The 10 most vegan cities worldwide

The number of restaurants with vegan dishes is also increasing abroad. Find out here which cities worldwide have the most vegan-friendly restaurants.

If you think of travel destinations with enough vegan food options, the classics will certainly come to mind first. There is Berlin, with the very first vegan supermarket in Europe, or Israel, which has the highest proportion of vegans in the population at 5%. However, ten more cities have also been declared new vegan hotspots by a recent statistic from Hayes & Jarvis*. We now present these top 10 cities with the most vegan-friendly restaurants in detail.

Johannesburg, South Africa

The top 10 of the world’s most vegan-friendly cities starts with South Africa’s most populous city, Johannesburg. There are 11 official languages ​​in South Africa and this diversity is also reflected in the food culture. Depending on the region of South Africa, there is a greater concentration of people and, accordingly, a greater occurrence of dishes. In Johannesburg, for example, any kind of pumpkin dominates the local vegan cuisine. One of the best-known vegan dishes is Bunny Chow, a curry served in a hollowed-out piece of white bread.

If you’re already in South Africa, you don’t want to do without the legendary South African wines. Fortunately, the majority of South Africa’s wines are vegan. The famous local rooibos tea is also vegan-friendly in any case, and those who want typical South African dishes will also find what they are looking for. The most famous dish, bobotie, a minced casserole with beans, turmeric rice and raisins, can also be found as a vegan version with soy.

New York City, United States

It should come as no surprise that New York is in the top 10 most vegan cities, after all it is a cosmopolitan city. One of the criteria that a cosmopolitan city has to meet is diversity and this is also reflected in the vegan food options. New York City is not only a melting pot of different cultures, but also a melting pot of their food cultures. In 1991, Caravan of Dreams, the first vegan restaurant in New York City, opened in the East Village.

Since then, New York City has been considered a mecca for vegan food culture, but this has now intensified again. Vegan food has long been standard in New York City, because the focus is currently on gluten-free, raw and paleo food variations. New York cheesecake, cheese pizza and even the typical hot dogs from the street stalls are easily found in vegan versions. You will therefore be able to visit the city carefree without having to miss any of the food classics.

Athens, Greece

Anyone who knows the taverns from Germany will be surprised that the Greek capital is one of the most vegan travel destinations. But anyone who has ever visited Greece knows that traditional Greek cuisine has little to do with the Greek taverns in Germany. Sure, even in Athens you can find the tourist gyros plate on every corner, but even more vegan-friendly dishes. Unlike in Germany, in restaurants in Greece, like in Spain, you order several smaller dishes instead of one plate. Create your own vegan combination, because that’s how the locals do it too!

Since vegan dishes are an integral part of classic Greek cuisine, you can literally find them in every restaurant. Another advantage for vegans: in Greece people fast several times a year and meanwhile do without (almost) all animal products. Supermarkets, bakeries but also restaurants carry many foods and dishes, even moussaka and spanakopita, therefore every year as a “Lent” variant.

Orlando, United States

Orlando is the second US city in the list of the most vegan cities in the world, ahead of New York. The special thing about Orlando, the fifth largest city in Florida, combines the sumptuous southern-style southern cuisine with the simpler northern cuisine. Get ready for high-calorie meals, because the motto here is “you bring it, we fry it!”. In addition, you will often find the word “pickled” (pickled) here as an adjective and sometimes even pickled and fried together!

In addition to soy, the most popular meat substitute in Orlando’s vegan cuisine is jackfruit, which often appears as “vegan pulled sloppy joe”. Much like pickled vegetables are fried as a combination, dessert is no different. The local dessert Brookie is a combination of brownie and cookie. If you haven’t reached your calorie limit yet, then you should definitely try the Death Bar. The Orlando “Death Bar” consists of Oreo cookies, chocolate chips, peanut butter confection and chocolate brownie, of course as a combo and vegan as usual.

Florence, Italy

Tuscany is an extremely popular tourist destination in Italy. The vegan heart beats faster when Florence, the capital of Tuscany, is also extremely vegan-friendly. Who now immediately with the question, “but how can pizza be vegan?” antanzt, he will be amazed. Much like traditional Greek cuisine, many classic Italian cuisine recipes derive from cucina povera, rural and peasant cuisine.

