I’m staying in the Tacoma area where if you search for “vegan,” Google Maps says, “Did you mean Chipotle?” So I haven’t found a lot of great vegan food nearby.

But then I tried Viva Tacoma. It’s good. It’s really good. The owners are vegan for health reasons, so the restaurant has a let-food-be-thy-medicine mentality.

(This is the chorizo scramble with avocado. The potatoes were perfectly seasoned, and the tortilla was a great addition.)
Owner Nancy Parkison originally changed her diet to combat rheumatoid arthritis. (It worked–after being diagnosed in her early 20s, she climbed Mt. Rainier at age 50).

One of the only places Parkison and her husband, Rich Baker, could eat was a raw restaurant in Tacoma. When that restaurant shut down, they went into business with the chef, Paco Hernandez, and Viva Tacoma was born.
The display next to the brownie plate is “The Best of the South Sound 2022” results, where Viva Tacoma won Best Restaurant, Best Chef, and Best Vegetarian. I need to go back and try some of the desserts in that case.
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