The Best Vegan Restaurants in St. John’s NL

When I first travelled to St. John’s, Newfoundland, I was surprised to find quite a few vegan options at the restaurants, as well as one entirely vegan restaurant. Years later, I’ve returned to St. John’s where the sole vegan restaurant remains, but the amount of vegan dishes at establishments has majorly expanded.

Naturally, I dined at as many of these restaurants as possible so I could update this vegan guide to St. John’s, NL. Even though St. John’s is a smaller city in a seafood-focused area of the country, the vegan dishes rival any that you’d find in Toronto, Vancouver or other vegan hotspots across the country.

It might not be obvious where to search for vegan food in St. John’s as there’s only one vegan and one vegetarian restaurant in the city. So, I’ve put together this informative guide to help you find the best veggie eats when you visit.

Map of Vegan Restaurants in St. John’s, NL

Here are all of the restaurants mentioned within this article displayed on a map. You can save this map to your Google account by clicking the little star next to the title. Then, reference this map when you’re out and about. I’ll keep it updated for your vegan food adventures in St. John’s!

Vegan Restaurants in St. John’s: Peaceful Loft

In a tiny blue house on Duckworth Street, you’ll find the Peaceful Loft, a vegan Chinese restaurant (cuisine from Macau). It’s operated by a very sweet Asian couple: he works in the front and she cooks the delicious food in the kitchen.

They both show amazing hospitality and serve up flavourful cuisine. If there’s one place you should dine in St. John’s, this is the spot.

When we arrived, the owner welcomed us to the restaurant and immediately brought out vegetable soup. He was very proud of this soup, which instantly warmed our bellies and our hearts. It was inspiring to hear him talk about the ingredients in the soup.

He said that even though some vegetables were a little expensive, he felt that every customer should enjoy a bowl of it to start their meal. Not only did we enjoy complimentary soup, but there was a never-ending supply of green tea, too. The owner brought house-made dipping sauces to the table, ranging from a milder soy sauce to spicier ones.

For the main course, my sister and I decided to split an order of Peaceful Rolls and a noodle stir fry with tofu and seitan. The food arrived to the table very quickly, and it was lovingly prepared.

In chatting to the gentleman who owns Peaceful Loft, he said that they use the same faux meats that are made by King’s Cafe / Zen Gardens back in Toronto. I’m very familiar with Zen Gardens and their veggie meat products are so yummy.

The food at Peaceful Loft is some of the best vegan Chinese food I’ve tasted. On my return trip to St. John’s, I had to dine again at the Peaceful Loft. It felt like I was coming home when I was greeted by the owner of the restaurant upon my arrival.

Without even realizing it, I ordered the very same noodle dish as I did on my first experience dining here. Once again, it was super yummy and it’s such a healthy portion size! I received a complimentary soup, green tea, and selection of sauces just as before. It’s really nice to see places that maintain such a high quality over the years.

Vegan Restaurants in St. John’s: Poyo & The Sprout

Poyo & The Sprout is an amalgamation of two restaurants: The Sprout was one of the only vegetarian restaurants in St. John’s NL, and Poyo was a pop-up vegetarian Mexican restaurant that operated in the same building as The Sprout for late night meal service.

The owner of the Sprout decided to sell the business just as Poyo was looking to expand. Poyo bought The Sprout, so it’s now known as Poyo & The Sprout. Order from The Sprout menu for lunch or dinner, and Poyo’s Mexican cuisine is offered late at night for the bar crowd.

Poyo & The Sprout has an eclectic style, combining retro wood paneled booths with antique decor, such as an kitschy organ topped with plants and old sheet music. With succulents lining the window sills, you feel like you’re dining at home more than a restaurant.

It’s also inside a bright, lime green home, keeping with the colourful house theme of St. John’s. If I lived here, I could see myself going out for meals with friends all the time, whether for dinner or a late night snack after an evening at the pub.

