Colorado-Based Vegan Businesses

We have so much love for vegan businesses, and Colorado has some great ones! These folks are all vegan, all the time, and they deserve your support:

Baba's Falafel
All over!, Denver
Baba's is an all-vegan falafel truck that features deep fried falafel cones, spicy nachos, falafeldillas (yeah, you heard right), as well as killer vegan tahini sauce, and their own hummus. Check out their calendar,Facebook, or Twitter to see where they are. 
Updated 1/15/13.

Beet Box
Arvada (no storefront)
Beet Box is a 100% vegan bakery that provides delicious baked goods to coffee shops and cafes, and will do custom orders for your home or office events. Among other spots, you can find their stuff at Pablo’s Coffee, Wash Perk, Paris on the Platte, Sweet Action Ice Cream, Crema Coffee House, Hooked on Colfax, and Yellow Feather Coffee. Or you can order from them directly.
Updated 7/13/12.

Logs of joy.

Cows Gone Coconut
Denver (no storefront)
Cows Gone Coconut makes yummy, coconut-based ice cream right in Denver. And they have Coffee, which is the very best flavor of ice cream and sometimes hard to find vegan. Get CGC at Denver-area Whole Foods Markets, Marczyk Fine Foods, Alfalfa's, and Lucky's Market. 

Denver Seitan Company
Denver (no storefront)
Denver Seitan Company makes damn good seitan, the kind that you can just slice up and put on crackers. They have a variety of flavors, including Chickenesque (our favorite) and Sureizo, and they've some other varieties in the works (gluten free seitan, anyone?). You can get their stuff CSA style, or find it at the soon-to-open Nooch Vegan Market. If you want someone else to cook it for you, visit Marquis Pizza or Vegan Van. 
Updated 7/13/12. 

JJ's Sweets (aka Cocomels!)
Boulder (no storefront)
Boulder-based JJ's Sweets makes Cocomels, which are coconut-milk base caramels, and arguably one of the best vegan candies out there. Cocomels come chocolate-covered or in sweet, chewy little caramel sticks, in flavors like vanilla, java, and sea salt. The chocolate covered sea salt Cocomels are killer. Just killer. You can find them in select stores, or order directly online. 
Updated 7/13/12.  

Julia's Kitchen
4557 Broadway, Boulder
All-vegan, organic, and gluten free restaurant with daily specials and a seasonal menu. They also do birthday cakes!
Updated 1/17/13.  

Mars Bakery
Arvada (no storefront)
Mars is an all-vegan bakery that sets up shop at the Sunday farmers' market in Olde Town Arvada, and has a few outlets around the metro area, including Edgewater Coffee Company in Edgewater. They do vegan sweets and baked goods to order, including vegan wedding cakes!
Updated 6/3/12.  

Uh huh, oh yeah. Chocolate covered sea salt Cocomels. Nooch Vegan Market
3360 Larimer Street, Denver
Nooch is Denver's all-vegan grocery! They've got a ton of hard-to-find vegan specialty items, as well as snack foods and kitchen basics like olive oil, pasta, and some produce. 
Updated 1/15/13. 

Ritual Chocolate
Denver (no storefront)
Ethical, vegan and delicious is how we like our chocolate, and Ritual has it all. They make organic, direct-trade, dark chocolate that is damn good. Get it through their online store, or visit Crema Coffee, Chocolate Spokes Bike Shop, or Nooch Vegan Market. 
Updated 7/13/12.  

Source Juice Co. 
Denver (no storefront)
Source Juice is vegan owned and operated, and makes freshly pressed, raw, organic bottled juice that is so good, and good for you. Order from them online, or find them at Neat Market.
Updated 7/14/12.  

Vegan Van
All over Denver!
Vegan Van is an all-vegan food truck with really, really good food. Menu items include the Ludacris (Denver Seitan Co. Chickenesque with Great Divide Double IPA waffles), the Superfly (adobo jackfruit, avocado cilantro pesto, roasted plantains with cumin rice) and the Planet Rock (spicy toffufalo wings, ranch celery-slaw on a roll). Go get some!
Updated 7/13/12. 

Wax Wing Catering
Loveland (no storefront)
Wax Wing is a vegan meal service that will deliver right to your door! Check them out on Facebook.
Updated 7/13/12.  

Did we miss something? Let us know! 

Want more lists? Check it out:

• Vegan Pizza
• Vegan Wedding Cakes
• Vegan-Friendly Food Trucks
• Vegan-Friendly Chains
• Vegan Green Chili
• Best Vegan Lattes in Denver
• All About Downtown Denver 

Chili Chili Bang Bang

Until I moved to Colorado, I had never had green chili. I had seen it on a few restaurant menus, but never a vegetarian version. Out here, it's everywhere: on top of burritos, fajitas, and enchiladas, in guacamole, bean dips, and salsa, and often on it's own as a soup. And you can find vegetarian green chili all over the place, which is a blessing if you're a vegan that likes their burrito smothered. 

