9 Top Vegan Cities

Tel Aviv in Israel has officially been declared the top vegan capital of the world. Before that, it used to be the German capital, Berlin, with around 80,000 vegans among three million inhabitants, which is a big ratio. So, what are other top vegan cities in the world? There are many cool places that are simply heaven for vegans, and delightful culinary discoveries for non-vegans. I will list them here.

Perhaps, when this quarantine is over, you could visit one of these places. We will all be in desperate need for a trip when this is all over, right? As much as I enjoy working from home, I will be glad to go on a little trip.

I will start with nine of the best vegan cities.

9. Toronto, Canada

Toronto is a very vegan friendly city, offering loads of plant-based options. There are even vegan restaurants that follow certain themes, for example British pub fare or a pizzeria. If you have a sweet tooth, there are also great selections for you. Toronto features many vegan bakeries. If you ever visit Toronto, you won’t even have time to visit all these amazing eateries. You will have to plan a second visit to try them all out.

Some of the vegan restaurants are:

• Apiecalypse Now Pizza & Snack Bar
• The Hogtown Vegan
• Cosmic Treats
• Disgraceland
• Fresh

and many more.

As for bakeries, make sure you visit Bloomers, Bunner’s Bake Shop, Kensington Natural Bakery and Café, and more.

8. Taipei, Taiwan

The vegan scene is growing in Taipei, which PETA named the Most Vegan-Friendly City in Asia. Plant-based restaurants are popping up in the city, and Taipei is now home to over 50 vegan restaurants. If you’re planning a trip to this part of the world (I know, as soon as the quarantine is over 😉 ) you can sample vegan foods everywhere while exploring the beautiful city of Taipei

Some restaurants that are vegan are:

• About Animals
• Flourish
• Tofunia
• Ooh Cha Cha

• Kaya Kaya Café
• Desserts:
  • Vegan Heaven
  • Green Bakery, Nice Cream

7. Mumbai, India

Indian food is one of my favorites. Full of rich flavors and spices, I have loved the Indian cuisine ever since I first tasted it in my twenties, after I had moved to London. London has a colorful mix of restaurants from all over the world, including many Indian eateries.

The following vegan restaurants are excellent options if you ever plan to visit the vibrant city of Mumbai. Whether it is breakfast, brunch, dinner, or a snack, there are many delightful options available.

These are some restaurants you should try on your next visit to Mumbai 🙂

• Earth Café
• Rare Earth
• Imagine Café
• Earthlings Café
• Burma Burma
• Aharveda Restaurant
• Govinda’s
• Shivala

And more …

6. Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Amsterdam is also becoming more vegan friendly. There is a nice list of restaurants that you can visit when you find yourself in this incredible town.

Beter & Leuk (which means “better and nice”) features Dutch specialties in their vegan form. A Loving Hut is also a favorite. Deshima is a macrobiotic vegan restaurant that offers fresh and organic food. It also has a shop where you can buy vegan goodness on the go.

Bar James is a cool hangout, a restaurant and cocktail lounge that features an assortment of vegan wines, beers, and spirits. If you would like to learn more about vegan alcohol, please check my previous articles here.

==> Click here to find out more about vegan wines <==

==> Check this article for information about vegan beer <==

==> Interested in vegan liquor? Click this link for more info <==

Koffie ende Koeck (which means coffee and cake) is perfect to satisfy a sweet tooth.

5. Los Angeles, US

In a recent article, I already mentioned the pulsating city of angels. L.A. is home to many vegan restaurants, and one of them is Café Gratitude which recently released a new cookbook. Café Gratitude is a favorite among Hollywood stars such as Woody Harrelson, Jaden Smith, Heidi Klum, and others.

Other L. A vegan eateries are:

• Shojin (macrobiotic, fine vegan sushi)
• Pura Vita
• Mohawk Bend (which also featured craft beer)
• By CLOE
• Flore
• Vromage

And many more

4. New York, US

New York City has more than 140 vegetarian restaurants, Chinese, Indian, Korean, Japanese, soul food, you name it. I was in New York a long time ago, and I would love to go back and try out some of the vegan restaurants, and get some incredible falafels or vegan soul food. Yummy!

Besides restaurants, New York is also pretty unique in that it has really cool vegan food trucks. Check out the Cinnamon Snail food truck, which makes vegan sandwiches and has also earned the title of the best food truck in NYC. There usually is a long line of hungry people during lunchtime, ready to get their sandwiches and donuts.

