The vegan East Bay
It would be flip to call Oakland and Berkeley a vegan paradise — in such an Eden, the grocery store shelves would look very different — but the East Bay is one of the rare areas where being vegan does not mean restricting yourself to two or three restaurants.
In fact, you could go out to dinner in Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley every night for a few weeks without duplicating meals. The area is home to a vegan Filipino food truck (No Worries), for instance, and a vegan Ethiopian restaurant that serves wheat-free injera (Raffa).
Gelato shops here carry more than one dairy-free flavor. Even beyond self-proclaimed vegan businesses are places such as Gather, Liba Falafel and Commonwealth Pub that cater to vegans, vegetarians and omnivores in equal measure.
When Millennium, San Francisco’s nationally known vegan bistro, moved to Rockridge this month, it made public what vegans have been talking about for years: San Francisco is not where the action is.
The presence of multiple colleges and art schools — grounds for many dietary conversions — may have something to do with it.
More likely, say several chefs, is that rents are lower, and cooks and restaurateurs can take chances or orient themselves toward niche audiences.
Each new vegan restaurant or cafe that thrives makes it easier for another one to open. The scene informs itself, betters itself, and, with the force of numbers, makes every local restaurant broaden its menu to welcome all diners.
After weeks of dining out, here’s our curated guide to the vegan East Bay.