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Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
American
International
Organic
Beer/Wine
Caribbean
Fusion
Latin
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Tropical restaurant making traditionally-inspired dishes with international inspirations. Vegan and vegetarian selections including changing specials and the Carmo salad which is a plate composed of rice, vegan smoked ham, raisins, avocado, cashews, almonds, pineapple, cucumbers, and scallions all covered with citrus mango vinaigrette. Casual atmosphere. Reported closed December 2024.
143 Reviews
First Review by krock
ToastedAlmond
Points +198
Delicious and Fresh - Edit
Creative menu with lots of vegan options. It's hard to decide because everything is yummy. Many vegan dessert options too. We tried the date toffee cake, which was amazing. I highly recommend this cake!
Read moreGuest
ManGaveNames
Points +162
DELICIOUS. get the Rico. - Edit
I almost got a salad in attempts as eating healthier, but read the reviews and saw so many people suggest the Rico "sandwich", so I went with that. No disappointments. Every bite was phenomenal. Very creative menu and the staff/ambiance is also lovely. Try the house made hot sauce!
Read moreGuest
steveoliverc
Points +144
Incredible food and location - Edit
Carmo works on so many levels. I had one of the best salads of my life here: fresh, flavorful, unique, and satisfying. Also, you can bring your meat-eating friends who will find plenty on the menu. In fact, you can get three versions of the Rico breadless sandwich: vegan, vegetarian, and meat-eater. I didn't try the non-vegan ones, but was told they were very good. And finally, the location is bright and fun, with some outdoor seating as well. This place is amazing. I would rate it 5 stars if I could.
Read morePros: Unique flavors, Ambiance, Options for meat-eaters
Cons: Parking can be a little tricky
Guest
Sweetlayce
Points +22
Absolutely Amazing! - Edit
The staff at this restaurant were always nice and their food is incredible that I went here twice on my trip. Vegans and nonvegans should go to this restaurant!
Read moreVery cozy location as well in the CBD.
Pros: Lots of vegan options
Cons: street parking
Guest
michael504
Points +28
Likely the best in New Orleans. - Edit
The people at Carmo really understand culinary arts. Every dish I've had there is outstanding. They use really fresh ingredients, so the flavors really pop, and the prices are incredibly reasonable. I'm so glad we have this place in New Orleans, and I honestly can't believe we have a restaurant with vegan dishes of this caliber here-- you'd think that this place would be in Austin, LA, or NY. The "meat" substitutes in the vegan dishes are the best I've ever had anywhere.
Read morePros: Outstanding vegan "meat" options, gf options, Incredible flavors w/ fresh ingerdients, very reasonable prices for what you get
Cons: No parking lot (you might have to use meter)
Guest
MerrylAzriel
Points +62
Enjoyed the plantain patty - Edit
Carmo's menu has enough unique offerings that it's worth a couple visits. Sadly, I only made it there once to enjoy the plantain patty, which was very nice. They were out of bananas, so I missed out on the cinnamon-sugar banquette. The line can back up a bit during busy hours since you order and pay at the counter before sitting down, but it allowed enough time to check out the exotic juice menu posted on the wall.
Read moreGuest
NTucson
Points +136
Should be 5 stars - Edit
Any vegan or vegetarian in NOLA should try this place. I went twice while in the area for a conference. I highly recommend.
Read moreGuest
Shelby00
Points +467
So good we went back twice! - Edit
Usually on vacation we like to try new places and don't often repeat, but with Carmo we did. A local who is vegan recommended the place, and while it is not vegan, they have many dishes that are, or can be made so.
Read moreThe first time, I had a special, some kind of Syrian dish which was excellent, and my husband had the Carmo salad. The second time we each had a banquette bread. We also tried the banana cake and chocolate chip zucchini cake (vegan desserts).
Food seemed to have a lot of Caribbean and Asian inspired choices, but there was a mix of a lot of different types of cuisine. Everything was excellent.
Guest
sophiefrenchfry
Points +1649
Tropical Fruit Juice! - Edit
After spending several days in New Orleans for a conference and struggling to find vegetarian food, Carmo was a welcome change. They had several vegetarian/vegan options. Also, their menu focuses on Brazilian/South American food, which was a welcome change from all the other restaurants I had seen in New Orleans. I ate the Carmo salad. The vegan ham was not the best fake meat I've eaten, but everything was fresh, light, and just what I wanted on a hot, summer day. The real treat at Carmo was their huge menu of tropical fruit juices. Many of the juices are hard to find in the United States. I enjoyed a huge glass of Graviola (aka Guanabana or Soursop), which tastes kind of like a mild pineapple/banana. What a treat! I would return just for the juice (and want to try every flavor on the menu). The environment was chill, and a welcome change from the French Quarter.