Since the restaurant combines Poyo and the Sprout, the menu contains selections from both restaurants. You can order tacos and burritos or veggie favourites like Pad Thai or a vegan Caesar salad. I was in the mood for Mexican food, so I ordered a burrito.

Burritos are filled with cheese, rice, black beans, corn, salsa, and you can choose between refried beans and TVP “beef”. To make the burrito vegan, they’ll remove the cheese. When you look at the menu, the dishes with a heart beside them are 100% vegan. The others have a heart beside the words “vegan upon request”.

While most meals are naturally vegan, Poyo & the Sprout is a vegetarian restaurant offering dairy products for some items. Every dish can be made vegan, even the vegetarian ones upon request. For this reason, Poyo and the Sprout is a vegetarian restaurant in St. John’s, but I still consider it to be a vegan restaurant as every menu item can be made vegan quite easily.

Vegan Restaurants in St. John’s: Toslow

Toslow is an eatery and bar on Duckworth Street in downtown St. John’s. It opens early for breakfast and stays open late for drinks. Described as both an espresso and natural wine bar, Toslow is a female-owned and queer-friendly establishment with annual events for Pride.

Toslow has a breakfast/lunch menu and an ever-changing dinner menu. They’ve had authentic Creole & Cajun cuisine, Mexican food, pizza nights and so much more. I suggest taking a look at their Facebook or Instagram accounts for current menus.

I dined at Toslow twice for breakfast: once for their regular breakfast menu (Wednesday to Friday) and once again for their extended brunch menu on weekends. The vegan breakfast wrap is stuffed with tofu scramble, veggie sausage, fresh veggies and spicy mayo.

While I loved the vegan breakfast wrap, my favourite meal was the vegan version of the Griddle served only on weekends. It contains veggie sausage, tofu “fried egg”, and vegan cheddar on a Griddle cake bun caramelized in maple sugar. It’s the perfect combination of savoury and sweet.

Bannerman Brewing Co

Bannerman Brewing Co is a locally owned and operated brewery in downtown St. John’s with a taproom, cafe and delightful patio. Along with great beer and coffee served in the morning to mid afternoon, there’s a vegan-friendly menu with Thai influences.

Inspired by the times when the owners lived and worked in Thailand, the menu is nearly half vegan and many dishes are served with rice. Try the smacked cucumbers (whipped tofu, chili oil, peanuts, dill), drunken noodles (basil, bean sprouts, peanuts), or the meal that I ordered, fried tofu (sweet soy, pomegranate, peanuts, jasmine rice).

Before dining here, I heard from multiple people that I had to go to Bannerman Brewing and try the fried tofu. It’s a favourite dish among non-vegan folks, so I knew that I had to give it a try. The fried tofu is super flavourful and one of the best tofu dishes I’d had in a long while. Order this one if you’re vegan or veg-curious.

YellowBelly Brewery

YellowBelly Brewery is a historic pub, dining and meeting space that spans five floors. While it’s a fun place to meet with friends over one of their locally produced brews, it’s also a vegan-friendly restaurant, too. I visited YellowBelly Brewery on a beer tour and got to sample some of their beer in a flight.

While many of my tour-mates ate fish and chips, the staff at YellowBelly Brewery brought out a tasty vegetarian noodle bowl for me. They’ve also got a veggie burger, chips and guacamole, hummus and crostini and cauliflower wings on the menu. I’ve also heard that they keep vegan cheese in their fridge so vegans can order nachos and veggie pizza, too.

Mad Catter Cafe

Mad Catter Cafe is the local cat cafe in St. John’s. They adopt cats from the cafe and also provide a comfortable space for visitors to interact with the kitties, too. You can book out an hour to spend time in the cat lounge or simply order food and drink without visiting the cats.

The food at the Mad Catter Cafe is made by Touton Lane. Toutons are made from risen bread dough pulled flat like a pancake and fried.

There are a couple of vegan toutons offered at the cafe: the traditional touton with syrup or molasses, and the touton o’ chips (chocolate chip touton with chocolate drizzle). Sometimes toutons are fried in pork fat, so I was happy to see that these are fried in margarine.

