill.com
Good As Burgers. Slutty Vegan might have more name recognition, but Good As Burgers (also known as GABs), isn’t a slouch when it comes to pedigree: T-Boz of hip-hop group TLC is an investor. The food truck — which recently opened a kiosk on the Eastside Beltline — specializes in burgers, including the OG burger with cheese, onions, tomato and special sauce. The menu provides several other plant-based comfort food options, too. Treat yourself to a vegan Philly, chick’n tenders and sauced-up fries.
850 Willoughby Way NE, Atlanta. goodasburgers.com
Credit: Renee Brock
Credit: Renee Brock
Gregory’s Atlanta Vegan Breakfast. This to-go-only business serves breakfast items made vegan. Among the offerings are Rose’s grits bowl, topped with scrambled eggs, maple sausage, sautéed spinach and mushrooms; buttermilk biscuits; Craig G’s pancake platter; and a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit sandwich.
244 Powers Ferry Road, Marietta. instagram.com/atlantaveganbreakfast
Madras Mantra. Many of the items at this vegetarian Indian restaurant are vegan. You can find comfort in such warming dishes as bisi bele bhath, rice cooked with dal, nuts and vegetables; several versions of dosai, a crispy rice and lentil flour crepe with various fillings; and curries like bhindi masala and aloo gobi.
2179 Lawrenceville Highway, Decatur. 470-660-4400; and 2349 Windy Hill Road, Marietta. 470-660-5300. madrasmantra.com
Slutty Vegan. Owner Pinky Cole has gotten national attention for her growing vegan food empire. Slutty Vegan, which serves plant-based versions of fries, cheeseburgers and fried chicken sandwiches, now has locations throughout metro Atlanta, as well as in New York, Alabama and Texas.
Superior Vegan. This food truck serves vegan cheesesteaks with both chicken and steak, as well as tacos and jackfruit chicken sandwiches.
Vegan House of Pancakes. Chef Nikki Ford is behind this pop-up, which has made appearances at Nourish Botanica in the Joyland neighborhood, as well as several vegan festivals. Ford whips up plant-based pancakes alongside sides such as tofu scramble, vegan sausage and cheezy potato casserole, making for the most comforting of breakfasts, hold the meat.
instagram.com/veganhouseofpancakes
WTF Vegan Fast Food. WTF, which stands for Wonderful Tasting Food, is a former food trailer that’s about to make its brick-and-mortar debut in October with a location in west Atlanta. Expect to see favorites from the food trailer, including shrimp with Cajun cheez sauce, breakfast sandwiches, lemon pepper unchikn wings and chili cheezburgers.
711 Catherine St., Atlanta. wonderfultastingfood
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