TL;DR
The Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge runs August 1-31, 2026 - organized by Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA). 28 restaurants across the metro are each serving a special plant-based dish all month. Try dishes, rate them via Google Form, and post on social media (tag @exploreveg) to enter weekly gift card drawings. Standout dishes include Golden Chow Mein's Kung Pao Cola Tofu, The Copper Hen's Jamaican Curried Lentil Pierogis, and Tori Ramen's Korean BBQ Mushroom Ssam. Full details at caa.mn/twin-cities-vegan-chef-challenge.
August Is the Best Month to Eat Vegan in the Twin Cities
It is back. The Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge - the annual month-long competition where restaurants across the metro put their best plant-based dishes on the menu for diners to try, rate, and argue about - kicks off August 1, 2026.
This year: 28 participating restaurants. Special dishes running all month. Weekly gift card drawings. A leaderboard. And enough variety to keep you busy every weekend in August.
Here is everything you need to know.
How the Challenge Works
The structure is simple, which is why it has worked since 2019.
For restaurants: Each participating restaurant creates one new 100% plant-based dish - no meat, no dairy, no eggs - and serves it as a special throughout August. Some of these become permanent menu items after August ends.
For diners: Visit any participating restaurant, try their challenge dish, and rate it via the official Google Form at caa.mn/twin-cities-vegan-chef-challenge. You can visit as many restaurants as you want - each visit earns a vote.
For prize seekers: Two ways to win gift cards this August:
- Rate dishes via the Google Form - weekly winners are drawn from submissions
- Post publicly on Instagram or Facebook tagging @exploreveg - each public post (not 24-hour stories) enters you in weekly drawings
- Bonus: the first account to tag @exploreveg for five unique challenge meals wins a restaurant gift card outright
The big prize: The restaurant with the highest rating at the end of August wins the Most Votes Award - and bragging rights that carry real weight in the Twin Cities restaurant community.
The 2026 Participating Restaurants (Full List)
28 restaurants across the metro, with the dish they are serving this August:
Minneapolis
| Restaurant | Dish |
|---|---|
| Barbette | Roasted Garlic Linguine |
| Black Duck | Silesian Dumplings with Coconut Milk |
| Book Club | Tofu Chow Mei Fun |
| Channa Trinidadian Kitchen | Doubles |
| The Copper Hen | Jamaican Curried Lentil Pierogis |
| Food on the Fly | Bulgogi Plate |
| Gardens of Salonica | Greek Savory Watermelon & Grape Tomato Salad |
| Gatherings Cafe | Wild Harvest Taco |
| Gigi's Cafe | TBD |
| Hard Times Cafe | Kimchi Tteokbokki |
| Heal MPLS | Sushi Bae Bowl |
| The Howe Daily Kitchen & Bar | Vegan Style Poutine |
| Lutunji's Palate | Chorizo Fries |
| Namaste Cafe | Golden Schnitzel with Spicy Masala Cream |
| Pat's Tap | Fried Tofu Sandwich |
| Reverie Cafe + Bar | Parsnip Confit |
| Sawatdee Thai Restaurant | Gaeng Som (Thai Sour Curry) |
| Stanley's NE Bar Room | Crispy Cauliflower Chimichurri Tacos |
| Stonegarden Mpls | TBD |
Saint Paul
| Restaurant | Dish |
|---|---|
| Crasqui Restaurant | Arepas Chaguaramos |
| Golden Chow Mein | KPCT (Kung Pao Cola Tofu) |
| Sawatdee Thai Restaurant | Gaeng Som (Thai Sour Curry) |
| Tori Ramen | Korean BBQ Mushroom Ssam |
Twin Cities Metro
| Restaurant | Location | Dish |
|---|---|---|
| The Block Food + Drink | St Louis Park | Seitan Birria Tacos |
| The Block Food + Drink | Rogers | Vietnamese Lemongrass Bahn Mi |
| Duke's on 7 | Minnetonka | Korean BBQ Bowl |
| Pub 819 | Hopkins | Sesame Chickpeas |
| Starling | Edina | Harissa Marinated Tofu Enchiladas |
| Vivi's Bubble Tea | Apple Valley | Spicy Saigon Bahn Mi |
| WELLS Roadside | St Louis Park | Pretzel Jack Stack |
Full list with locations and any updates: caa.mn/twin-cities-vegan-chef-challenge
Dishes We Are Most Excited About
A few that stand out from the list:
Golden Chow Mein's KPCT (Kung Pao Cola Tofu) - Golden Chow Mein in Saint Paul is one of the best plant-based Chinese spots in the metro. A Cola-marinated tofu dish is the kind of unexpected move that can win a challenge.
The Copper Hen's Jamaican Curried Lentil Pierogis - This combination should not work on paper. Pierogis. Jamaican curry. Lentils. It absolutely will work.
Tori Ramen's Korean BBQ Mushroom Ssam - Tori Ramen does exceptional things with mushrooms. A Korean BBQ mushroom ssam (wrapped bites) is a creative format that plays to their strengths.
