Vegan Dining in Cathedral Hill: Saint Paul Neighborhood Guide (2026)

Cathedral Hill: Saint Paul's Vegan Anchor

Cathedral Hill is one of those Saint Paul neighborhoods where a single restaurant changes the entire calculus for visiting. The neighborhood itself is historically rich - Victorian-era homes, Selby Avenue's independent shops and bars, the Cathedral of Saint Paul at the top of Summit Avenue overlooking the city. But for plant-based diners, the reason to visit is J. Selby's, and J. Selby's alone would justify making the trip from anywhere in the Twin Cities.

This guide covers J. Selby's in depth, the neighborhood context around it, and the nearby Grand Avenue dining corridor in Summit-University where Shish Mediterranean and Everest on Grand extend the vegan-friendly options into a full Saint Paul food day.

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Vegan Quick Guide: Cathedral Hill and Grand Ave

Restaurant	Location	Best Vegan Pick	Price
J. Selby's	169 Victoria St N (Cathedral Hill)	Crunchwrap, lion's mane wings, Frostbite shake	$$
Shish Mediterranean	1668 Grand Ave (Summit-University)	Falafel plate, roasted veggie bowl	$$
Everest on Grand	1278 Grand Ave (Summit-University)	Vegetable momos, thukpa, jackfruit katahar	$$

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J. Selby's - The Twin Cities' Vegan Comfort Food Institution

169 Victoria St N, Cathedral Hill, Saint Paul | $$ | 100% Vegan Closed Monday and Tuesday Wednesday - Sunday: lunch and dinner Weekend brunch: Saturday and Sunday

If there is one restaurant in the entire Twin Cities that represents what vegan food has become - indulgent, convincing, fun, and unapologetically comfortable - it is J. Selby's.

The restaurant opened in Saint Paul's Cathedral Hill neighborhood and became, over time, something rare: a fully vegan comfort food destination that draws as many curious omnivores and skeptics as it does committed plant-based regulars. The menu reads like a greatest hits of American fast food and diner classics - Crunchwraps, burgers, wings, shakes, burritos, carrot cake - completely reimagined with zero animal products. The execution is consistently excellent, which is why reviews calling it "indulgent" and "the OG of Twin Cities vegan comfort food" have held up for years.

J. Selby's is also the restaurant that skeptics take their skeptical friends to. The food is convincing enough that the "but is it actually good?" question becomes irrelevant after the first few bites.

What to Order at J. Selby's (Everything is Vegan)

The Crunchwrap - The menu anchor. Vegan taco meat in a grilled flour tortilla, pressed and loaded with the right balance of textures and heat. It is the item that appears in every first-timer review and in every regular's order for good reason: the execution is consistent and the dish is genuinely satisfying on its own terms. Get this first.

Lion's Mane Mushroom Wings - Crispy fried lion's mane mushrooms that earn the "wings" comparison honestly. The natural texture of lion's mane mushroom crisps up in a way that most plant-based wing preparations fail to achieve. These are the best bar snack on the menu. Order them as a starter or alongside a main.

The Dirty Double Burger - Stacked, sauced, and built to be eaten without worrying about how you look doing it. The kind of vegan burger that makes a convincing case for not needing meat - not because it tastes identical to beef but because it is a very good burger on its own terms.

Frostbite Shakes - Thick dairy-free milkshakes with mix-ins including cookie dough, Oreo, and rotating seasonal flavors. These are genuinely good milkshakes - not thin, not watery, not "for being vegan." Just good milkshakes that happen to contain no dairy.

Weekend Brunch - Saturday and Sunday brunch at J. Selby's features bottomless mimosas, hearty breakfast burritos, French toast, and vegan scrambles. The brunch menu is a full expression of the kitchen's comfort food philosophy and regularly draws a wait at peak hours (10am to noon). Arriving before 10am or after 1pm significantly reduces the line.

Carrot Cake - The dessert to order. Rich, layered, properly frosted. Multiple reviews single it out specifically. If you have any room left after your main, order the carrot cake.

The vibe: Casual, fun, and completely unpretentious. J. Selby's does not perform plant-based cooking - it just makes excellent food that happens to use no animal products. Mixed groups (vegan and omnivore) consistently do well here because the food is convincing enough that nobody feels like they are compromising.

What to know: No reservations. Weekend brunch draws real waits - the restaurant is genuinely popular. Weekday lunch and dinner are significantly easier to walk into. Street parking only on Victoria St N and surrounding blocks. No dedicated parking lot.

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Grand Avenue: What's Nearby in Summit-University

Cathedral Hill sits directly north of the Grand Avenue dining corridor in Summit-University - a stretch of independent restaurants, cafes, and shops that runs west along Grand Avenue from the Cathedral of Saint Paul. Two spots on Grand Avenue are worth adding to a Cathedral Hill vegan day.

