Two trailblazing restaurants close in the Bay Area

Vegans and vegetarians just lost two more meat-free dining options in the Bay Area: Souley Vegan in Oakland’s Jack London Square and VeganBurg on San Francisco’s Haight Street, both of which have permanently shuttered after 14 and 9 years in business, respectively.

Souley Vegan, a popular restaurant featured on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” and known for its plant-based takes on Louisiana-style soul food from fried seitan and waffles to cashew mac and cheese, permanently shuttered on October 19, chef Tamearra Dyson confirmed in a statement on the restaurant’s website.

In the statement, Dyson said that when Souley Vegan opened in 2009 with a dream and $30 in the cash register,  “the idea behind it was to offer a delicious, safe and joyful experience for patrons of different backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures.” It was one of the first vegan soul food restaurants in the Bay Area, and helped popularize the cuisine in the region at a time when it wasn’t widely embraced; people considered Dyson’s dishes to be “an oxymoron” and they even “got some laughs,” she told SFGATE in a 2020 interview.  But the community came around, and the restaurant put Oakland on the map as one of the top vegan cities in the country, per Eater.

Souley Vegan eventually expanded with ghost kitchen outlets in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, both of which have since closed as the restaurant launched a GoFundMe campaign in August, citing financial challenges that mounted during the pandemic. 

“It took some time, but due to various factors, with the major one being escalated crime in the area, I have decided to close my beloved Oakland location and pursue my dreams for Souley Vegan in other areas,” Dyson wrote in a statement. She plans to announce the reopening on Souley Vegan’s social media pages. 

Meanwhile, VeganBurg, a Singaporean fast food chain founded in 2009 and endorsed by celebrities from Paul McCartney to Belinda Carlisle for its vegan burgers, fries and shakes, announced its Sunday closure in a sign posted to its front doors. “It was with the highest appreciation and knowing that only the greatest achievements and master lessons are gained through temporary set-backs,” the sign read. “We have been honored to serve you for 9 amazing years and we look forward to serving you again in our other locations.” 

No further explanation was provided; SFGATE attempted to reach the restaurant but did not get a response by time of publication. VeganBurg touts itself as “the world’s first 100% plant-based burger joint” and the San Francisco outpost was its only restaurant in California. Two locations currently remain in Singapore, per VeganBurg’s website.

The news follows the recent closures of Gracias Madre, which operated in the Mission District for 14 years, as well as Vegan Mob’s original location in Oakland. However, the cult favorite run by Toriano Gordon opened two new restaurants in San Francisco and Santa Rosa earlier this month, and the chef is about to release a cookbook that’s available for presale through Penguin Random House. Frozen versions of its most popular dishes will also be available at Safeway and Whole Foods in early 2024.   

SFGATE’s senior food reporter Madeline Wells contributed to this report.