Hive Mixed Green Salad
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Vegan Restaurants in Berks County

Updated: October 1, 2025

It’s never been easier to be vegan in Berks County. WIth vegan cafes and meatless options at some of the area’s best restaurants, Berks County is vegan-friendly. Check out our list of vegan restaurants in Berks County:

Vegan Restaurants

basket with three pulled jackfruit tacos topped with coleslaw from Clean Plates

Clean Plates Cafe & Juice Bar
Reading

Located inside the Downtown Reading Food Court at Sixth and Washington Streets, Clean Plates is the newest vegan option in Berks County. The cafe serves breakfast and lunch, including bagels, cauliflower wings, pitas and quesadillas along with acai bowls, juices and rotating specials.

Clean Plates Review
Vegetarian Mango Chicken from Chen Vegetarian House

Chen Vegetarian House
West Reading

Chen Vegetarian House has been serving vegan versions of Asian food staples since 2013. In addition to fried rice and Thai curries, Chen offers meatless takes on General Tso’s chicken, orange beef, and teriyaki duck. Pair your meal with a delicious juice or smoothie. 

Chen Vegetarian House Review
acai bowl with strawberry and banana from Cup of Joy

Cup of Joy
Kutztown

Smoothies and bowls are the stars at Cup of Joy in Kutztown. The cafe focuses on foods that are organic, gluten free, and vegan and vegetarian friendly – with no sugars added. A limited menu of toasts and sandwiches is also available.

Cup of Joy Review
Hive Queen Bee Smoothie

HIVE
Kutztown

HIVE Local Food is a vegan outpost in Kutztown serving lunch every Friday and Saturday. Get a HIVE Burger and a Bigfoot Milkshake (made with oat milk ice cream) or try a noodle bowl, salad or vegan cheesesteak. 

HIVE Review
white building with Charlotte Street painted in red and Coffee Roasters painted in black with a cartoon coffee mug walking

Charlotte Street Coffee Company
Boyertown

The Pottstown-based Charlotte Street Coffee Company expanded to Boyertown in 2023, bringing their vegan pastries with them. Stop in for a cup of coffee or tea, and treat yourself to a muffin, bagel, or donut.

Food4All Cafe
Alsace Township

The Kula Kamala Foundation is home to the Food4All Cafe, a pay-what-you-can eatery that is open for Sunday brunch weekly and on the first Saturday of every month. According the Foundation’s website, the meals served by the Cafe “are predominantly vegan, whole food based, organic when possible, always gluten free.”

Bapanada
Reading

Empanadas are on the menu at Bapanada, a locally owned and operated ghost kitchen and caterer in Reading. Enjoy empanadas, both sweet and savory, with vegan cheese, fresh vegetables, and plant-based meat substitutes. Delivery available through DoorDash.

Firefly Forest Bakehouse

Though the Firefly Cafe is now closed, the business continues through the Firefly Forest Bakehouse. Find them at the West Reading Farmers Market, along with other regional markets and pop-ups for vegan baked goods, take-and-bake meals, and hot items.

Vegetarian and Vegan-Friendly Options

You’ll find many restaurants in Berks County that may have one or two plant-based options, but the following retaurants, though not fully vegan, have some of the largest selections of vegan and vegetarian menu items.

rice and lentils with side of baba ghanouj from Aladdin Restaurant

Aladdin Restaurant
West Reading

Specializing in Mediterranean cuisine, Aladdin Restaurant in West Reading has a vegetarian section on the menu which includes dishes like moujadara, rice and lentils cooked with onions and spices served with a fattoush salad, hummus, or baba ghannouj.

Aladdin Review
Flatbread sandwich with spinach, avocado and tomato

Andy Pepper’s
Oley

One of our favorite restaurants in Berks County, Andy Pepper’s is also one of the most vegan-friendly. The regular menu includes options like oatmeal pancakes and the Grateful Egg (vegan sausage, egg and cheese bagel). You can also customize most sandwiches to meatless versions with vegan alternatives to chicken, bacon, burgers, sausage, cheese and mayo. 

veggie wrap with dollop of hummus and sliced cucumbers and carrots from Farmhouse Kitchen

Farmhouse Kitchen
West Reading

The Farmhouse Kitchen, West Reading’s farm-to-table cafe, is also a great option for vegan dining. Menu options include baked oatmeal, parfaits with dairy-free yogurt, wraps, salads, hummus and bowls. 

sign on a brick building that reads "Jimmie Kramer's Peanut Bar" with an image of an anamorphic peanut

Jimmie Kramer’s Peanut Bar
Reading

While not widely advertised, Jimmie Kramer’s Peanut Bar has a special vegan features menu including made-to-order vegetable lasagna (and other pasta options), portobello steak, and vegan burgers.

