The Best Vegetarian and Vegan Burgers in Beijing

Whether you’re vegetarian in Beijing, or simply wanting to abstain from eating meat for every meal, there are plenty of vegetarian burger options around town, and they don’t all have to be made of beans, beans, and, you guessed it, more beans. These are our top picks, in no particular order other than the mercy of the alphabet.

Burger Break (vegetarian)
A burger made of chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, black rice, sticky rice, corn, oatmeal, toasted onion bits, and carrot, probably makes this one of the most intricate veggie patties in Beijing. The patty is sandwiched between lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, and mayonnaise. RMB 45

Café Flatwhite (vegetarian)
This rapidly-expanding café brand isn’t as well known as it should be given that both the coffee and the food here are really good. Café Flatwhite's veggie burger is one of the best that we've tried, incorporating tofu, a beetroot relish, a good chunk of caramelized onions, and a layer of avocado. It also comes with plenty of chips and a side salad. RMB 65

Great Leap Brewing (vegetarian)
The General Tso's Cauliflower Sandwich takes veggie burgers to the next level, with tempura cauliflower, grilled pineapple, General Tso's sauce, sriracha mayo, and regular mayo, all stacked inbetween a neat sesame seed bun. RMB 45

Home Plate BBQ (vegan)
Home Plate's Damn Yankee black bean burger patty is topped off with roasted beets and sweet caramelized onions, making a pretty good alternative to their otherwise meatier options. This way you won't have to feel left out at when everyone's going primal on ribs and slabs of cow. RMB 48

Let's Burger (vegetarian)
The centerpiece of this veggie burger are two chewy and well-seasoned patties of fried tofu, with sauteed mushrooms, fresh lettuce, and tomatoes. The whole thing is then drenched in honey mustard sauce. RMB 79

Ramo (vegetarian)
This great value (probably the best valued veggie burger in town) veggie cheeseburger is made from a red bean patty topped with lettuce, tomato, and dill pickles, and is served with a side of fries. RMB 38

Root Pop (vegan)
This soon-to-open Shuangjing spot will come alive right around the time of our 2017 Burger Cup, giving us a preview of what to expect of their vegan burgers at the event itself. Mixed nuts and lentils make the patty, which sits alongside griddled onions and vegan cheese, all coated in a special 'Animal sauce' inspired by In&Out. Price TBC

Slow Boat Taproom (vegetarian)
With a slab of smoked tofu taking the lead in the Dongsi Doufu Burger, you can’t really go wrong with one of Beijing’s favorite veggie burgers. The square patty is topped off with a heap of crunchy coleslaw, and Slow Boat’s in-house made burger sauce. RMB 45

Tribe Organic (vegan)
Tribe’s Beetlover’s Vegan Beet Burger is made of beets, red onion, red wine vinegar, red kidney beans, brown rice, and topped with parsley, arugula, romaine lettuce, all served in a five-grain burger bun. Only available at the Lido and Solana branches of Tribe. RMB 68

Veggie Table (vegan)
One of two burgers on their menu, Veggie Table's Southwest Bean Burger is made from organic kidney beans, corn, and cilantro. Given the amount of fresh salsa, pico de gallo, and other great Southwest possibilities, we're sad to report that this burger was a mushy disappointment, although the vegan mayonnaise was top-notch. RMB 65

This is an updated version of an article first published in May of last year. If your establishment also serves a veggie or vegan burger, please feel free to inform us of your wares in the comments below.

If you haven't got your hands on your early bird tickets for the 2017 Burger Cup yet, check below for links:

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The Beijinger 2017 Burger Cup is sponsored by Bon App, Job-in, and Left Hand App.

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Photos: Carmel Moersalim, courtesy of Ramo, Joey Guo, Garth Wilson