Plant based eating left the niche long ago, and the drive-thru window proves it. This rating collects vegan fast food chains you can actually walk into: burger counters, pizzerias, fried chick'n joints and bowl shops where nothing on the menu came from an animal. It is meant for travellers, for families with one vegan at the table, and for anyone tired of ordering fries and hoping for the best.
Selection ran on plain criteria. The whole menu had to be vegan, not one token patty sitting next to bacon. The brand had to run several locations or a functioning franchise programme rather than a single lucky cafe. Prices were expected to stay near ordinary fast food money, and the kitchen was expected to hold its standard from one branch to the next. Ownership changes, closures and expansion news were weighed as well, since a chain that quietly shut half its sites deserves a footnote rather than applause.
Positions here are decided by community votes, not by the editors and certainly not by anyone's advertising budget. Read the cards, not only the ranking: the pros, the honest cons and the reviews below each entry show whether a chain fits your street, your budget and your appetite. Voting stays open, and a well argued review moves a brand further than any press release.
Started in 2016 in Ocean Beach, San Diego, this is the closest thing America has to a classic burger drive-thru with no animal products anywhere on the board. Burgers, chick'n sandwiches, loaded fries, shakes made with plant milk and a breakfast menu at several stores. The double patty Big Zac is the signature order, and the kitchen leans on its own sauces rather than on famous brand patties alone. The chain has grown past twenty restaurants, mostly across California, with sites in Arizona and Texas.
Good fit for road trips and for mixed groups, since a carnivore ordering here rarely notices what is missing. Portions are generous and prices sit in normal fast food territory. Those who came for light salads and clean eating may be disappointed: this is fryer food, unapologetically so, and queues at the drive-thru get long on weekend evenings.
2204 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, San Diego, California
Pinky Cole launched the brand in Atlanta in 2018, first from a kitchen and a food truck, then in restaurants that drew queues down the block. The pull is a loud burger stacked with vegan cheese, caramelised onions and the house Slut Sauce, sold under cheeky names such as One Night Stand and Fussy Hussy. Expansion took it to New York, Alabama, Maryland and Texas, with staff shouting orders back like a street party.
Best treated as an outing rather than a quick lunch: the noise, the queue and the theatre are half of what you pay for. Anyone who wants a quiet dinner or a low calorie plate should look elsewhere. The company has also had a bumpy stretch, with closed sites and public disputes over unpaid bills, so it pays to check that a branch is trading before travelling across town.
Atlanta, Georgia
One of the oldest names in the field, open since 2006 in Irvine, California, and plant based from the first day. The menu sits between fast food and fast casual: buffalo cauliflower wings, crispy chick'n sandwiches, grain bowls, kale salads and Beyond patties, ordered at a counter and brought to the table. Many sites sit in shopping centres and office districts, which shaped the lunch heavy trade.
The chain shrank after 2020 and later came under the Next Level Burger umbrella, so the map is smaller than it once was and worth checking before a trip. Suits office workers and anyone who wants vegetables on the plate alongside the fried part. Diners hunting for cheap eats will find the bill higher than at a burger window, and the menu changes seasonally, so a favourite item can vanish.
Los Angeles, California
Founded in Bend, Oregon in 2014 by Matt and Cierra de Gruyter, this burger joint built its name on organic ingredients and on an unusual route to growth: kitchens inside Whole Foods Market stores, which put it in cities far from the Pacific Northwest. Burgers, chilli cheese fries, hand spun shakes with non dairy ice cream, and a bakery style bun programme. In 2024 the company took over Veggie Grill, making it one of the larger plant based restaurant groups in the United States.
Comfortable for shoppers who want a proper hot meal without leaving the store, and for families, since the kids menu is straightforward. The in store format means small dining rooms and limited hours tied to the host supermarket. Several locations have closed as leases ended, so the list of open sites is worth a look before setting out.
Portland, Oregon
A Canadian chain from London, Ontario, launched in 2014 as Globally Local and rebranded in 2021. Odd Burger is unusual twice over: it is a publicly traded restaurant company, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, and it manufactures its own plant based proteins, cheeses and sauces in a factory that supplies both its restaurants and retail shelves. That vertical setup keeps menu prices low, which is the whole pitch behind burgers, wraps and breakfast sandwiches sold at drive-thru speed.