Rangoli Indian Street Food Samosas

Rangoli Indian Street Food
Shillington

While Rangoli does have meat dishes on the menu, the Shillington restaurant has an extensive selection of vegan dishes like chana masala or spinach dal. Pair it with a vegan chai.

You can also find vegan and vegetarian options at Berks County’s other Indian restaurants: Himalayan Bistro in Reading, Laxmi’s Indian Grille in Wyomissing, Nirvana Indian Kitchen in Wyomissing, and Simran Indian Cuisine in Kutztown.

sign over a strip mall space reading "Thaiwat Thai Restaurant"

Thaiwat
Wyomissing

Thaiwat offers tofu and mixed vegetables as an option for all of its curries and entrees. This is in addition to salads and vegetarian appetizers, like edamame, deep fried tofu, and chive dumplings.

Do you have a favorite vegan spot in Berks County? Let me know who to add to the list by emailing zach@berkscountyeats.com.

More Vegan Food in Berks County

Dining Guides
1787 Brewing Company Vegan Black Bean Burger
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Review: 1787 Brewing Company

Two empty kegs in front of the outdoor seating area at 1787 Brewing Company

I’m sure I’ve said this before on the blog, but one thing everyone should know about me is that I love bar food. The only problem is, I don’t drink beer.

Because of that, I always feel a little awkward going to bars, especially microbreweries where most of the people coming in are coming for the craft brews.

L-shaped bar with 10 taps inside 1787 Brewing Company

Oftentimes, my love of food wins out, which is what happened on a recent visit to 1787 Brewing Company in Hamburg.

1787 opened in May 2018 in the former Miller’s 5 & 10 in downtown Hamburg. The old-time general store was a fixture along Fourth Street in the borough’s business district until it closed in 2015.

Dining area with a long table for 10 beneath a vintage auto sales sign inside 1787 Brewing Company

The name 1787 Brewing Company comes from the year the borough was founded, so it’s only right that it now takes up a historic building in the heart of town.

brewery vats inside 1787 Brewing Company

Julie and I were amazed by how deep the building actually is. The front bar is fairly large, but it opens into a larger dining room overlooking the brewing vats. Throughout the dining room there were nods to Hamburg’s history, including old signs from local businesses new and old, including Spokes Bike Shop, Schlenger Motors and the Windsor Press.

The food menu is certainly not robust, but it is well-curated, featuring a mix of burgers, sandwiches and flatbreads.

In addition, 1787 Brewing Company offers weekly specials. That’s where I found the honey ham flatbread.

1787 Brewing Company Honey Ham Flatbread

It was topped with ricotta, shaved ham, fig puree and cranberries, and it looked beautiful when it arrived with bubbly, slightly darkened cheese.

1787 Brewing Company Honey Ham Flatbread

And it tasted as good as I had imagined – a wonderful sweet and salty blend that was hearty and savory. The ham was (mostly) under the cheese which kept it from getting burnt. The fig puree ensured every bite had a note of sweetness, but the bites with the cranberries were the best. I look forward to trying more flatbreads from 1787 in the future.

Among the main menu selections are two “dietary accommodations.” One veggie burger with cheese and one vegan black bean burger. The latter was Julie’s selection.

1787 Brewing Company Vegan Black Bean Burger

The black bean burger was topped with guacamole, salsa, romaine and red onion on a sweet potato bun.

Black bean burgers are a mixed bag. They are flavorful in a very different way from meat, but they don’t hold their shape very well. The patty was definitely soft and started to fall apart, but it had a great flavor, especially with the salsa and guac to complement it. The sweet potato bun was also very good and would be a great addition to any burger.

1787 Brewing Company Vegan Black Bean Burger

Neither of us are vegans, but we would definitely order it again.

On the side, Julie upgraded her chips to fries. They were thin-cut and fried to a dark brown, but not burnt. They were a nice side to complete a good meal.

Looking at the restaurant’s website, I knew 1787 had a kids menu, but I had no idea how accommodating they would be. Not only did they have ample high chairs, they offered us a choice of crayons or Play-Doh for our little 15-month-old.

1787 Brewing Company Chicken Fingers

Unfortunately Jakob was more interested in eating the crayons than the chicken fingers from his kids meal. I ended up eating some while we were there – not bad, but they were pretty basic (they are all-natural from Bell and Evans so that’s a definite plus). We took most of it home and Jakob did enjoy the leftovers, without the distractions of the restaurant.

We didn’t order beer – trust me, you wouldn’t want me reviewing beer anyway – but we did order a couple drinks: iced tea for me, soda for Julie. Along with our food, that brought our total bill to a little more than $35.