Read morePros: Tropical Fruit Juice, Healthy, Relaxing Environment
Guest
Alyannkar
Points +1175
Accommodating to my difficult self - Edit
This place is very chill and has a lot to offer. I was not as happy with the menu as I wanted to be, though. There were three or four choices for vegans, and nothing seemed to speak to me. Though, my sister really enjoyed her salad and if she were the one writing this, she probably would rave about the place.
Read morePros: Great environment
Cons: Limiting menu
cafecarmo
Hi Alyannkar, I'm sorry that you weren't shown the number of vegan items we have, which is far far more than 3-4. In fact, practically everything on our menu is vegan or has a vegan version. You can see that clearly here:
Read morehttp://www.cafecarmo.com/index.php?page=menu
Additionally, we also always have a vegan soup and special. hope you'll come back and try some of the other many vegan items.
Guest
sara901
Points +30
Best vegan food in New Orleans!! - Edit
Carmo's is absolutely fantastic. I would have given five stars if the entire menu was vegetarian. My husband and I had dinner there after listening to live jazz at the Ogden on a Thursday night. The service was excellent. The vegetarian/vegan options were delicious. We also enjoyed the paintings displayed by local artists! We will definitely visit this place again next time we are in NOLA!
Read moreGuest
pears_a_roni
Points +37
Vegetarian Gem in NOLA - Edit
This place really delivered. New Orleans can sometimes be tough for a vegetarian, but this place was such a welcome surprise. Their vegan gumbo was spicy and delicious, and the Esmeralda salad was an interesting mix of flavors. Will definitely come back during future visits to NO!
Read moreGuest
sglcklch
Points +3833
It was all right - Edit
Came here for lunch solo. The space is much bigger than I thought and has a chill vibe, which is cool. I ordered the daily plate vegan style — feijoada (Brazilian sausage-black bean stew on rice) — even though it seemed kind of spendy at $12. I was just curious to try this national dish.
Read moreIt came out pretty much exactly as described on the menu: black beans with vegan sausage pieces served on rice with a little stewed greens, salsa, and two orange slices on the side. The most interesting thing for me was the sprinkle of farofa on top, which, I looked up later, was a toasted flour mixture made from yucca. The whole dish was tasty but too simple for what it was, the rice wasn't even brown rice, just plain white.
Aside from that daily special, the rest of the menu is actually also very vegan-friendly, which doesn't come by easy in New Orleans. For this I commend them.
Pros: decent food, vegan options
Guest
HollyWanders
Points +46
delicious! - Edit
This place offers vegan options for almost everything on the menu. I had what they called banquette bread which was essentially a super thin crispy crust pizza. It was made with Daiya cheese, vegetable and their own made meat substitute which was wicked good. I would happily eat it many more times. They also had about 4 desserts all of which were vegan- I had a vegan creme brûlée there which was crazy good and got a piece of Apple coffee cake to go was also crazy good! Delicious food, great staff.
Read morePros: amazing food, friendly, helpful staff, fairly inexpensive
Guest
tonyakay
Points +4177
delicious, heavy vegan options - Edit
Thank goodness for Carmo, serving a handful of vegan options on their Caribbean menu. The fermented tea leaf salad was a hit with our group! I'm a long term raw vegan visiting New Orleans regularly from Los Angeles, so the vegan options are still prepared heavyily in comparison. Though all delicious. That's the south, right?
Read moreGuest
spinsterfarm
Points +24
Tropical kitchen - Edit
We had the "rico" vegan sandwich -- with fried plantain instead of bread. It was yummy, well-seasoned and fresh. The sauces and dressings are very good. The vegan gumbo z'herbes was hearty and satisfying.
Read moreThey offer a selection of beers, sodas, wines, etc.
Pros: Spacious, casual restaurant , Fresh ingredients, imaginatively made, Offers vegan options for most dishes
Cons: Service is a bit slow.
Guest
vegbaker
Points +602
Wonderful! - Edit
I absolutely LOVE Carmo! I highly recommend checking them out. Fun and interesting vegan options in a fun setting.
Read morePros: friendly staff, great food, interesting, yummy cocktails
Guest
ochokitty
Points +51
fresh & unique, gf options - Edit
Highly recommend trying this place, the salads are hearty & filling, the soup was excellent. They have sandwiches & lots of vegan entrees. Cute funky atmosphere & helpful staff.
