TL;DR
Minneapolis has one of the best vegan Ethiopian restaurants in the country: Lulu EthioVegan in Elliot Park (12 E Franklin Ave), a 100% plant-based Ethiopian restaurant rated 4.9 stars on Google and named to Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Top 50 Restaurants of 2026. Bole Ethiopian Cuisine in Saint Paul (1341 Pascal St N) is a strong second with an excellent vegan sampler platter. Ethiopian food is also one of the most naturally vegan-friendly cuisines in the world, thanks to the Tewahedo Christian fasting tradition that produces a full lineup of plant-based dishes at nearly every Ethiopian restaurant.
Why Minneapolis is an exceptional city for vegan Ethiopian food
Ethiopian cuisine is one of the most naturally plant-based food traditions in the world. Thanks to the Tewahedo Christian fasting calendar -- which prohibits animal products on Wednesdays, Fridays, and throughout several extended fasting periods -- Ethiopian restaurants have developed an entire parallel menu of vegan dishes that are just as carefully prepared and deeply flavored as their meat counterparts. You are not ordering around the menu. You are ordering the menu.
Minneapolis happens to have one of the best vegan Ethiopian restaurants in the country, a fully plant-based spot that has earned a 4.9-star Google rating and a spot on Mpls.St.Paul Magazine's Top 50 Restaurants of 2026. If you have never tried Ethiopian food as a vegan, this is one of the best possible first experiences.
Lulu EthioVegan -- the best vegan restaurant in Minneapolis
Address: 12 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 (Elliot Park neighborhood) Hours: Monday and Thursday through Sunday; closed Tuesday and Wednesday Price range: $$
Lulu EthioVegan is a 100% plant-based Ethiopian restaurant in the Elliot Park neighborhood, just south of downtown Minneapolis near the intersection of Franklin Ave and Chicago Ave S. Chef TG Feyisa runs the kitchen with a mission rooted in Tewahedo vegan cuisine -- Ethiopian plant-based cooking that draws from both the fasting tradition and contemporary vegan ingredient sourcing.
This is not a restaurant that adapted its menu to accommodate vegans. It was built for them. Every dish is plant-based. There is no meat version hiding in the kitchen. The injera comes out airy and slightly sour. The stews are built on berbere spice blends that take time and skill to make right.
What to order at Lulu EthioVegan
The sampler platter is the essential first visit. It comes with a range of dishes including sambusa (crispy lentil-filled pastries), foule (crushed fava beans), and a rotating selection of lentil and vegetable stews arranged on a large piece of injera. It is designed for sharing, though the portions are generous enough to anchor a solo meal.
Shimbra asa is the standout single dish: crispy chickpeas cooked in a rich berbere sauce. The texture contrast between the crispy chickpeas and the tangy sauce is the kind of combination that makes you rethink what plant-based cooking can achieve.
Ginger tea and telba (Ethiopian flaxseed drink) are worth adding to close out the meal. The drinks menu is thoughtful and fits the food well.
Why the 4.9-star rating matters
Lulu EthioVegan holds a 4.9-star rating on Google -- the highest of any vegan restaurant in the Twin Cities metro. It was also named to Mpls.St.Paul Magazine's Top 50 Restaurants of 2026, a list that includes the best restaurants in the region regardless of cuisine or price point. That is not a vegan category. That is the full list.
For vegans, this means you are not choosing between excellent food and plant-based options. You are going to one of the best restaurants in Minneapolis, full stop.
Bole Ethiopian Cuisine -- the Saint Paul option
Address: 1341 Pascal St N, Saint Paul, MN 55108 (Como neighborhood) Hours: Tuesday through Sunday; closed Monday Price range: $$
Bole Ethiopian Cuisine is a vegan-friendly Ethiopian restaurant in Saint Paul's Como neighborhood, relaunched in 2021 by Rekik Meratsion and Solomon Hailie. The vegan sampler platter here is the draw: roasted beets, sauteed collard greens, and lentil and vegetable stews on injera. The restaurant also offers gluten-free injera by request, which is not a common accommodation.
Bole is not a fully vegan restaurant, so the kitchen is handling meat dishes alongside the plant-based menu. That said, the fasting-day dishes are clearly understood and well-executed. If you are on the Saint Paul side of the metro, Bole is a reliable choice.
A note: honey wine (tej) is on the menu at Bole. If you are strict about honey, skip it -- otherwise, it is a nice companion to the food.
