Food was really great. I got the bbq "pork" sandwich with beans and fries. Delicious. All of the reviews are correct about it. The Mac and "cheese" was basic though. Also the buffalo "chicken" was just ok. I was also NOT a fan of the strawberry lemon cake OR the snickerdoodle cake. The server was super nice, helpful and knowledgeable. It took them a long time to prepare the meal so do not go if you have to rush. Overall food was delicious though so I would go back. read more

YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS! I ordered the buffalo wings as an appetizer and they were just perfect! The wings were small; you can find photos in other reviews. I can see why they sell the ranch in bottles because it is SO good, especially for being vegan! It's thin and tastes like the real thing! The shrimp po boy was just fantastic! I loved the amount of lettuce, pickles, and sauce that they included! I'd never had vegan shrimp, but it's very tasty! The chili fries were also very good! The only downside: I ordered sweet potato fries with chili, and these don't look (or tlike sweet potato to me? They were still awesome! The restaurant also has a little display of snacks and desserts for sale! I wanted to try every single thing, but I went with a piece of vegan jerky made by Primal Spirit. IT WAS BOMB. Please try this place! I drove 30 mins (one way!) for it and I plan to do it again tomorrow! Can't wait to try it all! UPDATED REVIEW: I did go back, and today was a pretty bad one for them... I live 30 mins away so I made the drive and arrived at 6 just to be told that they were closed until 6:30... This isn't posted anywhere, and I'm guessing they did it because they were busy or something? After 35 mins (I placed the order at 6:30 and received it at about 7:05), the cashier puts my food on the counter with my three to-go boxes sideways....... I literally looked at her and just said "oooookay..?" and she didn't fix it. My shrimp po boy did not look so hot after that. In addition, we tried the buffalo chicken sandwich, and it was very soggy! They didn't cook the chicken long enough to be crispy for the sandwich. On top of everything, they left 2 of my items off when they handed me my food, and I had to go back in to get it (thank god I checked before I drove home). This place seems very hit or miss, and I'm sure all of the bad reviews are justified. The customer service is lacking. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Shrimp Po Boy with chili fries - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Thank god for places like this I'm on the road and finding good vegan food is hard, this is an absolute gem Price is good and the food is amazing Staff was also very nice A new Memphis staple for me read more

Wonderful. Just wonderful. We made a 45 minute drive to try this place. Well worth the drive as it did not disappoint. Food and service were top notch. We started with the chili cheese fries with sour cream. This is a meal within itself and was scrumptious. Next we had the BBQ sandwich with beans and Mac & cheese. Well, I ate every bite. Also had the buffalo chicken sandwich which was to die for. This is vegan food at the top of the game. We can't wait to visit again and again. read more

Food was really tasty! This is my 2nd vegan meal that I've ever eaten and I wasn't disappointed! I had the bbq sandwich with slaw, beans, and fries. Everything was sooooo good! I couldn't wait to get home to finish my left overs lol. Restaurant was clean and server took our order pretty fast. I also, tried a piece of my friends vegan burger and I fell in love TWICE! I will most definitely be back. read more

Lots of food options and friendly service. We ate here several times during our visit to Memphis. We tried the appetizer sampler, KFC, and barbecue sandwich plate. Everything was good. read more

Visited Memphis and tried out this cool place I love the atmosphere the food everything about it. Hands down the bbq sandwich is delicious it is hard finding vegan bbq and wow Imagine blew my mind! read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Vegan Bbq sandwiches - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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I had an absolutely phenomenal meal at Imagine Vegan while stopping for a day in Memphis on a road trip. Had I been in the city longer, I would have eaten there more than once! Here's what's so great about Imagine Vegan: 1. They're being really responsible about COVID-19, even in fall 2021 when a lot of restaurants have started pretending the pandemic doesn't exist: they're open for take-out only, and the staff wears masks. The price automatically includes a 10% tip that goes directly to servers. If you're visiting, there are lots of nearby benches in the area that you can sit on. We found street parking easily on a weekday at around noon. 2. The prices are *really* good, especially for portion size: fully vegan restaurants are often feel really marked up for a captive audience, but Imagine Vegan definitely is not. 3. The food is SO good! My husband and I split an appetizer sampler - you get to try two each of pigs n blankets, potato skins, hush puppies, "wings", and chicken nuggets (with sauces!) - all for just $10. We also got a large Memphis BBQ platter: just as I was starting to feel a bit sad that I wouldn't get to try the flavors of Memphis BBQ since I don't eat meat, I discovered that Imagine Vegan sells really great seitan-based barbecue. I recommend the "large" platter - for only $1 more, you get *two* sandwiches, along with great fries and really excellent baked beans. Check it out - even if you're a meat-eater, you'll find a lot to love! read more