There is also another nice vegan food truck which is called the Radish. They created a vegan donut-tart hybrid. I would love to try that one!

Cheese lovers should not despair. Dr. Cow Tree Nut Cheese, a vegan cheese store in Brooklyn, sells a wide selection of cheeses that are made of raw, organic nuts.

Last but not least, when in New York, eat a bagel. It is the place for bagels, and you can also have a NYC bagel with dairy-free cream cheese, no problem at all.

3. London, UK

London is listed as one of the world’s most vegan friendly cities, ranking high with Los Angeles, New York, and Berlin. This incredible city has it all, a rich mix of cultures which is evident in the variety of restaurants and shops.

Some great vegan restaurants are the following:

• Bubala in Spitalfields
• Tibits (Bankside and Regent Street)
• Black Cat Vegan Café (Hackney)
• Genesis (Shoreditch)
• The Vurger Co, (Canary Wharf and Shoreditch)

2. Berlin, Germany

Visiting Berlin is on my bucket list. It is a city full of history, and now it is also full with vegan restaurants, and not only that. It vibrates with the vegan lifestyle. This city is gaining a wonderful reputation as a vegan city.

When it comes to the vegan lifestyle, Berlin is definitely at the forefront, for you can find – besides restaurants – vegan clothing, even sex shops, and many other products that are cruelty-free.

I know, I got your attention with the sex shop, didn’t I? Why was that veganized? Well, let’s take condoms and sex toys. The main ingredient is latex which contains milk proteins.

“We need condoms,” Cat, an employee at Other Nature, an alternative adult shop, explains. I couldn’t agree more. Condoms are important, we can’t just drop these … (I didn’t mean that literally 😉 ) So, the condoms at Other Nature are free of animal ingredients, as are other items; they contain no leather and no latex.

Berliners are very motivated by animal rights and so choose to live a vegan lifestyle, not just follow the diet. This is why Berlin is so incredible. You can find vegan shoes there, vegan clothing, sex toys, make up, you name it.

Apart from animal rights, many also follow the vegan lifestyle for environmental reasons, since the animal agriculture sector accounts for approximately 15% of man made greenhouse gases.

Besides, being vegan is considered cool in Berlin. So, there you go, keep up with it and be cool 😉 .

This is why I dedicated a longer paragraph to Berlin. I find it a fascinating place and a beautiful example of a vegan city, one I hope to visit one day. For many years Berlin has held the title of vegan capital of the world, but now that title has gone to Tel Aviv.

1. Tel Aviv, Israel

As I just mentioned, this is the vegan capital of the world, with 400 vegan and vegan friendly restaurants that offer mouthwatering delicacies, making dining out in Tel Aviv a culinary indulgence.

There are dozens of vegan burger bars, an Indian restaurant, and even a vegan Georgian restaurant. Moreover, there are vegan supermarkets and take out places for the busy people who do not have time to cook.

Many chefs and renowned foodies in Tel Aviv have turned to this way of eating for humanitarian reasons.

At Meshek Barzilay you can get sauce-laced steaks from pumpkin slabs, moussaka with cashew-based bechamel sauce, and many other delightful treats. Next door, at Meshek Barzilay Delicatessen, you can pick up lunch or dinner, a smoothie, coffee, organic vegetables or a box of gluten-free, vegan cookies.

Dosa Bar is another great restaurant that offers delicacies such as vegan and gluten-free dosas, that can be stuffed with masalas and vegetable stews tipped by tasty chutneys.

Final Thoughts

Where should I start? If I had to choose, I would first go to Berlin and experience the whole vegan lifestyle there. I know I will feel right at home there. I wonder, if I had moved to Berlin years ago, would I have ended up leaving Europe and moving to Mexico? I will never know the answer to that 😉 A vacation to Berlin is planned, though, with a return trip to my beloved Mexico.

I would also love to visit Tel Aviv one day, and Asia is definitely on my list too. I would love to go to India and also Taiwan.

I used to live in London, so I can attest to the rich variety of cuisines. London is a wonderful city that you should definitely visit when you’re going to Europe. I was in New York in 1996 and I even went to the top floor of the Twin Towers when they were still standing. New York was an incredible experience and I hope to return one day and explore its many vegan culinary delicacies.

I hope that this list gave you some interesting information, and who knows, one day, when this quarantine is over, we can start enjoying the world again with all its beauty.