Las Vegas vegan restaurant closes after controversy
ChagaRoot, the East Flamingo Road restaurant that specialized in plant-based dishes (plus milkshakes) made with mushrooms, shuttered on July 3 after about three years in business.
“ChagaRoot Restaurant is now closed,” the spot said in an Instagram post. “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you joined us for a meal, a cleanse, or simply shared a moment of connection — we’re deeply grateful.”
The mushroom protein powder will continue to be sold online, according to the post. In 2024, the restaurant ranked No. 57 among Yelp’s top 100 vegan restaurants in the U.S.
Controversial menu item
On Feb. 10, a headless chicken was found outside the entrance to ChagaRoot, following the restaurant adding a bison burger (actual meat) to the menu. The new item proved controversial, something addressed by owner Shane Stuart in a Facebook video.
“Shane here, owner of ChagaRoot,” Stuart says. “A few days ago, we announced that we were adding a bison burger to the menu, and this morning, I spent an hour marinating in the venomous toxic soup being dished out by the vegan plant police. Flooding our social media feed with hate, calling us hypocrites, sellouts, murderers, I hope your business fails, I wish I never gave you my money, you did it for the money, greed.
“I want to be clear about something: ChagaRoot was never intended to be a vegan restaurant,” Stuart says later in the video. “We built a sanctuary for anyone seeking health, regardless of their path. When we made this transition to adding the bison patty, we did it with intention, with respect, with understanding that every human body has different needs.”
Stuart details the steps he took to prevent cross-contamination: “I bought a separate grill. I got color-coded knives, spatulas, kitchenware, cutting boards — all to ensure zero crossover.”
Other vegan closings
The shuttering of ChagaRoot, 3318 E. Flamingo Road, Suite D, preceded by just a few days the closing of both locations of NoButcher, the plant-based delicatessen known for its housemade vegan cheese and meats.
In the past three years, Las Vegas has seen the closing of other plant-based restaurants such as VegeNation in downtown, Graze Kitchen on South Buffalo Drive, and Pots, which originally opened on South Rainbow Boulevard.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.