O’Reilly’s Pub

I visited O’Reilly’s Irish Newfoundland Pub because this is the place where I got screeched in. Back then, O’Reilly’s didn’t have a vegan-friendly menu at all. The fries aren’t cooked separately from the chicken, and most dishes contain meat, dairy or eggs.

I inquired about vegan options and they were super accommodating. The kitchen prepared a house salad with balsamic dressing and dried cranberries, and also whipped up some off-menu cauliflower wings.

Nowadays, I reviewed the menu at O’Reilly’s and they actually have vegan items marked as such on the menu. While there are only a few dishes that are vegan, it’s an improvement to a few years back. Sadly, there aren’t any cauliflower wings, you can order chips & salsa, veggie spring rolls, a mixed salad, or a plant-based burger.

If you’re looking to enjoy some locally brewed beer or perhaps get screeched in yourself, O’Reilly’s on George Street is a happening place with live music. There’s no better place to spend your evenings in St. John’s.

Rocket Bakery

Rocket Bakery is a cafe and bakery in downtown St. John’s. Not only do they have lots of caffeinated beverages, but they are very vegan-friendly, too. I came here just to purchase an almond milk latte, but discovered a whole bunch of vegan grab and go meals.

They have hummus, a wrap (the “protein powerhouse” with chipotle tofu, edamame, green pea pesto, and veggie slaw), a herb sweet potato soup, and their breads and buns are all vegan. There’s also vegan perogies in the frozen section to prepare at home. For dessert, grab a partridge berry macaroon dipped in semi-sweet chocolate.

The owner was delighted to show me every vegan option in the shop, so don’t hesitate to ask for their vegan selections. While I went in for a coffee, I came out with a coffee and a macaroon. I couldn’t resist!

Bagel Cafe

The Bagel Cafe has been open for years in St. John’s as a beloved local establishment. It feels a bit old school and some of the seating areas can feel tight, but it is a great spot to go for breakfast or lunch. The menu isn’t the most vegan-friendly in the world, but you will find some things here if your omni-friends want to dine here.

For breakfast, I popped by one morning for a bagel with hummus on a day where I didn’t feel especially hungry. I paired it with a cup of bottomless coffee with plant-based milk. For lunch, try the vegetarian bagel sandwich or a veggie burger.

Newfoundland Donut Company

The Newfoundland Donut Company is a donut shop in St. John’s with a few vegan donuts. On their website, it says that these are only offered on Wednesday and Thursday, but the doughnut shop is only open from Thursday to Sunday. Plus, I visited on a Saturday and there were a few different kinds of vegan donuts.

I’m going to guess that you can buy vegan doughnuts there anytime now, and they’re kept in a little separate section. Just ask the staff which ones are vegan. From their website, they actually purchased the vegan recipe from another Canadian donut shop and the recipe was created by a food scientist.

The vegan donuts here are light and fluffy. If you’re looking for a sweet treat, be sure to stop by. They’re also just a couple of doors down from The Nook and Cannery, so it’s a good opportunity to enjoy a yummy meal and come here for dessert.

The Parlour Gelato + Coffee

The Parlour Gelato + Coffee is a veg-friendly ice cream and coffee bar. Plus, where else can you order a flight of gelato? There are enough vegan flavours of gelato here that you’ll be able to sample them all. I tried just one flavour (coconut creme brulee) that was super tasty.

In addition to gelato, there are also quite a few vegan baked goods and coffee with plant-based milk. Whether you’re looking to cool off on a hot day with some ice cream or dive into a vegan cookie and oat milk latte, The Parlour is the place to be for delectable goodies.

Where to Stay in St. John’s

Looking for more info on visiting St. John’s? Check out how I spent a weekend in the Avalon Peninsula and watched the sunrise at Cape Spear. If you’re looking to see more of Newfoundland, I can’t say enough incredible things about Fogo Island and the Fogo Island Inn.