Vegan City on Kapahulu Avenue is serving your favorite local foods with a plant-based twist. (Photo by Cameron Enomoto)

By Cameron Enomoto | Staff Writer

If you love eating healthy and you’re looking for something tasty, be sure to stop by Vegan City on Kapahulu Avenue. Not only does the restaurant serve vegan food, they also have a variety of gluten free options as well. The store first opened in May 2021 across from Ono Seafood, and it is known for comfort food dishes like loco mocos, tacos, soups, and sandwiches, all of which are plant-based.

The chkn katsu sandwich and loaded baked potato soup are customer favorites. (Photo by Cameron Enomoto)

The tacos are my favorite dish to order from Vegan City and they come with a choice of flour or corn tortillas. In my opinion, the corn tortillas give it more of a traditional taste, as if you’re actually eating carnitas tacos. Ultimately, the seasoning brings everything together and the pico de gallo heightens the taste to something unachievable through meat products. Also, the tacos are made from jackfruit instead of a meat alternative so it is less processed.

Some of the most popular items on the menu include the chkn (soy-based chicken alternative) katsu sandwich and the garlic truffle fries. The chkn katsu sandwich has scallions, carrots, cabbage, and is topped with katsu sauce and gochujang aoili. The fries are perfect to snack on if you’re looking for something small and they come with truffle powder, minced garlic, scallions, and Parmesan.

One of the newest menu items is the loaded baked potato soup. The soup is made fresh every day and has scallions, a cheese alternative, bakon (vegan bacon), and kale. The texture is similar to a non-vegan baked potato soup, though it is less oily and the flavors are more concentrated.

Aside from food, Vegan City also has a number of refreshing smoothies to choose from. The most popular smoothies include monkey business and beach day. Monkey business has bananas, kale, apple, chocolate protein powder, and is topped with cacao nibs. Beach day has more of a tropical taste and comes with apples, mangoes, pineapples, vanilla protein powder blue spirulina.

For dessert, Vegan City offers cinnamon rolls and bread pudding, though these items are limited in quantity as they are not made to order. If you’re looking to snag one of these for yourself, it’s best to get there early.

The prices of dishes at Vegan City are as low as $4.95 and can reach up to $20.50 without tax. The average price for a small plate or sandwich is around $15. Also, any add-ons to dishes such as avocado and vegan eggs will be an upcharge. You can visit their Kapahulu location at 760 Kapahulu Ave. every day except Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Limited dine-in seating is available, with only 3 counter seats and one table outside the store that seats two people. For takeout orders, third parties like DoorDash and Grubhub are accepted.