Tucson has really amazing vegan eats worth checking out if you’re vegan or even if you just like good food.

Listed here are five diverse vegan menu options for you to check out.

Bawker Bawker Cider House: Vegan Quesadilla

Bawker Bawker Cider House is a local bar on Tucson’s iconic Fourth Avenue. All of their ciders are vegan, but they also recently started serving vegan quesadillas.

To order a quesadilla at Bawker Bawker, you would need to pick up a quesadilla order at the bar and fill out what you want inside. Pick the vegan cheese at Bawker Bawker and your quesadilla will be vegan. Simple as that!

The vegan cheese at Bawker Bawker is perfectly gooey inside a crispy tortilla. It also pairs perfectly with a refreshing glass of cider made in-house. The quesadilla and cider together make an amazing combo for a fun night.

Don Rubino, proprietor of Bawker Bawker, says the vegan quesadilla came because someone asked for it. 

“One of our current regulars, she has dairy issues, so she said ‘You should try this,’ so we did,” Rubino said. 

Bawker Bawker is a short streetcar ride away from campus.

Whole Slvce: #6, vegan version

Whole Slvce is a relatively new restaurant, having opened in May. It’s a New York-inspired pizza place where pizza can be purchased either whole or by the slice.

Whole Slvce also has vegan cheese that can be paired with any toppings. The vegan cheese tastes very close to regular cheese, and it tastes perfect with Whole Slvce’s crunchy crust and perfectly baked toppings.

Whole Slvce is located in Tucson’s Mercado Monier, the westernmost stop on the streetcar.

The #6 has kale, mushroom, pesto, eggplant and parmesan with tomato sauce.

Travis Evans, owner of Whole Slvce, said he loves eating plant-based because he finds it so interesting.

“Eating plant-based for me is mostly just interesting in figuring out how to make food delicious and healthy without getting anything processed,” Evans said.

Beaut Burger: B9

Beaut Burger is a fully vegan restaurant specializing in burgers, also serving a variety of delicious fries, snacks and soft serve ice cream.

The B9 at Beaut Burger is a delicious veggie burger with hearty roasted eggplant and amazing vegan mozzarella. However, the real star of the B9 is the pesto! This vegan pesto is some of the best pesto you’ll ever have. The pesto, mozzarella and eggplant combine with the delicious burger patty to make an amazing burger.

Daniel Montillo, kitchen manager at Beaut Burger, said the B9 mozzarella and pesto is made in-house.

“It’s nice to work with the mozzarella. At other restaurants, we use pre-bought mozzarellas and stuff. With this one, it’s nice being able to make it in-house,” Montillo said. “It’s nice and cashew-based. There’s some nutritional yeast in there too. And then the pesto is good too. We use pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts. Because we have to keep everything vegan, instead of parmesan with the pesto, we use nutritional yeast.”

Beaut Burger is located about 10 minutes from campus at the MSA Annex.

Midtown Vegan Deli and Market: The Simple Sammy

Midtown has a large menu with a wide variety of options, including veganized deli mainstays like egg salad, deli-style sandwiches and all day breakfast.

An amazing menu item is the Simple Sammy. The Simple Sammy, according to its Uber Eats profile, is “Midtown’s take on the McMuffin.”

Like the McMuffin, the Simple Sammy comes on a crisp English muffin (or a bagel if you so choose) and includes vegan egg and cheese alongside your choice of vegan meat with a ton of options.

Tanya Barnett, owner of Midtown, says her favorite way to order the Simple Sammy is the classic.

“I typically go with the traditional Canadian bacon on an English muffin, so I like it with just the egg, the cheese and the Canadian bacon. Sometimes I do like to add jalapeños though because I do like spice,” Barnett said.

The Simple Sammy may be the remake, but it gives the McMuffin a run for its money.

Midtown is on Fifth Street, about a 10 minute drive from the Student Union Memorial Center.

Lovin’ Spoonfuls Vegan Restaurant: Traditional Breakfast Burrito

Lovin’ Spoonfuls is a fully vegan restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as baked goods and a special — listed on their Instagram — that changes almost every day.

Every day until 3 p.m., Lovin’ Spoonfuls serves vegan breakfast items. The Traditional Breakfast Burrito is a crispy breakfast burrito sure to please any burrito fan, vegan or not.

The Traditional Breakfast Burrito includes crispy tempeh bacon and delicious tofu alongside breakfast potatoes and vegan cheese. Guacamole can be added for an additional charge. It’s a delicious burrito and a great breakfast choice.

Michelle Cornett, owner of Lovin Spoonfuls, said the tempeh bacon is a delicious, crunchy option.

“It’s just a special recipe of tempeh that our prep has,” Cornett said. “It’s crispy, fried tempeh.”

Cornett said there are a lot of reasons vegan food is important.

“We came into the restaurant about a year and a half ago, and the vegan community welcomed us with open arms,” Cornett said. “For our vegan community here in Tucson, for the animals of course, for the health benefits that people get from vegan food.”

Lovin’ Spoonfuls is in Campbell Plaza, a 6 minute drive from the student union.

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