Yes, I heard of them via the infamy gained thanks to an online story gone viral. Being someone who's very OCD, I had my doubts, but being that they are an all vegan establishment, in TN no less, I had to give them a chance. I braced for the worse... I was actually passing through Memphis on my way to New Orleans, and stopped here for lunch to go. I ordered the Appetizer Sampler and The Big Smack. APPETIZER SAMPLER - comes with two each of Dogs n' Blankets, Potato Skins, Chicken Tenders, Buffalo Wings, and Hush Puppies. I requested the Potato Skins w/o cheese or sour cream. They were flavorful and crispy, topped with bacon bits. The Buffalo Wings were made with tofu. The buffalo sauce was quite tasty but the wings themselves were just ok. I liked the chicken tenders, which reminded me of Gardein's brand. They were very tasty, but I would have loved to have tried the honey mustard that comes with the full portion. The Dogs n Blankets were surprisingly amazing! I hadn't had this childhood treat since I was a little girl. Tasting these delicious cruelty-free piggies in a blanket brought back so many memories. Last but not least, the hush puppies... I've been vegan for over 10 years and have never had a decent hush puppy since. These babies are perfect! I couldn't believe it! THE BIG SMACK - I requested mine without the cheese. It was delicious, and the french fries were crispy and seasoned to perfection. I was so impressed that I came back by here on the way back from NOLA. This time I got 2 orders of Dogs n Blankets, 2 orders of Hush Puppies, a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, the Vegan Memphis Sandwich Platter, and 2 sides of potato salad. The potato salad is the BEST vegan potato salad that I've ever had; it rivals any potato salad and tastes just like granny's southern version. I loved the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, which is made with chicken tenders and not tofu. I added veganaise instead of ranch. Delicious! The Vegan Memphis platter was delicious as well. The BBQ sauce was amazing, as were the BBQ beans. DESSERTS: I tried the cherry cheesecake, a cherry pastry cup, and what I believe are called Chess Bars. The Chess Bars are amazing, and remind me of St. Louis' Gooey Butter Cakes. The cheesecake was ok. I really wanted to try their soft serve, but the machine wasn't working. My two visits were on a Friday early afternoon, and a Monday morning (right at their 11am opening time); I didn't see any kids running around during those times. Maybe they were in school? If you're wanting a quieter dining experience, weekday early afternoons may be the best times to visit. Overall, I was extremely impressed with the cooking here. Such flavor and true southern cooking that exceeded all expectations. They are definitely killing it in the vegan food games, and everything was reasonably priced! I can't wait to return and try more of their vegan southern goodness! read more