Franchisees are the engine of expansion, with restaurants across Ontario and further provinces plus announced plans beyond Canada. Value hunters and students are the natural audience. Anyone expecting chef driven cooking will find it industrial by design, and portion sizes are modest next to the American giants.
505 Consortium Court, London, Ontario
Chef Spike Mendelsohn opened the first PLNT Burger in 2019 in Silver Spring, Maryland, and grew the brand along the East Coast, largely through counters inside Whole Foods Market. The menu is deliberately short: Beyond patties dressed in the house Plnt Sauce, crispy chick'n sandwiches, seasoned fries and oat milk soft serve. Packaging is compostable and the kitchen makes a point of avoiding single use plastic.
A sensible stop in Washington, Maryland, Virginia, New York and New Jersey when the alternative is a supermarket salad bar. The short menu means fewer misfires but also little variety for repeat visits, and the reliance on host stores keeps dining rooms small and hours tight. Prices are closer to fast casual than to a value meal.
Washington, D.C.
Nicole Marquis opened the first HipCityVeg in Philadelphia in 2012, near Rittenhouse Square, and the brand became a fixture of the city's plant based scene. The Ziggy Burger with smoky tempeh bacon and the crispy Chick'n Sandwich carry the menu, alongside sweet potato fries, milkshakes and a groundnut stew style bowl. Ingredients skew toward whole foods, and the packaging is compostable, a policy held since the early days.
Several Philadelphia sites plus locations in Washington, D.C., so this is a city chain rather than a national one. Works well for a fast lunch when the office crowd wants something less greasy than a burger window. The kitchens are small, delivery orders can slow the counter at midday, and the menu rarely surprises regulars.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Britain's first fully plant based pizzeria opened in Brighton in 2015 and has since added sites in London, Bristol and Manchester. The kitchen makes its own mozzarella substitute from rice milk, offers hemp and wholemeal bases alongside the classic Neapolitan dough, and runs a menu of pizzas, small plates and desserts that are all vegan. Awards from the UK pizza scene followed, which is unusual for a dairy free kitchen.
Closer to a sit down pizzeria than a burger counter, though takeaway and delivery work well. Suits a group dinner where one diner is vegan and the rest simply want good pizza. Waiting times can stretch on weekends, the bill lands above chain pizza prices, and the number of cities served is still small.
Brighton, United Kingdom
The widest spread vegan chain on the planet, with outlets in dozens of countries across Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia since 2008. Each restaurant is run locally, so a branch in Taipei serves noodle soups and mock meat rice plates, while one in Prague or California may lean toward burgers, spring rolls and buffets. Prices are typically well below Western vegan chains, and many locations run a fast, canteen style counter.
Handy for travellers, because in many cities it is the only guaranteed vegan kitchen open at lunchtime. The trade off is uniformity: decor, menu and cooking vary sharply between owners, opening hours are erratic, and some branches close without notice. The chain is tied to the spiritual movement of Supreme Master Ching Hai, which is visible in the videos and literature on display.
Mr. Charlie's opened on Valentine's Day 2022 on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles and built its name on a joke: red and yellow packaging, a Frowny Meal box, burgers named Not a Double Double, and not a scrap of meat anywhere. Patties come from Impossible Foods, single burgers start around eight dollars, and Mondays bring the 99 cent Not a Hamburger promotion that first pulled in the crowds. Since the 2024 investment from Carma HoldCo, with Mike Tyson attached to the brand, the company sells franchises: besides Los Angeles there are restaurants in San Francisco, San Diego and Sydney, plus a signed deal for 18 sites around Phoenix.
Handy for anyone who misses drive through food but skips animal products, and for mixed groups where only one person is vegan. Kitchens hire people coming out of homelessness or prison through the Dream Center, and that shows in warm, slightly noisy service. Anyone watching calories or avoiding soy will find little to order, since the food is fried, salty and soy based. Dining rooms are small, so takeaway is usually the calmer choice.
612 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036, USA