Vegan Restaurants in New Haven, Connecticut: Food & Brunch Guide

Caribbean Style Vegan — also known as Ninth Square Market Too Caribbean Style — is New Haven’s dedicated vegan Caribbean stop. Combo plates rotate through jerk tofu, curried chickpeas, rice and peas, greens, cabbage, plantains and other home-style dishes.

Before you orderCurrent sources disagree on whether Tuesday service is active every week, while Wednesday through Saturday is consistently listed. Check the restaurant’s current social/ordering page before a Tuesday trip. The counter-service format is especially suited to takeaway.

Highlights: A fully vegan Caribbean food bar with hearty combo plates and clearly plant-based comfort food.

Claire’s Corner Copia is a New Haven institution: a vegetarian restaurant operating since 1975 with extensive vegan alternatives across breakfast, lunch, dinner and its in-house bakery.

How to order veganUse the ingredient icons and ask for the vegan alternative where offered. Eggs and dairy are part of the regular vegetarian menu, so do not assume every plant-forward dish is vegan. Breakfast is cooked to order and served until noon.

Highlights: A historic downtown vegetarian restaurant with vegan croissants, vegan French toast, tofu scramble and vegan versions of several mains.

Edge of the Woods combines a natural-foods market with a vegetarian deli, hot bar and sandwich counter. Current menus show numerous vegan hot-bar dishes and sandwiches, with vegan cheese available on many builds.

How to order veganThis is vegetarian rather than fully vegan. Check hot-bar labels and request vegan cheese or dressing where applicable; mac and cheese, quiche and other dairy/egg dishes can appear alongside vegan items.

Highlights: A market-cafe format with vegan hot-bar dishes, tofu, falafel and flexible sandwich options.

Lalibela is a mixed Ethiopian restaurant with a deep vegetarian and vegan side to the menu: lentils, split peas, chickpea stews, greens and vegetable combinations are central to the cuisine even though meat and seafood are also served.

How to order veganTell staff you want vegan preparation and ask whether any vegetarian dish uses butter. The restaurant explicitly offers vegan choices and can help customize dishes. Gluten-free injera needs a separate request.

Highlights: A downtown Ethiopian dinner with substantial naturally plant-based stews and shareable vegetable combinations.

Sherkaan serves a mixed Indian street-food menu with vegan labels used directly on dishes such as bhel puri, pani puri, okra fries and vegetable biryani. The separate Sunday brunch also includes vegan-possible items.

How to order veganFollow items marked vegan and distinguish them from “vegetarian” dishes that use yogurt, paneer or ghee. On brunch, the menu uses “V+” for vegan items and “V” for vegetarian, so read the key carefully.

Highlights: A lively Yale-area restaurant with multiple clearly labeled vegan Indian street-food dishes and Sunday brunch.

House of Naan is a mixed Indian kitchen and bar whose menu includes several items explicitly labeled vegan, including onion fritters, vegetable samosas, okra crunch and other plant-based small plates.

How to order veganUse the vegan labels rather than the broader vegetarian category. Paneer, cream, yogurt and ghee appear throughout the menu, so a vegetable dish is not automatically vegan. The restaurant has a split lunch/dinner schedule.

Highlights: A late-running Indian kitchen with explicitly labeled vegan small plates and a central Howe Street location.