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Two stars for the lady being really nice and cool! Also, that there even exist a vegan café in Memphis Tennessee lol . Unfortunately the two stars also goes for how bad the food was as the food tasted like it was microwaved or poorly cooked. My expectations were not very high because I knew where I was, but they were also somewhat wanting to be impressed. I really hope this place will work on their recipe and be able to have better Air circulation inside of the business. I was most impressed by how awesome our server was but very disappointed that the food was bad. I am not trying to be rude, but must also be honest. Even if the food was once frozen, find a way for your customers to not taste it in the food. My advice would be to look at other recipes or to start making things from scratch. If they are already made from scratch, then please reevaluate as this will bring more people within your doors, especially the people who only give vegan food one chance. People who haven't tried it before are often the ones that need to be impressed on their first couple of tries and unfortunately if I were one of them I would not believe in vegan food at all after eating here. Respectfully, Charles read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Imagine Vegan Cafe is a casual 100% vegan comfort food restaurant in the Cooper Young area of Memphis. It's a crazy and unusual experience, as a vegetarian, to be able to order anything from a restaurant's menu rather than having to hunt for what is available for us. They specialize in fake meat offerings using familiar to use brands that we typically buy in markets at home such as Gardein, Beyond Meat, Follow Your Heart etcetera. I opted for the barbecue sandwich because I wanted a good southern experience. It was delicious! It came on a warm bun with some kind of soy-based barbecue meat topped with coleslaw. I found it very satisfying. They served it with barbecue beans which were also delicious and spicy, and I substituted greens for the fries it would have come with to round out the southern meal experience. (In this case they were out of their seasoned greens so they made a similar offering for me using kale as the base which I was perfectly happy with.) My wife had the Southern Staple (do you sense a theme here) which came with brown rice topped with black beans, seasoned greens and garlic sauce. It also normally comes with cornbread but it wasn't gluten-free, so she got sweet potatoes on the side instead. Overall she fell in the dish needed some kind of extra sauce or gravy or something to complete it. She thought it tasted good mixed with some of my barbecue beans and that the sweet potatoes were very satisfying. It was also relatively inexpensive for a table-service restaurant. Both of our dishes, including substitutions came to less than $20. They also gave me, FOR FREE, one of the croissant wrapped hot dogs which I really wanted to try but didn't want to order a whole plate of them. It's also known as "dogs in a blanket". It was very sweet of them to not charge for this!. The Dog in a Blanket was very similar to what we might make at home...taking a standard veggie dog and wrapping it in one of those tubes of crescent roll dough or you can get in the refrigerated section of most markets. Dipped in mustard it was just as tasty as I make it home. They also have desserts, vegan cheesecake's, vegan ice cream and other sweet choices. No alcohol is available at the restaurant. There are a lot of choices here for the vegetarian and a slew of items labeled gluten-free right on the menu which was helpful to my wife. I love a good orgy of fake meat and liked what I had a lot. read more

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Husband and I stopped here as we were passing through Memphis. Great barbecue! Hush puppies were delicious. We also had the chicken nugget appetizer which was tasty. Friendly staff and great value! read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Large bbq platter. Baked beans, French fries, and coleslaw also included but not in picture. Great value and delicious! - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I have visited Imagine before in a previous location, but this was my first time at their Young Avenue location. At the time, I was sharing vegan options with a vegan student I was mentoring. However, when I stopped in recently, it was for me. I saw they had a wide variety of baked goods. However, I haven't had great experiences in the past with vegan baked goods. But I should've given them a chance because they looked so good. I did peruse the menu for a dinner option and landed on the BLT and sweet potato fries, which wasn't too adventurous, but it was a safe good choice. I live about 20 minutes away and the food was piping hot when I arrived at home. The portion sizes were fantastic. I was pleased how they filled the box full of fries, which were yummy. I also loved the BLT. In a blind taste test, there would be no way to tell that there was anything different about this sandwich than what may be sold in a different kind of establishment. Next time I will venture a little more to try more of their fantastic food. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - BLT with Sweet Potato Fries - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Stopped in today with coworkers for lunch. One is currently on a no meat diet so I suggested we try out this spot. I've heard great reviews from many people. When I say everything was delicious I am not exaggerating. I will most definitely visit again. read more

