What Our Inspectors Say: “Just a stone’s throw from Yonghe Temple, this upmarket restaurant is remodeled from a courtyard house and features a glass-roofed dining room. Try Chef Gary Yin’s tasting menu for culinary highlights, such as honey locust, fox nuts and peas, as well as rice with assorted mushrooms and peach resin, both delivering a nice contrast of textures.”

What Our Inspectors Say: “Exuding Zen-inspired serenity, the room reflects a philosophy that veganism isn’t just about the food, but is a way of life. Only set menus are served and they change every season to make use of the best local ingredients. Masterfully crafted and plated courses include some authentically recreated recipes from the past. Tea is also closely related to Zen, so do order from the extensive tea menu to complement the dishes.”

What Our Inspectors Say: “Where many people still insist that making vegetables delicious is some sort of mountainous challenge, Kirk Haworth makes plant-based cooking look easy. With his colorful, enticing tasting menu, he left me thoroughly convinced of just how delicious this cuisine can be. This is down in part to the abundant technical skill among his brigade, who cleverly adapt classical approaches to vegan ingredients."

What our Inspectors Say: "Vegetables take center stage in a cuisine that is as bold as it is poetic. Through this transformative journey into an almost completely vegan menu, Passard once again proves that creativity, technique and emotion can shine brilliantly without relying on meat. Inspectors praise his refined “fantasy sushi,” his potatoes smoked over beech wood with a winemaker’s sauce and his iconic salt-crusted beetroot."

What Our Inspectors Say: “The depth of flavor that you’ll find in the exclusively vegan and vegetarian dishes on offer here is remarkable! And how about a bottle from the ever-growing selection of organic wines — or perhaps one of the restaurant’s homemade alcohol-free drinks — to wash down the sophisticated, flavorsome fare? A friendly, professional front-of-house team complete the picture.”

What Our Inspectors Say: “Finding your way here through a maze of backyards to ring the bell at the unassuming door is an adventure in itself! Up on the first floor you’ll find a vibrant restaurant decorated in an industrial style. The vegetarian cuisine is artful and sophisticated. It offers cool, relaxed, yet professional service.”

What Our Inspectors Say: “At this contemporary inn led by Fabian Fuchs (ex-EquiTable), it’s all about sharing seasonal vegetarian dishes — some fully vegan — with bold, sophisticated flavors. Relaxed, friendly service and a lively atmosphere make it perfect for lunch or dinner with friends. Don’t miss the surprise Tavolata menu in the evening or the outdoor seating in the summer!”

This is the home of the chef who first introduced vegetarian and natural cuisine to the Italian fine dining scene. Behind the label of “vegetarian restaurant,” there is a menu that is 80% vegan and gluten-free. What Our Inspectors Say:  “After many years, the restaurant’s focus is entirely on natural food, which is avant-garde, experimental, skillfully prepared and beautifully presented.”

What Our Inspectors Say: “It is highly rare for a tasting menu to leave one feeling energized, but so goes the imaginative cooking at this vegetable-focused gem. Who knew that turnip juice makes for good bread or that oysters can turn into a creamy and yet entirely creamless sauce? Chef Rob Rubba did, and his creations are delicious insights into what is possible with vegetables. Local farms are the very essence of this planet-conscious restaurant."