Shish Mediterranean - Grand Avenue Falafel

1668 Grand Ave, Summit-University | $$ Monday - Sunday: 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Shish Mediterranean has been serving the Grand Avenue neighborhood with Middle Eastern food for years. For plant-based diners the menu is naturally well-suited: most Mediterranean cuisine is vegetarian-first, with many dishes vegan by default.

The falafel at Shish is made in-house - crispy outside, fluffy and well-spiced inside. The hummus gets a "fancy" version topped with fried chickpeas and a drizzle of olive oil that elevates the standard preparation. The roasted veggie bowl (zucchini, squash, cauliflower, chickpeas over saffron rice) is one of the better vegan lunch options on Grand Ave.

What to order (vegan): Falafel plate with hummus, tabbouleh, and pita. Roasted veggie bowl for a more substantial lunch. Fancy hummus appetizer. Lentil soup. Baba ganoush. The falafel and hummus are confirmed vegan; for the veggie bowl dressing, ask the server to confirm it is oil-based rather than yogurt-based.

Shish opens at 8am, which makes it a viable morning stop or a post-J. Selby's afternoon plate at any point in the day.

Everest on Grand - Nepali Dumplings and Tibetan Noodles

1278 Grand Ave, Summit-University | $$ Monday - Sunday: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM (11:30 AM start on weekends)

Everest on Grand sits at the south end of the Grand Ave corridor and spans three culinary traditions: Indian, Nepali, and Tibetan. The overlap between these cuisines creates a menu with extensive vegetarian options, and the kitchen handles plant-based requests cleanly.

The vegetable momos are the reason to go. Steamed dumplings - thin dough, hand-pinched, stuffed with spiced cabbage and ginger - served with a tomato achar dipping sauce. They are among the best plant-based dumplings in the Twin Cities. Order two rounds.

The katahar is a Nepali specialty worth trying: young jackfruit buds cooked with potatoes and spices. It is one of those dishes that does not appear on many Minneapolis-Saint Paul menus, and Everest does it well. The vegetable thukpa (Tibetan noodle soup with snap peas in a warming broth) is a distinctive dish that makes the Tibetan tradition approachable.

What to order (vegan): Vegetable momos (the anchor - order these every time), katahar if available, vegetable thukpa, any vegetable curry with naan or roti. Confirm "no ghee" for fully vegan preparations on curries and dal dishes. The kitchen handles this cleanly.

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Cathedral Hill Beyond the Food

The neighborhood has context worth spending time in.

The Cathedral of Saint Paul at 239 Selby Ave anchors the neighborhood and gives it its name. The cathedral sits at the head of Summit Avenue - one of the longest Victorian residential boulevards in the country, lined with historic mansions and connected to the Mississippi River gorge via walking paths.

Selby Avenue is the neighborhood's commercial corridor - independent shops, bars, and cafes at a distinctly Saint Paul scale. Less dense than Minneapolis's Uptown, more neighborhood-scale, and genuinely walkable from J. Selby's.

A good loop: J. Selby's for lunch or brunch, then walk south to Grand Avenue for Shish Mediterranean or Everest on Grand, then back north along Selby Avenue with a stop at the Cathedral viewpoint.

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Getting to Cathedral Hill

By transit: Metro Transit Route 63 runs along Selby Avenue from downtown Saint Paul through Cathedral Hill. The Green Line connects downtown Saint Paul from Minneapolis with bus connections from there.

By bike: Downtown Saint Paul to J. Selby's is under 15 minutes by bike on primarily flat terrain.

By car: Street parking on Victoria St N and surrounding blocks. The area is residential and parking is generally available except during weekend brunch peak hours (10am to noon).

From Minneapolis: A 15-20 minute drive via I-94 or a direct Green Line plus Route 63 bus connection.

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Practical Tips for Visiting Cathedral Hill

Arrive early or late for weekend brunch at J. Selby's. Before 10am or after 1pm is the sweet spot. The 10am to noon window is when the wait is longest.

J. Selby's is closed Monday and Tuesday. Plan for Wednesday through Sunday.

Grand Avenue extends further than the two restaurants listed here. The Summit-University stretch of Grand Ave has many additional independent shops, cafes, and restaurants. Treat it as a walkable browsing district, not just a destination stop.

Combine with the broader Saint Paul vegan scene. The Saint Paul vegan guide covers the full Twin Cities plant-based picture. Cathedral Hill and Grand Avenue are a strong cluster within a larger scene that extends into Frogtown, Summit-University, and across the river.