In honor of Filipinx American Heritage Month, we are putting the spotlight on some of our favorite plant-based Filipinx restaurants, pop-ups, and food trucks. These incredible chefs and restaurateurs are veganizing traditional dishes, infusing them with culturally relevant ingredients and flavors, and showing that skipping out on animal products doesn’t mean giving up familiar foods and traditions.
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1. Nick’s Kitchen
This Bay Area-based restaurant, owned and operated by Chef Reina Montenegro, serves up classic dishes such as pinakbet (mixed vegetables steamed in plant-based fishy sauce), tocilog (a classic Filipinx breakfast dish with rice, vegan meat, and vegan eggs), kare kare (vegetables in peanut sauce), and so much more! Plus, don’t miss their purple ube pancakes for a tasty brunch.
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2. San & Wolves Bakeshop
These eye-catching baked goods from Kym Estrada have been popping up all over our Instagram feeds. From ube mochi butter bars to cheez putos (traditional Filipinx steamed rice cakes topped with a strip of vegan cheddar) and halo-halo turon (a sweet take on spring rolls), there is no shortage of dreamy sweets at this Southern California-based pop-up.
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3. No Worries Vegan Cuisine
This family-owned catering company and food truck has operated out of the Bay Area for over 10 years. The menu is inspired by Chef Jay-Ar Pugao’s mother, Rebecca Pugao, and features family recipes for dishes such as lumpia, pancit, vegan fried shrimp, and sarciado (deep fried soy fish in a thick sauce of sautéed tomatoes, onion, crumbled tofu, soy sauce, pepper, and lemon juice).
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4. Cheeri Cheeri
This plant-based ice cream company uses Filipinx flavors to inspire its creamy pints. Dive into putobumbon (purple forbidden rice), maja blanca (coconut and corn pudding), melon sa malamig (traditional melon drink), and calamansi (a tropical fruit). You can currently pick up their tasty pints at North Hollywood restaurant Tatang for a refreshing, sweet fix.
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5. Ube Kitchen
This New York-based pop-up has made a name for itself thanks to its brightly colored, purple-hued, ube-infused desserts. Torched ube flan cupcakes with ice cream, ube pie with vanilla meringue, ube cheesecakes, and ube ice cream … the list goes on and on! Need to try these incredible treats? Ube Kitchen is currently doing weekly boxes for delivery.
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6. OG Lola’s
This Las Vegas-based pop-up and catering company is owned and operated by queer women of color and dishing up some seriously tasty eats. From lumpia Shanghai and crispy spring rolls stuffed with vegan meat and vegetables to ube empanadas and mango royale pudding—you won’t want to miss its weekly pop-ups!
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7. Saramsam
Opened by vegan restaurateur Ravi De Rossi in partnership with Filipinx chef Raj Abat, this New York-based fine dining restaurant uses flavors from the chef’s roots to inspire each dish. From adobo with roasted mushrooms and soy glaze, sisig with sizzling teriyaki strips and shishito, and sinigang with root vegetables and tamarind broth, each menu item is bursting with flavor.
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8. Luntian NZ
While not US-based, this New Zealand pop-up kitchen has made waves as the first of its kind in the country. Well known for its Filipinx-style BBQ ribs served in dishes with turmeric rice pilaf and pineapple salsa or stuffed into sandwiches, Luntian is proving that vegan meats offer just as much authenticity and flavor as its animal-based counterpart.
Sarah McLaughlin is the New Products Editor at VegNews who can’t wait to try food from every one of these incredible places.
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