PETA's Top 10 Restaurants for Vegan Sushi

Visit a typical Japanese restaurant in North America, and you'll find plentiful vegan options—from fresh avocado sushi rolls and hearty soba noodles to exotic seaweed salad and sweet inari (fried tofu pockets stuffed with rice). And as people learn about the pain that fish feel when they are killed for fish-based sushi, sushi chefs are starting to create ever-more new vegan sushi options, including rolls made with mock tuna, soy salmon, and more!

Many fish used for food are raised on aquafarms, where they are crammed into tight enclosures with little room to move and kept in filthy conditions. Make the compassionate decision to save a fish's life, and enjoy faux-fish and veggie sushi rolls! The following are our top 10 picks for restaurants that go above and beyond and have the best vegan options:

10. Vegan House

Los Angeles, California

Note: all vegan!

Located in the heart of Hollywood, Vegan House has both a diverse menu and a diverse crowd.

Top Picks

• California Rolls: soy crab, soy fish, veganaise, chili powder, cucumber, alfalfa sprout, cabbage, carrot, avocado, brown rice, and sesame seed
• Spicy Soy Shrimp Tempura Rolls: soy shrimp tempura, veganaise, chili powder, cucumber, alfalfa sprout, cabbage, carrot, avocado, brown rice, and sesame seed
• Soy Tuna Sushi: tuna with brown rice and sesame seeds
• Grilled Veg Sushi: grilled onion, eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini in nori seaweed 

9. Franchia Vegan Cafe 

New York, New York

Note: all vegan!

This Park Avenue café offers a great variety of faux-seafood rolls and also has delicious vegan desserts, such as dairy-free cheesecake and an iced green-tea float made with almond-milk ice cream!

Top Picks

• Franchia Roll: vegetarian "crab" meat, cucumber, avocado, carrot, squash, and mountain greens
• Vegan California Roll: an inside-out sushi roll stuffed with vegan crab, cucumber, and avocado (a compassionate twist on a classic!)
• Spicy "Tuna" Roll: a six-piece sushi roll stuffed with faux tuna (made from soy protein, flavored with seaweed to taste like fish) 
• "Shrimp" Avocado Roll: a six-piece sushi roll with faux shrimp, available on white or brown rice 

8. Sticky Rice

Locations in Baltimore, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia

Sticky Rice boasts a large variety of vegan options and offers a unique mix of pan-Asian and American cuisine.

Top Picks

• The Hot Hippy: spicy marinated tofu with scallions, peanuts, cucumbers, and carrots
• G.I. Jane: cucumbers, vegan cream cheese, scallions, and sesame seeds rolled in crushed wasabi peas
• Masumi: cucumbers and umeboshi (Japanese plums) sprinkled with sesame seeds
• Garden Balls: Shiitake mushrooms, red pepper, cilantro, and spicy rice in an inari (tofu) pocket, then tempura fried and drizzled with faux-eel sauce (It's not quite sushi, but it's too good to leave off the list!)

7. Shojin Organic and Natural 

Los Angeles, California

Note: all vegan!

A romantic and intimate spot, Shojin is completely vegan and has an extensive menu of delicious rolls that keep the foodies of Los Angeles coming back for more! Ask anyone who's been, and they'll tell you that "You must try the Dynamite Roll!"

Top Picks

• Dynamite Roll: spicy "tuna" and avocado roll, with spicy vegan mayo and green onion on top, served with spicy "dynamite sauce" 
• Pirates of Crunchy: fried tempeh (made of soy), crunchy tempura batter, and green onions mixed with spicy mayo on a green vegetable roll and served with spicy "dynamite sauce"
• Sweet Dynamite: fried tempeh and avocado roll with tricolored quinoa and sweet miso mixed with vegan mayonnaise, served with sweet soy sauce and with green onion on top
• Yellow Magic Orchestra: pumpkin tempura and curry spiced tempeh on a green vegetable roll, served with Japanese karashi mustard sauce and sweet soy sauce
• Purple Treasure: a fried tempeh and avocado roll with fried tender eggplant, topped with green onion and shredded chilies and served with sweet miso sauce

6. Kotobuki 

Norfolk, Virginia

Located less than two miles from PETA's headquarters in Norfolk, Kotobuki offers a number of faux-seafood rolls with vegan lobster, shrimp, and salmon. It even has a "PETA Roll"!

