When I think about a survival guide, I usually have in mind the postapocalyptic essentials, items of necessity and practicality. But when it comes to exploring a new city, to surviving in a new place, I don’t think there’s a better way to find your bearings than to discover it through food.
Before I moved to Albuquerque in 2017, I’d never visited. I had no conception of what New Mexican cuisine might be, or what other cuisines I might find here. I’d yet to hear the famed Red or green? question that perplexed me the first time I sat down at a restaurant (see: HUH?). Despite my new friends’ best intentions, there were also a handful of false starts I made based on recommendations from those who had never inquired about the vegan parts of a menu—they hadn’t considered whether calabacitas were sautéed in butter and topped with cotija, if the beans were cooked with lard, or if the masa in the tamales had been made with lard or a meat stock. As a vegan of twelve years, this amalgamation of oversights made me realize I needed to assemble an inventory of restaurants if I wanted to truly make Albuquerque my new home.
Although I know there are folks who prefer a fully vegan restaurant experience, a survival guide for Albuquerque (or most cities of its magnitude) could not subsist on those establishments alone. If you are anything like me, there is also a strong chance your dinner guests may have other dietary preferences you need to account for (see: family who think vegan food is too healthy, even the dessert). Instead of imposing an artificial restriction, this guide collects some of the gems I’ve found for a casual night out with fully vegan, partially vegan, and limited vegan menus to serve as a starting point for your own plant-based exploration of the city.
Fully Vegan Restaurants
Itality Plant Based Foods
Itality is a one-of-a-kind experience I am infinitely grateful for—their small, unassuming storefront at Avanyu Plaza should be bustling given the fully vegan, contemporary Pueblo-inspired menu. This is the first and only place I have been able to eat fry bread, because it’s otherwise often made with milk, and whether ordering it to eat smothered as a part of their Ital NDN Taco or on the side of their tamale plate, I’ve been consistently blown away.
📍 2500 Twelfth Street NW, Unit E, Ste 2, 505-451-2861
Vegos
Vegos is a food truck turned brick and mortar with a plant-based menu inspired by the owners’ New Mexican upbringing. They have showstoppers like the Sandia Burrito, loaded with Spanish rice, fried tofu, sweet potato, and your choice of chile, or the Loco Tostaritto, a twist on the infamous Crunchwrap Supreme. Vegos has long been my go-to for takeout, even though you can cozy up in a booth for a dine-in experience.
📍 2903 Indian School NE, 505-554-1041
Lucky Goose & Goose Nest
The Lucky Goose menu riffs off classic fast food—they can whip up a good, greasy burger and fries with a milkshake that will satisfy any childhood hankering you may have for a golden-arched equivalent. Like its non-vegan counterparts, it’s best eaten in store or hastily wolfed down on your drive to whatever comes next (you won’t want to wait till you’re home). Goose Nest, Lucky Goose’s sister store next door, offers a stellar breakfast menu with items like the Lucky Pig (a sausage, egg, cheese, and green chile biscuit) that will make you want to gander back.
📍 3503 Central NE, 505-226-4796
Vegan Vato
Located in the redesigned Imperial motel on Central Ave, Vegan Vato is the most recent vegan food truck to make the brick and mortar transition (and the only fully vegan option in the motel’s quaint dining area). They have a complement of NewMexiCali foods (a fusion of Mexican comfort food with inspiration from New Mexico and California) with a great mix of alternate protein options like Seitan Mushroom Asada and Birria Style Jackfruit. I first ate their Loaded Nachos while chef-owner Rome Arrey was slinging meals at La Cumbre Brewing Company, and what was already high quality has continued to exceed my expectations since they pivoted to their storefront.
📍 701 Central NE, 575-270-2232
Vegan-Friendly Restaurants
Sister is without a doubt my favorite concert venue in town, but they also have a well-rounded food menu with a solid handful of vegan options. Whether you’re looking for dinner with drinks before catching a show downtown or just settling in for a few games of pinball, you can order a trio of their vegetarian tacos that can be made vegan (cheesy potato, mushroom asada, and a bean tostada), loaded fries with a house-made vegan queso, or a couple classic burger options made with an Impossible burger patty. If you need a little pick-me-up the next morning, Slow Burn Coffee Roasters serves a breakfast burrito prepped in the Sister kitchen, and it’s only a mile north of downtown.