How to order vegan at any Ethiopian restaurant
Most Ethiopian restaurants in the Twin Cities can accommodate vegan diners, even if they are not specifically plant-based restaurants. The fasting menu framework means the kitchen already knows how to make these dishes without animal products.
Use this language: Ask for the "fasting menu" or "vegetarian combination." Both will get you to the plant-based dishes faster than explaining "vegan."
Key dishes to know by name:
- Misir wot: red lentil stew in berbere spice
- Kik alicha: yellow split pea stew with turmeric
- Gomen: collard greens with onion and garlic
- Tikil gomen: cabbage and carrots with mild spicing
- Shimbra asa: chickpeas in berbere (check at each restaurant -- Lulu's version is particularly good)
- Azifa: green lentil salad with mustard and jalapeno
Watch for hidden animal products: Some restaurants add butter (niter kibbeh) or egg to dishes that seem vegan. Clarify when ordering if you are strict. The language to use: "Is this made with kibbeh or butter?"
About injera: Traditional injera made from teff flour is vegan and naturally gluten-free. Some restaurants blend teff with barley or wheat. Ask if gluten is a concern. Bole Ethiopian in Saint Paul explicitly offers gluten-free injera on request.
The broader picture: Ethiopian food and vegan culture
The Tewahedo fasting tradition has produced one of the oldest and most sophisticated plant-based food cultures in the world. Ethiopian restaurants practicing this tradition have been serving fully vegan meals for centuries, long before "vegan" was a word on a menu. The food is not a workaround or an accommodation. It is the original.
If you are new to Ethiopian food, start at Lulu EthioVegan with the sampler platter and leave enough time to sit and eat slowly. Injera is meant to be shared and picked at over a long meal. That is the experience.
For more vegan dining in South Minneapolis, see our Elliot Park vegan guide, which covers Lulu EthioVegan alongside Lutunji's Palate and the surrounding neighborhood. For Saint Paul options, our vegan restaurants Saint Paul guide covers Bole Ethiopian alongside Everest on Grand, J. Selby's, and others. For the full city picture, see our best vegan restaurants Minneapolis 2026 guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a fully vegan Ethiopian restaurant in Minneapolis?
Yes. Lulu EthioVegan at 12 E Franklin Ave in Minneapolis is a 100% vegan Ethiopian restaurant. Every item on the menu is plant-based -- no meat, no dairy, no eggs. It was named to Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Top 50 Restaurants of 2026 and holds a 4.9-star Google rating, making it the highest-rated vegan restaurant in the Twin Cities.
What is the best Ethiopian restaurant for vegans in Minneapolis?
Lulu EthioVegan (12 E Franklin Ave, Elliot Park) is the top pick -- 100% vegan, 4.9 stars, MSP Mag Top 50. The sampler platter with sambusa, foule, and lentil stews on injera is the best first visit. For a second option, Bole Ethiopian Cuisine in Saint Paul (1341 Pascal St N, Como neighborhood) has an excellent vegan sampler platter and gluten-free injera available on request.
Is Ethiopian food naturally vegan?
Many Ethiopian dishes are naturally vegan, thanks to the Tewahedo Christian fasting tradition (tsom). On fasting days, which occur frequently throughout the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar, no animal products are consumed. Restaurants that observe this tradition offer an extensive lineup of plant-based dishes including lentil stews (misir wot), split pea dishes (kik alicha), collard greens (gomen), roasted beets, and chickpea preparations -- all served on injera flatbread. Ask for the fasting menu at any Ethiopian restaurant.
What should I order vegan at an Ethiopian restaurant in Minneapolis?
Start with the vegan sampler platter -- it gives you a range of dishes including lentil stews, chickpea dishes, and vegetable sides. Key vegan dishes to know: misir wot (red lentil stew in berbere), kik alicha (yellow split pea stew), gomen (collard greens with onion and garlic), tikil gomen (cabbage and carrots), shimbra asa (chickpeas in berbere sauce). At Lulu EthioVegan, the shimbra asa and the sampler are the top picks. At Bole, the roasted beets and sauteed collard greens are standouts.
What is injera and is it vegan?
Injera is a spongy sourdough flatbread made from teff flour, the base of Ethiopian dining. Teff is a grain, and traditional injera is vegan -- it contains only teff, water, and fermentation starter. It is also naturally gluten-free. At some restaurants you will find injera made with a blend of teff and wheat flour; ask if you need certified gluten-free. Bole Ethiopian in Saint Paul offers gluten-free injera by request.