Looking for Naf Naf Grill vegetarian options? The Middle Eastern fast-casual chain builds every order around a base, a protein, and your choice of toppings and sauce. Falafel or hummus both work as a full plant-based protein on the menu. That makes it one of the more straightforward build-your-own chains for vegetarians, with a fully vegan platter on the menu too if you’d rather skip the decision-making. Curious what about the vegetarians at other chains? We’ve covered well over 250 of them. Naf Naf’s recipes can shift a little by market, so confirm anything unusual with the person building your order.
A Quick Look at Naf Naf Grill
Naf Naf Grill’s story starts in 2008. Chef Sahar Sander and business partner Elan Burger converted a run-down, 1,200-square-foot former Taco Bell in Naperville, Illinois into a Middle Eastern sandwich shop. Sander, who grew up in Israel, built the menu around his family’s recipes for shawarma, falafel, and fresh-baked pita. David Sloan joined as a partner soon after. The trio rebranded the concept as Naf Naf Grill when the first official location opened in 2009. The name means “fan the flame,” an invitation to gather over a shared meal.
The chain grew through the 2010s, expanding into Chicago, Minneapolis, and Madison. Atlanta-based private equity firm Roark Capital Group invested in 2015 to fund faster growth. Sander died of a heart attack on June 1, 2018, at age 47. Roark later sold its stake back to Naf Naf and an investor group. Greg Willman, the chain’s first franchisee and a former Qdoba operator, took over as CEO in June 2020.
Willman announced his retirement in July 2025, and longtime CFO Grady Metoyer stepped in as interim CEO. Naf Naf Grill now runs close to 40 restaurants across Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Illinois is home to the largest share. Growth keeps coming through new formats too, including counters inside Love’s Travel Stops locations. Franchise Times ranked Naf Naf Grill #447 on its 2025 Top 400 list of US franchise brands by systemwide sales.
Naf Naf Grill Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Naf Naf Grill is a build-your-own counter, so most of the vegetarian options list doubles as a fully vegan pick. Falafel, hummus, and baba ghanoush all work as your protein or base, and most of the sauce lineup skips dairy and egg entirely. The table below is marked conservatively using the chain’s official 2025 allergy guide, since recipes and suppliers can shift a little by market.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Falafel (pita, bowl, or wrap) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Hummus | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (contains sesame) |
| Baba Ghanoush | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (contains sesame) |
| Veggie Feast platter (hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, purple cabbage salad, 6 falafel, 2 pitas) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Basmati Rice, Couscous, Romaine, Pita Bread (bases) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Chopped Salad, Purple Cabbage, Middle Eastern Pickles, Sumac Onions | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Lentil Soup | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Tahini, S’khug, Harissa, Lemon Vinaigrette sauces | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Garlic Sauce | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg) |
| Nafziki (yogurt sauce) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Naf Fries | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (not marked vegan on the official chart) |
| Baklava | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg, dairy, tree nuts) |
| Chicken Shawarma, Steak, Crispy Chicken | ❌ No | ❌ No |
Build Your Own: Pitas, Bowls, and Wraps
Every order on the menu starts with a format. The classic is a pita sandwich, hand-stuffed and folded to order. The bowl swaps the pita for a base of basmati rice, couscous, romaine, or a mix. It works well if you’re gluten-free too, as long as you skip the pita-adjacent toppings. The newer Naf Protein Wrap wraps your protein with hummus, pickles, and a sauce of your choice on the side. It’s the closest thing on the menu to a grab-and-go option. Whichever format you pick, tell the person behind the counter you want the falafel or hummus base and they’ll build the rest around it.
Falafel and the Veggie Feast Platter
Falafel is the backbone of the vegetarian and vegan menu at Naf Naf Grill. It’s made from ground chickpeas, jalapeño, and onion, deep-fried to order. It shows up in the pita, the bowl, the wrap, and as a side order on its own. If you’d rather skip the build-your-own decision-making, order the Veggie Feast. It’s a $9.99 platter with hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh salad, purple cabbage salad, six pieces of falafel, and two pitas. It comes out fully vegan without asking for a single substitution, and it’s large enough to split or stretch into two meals.
