My Top 6 Plant Based Vegan Restaurants, Fla., Updated

I have been dabbling in the vegan food scene for almost two years now. This year I sought out vegan restaurants in four South Florida counties from Miami to Stuart. I want to share my, "Top 7 Vegan Restaurant list," with you, ranked by location rather than likeability, because I liked all of the ones on this list. You can find more pictures on my Instagram page @helen.a.lockey.

Summer menu special, Coast 'N Reef Burger, Holi Vegan Kitchen
North Miami Beach, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Holi Vegan Kitchen
Established: 2012
Address: 3099 NE 163rd St, North Miami Beach, FL 33160

Phone: (786) 520-3120

Hours: Sun-Thurs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sat-Sun 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

What I ate: Summer menu item--Coast 'N Reef Burger ($12.95)

Coconut Burger, Green Bar & Kitchen,
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Green Bar & Kitchen 

Established: 2013

Address: 1075 SE 17^thSt, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33316

Phone: (954) 533-7507

Hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

What I ate: Coconut burger, plant protein battered in coconut shreds ($12)

Vegan Pumpkin Donut, Veg Eats Food,
Delray Beach, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A. Lockey

Veg Eats Foods 

Established: Nov 2018

Address: 335 E Linton Blvd, Suite B12, Delray Beach, FL 33483

Phone: (561) 562-6673

Hours: Closed Tues; Wed-Fri 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sun-Mon 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

What I ate: Pumpkin Donuts ($2.25 each) and Bonh Mi, not pictured ($12)

Vegan Mac & Cheese with Falafel,
The New Vegan Art Cafe, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

The New Vegan Art Cafe—West Palm Beach location

Established: Dec 2018

Address: 538 Northwood Rd, West Palm Beach, FL 33407

Phone: (561) 404-5301

Hours: Closed Tues.; Wed-Sun 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

What I ate: Mac & Cheese dinner with falafel ($14)

Raw vegan NYC roll, Christopher's Kitchen,
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Christopher’s Kitchen

Established: 2010

Address: On The Plaza at Midtown, 4783 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418

Phone: (561) 318-6191

Hours: Restaurant Mon-Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Juice Market: Mon-Sun 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

What I ate: Raw Vegan NYC roll ($17.25)

Vegan Black Bean Cheeseburger with vegan bacon,
Fruits & Roots Juice Bar & Vegan Cafe, Stuart, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Fruits & Roots, Juice Bar & Vegan Cafe 

Established: 2015

Address: 710 S Colorado Ave, Stuart, FL 34994

Phone: (772) 678-6627

Hours: Closed Sun; Mon-Sat 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

What I ate: Black Bean Cheeseburger with bacon ($10.50 for burger, $1 vegan cheese, $1.75 vegan bacon, made with tempeh)

Anytime is the perfect time to try healthy plant based vegan food. These restaurants will help you on your path to delicious good health. ENJOY.

Updated: Jan 2019

Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit Deliciousness

Orlando, Fla.--Colorful tasty produce abounded at the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit this year. The PMA is a trade organization that helps and represents companies from every sector of the global fresh produce supply chain and floral supply chain. Each year they put on a Fresh Summit to bring together their members and others, for a State of the Industry address, educational workshops, a charity run, and a two-day exposition.

Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

This year's exposition boasted over 1300 booths full of colors and innovations. Here are just a few, of the many companies, I interviewed: Blazeberries from Naturipe Farms Llc, South African Baby Pineapples from Melissa's Produce, and Organic easy opening coconuts from Genuine Coconut.

Blazeberries from Naturipe Farms Llc., Produce Marketing
Association's Fresh Summit, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Naturipe Farms Llc, established in 1917, is a grower-owned berry company that works with a lot of other berry farms. Their produce that stood out for me was Blazeberries. They are a variety of yellow raspberries that are blazed (tanned) by the sun into a mosaic of red, orange, and yellow hues. They have a very short season, said Fernando Aguilar of Naturipe, who added that the berries are grown for flavor.  You can buy their berries at Whole Foods and Costco.

Baby Pineapples from Melissa's Produce, Produce
Marketing Association Fresh Summit, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Melissa's Produce, established 2012, is a large U.S. distributor of specialty produce and foods processed from fresh produce. The California based company had such a colorful, expansive booth of items it was hard to chose just one because they had everything from long shelf life packaged quinoa to blackened garlic to a rainbow of dragon fruit to South African baby pineapples.

The South African baby pineapples were particularly interesting because they were so small, about the size of a large grapefruit. And all parts were edible except the skin and leaves. The booth representative said they were also very tasty and juicy. You can buy Melissa's Produce Baby Pineapples directly from their website, along with many other produce items.

Genuine Coconut's organic pop-top coconut, Produce
Marketing Association, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Genuine Coconut, certified organic raw coconut water from coconuts with a patented easy opening system.  The coconuts are sourced from an organic farm in Thailand. And the pop-top ring, used for opening the coconut, is made from recycled coconut husk fiber and resin. So all you have to do is open the pop-top ring on the coconut like you would a can of soda, and then insert a straw into the whole to drink.

The company has a "How To," YouTube, on their website showing how the whole system works.

Currently, to buy the coconuts directly from the Genuine Coconut's website you have to live in England, Wales and Scotland (not including the Scottish Highlands and islands).  Luckily, Melissa's Produce distributes them, under the title of Organic Drinking Coconuts, in the United States.

Choco Soleil Organic Chocolate Sourced From Ecuador

Miami Beach, Fla.--Choco Soleil organic chocolate sourced from Ecuador is delicious. "We have the plain bar, the 80 percent, very unique because it has a jute bag inside with actual cocoa beans inside, and you can open it and you can have a cocoa bean, and you can feel it, taste it, it's truly unique," Gabriel Carrera, Sales Executive for AOG Foods (the Canadian parent company), said during an interview at the 22nd Americas Food & Beverage Show. 

Choco Soleil Organic Chocolate, AOG Foods, 22 Americas Food & Beverage
Show, Miami Beach, Fla. Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Three styles of Choco Soleil chocolates were on display at the show; all were USDA certified organic, Fair Trade certified, bean-to-bar, single origin, and dark. All the bars had been on the market for just six months and were already being sold in all the major cities across Canada, according to Carrera. AOG Foods came to the Americas show to find Florida and United States distributors. 

Their two plain bars, with the highest percentage of cacao, came from just two specific areas of Ecuador: Esmeraldas and Manabí. "It gives us a really specific flavor to the chocolates," said Carrera.

The Manabí sourced bar, with 70 percent cacao, had more of a fruity flavor whereas the Esmeraldas, 80 percent, had more of a floral flavor. "This is more like the flavor of flowers because of the style of cocoa beans was sourced around flowers. It's truly unique, truly wonderful," said Carrera.

Choco Soleil Organic Chocolate, 65 percentage disc with fruit,
AOG Foods, 22nd Americas Food & Beverage Show,
Miami Beach, Fla., Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

The Choco Soleil line also had a 65 percentage chocolate, shaped into multiple wafer-like discs that were combined with exotic ingredients like banana, golden berry, cranberry and cocoa nibs & salt. 

"Everyone likes the products," said Carrera. 

AOG Foods had two other cacao brands: YAAL Ecuador, and GCP Gourmet Cacoa Products. 

They had many reasons for starting their company two years ago including selling dark chocolate for its health benefits but mainly it was about supporting local growers. “We saw we had connections with cocoa plantations and we wanted to do something different, unique, that represents Ecuador,” said Carrera.

To find out more about them you can go to:  www.AOGFoods.ca