Like any regional recipe, there are a zillion versions out there, but you can almost always expect roasted green anaheim peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, broth, and pork. Veg versions in restaurants usually just omit the meat and swap in vegetable broth for the chicken broth. From about the end of August until mid-October, you can pick up roasted green chilis (that smell like heaven and are charred to perfection) from people on street corners and at farmers markets. Just look for a big, badass roasting cage. 

Anyway, if you're not going to make your own, here's where to get great vegetarian green chili in Metro Denver:

• Wynkoop Brewing Company (get in a bowl with a tortilla on the side!) 
• Sputnik (get it on tacos, sandwiches, fu scram, or just eat it with a spoon; bonus: they won Westword's Best Veg Green Chili this year!)
• City, O' City (smother your tofu scramble)
• Watercourse Foods (smother your burrito or your tofu scramble)
• Sam's No. 3 (not many veg options here, but theirs is good on its own)
• Walnut Cafe (get it on tofu or tempeh scramble, with some vegan sausage on the side)

Did I miss anything? Let me know!

Downtown Denver Roundup!

Today is Wednesday, and that means today's MoFo post is all about sightseeing and what to eat while you're doing it. I'm pumped (PUMPED!) to be doing a downtown Denver roundup, because a) I lub this city, and b) I'll have a link to send when people tell me they're coming here and they don't know what to do. 

Anyways. Denver is great. It's not too big, not too small, not too hot, not too cold, and there's a 40 foot tall bear perpetually trying to break into the convention center. And there is plenty eat and plenty to do. 

Locally made Cows Gone Coconut coffee ice cream in Civic Center ParkFirst things first: Food

• Biker Jim's started out as a hot dog cart, and now has a restaurant location that offers not one but two varieties of house-made vegan hot dogs (herby or spicy). They're big, delicious, and served on a big grilled bun with your choice of toppings. They've got Boylan soda on tap, amazing french fries, and charred cauliflower as a side.  
• City, O' City is technically in Cap Hill, but it's easy walking distance from downtown. City O is an all vegetarian restaurant and bar, with tons of vegan options, including the best buffalo seitan wings you've ever had (more on those later this month). Bonus: they open early and close late. 
• Hi Rise is a bakery on Larimer that features tofu scramble as an option on breakfast sandwiches, homemade cashew spreads for bagels, and a daily vegan sandwich for lunch. 
• Illegal Pete's is Denver's hometown burrito joint. They don't offer a vegan protein (besides black beans), but their guac is killer and they have a great patio. 
• Linger is just outside of downtown, across the river. It's worth the trip if you're looking for an incredible view of the city and some fancy pants vegan food. 
• The Mellow Mushroom might be the only national pizza chain that offers tempeh, and we've got one right on the 16th Street Mall. Go here for a quick bite, and Daiya, tofu, and tempeh on your pizza. 
• Mercury Cafe, also known as The Merc, is a Denver institution that features at least one vegan item on every menu. 
• Tokyo Joe's is a local Japanese fast food chain that does a pretty great job with tofu. Think Chipotle, but with noodle bowls instead. 
• The Wynkoop is Denver's oldest brewpub! They've got several vegan and veganizable dishes on the menu, including a great hummus plate, Vegetarian Chicken Cacciatore (ask for no cheese), Quinoa Vegetable Salad, a house-made veggie burger, and Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake. Bonus: there's lots of great Colorado beer on tap. 
• If you're in Denver in the spring or summer, be sure to check out Civic Center Eats, a twice-weekly gathering of food trucks in Civic Center Park. There are plenty of vegan options, including Quiero Arepas and their plantain/avocado magic, and Cows Gone Coconut, locally made vegan ice cream that comes in killer flavors like Salted Caramel and Walnut. Check out our Food Truck Roundup for more vegan food truck options. 

