Vegan In Tennessee

by Lori Harding

This was my first time visiting Nashville, TN and I was excited to discover the unique vegan options available. Being a Dallas local I was curious to try Nashville’s take on a Vegan “Hot Chick’n” sandwich, and biscuits, and I was not disappointed.

GRAZE

We met with Nick and Ashley, the owners at Graze, and they told us about their vegan lifestyle and how it connects with the food they serve. The menu is fully plantbased and a ton of their baked goods are gluten-free. They also have amazing cocktails that I got to try. We tried some items from their brunch menu as well as some baked goods. We started with a blueberry mule, Veggie Sausage Egg and Cheese Biscuit, Hot Tempeh Biscuit, Breakfast Bowl, Plant Bacon Egg, and Cheese Biscuit, a Kale Caesar with Tempeh and some Chocolate Pretzel Pancakes. We for dessert we had an oatmeal cream pie cookie and a red velvet skull with vegan cream cheese filling.

312 PIZZA

312 Pizza is an amazing Chicago inspired pizza spot in Nashville with tons of vegan options. We had the pleasure to speak with the owner Kimberly and she was able to give us some insight on the vegan offerings and inspiration behind 312. She informed us that the vegan meats and cheeses are sourced locally. We loved the fact that she’s willing to pay the cost for the best, most fresh ingredients so that her customers can have the best eating experience.

Curious as to why she wanted to bring a Chicago style pizza spot to Nashville, she told us she moved to Nashville 10 years ago from Chicago for music. The family has carried the pizza recipes for generations and

Graze

312 Pizza

Graze

312 Pizza

the pizza crust and sauce come right out of the Little Italy neighborhood of Chicago. When they opened up officially in 2014, they had a line out the door of people wanting their Chicago style pizza in Nashville. We tried their top Vegan menu Items. First, we had these amazing Vegan Soft Baked Pretzels topped with vegan butter and Served with Dusseldorf Mustard. We also had Vegan Buckingham Fountain thin crust pizza, a Deep Dish pizza with pepperoni, and green pepper. Lastly, for dessert, we had Deep-Fried Dough Balls, with Cinnamon, Powdered Sugar, Chocolate Dipping Sauce.

SUCCULENT TACOS

We visited Succulent Tacos for their grand opening in the Nashville Farmers Market. It was nice meeting Adriana Ortega and Ronald Cerdas. The menu is entirely vegan, and the couple has been plant-based for years. They have more than just tacos; they have pan dulce, tamales, tortas, and enchiladas. We tried the Esquites, The Al Pastor, Tinga, Paps, and Asada Tacos, as well as the Comida del dia with a soy-based chicken, and their Pumpkin Conchas with Vegan whipped cream filling.

AVO

Avo is an amazing all plant-based eatery in Nashville that we were able to try out and speak to the owner about the food and how the restaurant began. They opened up in 2017 after taking over ownership from a raw vegan restaurant. After the owner sold the business to Susannah Herring, she hired a new chef and they created new menu items. They introduced hot foods and, then that’s where the business took a turn, and they’ve been doing well. Susannah really appreciates her staff and wouldn›t be anywhere without them. I started off with a delicious avocado margarita, then we had some Kimchi Spring Rolls, Kale Caesar, and the Cali Burger, A seasonal dish with sweet potato and pumpkin almond ricotta. We ended it with a creamy avocado tart.

Avo

Avo

Two Boots Pizza

Guerilla Bizkits

Guerilla Bizkits

TWO BOOTS PIZZA

We met with the owner McKenzie at Two Boots Pizza, and discovered that the inspiration behind ‘two boots’ is the boot-shaped state of Louisiana and the country of Italy. There is also a location in New York. This place has a full vegan menu. We tried the Vegan Cleo and the V for Vegan.

GUERILLA BIZKITS

We met with Zach and Ali, the co-owners of Guerilla Bizkits. It was so amazing to sit and chat with them as they told us their background and insp for their brand. They’re a pop up in Nashville and they do local delivery and pickups. Zach is from Ohio and Ali is from Philly. Their bizkits are “always fucking vegan”. They make each bizkit by hand at their kitchen in Fairview, TN. We got to try their Straight Edge Bizkit, which literally melted in our mouths with a strawberry Jam (“the berry brains”). They also have two other flavors called Loaded and Blackout.

BEHIVE

We met with Ben from the BeHive and got to try some of his amazing menu offerings. BeHive is an all-vegan eatery that also has vegan cheeses, meats, and plant-based alternatives. They also wholesale some of their cheeses and meats. The acronym BE in BeHive comes from the band Ben was in called “Born Empty”. They lived in a home called the Behive and they’d have vegan pot lucks. We got to try the classic Italian sub,

the crunch wrap, the roast beef and cheddar, Nacho tots, and the Fried Chxn Sandwich. For dessert, we got to have the Pumpkin Boo berry coconut cookie, Berry Coconut, and the Basic Be cookie.

The Wild Cow- We ate at the Wild Cow and met the owners. We found that they source their vegetables locally. They are close to Farmer Chris, who is a Local farmer and who brings them fresh vegetables daily. Their goal is to see the full potential of their location and how much they can leverage expansion. We started with some cocktails called The Sky Walker and The King. We had the Caesar Salad, Nachos, Buffalo Tempeh Strips, the Veggie Burger, Veggie Quinoa Bowl, and a Small Chicken of the Woods soup.

FALCON COFFEE BAR

The Falcon Coffee bar in Nashville is all vegan. We spoke to the owners about their inspiration behind creating the coffee bar and cocktail lounge. Angela says she’s been vegan for about 20 years and she wanted the business to have those values. Jessie, her sister became vegan not long after. Both sisters have found the food to bring people together which is very important to them. We tried the Guava Empanada, The Irish Coffee, and the El Dorado Turmeric Latte.

BECALEW

We got to meet with Becalew the also known as @ Theferalpastrychef on Instagram. She gave us the 411 on the Vegan community in Nashville. The community is very supportive and Nashville is a mecca for Vegan Food. What’s amazing about the Nashville vegan community is that they mostly source all of their ingredients locally. Becalew is a chef who specializes in vegan baked goods and food. She is also a chef at The Crying Wolf Bar, which is temporarily closed. They plan to be mostly Plant-Based when they reopen. It was amazing talking to her learning about her bakery techniques, and we can’t wait to see all she does at the Crying Wolf Bar.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lori Harding is a Dallas transplant from Northern California. She loves to cook and knows that food is the way to the heart. She is super enthusiastic about vegan food and spreading the word about veganism. Follow her journey on her Instagram

312 Pizza

Falcon Coffee Bar Falcon Coffee Bar

Becalew