The 10 Worst Cities For Vegans & 10 That Are Vegan Heaven
Afraid To Travel As A Vegan? Don't Be
Traveling as a vegan can go one of two ways. It's either a delightful and inspiring experience full of culinary exploration or a total slog that sees you subsisting on peanut butter sandwiches and baby carrots. While some cities boast a thriving plant-based scene, others leave us scouring menus for something, anything that doesn't have animal products in it, and being guilt-tripped when we ask for menu modifications to the point where we give up going to restaurants altogether. To avoid feeling like a total outcast and coming back from your travels with a shrunken stomach, here are the world's 10 worst and 10 best cities for vegans.
1. Dijon, France
It may be most associated with mustard which is, in fact, vegan. However, the charming city in Eastern France is famous for its classic French fare which is highly meat-focused. Dijon is famous for its boeuf bourguignon, and like the rest of the country, has a fondness for cheese.
2. Moscow, Russia
If you're vegan and planning to go to Moscow, be prepared to eat almost exclusively potatoes. Russian food is traditionally very meat and dairy-heavy. Even Russian salads tend to be smothered in mayonnaise and many contain ham or fish.
3. Xi'an, China
Meat is a central part of China's culinary tradition and veganism, especially in places like Xi'an, is far from mainstream. Even dishes that don't contain meat are likely to have fish sauce or beef broth as a base.
4. Almaty, Kazakhstan
Almaty is a city at the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains that, while beautiful, don't make vegetable rearing easy. As a result, the traditional food in this region is very meat and dairy-heavy, and while the dining scene is growing, veganism is still very much a niche concept.
5. Lubbock, USA
Lubbock's food scene reflects the BBQ culture Texas is famous for as well as the hot and dusty climate which never lent itself well to farming vegetables. While other Texan cities like Austin or Houston are easy to be vegan in, Lubbock remains challenging.
6. Montevideo, Uruguay
Montevideo, Uruguay is another city that's famous for its barbecue (asado). While it's a stunning place with a rich culinary scene, it's a terrible spot to be vegan. Plant-based options, if you find any, are expensive and uninteresting.
7. Porto Alegre, Brazil
Porto Alegre is Gaucho central, where churrascarias (Brazilian steakhouses) reign supreme. It's a meat-lovers paradise, far from a vegan haven.
8. Green Bay, USA
Green Bay, Wisconsin is home to several cheese factories as well as German-Americans who grew up on a hearty diet of bratwurst and Schnitzel. As a vegan here, you'll likely have to make do with a rather sad-looking salad bar that's mostly iceberg lettuce.
9. Tromsø, Norway
Nowhere in Scandinavia outside of major cities like Copenhagen are renowned for the plant-based foods but Tromsø is perhaps the worst in that respect. To be fair, the city is remotely situated in the Arctic where it's hardly easy to grow vegetables.
10. Busan, South Korea
Busan is one of the most difficult places to be vegan due to the heavy reliance on seafood and meat. Ingredients like fish sauce and shrimp paste are so widely used in everything from kimchi to soups, that restaurants may not realize that these dishes are not vegan.
Now that we've gone over some of the most challenging cities for vegans to dine in, let's go over the ones where the options are so plenty, you'll feel like you've gone to vegan heaven.
1. Barcelona, Spain
While Spanish food is often associated with serrano ham and cheese, vegetables are plentiful here and metropolitan cities like Barcelona are completely hip with veganism. There are over 100 vegan or vegan-friendly restaurant options dotted around the city offering everything from plant-based versions of Catalan classics to vegan burger joints.
2. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Curry, papaya salad, spring rolls, tofu, oh, my! Chiang Mai, Thailand is a veritable paradise for vegans. Even if you don't see explicitly plant-based options on a menu, don't be afraid to ask as most places are understanding towards dietary restrictions and will willingly vegan-ize most dishes.
3. Berlin, Germany
It may come as a surprise that the land of currywurst is vegan-friendly, but Berlin is a modern, trendy, metropolitan city with a fantastic international food scene. Veganism is well understood and even greasy burger joints offer excellent plant-based options.
4. Bengaluru, India
With the country's emphasis on vegetables and the Hindu view of cows as a sacred animal, you'd be pretty safe as a vegan in almost any Indian city, but Bengaluru is the nation's vegan capital. It has an abundance of restaurants serving diverse plant-based fare that makes following a vegan diet not only possible, but exciting.
5. Tel Aviv, Israel
The food scene in Tel Aviv borrows heavily from neighboring Middle Eastern countries where many Israelis' ancestry comes from, blended with the country's European Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, This makes for a cuisine full of finesse with an emphasis on fresh vegetables and vibrant, light, plant-based dishes. You can spend your days happily nibbling on hummus and fresh pita bread, flavorful salads, and plates of falafel with tahini.
6. Toronto, Canada
As Canada's most multicultural city, Toronto is full of stupendous international cuisine serving up an abundance of plant-based options. What's more, Torontonians are known for being wellness-focused, emphasizing clean eating and a healthy lifestyle, so plant-based diets are well understood.
7. New York City, USA
NYC is easily one of the best cities in the world for vegans, and indeed, for food in general. With its world-class restaurant scene setting the bar so high, it only makes sense that its vegan options would be as stupendous as its non-vegan ones.
8. Mexico City, Mexico
Vegan tacos? Yes, please! Mexico City has become one of the best cities for vegans in Latin America and not just because bean, rice, and guac-heavy Mexican food lends itself well to veganization. It's a city known for its creative food scene, and that extends to cutting-edge vegan cuisine.
9. Taipei, Taiwan
Because of the strong Buddhist presence, Taiwan in general has a lot of vegetarians and vegans. As a result, the capital city, Taipei, has an abundance of vegan restaurants, and even plant-based buffets are a staple.
10. Ubud, Indonesia
With its abundance of amazing tropical produce and vast array of traditional plant-based dishes, the town of Ubud in Bali is arguably the best place on earth to be vegan. There's such a copious amount of vegan restaurants serving up everything from curry to tempeh to fermented soybean cakes, it'll have your head spinning.
