Vegan Mediterranean food in Charleston SC — whole roasted cauliflower with tahini at Mazal

Vegan Mediterranean food in Charleston: where to eat

May 26, 2026 · 7 min read · Mazal Food Guide

Signature whole-roasted cauliflower with tahini and herbs at Mazal Mediterranean Street Food, Charleston SC, vegan and gluten-free

Finding vegan food in Charleston isn't hard. Finding vegan food that doesn't feel like an afterthought - a sad side salad or a burger with the patty swapped out - that's harder.

Vegan hummus with green schug, chickpeas and tahini at Mazal Mediterranean Street Food, Charleston SC — Classic hummus — 100% vegan, ground fresh every morning.

Mediterranean cuisine is one of the few food traditions where plant-based eating isn't a workaround. It's just... how the food works. Hummus, falafel, tabbouleh, roasted vegetables with tahini - these aren't "vegan alternatives." They're dishes that have been eaten this way for centuries, long before anyone was counting macros or checking labels.

If you're plant-based and living in or visiting Charleston, Mediterranean restaurants are your best bet for a meal that feels complete and intentional, not like something was taken away.

The vegan options at Mazal

Mazal Mediterranean Street Food in West Ashley has one of the strongest plant-based selections of any restaurant in the Charleston area. Not because they market themselves as a vegan restaurant (they're not - they also serve shawarma and schnitzel), but because Mediterranean cuisine inherently has a deep bench of vegan dishes.

Here's what's on the menu for vegans:

Falafel bowl - $17 (vegan, gluten-free)

The falafel at Mazal is fried to order - crisp shell, green and herbaceous inside. The bowl version comes with tahini, lemon sauce, salad, and white cabbage. No pita, which is what makes it both vegan and gluten-free. If you want the pita version ($13), it's vegetarian but not vegan since the pita contains dairy.

Fresh falafel salad with tahini and pickles at Mazal Mediterranean Street Food, Charleston SC

Roasted cauliflower bowl - $16 (vegan, gluten-free)

A whole head of cauliflower, oven-roasted until golden, served with tahini, lemon sauce, parsley, and salad. This is the dish that surprises people. The cauliflower gets caramelized and almost meaty in texture. Same rule applies - the bowl is vegan and GF, the pita version is vegetarian only.

Hummus plates - starting at $12.40 (vegan, gluten-free without pita)

Three of the six hummus plates are vegan: Classic Chickpeas ($12.40), Tahini and Chickpeas ($13.40), and the Mazal Signature ($15) topped with falafel, tahini, salad, and pickles. Every hummus plate is gluten-free if you skip the pita.

Sides that work

Seasoned Fries ($10) - vegan, gluten-free, tossed in house Mediterranean seasoning
Falafel Plate ($10) - five falafel balls with tahini
Baked Cauliflower ($16) - roasted with lemon, garlic, and parsley sauce
Mazal Salad ($8) - tomato, cucumber, onion, parsley, olive oil, lemon
Falafel Salad ($16.90) - tomato, cucumber, parsley, pickles, za'atar, crispy pita chips (note: pita chips mean this one is NOT gluten-free)

Quick reference: vegan and GF guide

Dish	Vegan	GF	Price
Falafel bowl	Yes	Yes	$17
Roasted cauliflower bowl	Yes	Yes	$16
Classic chickpeas hummus	Yes	Yes*	$12.40
Tahini chickpeas hummus	Yes	Yes*	$13.40
Mazal Signature hummus	Yes	Yes*	$15
Seasoned Fries	Yes	Yes	$10
Falafel Plate	Yes	Yes	$10
Baked Cauliflower	Yes	Yes	$16
Mazal Salad	Yes	Yes	$8

*Gluten-free when ordered without pita.

Allergen note: Tahini and amba contain sesame, a top-9 US allergen under the FASTER Act. Most vegan items at Mazal contain tahini. If you have a sesame allergy, ask the staff about modifications.

The pita trap: what to know

This trips people up, so it's worth calling out: pita is not vegan and not gluten-free. Anything served "in pita" at Mazal is vegetarian only. If you want vegan or GF, order the bowl version. Same ingredients, minus the pita, usually a few dollars more because the portion is larger.

The falafel pita ($13) is vegetarian. The falafel bowl ($17) is vegan and gluten-free. Same falafel, different wrapper.

Why Mediterranean works for plant-based eating

A lot of restaurants treat vegan dishes as subtractions - take a regular dish, remove the meat, remove the cheese, hope for the best. You end up with something that feels like a plate of missing ingredients.

Mediterranean food doesn't have that problem because the plant-based dishes were designed to be plant-based from the start. Hummus isn't hummus minus something. Falafel isn't a meat substitute. Roasted cauliflower with tahini isn't pretending to be steak.

These are complete dishes with their own fat sources (tahini, olive oil), their own protein (chickpeas, fava beans), and their own flavor profiles (cumin, za'atar, lemon, garlic). They don't need to borrow anything from the meat side of the menu to work.