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The Imagine cafe was brought up by a good friend of mine who is vegan. I never dabbled in bean burgers or anything like that. So I didn't know what to expect. I got the Memphis BBQ sandwich w/ beans and I couldn't taste the difference in it at all. Not to mention their fries were amazing! My homies got a couple smoothies and they won't stop talking about them lol. *beans weren't that good read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Imagine - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I ordered through a delivery service (postmates) to get some vegan grub delivered to my hotel during a recent stay in Memphis. I wanted to try a lot of their sides so I ordered the veggie plate (4 sides) and also the Chicken Drumsticks, which came with 2 sides. By now, I should know better than to expect a rich flavor profile to vegan mac and cheeses other than my own! The texture and sauce was on point but I felt that the flavor really lacked. I also felt this way about the coleslaw and greens. I wanted to like the greens but they were so salty and not super flavorful other than that. I'm not saying I didn't eat these sides, because I'm a lover of mixing flavors together and I surely ate every single bite. I don't like to waste! And it's not like it was terrible, it just wasn't the best. With all that out of the way, the cornbread was LIT. So were the hushpuppies! The bbq baked beans were banging and I loved the house made chicken drumsticks. So glad I asked for both their honey mustard and ranch dipping sauces. I used both! It seemed like the menu was mainly comprised of store bought vegan meats (maybe gardein products) so I'm glad I opted for something house made since I have those other products at home all the time. I loved the texture and flavor of the vegan chicken and the fact that they put a wooden stick in the center for that old fashioned "drumstick" feel. Vegans are nostalgic too, even if we are vegan for the animals :) The menu is huge and I wanted to order so much more but I will just have to try it my next visit. I'm looking at you, bbq sandwich! read more

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First time trying it. I ordered the sampler everything was good except the chicken wings but I think I that was because I wasn't use to eating that/. My smoothie was really good. I'll definitely try it again read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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As a plant based person, I would rather go to a non vegan restaurant and order fries and a vegetable side than eat at Imagine again. Their menu appears to be enticing, but the execution of the dishes is sorely lacking in flavor and depth. Tony's BBQ Nachos - chips were stale AF and the cheese sauce flavor is underwhelming Mac n Cheese - cheddar flavor, it didn't have ANY hint of cheesiness at all. It tasted like plain macaroni pasta BBQ beans - these were fine, tasted canned and like they added a few of their own spices Seasoned greens - these were decent, good texture and not too salty Brownie - this was good and tasted freshly baked read more

There were so many options. I chose the BBQ plate and was not disappointed. I'll have to return to try other menu items.

When you travel to Memphis, you want to try some bbq! I am not a vegan and I already had a filling bbq lunch around the corner. However, my vegetarian husband couldn't find much to eat at that place and asked if we could try here. Lunch number 2!! I wish I had eaten lunch already because the food was very good. My husband got the bbq sandwich with slaw and fries. We got a side of cornbread and I got spinach dip. The spin dip was fine. Nothing too amazing about but perfectly fine. My husbands sandwich was out of this world. I had a few bites and didn't know it wasn't actually meat. The texture and sauces were perfect. Wonderful spot to bring even your meat-lover friends. Very kid friendly. read more

No doubt this place is great...the food tasted good and the service was excellent. The waiter gave great recommendations and could also answer all of our random questions about the food. I am not the biggest fan of mock meats and also about frying everything so it tastes good, BUT this is the perfect place to get vegan southern comfort food. Anything from a gumbo to a bbq sandwhich and the cake, OMG - so delicious! read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Cake - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Everything was amazing!!! The food, the service, the portions and the prices. Imagine Vegan is most definitely my new go to spot! If I could rate this place 100 plus star I would read more

Great food that truly fills the void of any Memphis eats that one might be craving and missing! We particularly loved the spinach dip, which was creamy and flavorful, though perhaps closer in nature to creamed spinach than a spinach dip. The one improvement I'd suggest for Imagine Vegan is in their presentation. As the menu and cooking seem to really be mastered, the presentation deserves just as much love, and should look no less than that of any other restaurant. The plastic plates with food haphazardly slopped and spread out should be tweaked, especially in an age where sharing appealing food photos on social media can generate significant business. read more

We were only in Memphis for three days, but this place was so good we ended up eating here twice! The mozzarella sticks were

