After living in East Passyunk, an area of the city known for its foodie vibes, I was eager to sample the Riverwards’ gastronomic offerings. However, since I gave up animal foods a while back, I had to find the best vegan food in Fishtown and Kensington.

So far, these are the standouts:

Soyrizo and Daiya pizza at Pizza Brain: I recently discovered soyrizo, the highly spiced soy product that consistently tricks omnivores into thinking they’re eating ground beef. Pizza Brain offers it as a topping along with Daiya cheese, completing every pepperoni-and-sausage-loving vegan’s dream of a gooey, stretchy, spicy pie. And it’s a damn good pizza. However, they can take forever to deliver, so I really have to plan ahead if I want to have pizza night.

All the dairy-free flavors at Little Baby’s Ice Cream: Can’t talk about Pizza Brain without bringing up its even more vegan-friendly sibling, Little Baby’s. They have almost two dozen non-dairy ice creams in their rotation and there are usually five or six available on any given day. And they’re not just sorbets! They’re made from coconut or almond bases so they’re super creamy like dairy ice cream. These treats come in flavors like Thai iced tea, Peanut Chew and smoked cinnamon. Little Baby’s makes me happy because I don’t feel like a second-class customer and they make dairy-free ice cream appealing to people who would generally choose a dairy version.

Smoked Coconut Club at Memphis Taproom: I dream about this sandwich. I’ve tried some of their other vegan options and they are downright weak compared to the Smoked Coconut Club. It’s a glorious ode to the concept of a double-decker, bacon-y sandwich. The smoked coconut, aka coconut bacon, hits every note that standard pig-derived bacon does: salty, fatty, smoky, crispy, chewy and a tiny bit sweet. Combined with the lemon tofu and tomato herb mayo, this is a sandwich even omnivores will love — and the ones I’ve shared it with will agree!

Spinach tofu spread on a bagel at Rocket Cat: This spread is so full of spinach that it might count as a serving of vegetables. It’s tasty (with a little added salt) and filling, so it’s a great on the go breakfast. They also have lots of other vegan bagel spreads, sandwiches and phenomenal baked goods from Vegan Treats.

Currently MIA: vegan mac and cheese at Bottle Bar East: Before I moved to the neighborhood, a friend of mine gave me a tour and brought me to Bottle Bar. I was encouraged by this bowl of creamy, cheesy pasta. Sadly, now that I live here and can go often, Bottle Bar doesn’t have anything marked on its menu as vegan, only as vegetarian, and most of those options are really heavy on cheese. Even the old vegan standby, the hummus platter, is marked as vegetarian. Maybe there’s dairy lurking in the pita? A big handful of feta strewn across the top? I’m not too shy to say hold the cheese but now that there are even fewer options for me, I think I’ll come in mostly for the beer and get my dinner elsewhere.

Speaking of places that don’t have much for vegans, I’ve been really sad while standing at the counters of two cafes due to their lack of vegan food.

First, I tried La Colombe. I used to drink their coffee all the time but they’ve definitely lost a customer because not only do they not have any food I can eat but they also don’t carry non-dairy milk. Come on, La Colombe, vegans like milk in their coffee, too! And we like food, too. Feed us!

And I had really high hopes for Franny Lou’s Porch because it defines itself as being an oppression-free, abolitionist, anti-capitalist local business — just the kind of place I assumed would have an abundance of vegan muffins and scones. The staff are helpful, cheerful and lovely to talk to. Alas, my only food option is a bagel with hummus, which is fine occasionally but not every day. Franny Lou’s: PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY. I will give it to you if you give me more than a bagel with hummus. Yours is the kind of business I want to support, so please make it a space everyone can enjoy.

Where can I get more delicious vegan food in Fishtown, Kensington, and beyond? Let me know—I want to eat every animal-free food our neighborhood has to offer!

UPDATE: Great news! Blew Kind from Franny Lou’s Porch got in touch with me and let me know that there are in fact more vegan options available, though I personally hadn’t seen them. You can get hummus, vegan butter, local jam, spinach, tomato, and cucumber as bagel toppings. They also have baked goods from Kia’s Cakes, (which are also gluten free), granola bars, and always one cookie. And they have soy milk. Franny Lou’s, get ready for me to come eat all your vegan food!

Teagan Kuruna is a writer, podcaster, and public health obsessive who lives in the Riverwards with her husband and overly affectionate cat. Read more of her work at teagank.com and talk with her on Twitter @TeaganMPH.