Animal products were considered for the wealthier classes and were replaced by vegetable ones. A traditional pizza base consists only of flour, yeast, salt and water. Also unlike in Germany, many pizzas in Italy, for example the Pizza Marinara, do completely without cheese. So nobody in Florence will look at you the wrong way if you want to order a pizza senza formaggio (without cheese).

Venice, Italy

It continues straight away with probably the most famous and most visited Italian city after Rome, Venice. The romantic Venice is not only a stronghold for tourists, but apparently also the vegan stronghold among the Italian cities! Thanks to the many tourists, cafes in Venice in particular have adapted to vegan-friendly options. It is hardly surprising that Venice is the vegan pioneer, after all, the first café in the western world was opened in Venice in 1647.

Vegan cappuccinos are as easy to find in Venice as gondola rides. You should also try Venice’s special dish, the minestra di pasta e fagioli, bean soup with pasta, which is often vegan. When it comes to pasta, ask if it is pasta fresca (fresh pasta) or pasta secca (dried pasta). The latter is always made without eggs and is definitely vegan. If you fancy dessert, Italian classics such as tiramisu and even gelato are available as vegan options.

London, United Kingdom

Alongside New York City, the other only Alpha++ world city also makes it into the top 10 most vegan cities, London. Until recently, those looking for vegan-friendly places to eat in London had to stay in the Shoreditch area. So all the vegan restaurants in Shoreditch and the neighboring districts bustled about. However, the British capital has experienced a veritable “vegan turn” in the last two years.

A majority of traditional pubs now have exclusive “Meatless Mondays” or separate vegan menus. Even the country’s largest bakery chain, Greggs, has now introduced vegan pastries. So if you want typical English scones for breakfast or high tea, you will certainly find them in London. And what about fish and chips? In fact, there are also a few restaurants along Greek Street that offer this dish vegan.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Netherlands is not only one of the countries with the highest consumption of dairy products, but is also one of the largest producers. Nevertheless, a diverse vegan food culture has developed, especially in Amsterdam. Traditional Dutch cuisine is rarely vegan, but thanks to influences from Indonesian and Surinamese cuisine, new food combinations have emerged. Peanut lovers get their money’s worth in Amsterdam. Whether it’s frietjes with pindasaus (peanut sauce) or burger patties made from peanut dough, the peanut is definitely the star of vegan Dutch cuisine.

Anyone asking about vegan-friendly food in Amsterdam will often hear “The Meatless District”. Beware, because this is not a real district, but a highly recommended vegan restaurant with a high reputation in Amsterdam. Those with a sweet tooth among you are also well catered for in Amsterdam. Typical Dutch sweets such as Roza Koek, Tampouche and Poffertjes are easy to find in vegan versions.

Phuket, Thailand

Even though Phuket has just one-eighth the population of Bangkok, it has a higher percentage of vegan-friendly restaurants than Thailand’s capital. One reason for this is the high concentration of tourists, after all Phuket has the third largest airport in Thailand. Most of us associate Thai food with fresh vegetables and exotic flavors instead of animal products anyway. In Thailand, as in many Southeast Asian countries, a lot revolves around the coconut.

From hot main courses to desserts like ice cream, much of what we make with milk in Europe replaces coconut milk. Although the traditional Thai curries are only made with coconut milk, due to western tourism, some dishes contain whipped cream, so be careful. If you are in Thailand for the very first time, try dishes that are vegan from the ground up. For example, Pineapple Fried Rice, fried jasmine rice with pineapple and cashews, served in half a pineapple bowl.

Dublin, Ireland

The number 1 city with the most vegan-friendly restaurants goes to Dublin, which may come as a surprise to many. However, vegan food is not a new movement in the Irish capital. There’s the vegan restaurant Cornucopia, which has been offering vegan dining options in Dublin since 1986 (even before New York’s Caravon of Dreams). Of course, most typical Irish dishes consist of a combination of meat and potatoes. But the Irish have always appreciated the potato for its versatility.

This is even more evident in the vegan restaurants in Dublin. The shepherd’s pie quickly becomes the shepherdless pie, and the Irish stew becomes the vegan potato Irish stew. In recent years, Dublin has developed into a veritable (vegan) Silicon Valley. In addition to numerous international tech companies, a variety of international food cultures have also settled in Dublin, increasing vegan dining options.