📍 407 Central NW
Trail Rider Pizza
Technically, Trail Rider Pizza is outside of city limits, but sometimes you need to travel to acquire your essential goods. If you’re planning to drive up to the Sandia Crest to hike or catch the sunset, Trail Rider, located in Cedar Crest’s largest shopping plaza, is in prime position for a meal on your return trip to the city. Or, if you’re like me and get Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles–level cravings for the best vegan pizza around, you can order online for pickup (in my experience, the pizzas have held up well on the return trip). Their menu boasts more than a half dozen pizzas that can be made vegan without an upcharge, along with a build-your-own option that includes a house-made tofu ricotta, vegan pepperoni, vegan beef, and vegan sausage. They also offer a barrage of sandwich options, but I’ve only tried one because I can’t get past the incredible pies.
📍 12165 NM 14, Cedar Crest, 505-281-6068
Clay Pot is newer to the food truck scene, and it’s easiest to find what and where they are serving through their Instagram. The two occasions I’ve been able to try their menu, they have served a fully vegan plate on Tuesday nights at Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. (though there may be vegan options on other nights—you just need to ask). Growing up in the Midwest, I had limited exposure to Ethiopian cuisine, but Clay Pot makes me wish that were otherwise, and the red lentil dish alone is enough to make me want to track them down regularly. Outside of popping up at breweries, Chef Yemenu also offers private event catering, in addition to Ethiopian cooking classes.
Indian cuisine is a go-to for me when trying to find restaurants in new cities, because they often have a range of vegetarian staples that can be prepared vegan. Although they don’t list it on their website or menu, Naan & Dosa is no exception to this rule, accommodating vegans through substitutions of dairy products like cream and ghee. On a recent visit, the server highlighted all the dishes on their expansive menu that could be made vegan, including fresh breads like their garlic naan, appetizers such as the vegetable samosa, and veg-forward specialties like the bhindi do pyaza and baigan bhartha.
📍 6501-B Wyoming NE, 505-797-4243
Vegan Options on Request
Orchid Thai Cuisine
I’m a sucker for Thai food, and in Albuquerque, there are a number of Thai restaurants worthy of praise, but Orchid Thai is my essential spot. The primary meat substitute on their menu is fried or steamed tofu, and although I’m simple in my love of pad see ew, drunken noodles, and pad thai, none of their other dishes have missed. When ordering, make sure to specify vegan so that they skip the egg and fish sauce. Aside from their main menu items, the mango sticky rice is a knockout and easily split between two people.
📍 4300 Central SE, 505-265-4047
Sahara Middle Eastern Eatery
To say that Sahara helped me survive graduate school sounds like hyperbole, but when the pandemic hit in 2020 while I was finishing my dissertation, their location down the block from my apartment was a lifeline. The owners are some of the sweetest people I have ever met, and I’ve come to realize that their hummus and pita must have some type of divine properties that helped me hold things together during that time. With the exception of the hummus and pita, which I often pick up for a snack the next day, the falafel sandwich is my staple order—specify that you want it vegan, and they’ll substitute the base sauce with a generous layer of hummus and then load the rest of the plate with fries.
📍 2622 Central SE, 505-255-5400
Monroe’s
Monroe’s is another staple of New Mexican cuisine, and it’s great for a family outing or a quick trip with friends. It’s notable in part because the veggie relleno burrito served with calabacitas is one of the best I’ve eaten since moving to New Mexico. However, it’s important to know that their limited menu of Veggie Alternatives are served loaded with cheese by default, so you do need to specify vegan when ordering.
📍 1025 Fourth Street NW, 505-242-1111
📍 6051 Osuna NE, 505-881-4224
As the term survival guide might imply, there is simply no way to include every restaurant worthy of praise with a good plant-based dish. There are places I love that have not survived my time in Albuquerque, places that I wish were still available for others to try too. A moment of silence for Pura Vida Comida, Holmes Pizza & Arcade, Knead, and Rebel Donuts, to name a few. But my hope is that as you take stock of your own needs, to determine what is essential and practical, this might be a gateway to discover all the vegan fare Albuquerque has to offer.
Mitch Marty
Mitch Marty is a writer and photographer from rural Wisconsin. He now resides in Albuquerque and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico.