MCA Denver; Photo from www.ericwaldemar.comIf you can move after all that food, here's what you do:

• Get yourself some culture at the Denver Art Museum (it's huge), The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the Colorado Ballet, or the incredible downtown library, which has an impressive and creative schedule of workshops and classes. My top pick is the Museum of Contemporary Art, because it's always a crowd pleaser, and they've got a beautiful rooftop cafe where you can sometimes find vegan croissants. 
• See a Rockies game at Coors Field, even if you don't like baseball. The stadium is beautiful, and rockpile tickets are cheap cheap cheap. Plus, they have veggie dogs. 
• Lay around in a park. Denver has largest park system in the nation, so you can barely throw a rock without hitting one. Visit the giant kale, chard and flower beds in Civic Center Park, have a beer picnic by the river at Confluence Park, or roll down a perfect green hill at Commons Park. 
• Spend some money on the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall, visit bookstore heaven at the Tattered Cover, or head up to great shopping with quirky, independent stores on Platte Street and 15th. 
• Drink! Denver is known for its beer, and you can get the good stuff at Great Divide Brewing (amazing beer and a great patio), The Wynkoop (plenty of vegan options), Falling Rock Taphouse (75+ beers on tap; 130+ in the bottle), 1Up (arcade for grownups; giant Jenga), or City, O' City (home of the nation's best vegan buffalo wings). 
• Get around on the Free Mall Ride, the light rail, or Denver B-Cycle. 

Denvertopians: Did I miss anything? Lemme know. 

P.S. The lovely South Broadway (vegan shoes and ice cream, you guys) happens about a mile and half outside of downtown, and Lauren covered all the best parts last week. 

P.P.S. You can see the complete Denver restaurant guide here. 

Colorado Vegan Pizza Roundup

Vegan pizza is serious stuff, so we are just going to get right down to business and tell you where to find it in Colorado:

City, O' City
206 E 13th Avenue, Denver
City, O' City is an all vegetarian restaurant with a full bar and a loaded menu that includes some really fantastic vegan pizza. The menu changed a bit when they remodeled, but they've still got the Florentine pizza (which we absolutely recommend) and some delicious sounding tapenade pizza. All the baked goods, including cakes, cookies, bars, and pies, are from the Watercourse Bakery next door and are vegan. 

The Rebellion
2231 S Broadway, Denver
The Rebellion is a carryout pizza place with tons of vegan options. Choose from Follow Your Heart, Galaxy, or Daiya vegan cheeses, and a wide variety of vegan mock meats. Our favorite is the vegan barbecue chicken pizza. Bonus: there is designated vegan parking.  

Sun Deli & Liquor
2299 Pearl Street #B, Boulder
Sun Deli has tons of vegan pizza options, including Daiya, vegan pesto, ranch, and ceasar, house-made vegan pepperoni and sausage, and Gardein chicken. They've also got lots of vegan sandwich options: vegan sausage subs, steak sandwiches, tempeh-lettuce-tomato and more. Plus, they have specials on all vegan pizzas on Saturdays. Hot damn. 
Thanks to Raechel for the tip! 

Pizza Fusion
Pizza Fusion is a nation-wide chain that boasts a 75% organic menu, and the Denver location has both Follow Your Heart mozzarella and vegan gluten free brownies. The pizza is real good, and the whole menu is super gluten-free-friendly. Bonus: they have Boylans soda on the fountain. Super neato fact: the Denver location is a training base for vocational rehabilitation program operated by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Full report here. 

Hops & Pie
3920 Tennyson Street, Denver
In the Colorado tradition of craft beer and hearty food, Hops & Pie is your source for great vegan pizza in Denver's Berkeley neighborhood. They've got an awesome beer selection (so much on tap!), and offer house-smoked tofu and vegan cheese as pizza toppings. Hops & Pie also has gluten-free crust, if that's how you roll. 

Jalino's Pizza
1647 Arapahoe Road, Boulder
Jalino's is a delivery, carry-out, or take-and-bake pizza joint in Boulder that has Daiya mozz on the menu, as well as tofu and tons of fresh veggies. Bonus: they're open until midnight during the week and until 2:00am on the weekends. 

Marquis Pizza
2009 Larimer Street, Denver
Marquis is a great little pizza joint that offers Daiya vegan cheese, as well as vegan mock meats. Recently, they've been featuring seitan from Denver Seitan Company!

Martino's Pizzeria
1389 Forest Park Circle, Lafayette
Local pizza joint with vegan cheese (Daiya). Their regular crust and all their sauces are vegan. The gluten free crust is not vegan, but the gluten free cookies are!  

Mellow Mushroom
Hold on to your butts, because Mellow Mushroom has pizza and sandwiches! Each Mellow Mushroom is locally owned and operated, and so each one is a little different. The two Colorado locations (Denver and Centennial) offer Daiya cheese, BBQ Tofu, Pesto Tofu, Jerk Tofu, and Tempeh for pizzas and calzones, and tofu and tempeh hoagies that are veganizable. 

Paxti's Pizza
185 Steele Street, Denver (Opening Soon)
3455 S University Boulevard, Englewood
New vegan pizza joint that offers Daiya.
Updated 1/15/13. Thanks to Greg for the tip! 

