Best vegan restaurants in Shanghai
7 venues in Shanghai rated S to B for vegan, every tier backed by cited sources.
100% vegan restaurant with no animal products on premises (no meat, dairy, eggs, honey). Multiple sources confirm all dishes are plant-based and the kitchen avoids the five pungent spices (garlic, onion). This is a dedicated kitchen for vegan.
Dedicated vegan restaurant with no animal products on the premises. HappyCow lists it as a vegan restaurant, and multiple community reviews confirm no meat, dairy, or eggs are used. The Culinary Backstreets article and Wanderlog list also classify it as vegetarian/vegan. Reported closed as of Jan 2019.
HappyCow lists the Shanghai branch as a Vegan restaurant; multiple user reviews confirm 'everything is vegan'. The kitchen is entirely plant-based, making it structurally impossible for animal products to be present. No external accreditation is cited, but the dedicated kitchen meets the Tier S threshold.
Fully vegan restaurant (also known as Vegan Delights) with a kitchen that uses no animal products whatsoever. Multiple HappyCow reviews and the venue's own category confirm all dishes are vegan, from mock meats to desserts. Staff confirm everything is vegan. This is effectively a 100% dedicated vegan kitchen.
Described as a 'popular vegan and meat-free eatery' (Wanderlog) and hosted a dedicated Vegan Thanksgiving event (SmartShanghai), indicating a fully plant-based kitchen with no animal products on the premises.
Honest caveat, Venue appears to have permanently closed or relocated (multiple reviews in 2025 state 'These guys have moved and this is no longer here').
The restaurant is a vegetarian chain (Jujube Tree / Zao Zi Shu) that explicitly promotes 'smoke-free, alcohol-free, egg-free, and meat-free' dishes. Multiple HappyCow reviews from vegan diners confirm that staff repeatedly assured them 'everything's vegan - no dairy or eggs' and that the menu marks dishes that are vegetarian rather than vegan. The Shanghai government guide notes the founder is a well-known figure in the vegetarian community. While not formally accredited, the owner-led ethos and staff awareness suggest a strong structural commitment to vegan options.
The restaurant serves Buddhist-inspired vegetarian food, and a vegan diner's blog post describes their meal as 'vegan' and notes the food was 'delicious'. However, no source explicitly confirms the kitchen is 100% vegan (e.g., no honey, no dairy in all dishes). The restaurant is primarily known as vegetarian, and while likely vegan-friendly, the evidence is insufficient for a higher tier.
Other guides in Shanghai