We made an epic day of the annual Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge event by eating at seven participating restaurants in one day. This year, we ate at 9 of the 24 participating restaurants.

Read more about how to pull off this epic foodie road trip day for yourself!

What is the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge?

Since 2019, during August, area Twin Cities chefs have created unique 100% plant-based dishes to purchase, savor, and vote on. 

When you vote, you’re entered to win restaurant gift cards and other fun prizes! Voting is open from August 1 through August 31, and the winning dish will be announced at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 22, at Twin Cities Veg Fest.

Participants can win prizes along the way. Here is a link to learn more about the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge. 

Why we at 7 Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge Dishes in One Day

We were invited to enjoy a complimentary meal at Tori St. Paul. The drive from Mankato to St. Paul is 1.5 hours, so we wanted to make the trip worth it. 

That’s how we came to eat seven Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge dishes in one day.

Dusty and I have only been able to hit one or two spots during the challenge previously, but we wanted to try more this year.

Unfortunately, this August proved too busy for Dusty (again), so he couldn’t join me. Enter a vegetarian friend, Jessica, who knew nothing of the challenge. When I asked her to join, she said YES first and asked questions second. That’s how this fun adventure started.

How to Pull Off Eating 7 Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge Dishes in One Day in Three Easy Steps

The Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge page is super helpful and simplifies planning this outing. Planning an epic foodie day like ours can be done in three easy steps. 

Step 1: Scroll through the list, drool over the pictures, and make a list of priorities based on your criteria. 

My criteria for choosing the dishes were simple: uniqueness and location. After deciding on the dishes we wanted to try, we needed them to make sense on the map so we could hit seven spots in one day.  

Step 2. Click on Map View and plan your route! Plan a route that makes sense for you. The map view made it super easy for us to plan 

Step 3. Note which time of day the vegan challenge dish is offered. Some are only offered at certain times of the evening or all day. You’ll need that information as you plan your route. 

Next comes the fun part- eating!

The Seven Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge Meals We Ate in One Day 

We’ll show the dishes we ate in the order that we ate them.

VITALIST by Sarah H: Raw Pad Thai

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A post shared by Kelly & Dusty | Dining Duster (@diningduster)

Incredible! We ordered this dish without looking at the ingredients. We never could have guessed the noodles would be made of raw mango. This dish was spectacular. 

Duke’S on 7: Mango Spring Roll with Thai Chili Sauce

We enjoyed these. The mango, red pepper, and sprouts elevated these spring rolls, and that dipping sauce packed some heat. 

Stanley’s NE Bar Room: Teriyaki Mushroom Sandwich

This sandwich was as good as we hoped it would be! It had so many layers of incredible flavors that complemented each other so well that I ordered it to go for Dusty. They packed it so well, keeping everything separate so the bun wouldn’t get soggy. Speaking of the bun, it was excellent. Soft and flavorful, we would love to find out the source for these. 

ALTBuRGEr: Poblano Tamale

First, the plating was beautiful! The arched corn cob on top was meant to replicate a rib (how clever!).. The flavor was outstanding. That lime crema on top of charred corn was perfection, as were the candied tomatoes. You can bet we’re both finding recipes for candied tomatoes from our respective gardens. 

The tamale itself was as expected, and we loved the detail of the poblano skin. It was an excellent, creative dish we could never have imagined. 

Reverie Cafe + Bar: Hot Chicken Sammie

This sandwich was excellent! I love that the chicken patty is house-made and not fake meat. The spicy dill pickles were just right, and the fresh lemon aioli was perfect.  The side salad (and plating) left a little to be desired. I loved that it was arugula, but it had zero taste beyond that. Luckily, the sandwich was delicious.

Tori Ramen: Kimchi Mac (not pictured)

We heard this dish was popular but didn’t think it would sell out in 25 minutes! When we arrived at 5:30, the dish had just sold out before we could place our order.

As I mentioned earlier, this was meant to be a complimentary dish that our entire day was planned around. Chef/owner Jason Dorweiler made good on his complimentary meal and had us choose a dish from the menu.  Our ramen blew us away. We hope he finds a way for Tori Ramen to remain open. We want to go back for sure. 

The ramen picture is NOT the challenge dish, but we heard the Kimchi Mac was fantastic!

Herbie Butcher’s Fried Chicken: Fried Mondo Mac Sando

Oh my stars, this was good! I also brought one home for Dusty. We heated these up in the oven, and they were so good. 

We both said the same thing- it was excellent, per anything from Herbie Butcher’s Frid Chicken, and it was so ridiculous (in the most positive way ever) that it felt like MN State Fair Food. 

Our thoughts on our epic vegan chef challenge road trip day

First, our service was excellent at each of the places we visited. There was only one restaurant where the bartender/server was unaware of the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge, as he had just come off vacation. He did not skip a beat and even asked a few questions about the challenge.

Second, we were in earshot of other patrons ordering the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge dishes at some restaurants. It’s nice to see how popular this event is, considering only two of the seven restaurants on our list are 100% vegan. 

Third, Jessica and I had so much fun doing this that we’re bringing our husbands next year. Our initial thoughts are to stay overnight and make this a two-day event. So gather your friends and take on this challenge. Sharing the dish helps to split the cost, and it also allows you to try more than one on the same day. 

Fourth, it worked well for us to do this on a Friday. We were in and out of each of the restaurants in no time. Weekends may be busier, and tables and service may take longer. Just keep that in mind. 

Related: Vegan Food & Brewery Itinerary for Rochester, MN, and a Minneapolis Vegan Food & Beer Itinerary

Two More Vegan Chef Challenge Dishes

I mentioned that Dusty and I were in the Twin Cities on a different day, so we were able to try two more Vegan Chef Challenge Dishes.

The Howe Daily Kitchen & Bar: Vegan Salmon Bowl

Dish: Vegan Salmon Bowl: marinated & deep fried vegan salmon, coconut rice, roasted zucchini, cauliflower, red peppers, roasted corn, vegan ranch, sesame seeds, parsley

Available:  Mon-Fri 11 am – close, Sat & Sun- 2 pm-close

Location: 3675 Minnehaha Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55406

We have not thought of salmon since going vegan seven years ago. Having not read the description, we had no idea how the vegan salmon would be prepared. We thought the dish was so good. It didn’t remind us of salmon, but the flavor was excellent, and we loved the crispy exterior. We found out after that it should have come with the ranch. We enjoyed it the way it was served. The dish was perfect, and we plan to try a homemade version.

We loved this dish’s flavors—it had so many layers of flavor. We commented on how long it must have taken to make all the ingredients. It was very good.

Kelly & Jessica’s Tips for Eating 8 Vegan Chef Challenge Dishes in One Day

Go with the flow! With one restaurant on our list closed due to water leaks (Heal Mpls) and another out of the Vegan Chef Challenge dish due to its popularity, stuff happens, and it will be fun if your attitude is right!

Our first meal was planned for 11:30. We chose not to eat breakfast before leaving. Jessica was kind enough to bring us each a banana. It was the perfect snack that wasn’t too filling. 

Share the Vegan Chef Challenge dish! Jessica and I shared every dish we ordered. This helped cut costs and made it possible to eat seven challenge dishes in one day! Without sharing, we’d never have made it through half our list. 

Bring water for your vehicle! Eating out that many dishes means you’ll be thirsty in between. We also only ordered water to drink in the restaurants. 

Every restaurant was happy to split the check for us.

Have You Tried Any of the Vegan Chef Challenge Dishes?

We’d love to know if you have tried any Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge Dishes. We already can’t wait for next year’s challenge so we can do this again!

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