While most Chinese restaurants (and restaurants in general to be fair) focus heavily on meat dishes, there are some gems in Oakland serving up vegan Chinese food options.
Find a map of all the featured restaurants here!
Shan Dong
Shan Dong is most known for it's hand pulled noodles and hand-made dumplings. This place is often packed so it's best to sign up on the Yelp waitlist as soon as you can. When you first arrive, you can see workers (usually older Asian ladies) making and boiling noodles through the front window. On top of the numerous vegan options, eating there always feels a bit like eating at an A+ hole in the wall restaurant in China.
Recommended Dishes: Sesame Noodles, Green Beans, Pea Shoots.
Address: 328 10th St #101, Oakland, CA 94607
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Peony Seafood Restaurant
Firstly, the dim sum menu at Peony is generally massive. What's even better is they have a lot of vegan options! One of the things I miss most is enjoying dim sum. So if your non-vegan loved ones want to go to dim sum, this is a great spot where you can also enjoy the meal alongside them!
Recommended Dishes: Donut Rice Noodle, Deep Fried Sesame Balls, Pea Sprout Dumpling, Vinegary Cucumber (cold)
Address: 388 9th St STE 288, Oakland, CA 94607
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Nature's Vegetarian
Nature's Vegetarian is a fully vegan Chinese restaurant close to Oakland Chinatown. I recommend skipping the mock-meat dishes as they can be hit or miss. But y'all, the vegetables are yum!
Recommended Dishes: Fried Mixed Tofu with Chinese Green, Chow Fun
Address: 1116 Franklin St, Oakland, CA 94607
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Spices 3
Spices 3 has a large vegetarian section on the menu. Their food leans on the oilier side -- which also means it's extra delicious. Their storefront has big windows that you can sit near and people watch as you enjoy your meal.Â
Recommended Dishes: Salt & Pepper Tofu, Mung Bean Noodle (cold), Eggplant in Garlic Sauce.
Address: 370-372 12th St, Oakland, CA 94607