Detroit’s Dining Scene Earns City a Spot on PETA’s Most Vegan-Friendly List

For Immediate Release:
June 9, 2025

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

Detroit –

The taste of victory! PETA has just named its Most Vegan-Friendly Cities in the U.S., and the Motor City has rolled over the competition, nabbing a spot on the list with its plethora of plant-powered options.

Detroit rocks a bevy of vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants, food trucks, and pop-ups, including mainstay Trap Vegan. This Black-owned business specializes in American comfort food, including burgers loaded with vegan cheese on brioche buns, as well as the Bar B Que Jackfruit Bowl, Deep-Fried Cauliflower Wings, and Loaded Nachos—a plate piled high with tortilla chips topped with black beans, rice, and all the fixings, including pineapple salsa, vegan queso, cilantro lime “sour cream,” and a mountain of guacamole and dairy-free cheese sauce.

Motown’s ever-expanding vegan dining scene also includes Detroit Vegan Soul, the city’s first vegan soul food café, which serves mouthwatering classics, including fried “catfish,” BBQ Tofu Ribz, Mac-n-Cheese, smoked collard greens, po’ boys, and, of course, sweet potato pie. Nepantla Cafe, a vegan Mexican pop-up, offers tacos, elote, and esquites, and Unburger and Street Beet each boast burgers, spicy “chicken” sandwiches, and salty, savory chili cheese fries. For dessert, Detroiters can head to Cold Truth for housemade Sweet Cream and Chocolate Deluxe soft serve or delicious dairy-free shakes in flavors like Lavender, Cookies and Creem, and more.

*The Loaded Nachos from Trap Vegan. Credit: Trap Vegan*

“From loaded nachos and brimming burgers to hearty soul food and indulgent ice cream, Detroit is a paradise for vegan eating with an abundance of animal-friendly restaurants,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “All the cities on PETA’s list have cemented their status as vegan dining destinations, proving that delicious animal-friendly cuisine is available from coast to coast.”

Other vegan-friendly cities recognized by PETA include Atlanta; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago; Denver; Los Angeles; New Orleans; New York City; Philadelphia; and Washington.

Every person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals each year from daily suffering and a terrifying death, and reduces their own risk of developing heart disease and cancer. PETA offers vegan starter kits to help everyone opt for animal-friendly foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—because when it comes to saving animals, every meal counts.

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.