Every year, PETA publishes a global list of the most vegan-friendly cities, and on June 6, 2025, they also released their U.S.-only rankings. Chicago claimed the No. 1 spot, thanks to its flourishing vegan scene, including options at traditionally non-vegan restaurants.
Highlights
- Chicago has been ranked the most vegan-friendly city in the U.S. by PETA.
- Though famous for meat and dairy staples, many Chicago restaurants now offer vegan versions of their bestsellers.
- Other cities on the list include New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Charlotte, and more.
Chicago’s Vegan Food Scene
Chicago is known for its hot dogs, Italian beef, cheeseburgers, and more. Despite this, PETA has announced that it is the country’s most vegan-friendly city. PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement, “America’s former meatpacking capital is now a paradise for vegan eating with an abundance of animal-friendly restaurants.”
PETA organized the distribution of free slices of vegan pizza outside City Hall at noon on June 6 from the renowned Kitchen 17 near Avondale. Kitchen 17 is known for offering pizza with seitan pepperoni, in-house vegan cheese, and soy sausage.
Other local restaurants highlighted on the list are Soul Veg City in Greater Chatham for its meat-free “Chicago-Style Frank” and the seitan “Radical Reuben” by the Chicago Diner in Logan Square and Lake View.
The Italian Beef chain Buona, popularized by the hit TV show “The Bear,” also offers an Italian Beefless Sandwich. Another is the dairy-free cheddar broccoli soup at Kale My Name near Albany Park. The non-dairy cheesecakes at Alice & Friends’ Vegan Kitchen in Edgewater, the plant-based meatball sub at Native Foods in the Loop, the oat milk ice cream at Runaway Cow situated in Bridgeport, and the Soy Al Pastor tacos at Penelope’s Vegan Taqueria in Andersonville at Pilsen and River North.
About PETA’s Mission
PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is an animal rights organization established in 1980 with over 9 million members. The organization stands against speciesism, a worldview that places humans at the top of the ecosystem. PETA provides public education and offers investigative news, reports, and research to help further the cause. Moreover, it works towards animal rescue and holds events and celebrity campaigns to help spread awareness.
Over the past decade, Chicago has welcomed a growing number of Black-owned vegan eateries. Other U.S. cities in PETA’s Top 10 include Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Denver, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