Top Picks

• PETA Roll: seaweed salad, sweet firm inari tofu, soft savory fried tofu, steamed carrots
• Buddha Roll (spicy): Shitake mushrooms, kampyo (gourd), asparagus, shiso (a flavorful herb), horseradish sprouts, topped with avocado and vegan spicy mayo
• Mango Salsa Roll (spicy): vegan shrimp, sautéed red onions, with scallions inside and topped with avocado and spicy-sweet mango salsa
• Hugged Rolled Salmon & Seaweed: vegan salmon and avocado with soy wrapper, covered with seaweed salad and sesame seeds
• Veggie Lover's Roll: vegan lobster with shitaki mushrooms, lettuce, cucumbers, avocado, horseradish sprouts, and onions, rolled in sesame seeds

5. Soy & Sake Village Vegetarian Cafe

New York, New York

Note: all vegan!

Found in the West Village, Soy & Sake makes an excellent spot to enjoy meat-free meals and great drinks.

Top Picks

• Vegan Philadelphia Roll: soy salmon, scallions, vegan cream cheese
• Dragon Roll: soy eel, cucumbers, topped with avocado
• Peanut Roll: crusted peanuts, avocado
• Hawaii Roll: fresh banana, avocado, and Korean pear, topped with a layer of mango and served with mango sauce
• Bourbon "Chicken" Roll: marinated soy chicken with cucumbers, avocado, and lettuce

4. Tenon Vegetarian Cuisine

Markham, Ontario, Canada

Note: all vegetarian!

Canadians can't believe their eyes when they see how real the faux salmon and other fish appear and taste! Tenon offers a variety of rolls with yummy combinations that don't disappoint.

Top Picks

• Ika Sushi, Sashimi, or Hand Roll: vegan squid served on sushi rice, on its own, or rolled up in a cone of nori (seaweed)
• Unagi Sushi, Sashimi, or Hand Roll: vegan eel (made from mushrooms), served in your choice of presentations
• Kani Sushi, Sashimi, or Hand Roll: vegan crab, served in your choice of presentations
• "Ham" Sushi, Sashimi, or Hand Roll: vegan ham, made from soy protein and served in your choice of presentations
• Mango Cucumber Maki: mango and cucumbers rolled up with sushi rice and nori seaweed 

3. Beyond Sushi

New York, New York

Note: all vegan!

New Yorkers love the uniqueness of Beyond Sushi. With aesthetically pleasing, healthy, and delicious rolls, Beyond Sushi makes an outstanding choice!

Top Picks

• La Fiesta: black-rice sushi with avocado, pickled jalapeño, chayote (a gourd native to Mexico and Central America), and cilantro leaf, served with mango chili sauce
• Crunch N' Munch: kiwi, baked tofu, alfalfa, English cucumber, and black rice, served with white miso sauce
• Mighty Mushroom: tofu, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and micro arugula on six-grain rice, served with shiitake teriyaki sauce
• Spicy Mang: mango, avocado, cucumber, black rice, and spicy veggies, served with toasted cayenne sauce

2. Minako Organic Japanese Restaurant

San Francisco, California

Minako might be small, but it packs a big punch! Hidden in the Mission District of San Francisco, it is a favorite for veggie-loving sushi enthusiasts of the city by the bay.

Top Picks

• Spicy Vegetarian Eel: with avocado and cucumber
• Tephe Maki: a vegan-eel and avocado roll wrapped with sliced inari (sweet fried tofu), served with carrots and spinach
• Nigiri-Style Natto Sushi: hand-formed sushi made from fermented soy beans and green onions on top of rice
• Umekyu Maki: pickled plum and cucumber rolled up with sushi rice and nori seaweed
• Pickled Eggplant Sushi: hand-formed, nigiri-style

1. Loving Vegan

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Note: all vegan!

Our top honors go to this all-vegan sushi spot in the Southwest. A self-titled "Asian Fusion Cuisine" restaurant, Loving Vegan gets rave reviews from vegans and nonvegans alike! Loving Vegan earned our top prize as PETA's number-one vegan-sushi restaurant because it truly proves that any food can be made deliciously and healthfully without animal products. Cheers and congratulations to Loving Vegan—this number-one award is well deserved!

Top Picks

• Yummy Roll: vegan shrimp tempura, faux crab, avocado, cucumber, kampyo (dried gourd), and spicy egg-free mayo inside with sweet sauce on top
• Crunchy Vegan Salmon Roll: vegan salmon tempura, avocado, cucumber, and spicy vegan mayo inside with tempura flakes and sweet sauce on top
• Crunchy Vegan Squid Roll: the same as the vegan salmon roll but with vegan squid tempura instead
• Vegan Spicy Tuna Roll: made with cucumber and gobo (burdock root)
• Loving Vegan Roll: green-chili tempura, avocado, cucumber, vegan lobster, and vegan cream cheese inside, deep fried, served with spicy mayo and sriracha, and topped with sweet sauce

Honorable Mention

Cha-Ya 

Berkley and San Francisco, California