Channa Trinidadian Kitchen's Doubles - If you have not had doubles - two fried bara flatbreads stacked with curried chickpeas and chutney - this is a great introduction. Doubles are already vegan by tradition.
Stanley's NE's Crispy Cauliflower Chimichurri Tacos - Stanley's Northeast is a neighborhood bar. Crispy cauliflower chimichurri tacos is a legitimate move from a kitchen that does not have to try this hard.
Hard Times Cafe's Kimchi Tteokbokki - Hard Times is a Minneapolis institution with deep vegan credibility. Korean-inspired tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) is a natural direction for their kitchen.
Why Non-Vegan Restaurants Make the Most Interesting Dishes
Here is the counterintuitive thing about the Vegan Chef Challenge: some of the most memorable dishes come from restaurants that are not primarily vegan.
When a dedicated vegan restaurant creates a challenge dish, they are extending existing expertise. When a neighborhood bar or a French bistro or a ramen shop has to create a plant-based dish from scratch, something different happens. Chefs who have not worked within vegan constraints before face a creative problem they cannot solve the usual way.
Some of them fail interestingly. Some discover combinations they keep on the menu permanently. And occasionally - more often than you would expect - they create something genuinely better than what they would have made with animal products.
The challenge has been running since 2019. Dishes created for August competition have become year-round staples at several Twin Cities restaurants.
How to Make the Most of August
Plan routes by neighborhood. Group visits to save time: Northeast Minneapolis has Stanley's, Food on the Fly, and Gatherings Cafe within range. South Minneapolis clusters Hard Times, Namaste Cafe, Pat's Tap, and Lutunji's Palate. Saint Paul has Golden Chow Mein, Tori Ramen, and Crasqui.
Go in the first two weeks. Restaurants run challenge dishes all month, but early visits mean fresher ingredient batches and more time to revisit favorites if you want to vote twice.
Bring people. Split dishes, debate ratings, develop strong opinions. This is a genuinely fun group activity - one of the few food events in Minneapolis structured around collaborative eating.
Post publicly for the bonus prize. Tag @exploreveg on Instagram or Facebook (not in stories - public posts only). Five unique meals tagged = automatic gift card win.
Dates & Details
- Voting opens: August 1, 2026
- Voting closes: End of day, August 31, 2026
- How to vote: Google Form at caa.mn/twin-cities-vegan-chef-challenge
- Prize drawings: Weekly throughout August (via Google Form ratings and social posts)
- Social: Tag @exploreveg on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok
The Connection to TC Veg Fest
The Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge is the lead-up event to Twin Cities Veg Fest, CAA's flagship free festival in September. The winner announcement at Veg Fest creates a satisfying feedback loop - you spend August trying dishes and voting, then attend Veg Fest to see who won, surrounded by thousands of other plant-based food enthusiasts.
Together, August and September are the best two months of the year to explore vegan dining in the Twin Cities.
For broader Twin Cities vegan dining context, see the Best Vegan Restaurants Minneapolis 2026 guide and the vegan happy hour Minneapolis roundup for evening plans around your challenge visits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge 2026?
The Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge is an annual August competition organized by Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA) where 28 restaurants across the Twin Cities metro create special 100% plant-based dishes. Diners try the dishes, rate them via Google Form, and vote for their favorites. The competition runs August 1-31, 2026. It's one of the largest vegan dining events in the Midwest and a great excuse to eat your way across the metro.
How do I vote in the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge 2026?
After trying a challenge dish at any participating restaurant, rate it using the official Google Form linked at caa.mn/twin-cities-vegan-chef-challenge. You can vote for multiple restaurants - each visit counts. Voting is open August 1-31, 2026. The restaurant with the highest rating wins the Most Votes Award.
How do I enter the prize drawings for the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge?
Two ways to win: 1) Rate dishes via the Google Form to enter weekly winner drawings. 2) Post publicly on Instagram or Facebook tagging @exploreveg with your challenge dish photos - each public post (not 24-hour stories) enters you in weekly gift card drawings. Bonus: the first account to publicly tag @exploreveg for five unique challenge meals wins a restaurant gift card outright.
Which restaurants are participating in the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge 2026?
28 restaurants are participating in 2026, including: Barbette (Roasted Garlic Linguine), Golden Chow Mein (Kung Pao Cola Tofu), The Copper Hen (Jamaican Curried Lentil Pierogis), Tori Ramen (Korean BBQ Mushroom Ssam), Hard Times Cafe (Kimchi Tteokbokki), Stanley's NE (Crispy Cauliflower Chimichurri Tacos), Channa Trinidadian Kitchen (Doubles), Gatherings Cafe (Wild Harvest Taco), and more. See the full list at caa.mn/twin-cities-vegan-chef-challenge.
Who organizes the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge?
The Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge is organized by Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA), a Minneapolis-based animal advocacy nonprofit. Follow @exploreveg on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for updates. Full details at caa.mn/twin-cities-vegan-chef-challenge.