Mushrooms often play a supporting role in dishes like pasta, English breakfast, pizza, and casseroles. But we say these versatile fungi also deserve to be the star of the show sometimes. Bursting with earthy flavors and umami, mushrooms also have a uniquely meaty texture, making them perfect for starters, main dishes, and even desserts.
8 restaurants with unique, innovative mushroom dishes
Below, discover 12 restaurants across the US that celebrate mushrooms as the delicious, unique plant-based ingredient they are. From baked scallops to fried chicken to ice cream (yes, ice cream), these innovative dishes are a must-try for mushroom lovers.
Crossroads Kitchen
1 Crossroads Kitchen’s Baked Mushroom Scallops
Multiple locations
It might sound like an unusual alternative to the popular seafood dish, but mushrooms, particularly king oyster mushrooms, have a dense, meaty texture that closely resembles that of scallops. If you’re a seafood lover, head to Crossroads Kitchen locations in Los Angeles or Las Vegas to enjoy the restaurant’s mouthwatering Baked Mushroom Scallops, cooked Rockefeller style.
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Tane
2 Tane’s Shiitake Maki
Honolulu, HI
For outstanding vegan sushi, Tane in Honolulu is a must-visit. The restaurant (which also has a spot in Berkeley, CA) crafts the Japanese delicacy with an array of plant-based ingredients, including mushrooms. The Shiitake Maki is not to be missed, but if that’s not enough fungi for you, the restaurant also offers Kailua rolls with marinated shiitake, Inari with tofu skin and shiitake, and a whole plate of grilled mushrooms, including shiitake, eryngii, enoki, and yakitori.
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Third Kingdom
3 Third Kingdom’s Porcini Ice Cream
New York City, NY
New York’s Third Kingdom, led by renowned Chef Juan Pajarito, is entirely devoted to mushrooms. The entire (100 percent vegan) menu is a celebration of the potential of fungi and offers everything from lion’s mane dumplings to king royal trumpets in green sauce, to lava cake with rosemary and porcini ice cream. Yep, you read that right—mushroom ice cream. You won’t get this anywhere else—Third Kingdom is truly a fungi paradise.
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Modern Love
4 Modern Love’s Oyster Mushroom Fried Chick’n
Omaha, NE, and Brooklyn, NY
Scallops, check. Sushi, check. Ice cream, check. Fried chicken? Yep, check. Find the latter at Modern Love in Omaha or its other location in Brooklyn. The dish is perfectly crispy, tender, and as, the restaurant states, totally “finger lickin’.” Modern Love doesn’t shy away from mushroom-centered dishes. You can also order Oyster Mushroom Calamari and a seitan burger with sautéed mushrooms at the popular eatery.
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Gracias Madre
5 Gracias Madre’s Mushroom Chicharron
West Hollywood, CA
Chicharrón is typically made from fried pork rinds or fried pork belly, but at West Hollywood’s Gracias Madre, you can get all the same delicious mouthfeel and taste from, you guessed it, mushrooms. The dish consists of crispy oyster mushrooms, salsa verde cilantro, onions, and housemade hot sauce. Other mouthwatering mushroom-centric dishes on the menu include mushroom quesadillas, grilled lion’s mane asada tacos, and a ranchero bowl.
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PLNT Burger
6 PLNT Burger’s Mushroom BBQ Bacon Burger
Multiple locations
When you’re in the mood for fast food, head to PLNT Burger. As the name suggests, everything at this fast food joint is made with plants. One of the real menu highlights has to be the Mushroom BBQ Bacon burger, which features a meaty plant-based patty, vegan cheese, caramelized onions, the chain’s signature BBQ sauce, and bacon made out of mushrooms. Processed meat, who?
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Nori
7 Nori’s Lion Mane Steak
Austin, TX
Another renowned plant-based Japanese restaurant is Nori in Austin. The menu is jam-packed with vegan delights, including gyozas, nigiri, and maki. But if you’re after something hearty, juicy, and meaty, you can’t go wrong with the restaurant’s signature lion’s mane steak. Served with mushroom puree and a mushroom demi-glace, it’s the fungi-centric main of your dreams.
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Pura Vita
8 Pura Vita’s Meatball Parmigiana
West Hollywood and Redondo Beach, CA
Popular restaurant Pura Vita, which has one spot in West Hollywood and another in Redondo Beach, is known for its authentic, delicious plant-based takes on traditional Italian cuisine. There’s Linguine Di Mare with king oyster mushroom scallops, for example, and Black Magic Lasagna with black truffle cream. But another fungi-centric dish that is not to be missed is the Meatball Parmigiana. It comes complete with meaty mushroom lentil balls, roasted garlic cashew cream, cashew mozzarella, and a hearty, rich marinara sauce. It is truly chef’s kiss.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
