Hey, plant-based community, November is for you. Well, it’s for everyone. It’s National Vegan Month, which was created to increase awareness about and the accessibility of plant-based foods.
This year, the meatless month will kick off with a bang in our city. The first Milwaukee Vegan Restaurant Week is happening Nov. 3-9, with close to 30 restaurants – fully vegan ones, and others vegan-friendly – taking part. They include Strange Town, Beerline Café, Beans & Barley, Screaming Tuna, Comet Café, Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen, Odd Duck, Lulu Café & Bar, Hen’s Deli, Honeypie Café, Ruta’s Fresh Indian Fare, Twisted Plants, Tricklebee Café, Classic Slice, Haven Café, Dead Bird Brewing, Gather Bakehouse, Lucky Ginger, Temple Goddess Café, Purple Door Ice Cream, Solful Kitchen, Palomino, VEGAN SOUL, Wonderland, Paloma Taco & Tequila, Dead Bird Brewing, Ian’s Pizza Milwaukee and Café Corazón.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
It was Corazón that put the wheels for this week in motion – specifically, co-owner Wendy Mireles.
To participate, the restaurants were required to offer at least one vegan dish on their menus for that week. Some have done more than that, offering specials and discounts on vegan menu items. Here’s a list of those things:
- Beans & Barley (1901 E. North Ave.) will offer a wide selection of vegan appetizers, entrees and desserts, including coconut curry tofu stir fry.
- Café Corazón (Bay View, Brown Deer and Riverwest) will offer new vegan specials, including an appetizer, nopales (cactus) as a protein option, vegan flan (their first vegan dessert), and a specialty cocktail. Corazón will also give all guests their first Happy Hour House Margarita (Corazón’s most popular vegan menu item) for free from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6.
- Central Standard Crafthouse & Kitchen (320 E. Clybourn St.) will offer $2 off all vegan brunch, lunch and dinner options.
- Classic Slice (2797 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) will offer $1 off all vegan menu items, including slices, breadsticks, cheese sticks and salads.
- Comet Cafe (1947 N. Farwell Ave.) will do a vegan twist on their famous Compact Turkey Dinner, featuring slow-roasted plant-based, beer-battered fried turkey, sage stuffing and chive mashed potatoes, topped with vegan country gravy.
- Gather Bakehouse (1100 E. Oklahoma Ave.) will have vegan donuts, a vegan sandwich, vegan cheesecake, a new vegan croissant and other surprises.
- Hen’s Deli (209 W. Florida St.) will highlight their Seitan Sub – house-made seitan sliced thin with a choice of toppings and vegan cream cheese.
- Honeypie Cafe (2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) will bring back The Klug, a pulled jackfruit hoagie, and a new warm kale salad of lacinato kale, roasted peppers, eggplant, capers, toasted quinoa and herbed tahini dressing. The regular menu also features vegan mushroom stroganoff and a tofu banh mi, and vegan sweets and pies.
- Ian’s Pizza Milwaukee (East Side, Downtown and Story Hill) will offer $1 off all vegan slices.
- Lucky Ginger (221 N. Water St.) will offer two firsts (for them) – a green curry with the choice of tofu or a veggie mix, and a vegetable tempura.
- LuLu Cafe and Bar (2265 S. Howell Ave.) will serve a vegan special for the week.
- Odd Duck (939 S. Second St.) will offer multiple daily vegan options, from snacks to small plates, and a vegan dessert. Reservations are recommended.
- Paloma Taco & Tequila (W. North Ave. and Bay View) will have their crispy tofu taco or tostada on special.
- Palomino Bar (2491 S. Superior St.) is doing a veggie po’boy with black-eyed pea falafel and slaw, and a vegan hot fried faux-chicken sandwich. Other vegan items are fried buffalo cauliflower, fried pickles and vegan apple pie.
- Purple Door Ice Cream (205 S. Second St.) will offer a vegan Purple Moon shake as their weekly special, in addition to their regular rotating two-three vegan ice cream flavors.
- Screaming Tuna Sushi (106 W. Seeboth St.) will do a second round of Wisconsin’s First Ever Vegan Omakase, a one-night ticketed event. Their vegan-for-two sushi platter, typically only served at their Mequon location, will be available for the rest of the week.
- Solful Kitchen (4424 W. North Ave.) will host a special pop-up at Tricklebee Cafe on Monday, Nov. 3, offering Jerk & Tingz, a vegan plate of Jerk Jackfruit Eggrolls with bang-bang sauce, fried cabbage, plantain fritters and jerk mushrooms over rice and peas. The vegan dessert is a salted caramel banana pudding with gingersnaps.
- Strange Town (2101 N. Prospect Ave.) will run a maitake mushroom/walnut burger special for the week, in addition to their fully vegan menu and extensive natural wine list.
- Thai-namite (Brady Street, Milwaukee Public Market and Wauwatosa) will offer a complimentary veggie spring roll with every vegan order (dine-in only).
- Tricklebee Café (4424 W. North Ave.) will offer their fully vegan, pay-what-you-can menu with special drinks.
- Twisted Plants (Brady Street & West Allis) will offer 15% off orders to customers who mention Milwaukee Vegan Restaurant Week when ordering (dine-in & carryout only).
- VEGAN SOUL (4424 W. North Ave.) will host a special pop-up at Tricklebee Café on Tuesday, Nov. 4 (3-7 p.m.), offering A Taste of Soul: Carolina Gold BBQ Ribz Tips, Cheezy Mac N Cheeze, candied sweet potatoes, cornbread and bourbon peach cobbler.
- Wonderland (732 E. Burleigh St.) will offer a vegan dinner special.
Check out the Milwaukee Vegan Restaurant Week Instagram for updates.