Truth be told, if Jakob had been more settled, we would have splurged on dessert. Lava cake, specifically.

But that will have to wait for another time. And there will be another time because at 1787 Brewing Company, the food is definitely worth it, whether you are a beer drinker or not.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Service: Excellent
Price: Very Reasonable

1787 Brewing Company
43 S. Fourth St
Hamburg, PA 19526

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Hive Red Thai Chili Bowl
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Review: HIVE Local Food

blue door on a tan building with an unlit neon sign that reads "Hive with five hexagons

Some restaurants serve a very specific niche. They identify and fill a need for the community around them.

In a college town like Kutztown, there are students from all walks of life. Along Main Street, there are what feels like an endless number of restaurants that are casting a wide net – pizza and bar food that appeal to a wide range of students and locals, alike.

But then there are places like Hive, a local organic farm-to-table cafe.

chalkboard with the words "Welcome to Hive Cafe Support Local and eat real food"

The appeal for Hive is that it doesn’t have mass appeal. It’s tucked away along Sacony Alley, only one street off Main Street, but it feels like a mile away. The alley is quiet. Instead of storefronts, it’s dominated by the backyards – or back parking lots – of homes and businesses.

The “front door” for Hive looks more like the backdoor to a warehouse. Essentially, it is. The space that houses the cafe is repurposed industrial – a large room that would otherwise be very sterile and cold if not for the vibrant metal tables and chairs, the beautifully drawn menu signs, and the shelves of organic produce.

dining room in Hive Kutztown featuring orange metal tables with matching stools

It was a quiet Sunday, just after 12 noon when we arrived. There was just one table in use. We claimed the other four-person table and brought over a high chair for Jakob before placing our order at the counter.

Hive’s menu – full of vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian options, all organic – expands on Sundays, when additional brunch items supplement the regular lunch menu.

I ordered the heaviest out of the three of us – opting for both a noodle bowl and a smoothie.

Hive Red Thai Chili Bowl with bean sprouts and zucchini noodles

My fin sùt sùt red Thai curry featured rice noodles, spiraled zucchini, carrots, kale, cilantro, lime wedges and scallions in a Thai curry sauce.

Like a pho noodle bowl, the sauce was a thin broth. Rather than a soup with vegetables cooked in the broth, many of the vegetables were placed on top of the noodle bed – the carrots added raw and uncooked.

The broth was definitely kicking, spicy enough to clear out my sinuses but not too spicy that I couldn’t enjoy the dish. This is where most of the flavor came from as rice noodles are rather plain on their own. Aside from the broth, it was a bowl of individual flavors, but I enjoyed it throughout.

pink colored smoothie next to a bowl of noodles

I was also glad to have the smoothie to ease the heat – especially because the one glass of spring water – though served in a very cool beaker – didn’t last very long.

It was the “Queen Bee,”  a strawberry banana smoothie with almond milk and bee pollen. I was a fan. It was sweet, but not overly sweet. It definitely helped cool down my burning mouth as well.

grilled cheese sandwich on a metal tray

For her meal, Julie went with the smoked mozzarella and mushroom panini. It was served on a locally made ciabatta bread. It was simple, but delicious. The smoky flavor of the cheese really shined through. And the mushrooms made for a nice, flavorful filler.

small mixed green salad with a cup of dressing

Her sandwich came with a mixed green salad that was served as an appetizer.  It featured spring mix, beets, carrots and a strong, but enjoyable, balsamic dressing. The carrots were raw and cut thick so they were a little more challenging, but the beets added a nice note to the salad. And everything tasted like it came right out of the garden that day.

Hive offers two kids items – a grilled cheese and the a PB&J. We ordered the grilled cheese because it’s something we know he has eaten at daycare. But I can tell you, they don’t serve it like this at daycare.

grilled cheese sandwich and a banana on a metal tray

The grilled cheese featured a sharp cheddar that was bright orange and full of flavor. And the wheat bread from Daily Loaf Bakery was delicious, especially toasted as it was. Jakob (and mommy and daddy) thoroughly enjoyed it. He finished half of it at the restaurant. The other half went home in a box with the banana that was served as a side (he also got a juice box with his kids meal).

A lot of times, “organic” is synonymous with “pricey,” but I thought our meal was very reasonable. For a noodle bowl, panini, smoothie and a kids meal, we paid just under $40. I would pay that again for our meal.

Hive serves a specific niche, sure, but the food is definitely good enough to expand the customer base. Yes, the cafe specializes in vegan, vegetarian and organic foods. But it’s a cafe first.

And it’s a good one at that.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Fair
Price: Reasonable

Hive
236 W. Sacony Alley
Kutztown, PA 19530

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