OMG! I had the vegan BBQ plate... it was amazing! The flavors and textures were fantastic. Not so neat like that it grossed me out but enough chew consistency to make it more than some of the slimy mush I have had in the past that people tried to pass as BBQ. God a side of hush puppies and they had a great little bit of kick to them. The slice of cake will be enough for the weekend. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Baby B*tthole Bistro--still serving the s-word! Well now. I had to see what the Baby B*tthole Bistro was like several years after it became a cause celebre. It did not disappoint anyone who recalls the then-owners (I assume they still are) psychotic diarrhea (they must have gotten that from their toddler) all over social media in 2017. This all had to do with their potty TRAINING (not trained, note that) toddler wandering all over the restaurant showing diners its b*tthole. No, I can't make this kind of s-word up. :D The service on this occasion (May 2023) was rude, dismissive, and incompetent. The food is, as someone else's review said, along the lines of Daiya mac and cheese--at best. Oversalted, greasy, fat bombs, little flavor to be had anywhere--and it's pitiful that it gets good reviews. Some of the worst, breadiest, limpest hush puppies I've ever regretted trying. Desserts are sugar bombs of a certain glutinous consistency which probably can be left to the imagination. People's taste is in their....ok, enough of that for one review LOL! read more

Placed a to go order over the phone. The lady was super nice and helpful as she answered my questions about the items on the menu. I loved her energy. The chicken bacon melt was good. The "chicken" was soft as you bite into it. Obviously because it's not real chicken. I should've added tomatoes to the melt. Garlic kale was great. I love garlic and I love kale so boom, win win for me. The mixed mac & cheese... it was an "eh" for me. It was more on the dry side. So it's a no for me dawg. I'm a BIG mac & cheese guy. I like mine thick and gooey. #Pause Overall 4/5 for me. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Adorable vegan cafe located in charming arts district. Call ahead with your order... we had to wait 40 minutes for the food. Covid protocols have dining room shut down so we ate on a bench down the street. Some items were amazing while others disappointing. We recommend drumsticks, cakes, and spinach dip. You have to get the spinach dip! The Mac n cheese tasted fine but noodles too soft (overcooked). Potato skins needed seasoning and chives. Hush puppies were good, although heavy and bit gummy in the center. Shrimp po boy disappointing and Ruben extremely disappointing. Ruben tasted like store bought vegan bologna with scant sauerkraut and watery mayonnaise dressing. Didn't resemble a Ruben. We gave them a huge tip because we support their efforts, but overall the food was nothing to write home about (except for drumsticks and spinach dip). Very friendly staff. We wish them all the best. read more

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We came here for some vegan food and we were so pleasantly surprised by the amazing food and service. Our server was outstanding - so friendly, gave us great recommendations, and just really lovely in general. And the food was excellent! I hadn't had any good vegan barbecue before, and it was so, so good. Definitely recommend if you're looking for an indulgent, yummy meal (especially if you're vegan) in a cool spot run by great people. read more

They are serving carry out only, We tried to order over the phone but couldn't get through. I liked the decorations and concept but it was poor execution. I have a soy allergy and was disappointed that nearly everything on the menu had soy. After we came in, ordered, let the cashier know we were staying in the store to wait for the smoothie, and waited for 25 minutes, the cashier let us know that they were out of ingredients for the smoothie. They were also out of kale. The customer service wasn't great. I understand that things are harder with covid but it would've been nice to have the lack of options communicated when we ordered. The only things we liked after ordering BBQ Beans, collard greens, spinach, chili, and smoothie was the smoothie. read more

Such a gem of a restaurant.. all staff super sweet and accommodating. Was I. Memphis for only 3 days but I went here 4 times. Such tasty vegan food, and oh my god get some desserts To go if you're full by the end, amazing. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Appetizer sampler - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Love most of the food I have had here. Highly recommend the mozzarella sticks, pigs n blanket, spinach dip, buffalo wings, cakes and really all the desserts. read more