Sauces, Dips, and Toppings
Most of Naf Naf Grill’s vegan options on the sauce side are easy to spot. Tahini, s’khug (a spicy jalapeño and pepper blend), harissa, and lemon vinaigrette all skip dairy and egg. Garlic sauce is the one to watch if you’re avoiding egg, and nafziki, a yogurt-based sauce, is off the table if you’re avoiding dairy. On the topping side, the chopped salad (cucumber, tomato, and cilantro), purple cabbage, Middle Eastern pickles, and sumac onions are all vegan. Naf Fries aren’t marked vegan on the chain’s official allergy guide even though the ingredient list looks plant-based, so if you’re strict about it, ask before you order.
What’s Vegan at Naf Naf Grill?
Naf Naf Grill vegetarian options don’t stop at “meatless.” The vegan options here go well beyond a side salad. Falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, all four bases, lentil soup, and four of the six sauces (tahini, s’khug, harissa, lemon vinaigrette) are marked vegan on the chain’s official allergy guide. The Veggie Feast platter is the easiest fully vegan order on the menu, since it comes built that way by default. Build a falafel bowl or pita with any of the vegan sauces and vegetables, and you’ve got a complete vegan meal without any substitutions to explain at the counter.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Naf Naf Grill publishes an official allergy guide covering eggs, dairy, soy, sesame, wheat, tree nuts, and peanuts, current as of January 2025. Sesame shows up in tahini and anything made with it, including hummus and baba ghanoush. Wheat and gluten run through the pita bread and couscous, and trace amounts show up in falafel and fries from shared prep. Soy shows up widely because several items, including basmati rice, falafel, and the beef steak, are cooked in a refined soy oil. The chain notes this highly refined oil doesn’t typically trigger a soy allergy. Dairy is limited mostly to nafziki sauce, and eggs show up in garlic sauce and crispy chicken. Naf Fries, lentil soup, and baklava fall under the chart’s own “extras” category, alongside the rest of the menu’s proteins, bases, toppings, and sauces.
Baklava is the one item that touches nearly every major allergen on the list: eggs, dairy, soy, sesame, wheat, tree nuts, and peanuts. Naf Naf Grill is a made-to-order counter, not a dedicated allergen-free kitchen, so the chain is upfront that cross-contact between ingredients can happen during prep. If you have a serious allergy, tell your server before you order.
Tips for Vegetarians at Naf Naf Grill
- Order the Veggie Feast if you want a fully vegan platter without any customization or questions at the counter.
- Build a falafel or hummus bowl and skip garlic sauce and nafziki if you’re avoiding egg and dairy.
- Stick to tahini, s’khug, harissa, or lemon vinaigrette for a vegan sauce that won’t need substitutions.
- Ask before ordering Naf Fries if you’re strict about vegan, they’re not marked vegan on the official allergy chart despite a plant-based ingredient list.
- Lentil soup is a solid hot vegan option on a cold day, and it’s one of the few soups on a fast-casual menu that’s vegan by default.
- If sesame is a concern, skip tahini, hummus, and baba ghanoush, all three use it directly.
- The falafel kid’s meal is the only vegetarian kid’s meal option, since the chicken and steak versions both contain meat.
Conclusion
Naf Naf Grill’s build-your-own format and its fully vegan Veggie Feast platter make Naf Naf Grill vegetarian options easy to build without much thought. Two solid plant-based proteins, falafel and hummus, anchor the menu. Most of the sauce lineup skips dairy and egg, and the only real traps are garlic sauce and nafziki. For more on eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants, or to browse our full restaurant guide library, we’ve got you covered. Fans of Naf Naf’s Middle Eastern, build-your-own approach should also check out our guides to CAVA, Pita Pit, and The Halal Guys for more customizable, vegetarian-friendly pitas and options.
