Bourbon St. Jack Daniel’s bourbon and pineapple BBQ sandwich at Chimera.

BBQ, hold the meat

If you think you can’t make a mean BBQ menu without meat, you obviously haven’t tried any of the vegan options Oklahoma has to offer.

Nabati
7101 Northwest Expressway #300

Nabati is the spot for vegan BBQ-inspired pizza.

This casual Mediterranean restaurant has an impressive variety of pizzas, platters, sandwiches, and desserts. Nabati means “plant-based” in Arabic, and vegans will appreciate being able to order anything from the 100 percent vegan menu.

Try the BBQ pizza with crispy bits of chick’n and very convincing vegan cheese. For a tangier and spicier option, order it buffalo-style.

You can also build your own pie from their selection of plant-based pepperoni, chick’n, or Beyond sausage with vegetables and/or the ever-controversial pineapple.

The hand-tossed crust at Nabati is perfectly chewy and crispy around the edges but extra-thin and gluten-free crust options are available.

It’s salad season, so pair it with a refreshing Greek salad or tabbouleh. Being true vegan, Nabati’s desserts, including the baklava, are all honey-free.

Both indoor and outdoor seating is available. They’re open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Visit nabatiokc.com

click to enlarge BBQ, hold the meat
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Nabati BBQ Pizza

The Loaded Bowl
1211 SW 2nd St.

Nobody does vegan comfort foods and BBQ-inspired take-out better than The Loaded Bowl.

Located in the Farmers Market District, The Loaded Bowl opened in 2013 as the first vegan food truck in the metro and helped establish the plant-based food scene. After opening a brick-and-mortar location in 2016, they shifted to a carry-out only format to roll with the challenges of the pandemic.

Satisfy your comfort food cravings with their BBQ mac and cheese bowl, which is creamy cashew mac and cheese topped with their plant-based TLB BBQ chicken and green onions, or try the spicy buffalo mac bowl with TLB chicken, ranch, and parsley.

Pile on the sides with their mashed potato bowl, which contains rosemary mashed potatoes topped with sage gravy, cashew cheese, grilled corn, and fried TLB chicken.

Don’t forget dessert. Be sure to add a cupcake, cookie or other bakery treat to your order. Every month, The Loaded Bowl donates a portion of these proceeds to a charity through their Cookies for a Cause program.

In addition to their cruelty-free offerings, most of their menu items can be made gluten-free.

For eco-conscious consumers, The Loaded Bowl’s ingredients are ethically-sourced and all the packing products they use are reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable. On top of all that, they’re also avid composters.

The Loaded Bowl is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Visit theloadedbowlokc.com

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MushWings BBQ wings and sides

MushWings
409 N Walker Ave.

Vegans and vegetarians now have an excellent option for plant-based BBQ wings in OKC thanks to MushWings.

MushWings are battered, seasoned and deep-fried oyster mushrooms, so anyone avoiding lots of processed soy or wheat-gluten-based meat substitutes are covered.

With wings, it’s all about the sauce and they have so many. Too many to list here, but the BBQ, buffalo, honey BBQ, and buffalo lemon pepper sauces are at the top.

Whether you’re eating alone or feeding family and friends, their wings can be ordered in varying quantities, from 6-piece to 75-piece orders, but FYI, orders of 20 pieces or larger require a two-day advance notice.

If you’re not in the mood for wings but still want a hearty meal, try their Kickin Chic’N Sandwich with your choice of sauce, regular or spicy fries and a crunchy pickle on the side.

If you like a lot of heat, don’t forget to try their JahLo Crunchies, crunchy-fried jalapeño slices that make the perfect garnish on any MushWings menu item.

Gluten-free options are available. Their hours may vary based on supply or other factors.

Visit mushwingsokc.wixsite.com/mushwings


The BeetBox
824 SW 89th St.

These sandwiches will satisfy that Del Rancho or Chick-fil-A craving while earning you some cruelty-free karma.

The vegan Chick’Less sandwich at The BeetBox was voted one of the best vegan sandwiches in America in VegNews this May. Each starts with their proprietary Chick’Less patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. The fun part is choosing from their wide selection of sauces.

Start with the BBQ, buffalo, or spicy BBQ sauce and branch out later to try one of their fast-food-inspired sauces, modeled after sauces from In-N-Out, Raising Cane’s, and McDonald’s.

Be sure to get garlic-herb fries on the side or go crazy with their loaded fries, nacho Fries, or Nashville hot honey fries, then grab a cookie and a strawberry lemonade to top it off.

The owners started as a food truck but are temporarily operating a ghost kitchen out of the southside Sunnyside Diner. Currently searching for a permanent brick-and-mortar location, they want to resume food truck service in the future but are currently open only for drive-thru orders Thursday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Visit beetboxtruck.net

Chimera
212 N. Main St., Tulsa

If you’re in Tulsa and catch a craving for vegan BBQ-based grub, stop by Chimera Cafe.

Just a block west from Guthrie Green, their location makes a great spot to park the car, grab some food and head to the park for a picnic, but they also have both indoor and outdoor seating.

Chimera has at least three plant-based BBQ dishes to choose from. Their cauliflower wings — a menu mainstay — are made of baked cauliflower in house-made wing spicy buffalo and espresso BBQ sauces.

A great handheld option is the buffalo cauliflower wrap, a flour tortilla with baked cauliflower in the buffalo wing sauce with kale, roasted tomatoes, avocado, and vegan ranch. It comes with your choice of carrots and hummus or chips and salsa on the side.

Both are excellent, but you might want to start with their newest menu item, the Bourbon St. Jack Daniel’s bourbon and pineapple BBQ sandwich. It’s stacked with pulled BBQ jackfruit and a tangy slaw made with green cabbage and sweet onion.

Their coffee drinks, cocktails, and bakery items are also excellent.

Chimera is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit chimeratulsa.com

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