Very disappointing, especially after reading other reviews. And it's not just that my standards are higher since I've been vegetarian for over 40 years. Let's start with the salad - the wilted greens were not fresh (if you could find them under all the raw broccoli) and had a weird taste to both me as well as my friend. Dressing didn't help. I got the "drumsticks" and they were not well cooked, had a think coating, and very greasy. I ate part of one and threw it out. (I rarely toss out food). One more thing - the place felt unclean and dingy. I was glad we had take-out. But it didn't get any better in our hotel. Although we were initially thrilled to find something vegan in Memphis, but I would never go back here. read more

Really disappointed as we were looking forward to Imagine our whole drive from Atlanta. We ordered 2 meals and an appetizer sampler on Postmates, only to receive one of those meals and only 60% of the appetizers listed on the menu. After looking at the photos, it seems to be a common mistake.... The mac & cheese and chicken nuggets were good, but the let down of missing half our meal pretty much ruined the rest. read more

just not good anymore. i couldn't even eat my reuben it was so covered in sauce and cole slaw that the sandwich fell apart. the potato salad had wayyyyyyyy too much pickle juice in it that it was inedible. the mac and cheese needed some serious salt and pepper. my husband said the only way he could've ate those drumsticks is due to having sauce. i've been disappointed the last 2 times but finally gave my final shot of this restaurant. no more. over rated, over priced and i can make better food. the wait staff is nice read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - reuben sandwich with inedible potato salad. husband got wings and mac & cheese. - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Very good vegan southern comfort food. Vegan brunch? Don't mind if I do! I indulged myself with the Memphis Slam. It was one of the best vegan dishes I have ever had. I was expecting small biscuits, but there were two huge biscuits smothered in "milk" gravy, tons of cheese sauce and scrambled tofu. The meal was very satisfying and fulfilling. Although cholesterol free, this was was what I would consider a vegan version of heart-attack food. So unhealthy, but so good. With that said, there were a few reasons why I didn't give Imagine Vegan Cafe 5 stars. For starters, the hash browns were clearly just heated from a frozen package. They were soggy too, not crispy. The Memphis Slam also didn't appear to have sausage as advertised. (Unless there were tiny pieces that I didn't notice) What turned me off most was the service. I called in an order for takeout and the woman was very short and rude on the phone. This was after calling once and having the phone ring like 20 times with no answer. No answering service or voicemail? I thought that maybe I had the wrong number, but I called back a second time and finally, someone picked up. I didn't expect them to be so busy at 1:30 p.m. on a Sunday. It took 35 minutes for the food to be ready and even the transaction with the attendant was very cold. It was like she didn't want to deal with anybody. I understand they may have been short staffed, but please, customer service still matters. I saw her and the other woman in the kitchen complaining while I waited and that wasn't reassuring either. The food was delicious, but I hope that maybe my experience with poor service was just a fluke. I will be back for another perspective! read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Memphis Slam was incredibly good. Vegan southern comfort food at its best and a huge portion! - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I love their food, truly but every dessert I've had there EXCEPT for the cheesecake has been old, dry, and stale. Idk if it's because they are gluten free or what, but I'd stay away read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - The best vegan strawberry cheesecake I've ever had - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Great food and wonderful service! I got the ravioli and loved it. It was a good serving size and reasonably priced. I always love an entirely vegan restaurant and this one did not disappoint. The restaurant was also being very careful in terms of maintaining safety. They wore masks the whole time and closed the indoor dining space. There was also hand sanitizer available and masks were required. read more

Imagine Vegan Cafe - Ravioli and garlic bread - Vegan Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis famous for bbq, but often most places have bbq menus loaded with options for carnivores. Not imagine! Visit this place to satisfy you vegan bbq sandwich cravings. They have many vegan sides to pair with your vegan sandwich. Additionally don't miss out on their vegan shakes, I loved the cookies n cream shake. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about vegan lifestyles. read more

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You HAVE to eat here!! Even if you're not vegan, you would enjoy the food. I visited there while on my trip to Memphis and believe me when I tell you, I was NOT disappointed! The food was sooooo good! Flavorful. Dee-lish! Whenever I visit Memphis I'm only eating from this restaurant. I'm hooked! read more