Sazza
2500 E Orchard Road, Greenwood Village
Sazza is a pizza joint with some awesome vegan pizza options, including offering regular and spicy cashew spread in place of cheese, and baked tofu for both pizzas and salads. The house, walnut, and garlic herb vinaigrettes are all vegan. They recommend the swapping regular cashew spread for the cheese one the spinach pizza and the spicy version with the BBQ tofu pizza, plus oven roasted red peppers.
Updated 6/8/12. Thanks to Mary Beth for the tip!

Sexy Pizza
Cap Hill: 1018 E 11th Avenue, Denver
South Pearl: 1579 S Pearl Street 
Sexy Pizza is a Denver institution, and now they have vegan cheese (Daiya). Their crust and sauce is also vegan.

zpizza
zpizza is a California-based pizza chain that boasts organic and gluten free crust, Daiya cheese, and vegan veggie burger crumbles. Locations are in Boulder and Greenwood Village.

Did we miss any great vegan pizza in Colorado? Let us know!

Chains of Love

We thought about not adding chain restaurants to the guide. But chain restaurants that offer good vegan options have an important role, as they help to bring vegan eating to mainstream, and provide us with something other than sad, wilty salads during road trips, quick lunches with coworkers, and when we're in cities with a less-than-stellar restaurant scene. 

Here's the Vegan Coloradical roundup of vegan friendly chains in Colorado. Enjoy!

Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill
Garbanzo is a local Mediterranean chain with lots of vegan options that are labeled as such, including yoghurt-free baba ghanoush! Ordering is Chipotle-style: you pick a bowl, salad, or laffa (sadly, the pitas are not vegan), and move down the line accepting or declining delicious ingredients like seasoned rice, falafel, pickled eggplant, tabuleh, cilantro sauce, and hummus. All ingredients are very clearly marked as vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free. Garbanzo is inexpensive, has huge portions, and has locations in Denver, Glendale, Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Aurora, Greenwood Village, Englewood, Lone Tree, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins. 

Mellow Mushroom
Pizza and sandwiches! Each Mellow Mushroom is locally owned and operated, and so each one is a little different. The two Colorado locations (Denver and Centennial) offer Daiya cheese, BBQ Tofu, Pesto Tofu, Jerk Tofu, and Tempeh for pizzas and calzones, and tofu and tempeh hoagies that are veganizable. 

Killer cheese pizza from Pizza Fusion. Tokyo Joe's
Tokyo Joe's is a Colorado Japanese food chain with lots of vegan options for their noodle bowls, rice bowls, salads, and soups. The grilled tofu is pretty darn good, and the veggies are always fresh. Locations in Highlands Ranch, Lakewood, Littleton, Louisville, Westminster, Aurora, Boulder, Centennial, Denver, Englewood, Greenwood Village, Glendale, and Arvada. 

Chipotle
Okay, so every vegan that doesn't live under a rock knows about Chipotle's giant, silver wrapped black bean burritos, and with more than 60 locations in Colorado alone, we're not going to list them all here. 

zpizza
A California-based pizza chains that boasts organic and gluten free crust, Daiya cheese, and vegan veggie burger crumbles. Locations in Boulder and Greenwood Village.

Pizza Fusion
Pizza Fusion boasts a 75% organic menu, and the Denver location has both Follow Your Heart mozzarella and vegan gluten free brownies. PF is super gluten-free-friendly, and has Boylans soda at the fountain. 

Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods is kind of a vegan staple, and in addition to goodies like marshmallows, queso, and a bazillion kinds of non-dairy milk, most locations have good (and sometimes awesome) options in the deli, bakery, and at the hot bar. Hot tip: the Cherry Creek and Cap Hill locations in Denver have Mighty O vegan donuts in the pastry case, and the chocolate chip cookies at the Cap Hill WF are so, so good. Statewide, you can find Whole Foods Markets in Boulder, Denver, Golden, Lakewood, Colorado Springs, Highlands Ranch, Fort Collins, Superior, Centennial, Aurora, Greenwood Village, Glendale, and Westminster. 

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
Natural Grocers is a Colorado-based natural grocery store chain with tons of locations throughout the state. You can find your standard vegan goods at Natural Grocers (Vegenaise, Earth Balance, etc), as well harder to find items and prepared meals and sandwiches in the deli case. 

Illegal Pete's
Colorado burrito joint with totally delicious veggie burritos and tacos. The guac is great, and you can sub potatoes for rice and beans! Yum. Locations in Denver and Boulder. 

freshii
303 16th Street, Denver
National chain with well marked vegan options, including wraps, salads, and noodle bowls.
Updated 1/20/13. 

Did we miss anything? Let us know!