Read morePros: healthy, gluten free options, juice and delicious cocktails
Guest
veganlane
Points +53
Great Vegan Food! - Edit
My husband and I stopped in Carmo for lunch on a weekday. It was busy, but the staff was quick and very friendly. My husband had the soup special and it was quite good. We both had the Rico for our entree, and we both really enjoyed it. The food tasted great and we left feeling completely satisfied.
Read morePros: Friendly staff, Delicious food
Guest
saveur
Points +1168
great vegan eats - Edit
Got to love vegan-friendly restos that are highly rated by omnis, too. Plenty of positive reviews on yelp and here are accurate. Tasty vegan eats. Had the Rico breadless open sandwich and it was delicious without being too spicy. The special of the day was calabacitas with mock chicken. Servings felt small because it was so good and I gobbled it down. Loved their selection of juices. Had a blend that was fantastic. Highly recommended.
Read morePros: flavorful
Cons: small portions
Guest
alxsrbraun
Points +135
Gets busy, but food is good! - Edit
Small cafe in the warehouse district which has a lot of vegan options (many options can be veganized). I had the vegan rico, which wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be, but it was delicious!
Read morePros: Several options/vegan special, Location, Good food
Cons: Gets busy!, Not the fastest service
cafecarmo
Hi alxsrbraun, as we haven gotten much busier lately, we are in the process of upgrading our kitchen and expanding our staff. We hope you'll come back soon!
Read moreGuest
riseing
Points +19
Loved Carmos - Edit
In a city with few healthy, vegan options, this restaurant is a treat for vegans. Soup du Jour on two days that we went was vegetable couscous -flavours were delicious. Vegan broken noodle salad was delicious. Zucchinni bread vegan and yummy. A relatively short walk from the French Quarter.
Read morePros: vegan choices, nice atmosphere, healthy and clean
Guest
steveveg
Points +3211
A favorite of vegans in New Orleans - Edit
I heard from the owner that a large portion of the clientele are vegans or vegetarians. That is understandable as there are always good vegan choices. The food was delicious. They smoke their own mock meats.
Read morePros: vegan friendly, many choices
Guest
zombellayaya
Points +48
FINALLY! An INSPIRED VEGAN FRIENDLY place! - Edit
We were (and still are) thrilled to find a vegan friendly place in New Orleans that serves truly inspired dishes. Just because we're vegan, doesn't mean we have no taste buds! We're New Orleaneans at that, so we MUST have FLAVOR! It's in our DNA.
Read moreI dunno how he does it, but the owner/chef served us a devine smoky planain sandwich that just blew us away. We also had a wonderful, vegan gumbo that I have yet to duplicate in my own kitchen.
My only gripe about this gem of a restaurant, is that it is very small and the menu is rather limited. But hey, quality over quantity, right? While I do wish it was a bit more comfortable in the dining area,.. for THAT food...I'd perch atop a lamp post on one leg while holding my plate to eat that sandwich again.
Pros: DELICIOUS, VEGAN FRIENDLY, INSPIRED CHEF
Cons: small place, limited menu
Guest
phinxae
Points +31
Bravo, Carmo! - Edit
Don't have much to add, but wanted to echo the other reviewers who said this is a gem! If you are in NO for a conference, this place is definitely a golden lunch spot. It was a travesty I didn't discover it 'til the fourth day...
Read moreNot cheap, but very quality. The juices are absolutely delicious, and the food creative and crave-worthy.
It took a long time to get our food, but there was quite a lunch rush because of the conference, so I can't complain. Have a fruit juice and check out the paintings on the wall as you wait.
Pros: charming seating area, the fruit juices!, many vegan items
Cons: not quick
Guest
veganamanda
Points +251
creative vegan food - Edit
This restaurant had some cool options on the menu, and the waiters knew what vegan meant. I also had the Rico sandwich. It was pretty good.
Read morePros: creative meals
Guest
VeganET
Points +79
Best vegan food in NOLA - Edit
WOW! We felt like we hit the jackpot when we found this place. My boyfriend and I both had the vegan special (which changes daily) and it was some of the best food I've ever had. They also had 3 vegan desserts and we thought we died and went to heaven. The atmosphere is what I would call a "sophisticated cozy". The staff is very friendly and eager to please. I loved everything about this place.
Read morePros: Atmosphere, Friendly Staff, Healthy
Cons: Limited seating
Guest
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