Blowing Away the Competition! PETA Names Top Vegan-Friendly Cities in the U.S.

For Immediate Release:
June 9, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Norfolk, Va. –

With the demand for vegan dining options skyrocketing from coast to coast, PETA is naming its picks for the Most Vegan-Friendly Cities in the U.S.—and is now sharing all the delicious details about the winners.

Chicago (aka the “Windy City”) earned the top spot on the list with its plethora of plant-powered choices. The honor may surprise fans of the Emmy Award–winning series The Bear—which cooked up the idea that Chi-town is all about beef—but despite what viewers might see in Carmy’s kitchen when season four debuts on June 25, more Chicagoans than ever are ditching meat (as well as eggs and dairy). Restaurants that helped secure Chi-town’s top spot include Buona and its Italian Beefless Sandwich and Bowl, as well as The Chicago Diner, which offers a Radical Reuben and other veganized comfort food classics, and Kale My Name, an award-winning vegan restaurant known for its delectable, dairy-free Cheddar Broccoli Soup.

Other cities that made the list include the following.

Philadelphia: The City of Brotherly Love is showing love for vegans, too, with an abundance of animal-friendly eateries, including pizza joint 20^th Street Pizza and fast-casual burger restaurant HipCityVeg.
Washington: Restaurants like DC Vegan and NuVegan Cafe are putting the nation’s capital on the map for plant-powered eating.
Denver: The Mile High City is setting an elevated standard for vegan dining, with animal-friendly eateries such as Watercourse Foods and The Easy Vegan.
New Orleans: The Big Easy boasts an abundance of vegan eateries, including Sweet Soulfood and Breads On Oak.
Atlanta: Slutty Vegan’s bangin’ plant-powered burgers and La Semilla’s unbeatable Latin flavors are among the plethora of vegan eats that make Hotlanta a hot spot for animal-friendly dining.
Charlotte, North Carolina: Vegan fare rules inthe Queen City, with restaurants that include Bean Vegan Cuisine and Oh My Soul.
Detroit: Vegan restaurants in the Motor City are outperforming the competition, with options that include Detroit Vegan Soul and comfort food favorite Trap Vegan.
Los Angeles: The City of Angels includes a host of heavenly vegan options, such asCruzer Pizza and dairy-free ice cream destination Creamo.
New York City: Meat, eggs, and dairy? Fuhgeddaboudit! Vegan options are endless in The Big Apple, including P.S. Kitchen’s animal-friendly cuisine and soul food favorite Uptown Veg.

*Buona’s Italian Beefless Sandwich. Credit: Buona*

“Hearty meat-free burgers, delicious dairy-free desserts, and other plant-powered foods are as American as apple pie, and cities across the country have taken note,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Every city on PETA’s list has cemented its status as a vegan dining destination, proving that delicious animal-friendly fare is available from sea to shining sea.”

Every person who goes vegan spares the lives of nearly 200 animals each year. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.