The vegan options off of Pecos and Tropicana are becoming easier to find with spots like Pancho’s Vegan Tacos and Taco Y Taco. But have you heard about Zenaida’s Cafe, a family-owned diner open for breakfast and lunch? Zenaida’s is a vegan-friendly restaurant in Las Vegas with a homey feel, like you walked into Zenaida’s Chef Sterling Burpee’s living room ready to enjoy a home-cooked meal.
Make no mistake, this is no home cooking.
Chef Sterling has been a part of the opening team of multiple major hotels including Wynn Resorts. He is also not new to meatless dishes, thanks to having family members who are both vegans and vegetarians. These dishes are reflected on the menu.
Like many hot spots in town, avocado toast is on Zenaida’s menu. While it’s not vegan in its original form, Chef Sterling can swap the baguette for garlic sourdough. This bad boy comes topped with grape tomatoes and a balsamic glaze.
If you’re in the mood for a sandwich, order the quinoa burger, a goodie straight from Chef Sterling’s personal recipe. He uses quinoa, grits, and white beans to create this protein-filled patty that is seared and served on toasted naan. It is then topped with Daiya Cheese and avocado slices (Yes! More avocado!) with a seasonal side salad.
Chloe’s Tofu Scramble was created for Chef Sterling’s wife, who you might also run into during your meal. Think less scramble and more vegan fried rice style. It’s a huge mound of jasmine rice, tofu, sauteed mushrooms and other veggies, plus some nori with a side of pickled slaw. Rice in our breakfast tofu scramble, why haven’t we been doing this before?
Finally, there are vegan tacos on the menu which feature meatless grounds.
Happy with your eats? Let Chef know how much you appreciate the vegan options on his menu when he comes around to shake your hand at the end of the meal.
3430 E. Tropicana Ave., 89121; 702-476-3117; Sunday: 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Wednesday – Saturday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Kathryn Hartwig is a senior writer for Vegans, Baby. She decided to go vegan almost eight years ago while searching for the perfect diet to compliment her role as a professional dancer. After experimenting with multitudes of fads, she finally found a lifestyle that turned out to be so much more than just a diet. She settled in Vegas with her husband/photographer Daniel, and puppy, Layla, after traveling the world on cruise ships and living in New York City. The family recently welcomed the birth of their first child, a true vegan baby.
