5 Top Vegan Cities, part 3

Following up on my previous posts about top vegan cities, part 1 and part 2, today we are heading to Asia. The list is, fortunately, endless, and I could write even more posts about these cities, and I probably will ;-). Perhaps, at some point I may create a PDF that features all articles, so that you can have an overview of all vegan cities that I covered. I will let you know when that is done.

So, let’s head over to Asia!

Singapore

This beautiful island has a large range of vegan restaurants. Veganburg is one that definitely stands out. With a franchise in not only Singapore but also in San Francisco, it has risen in popularity and it has won a ton of awards and recognitions. Veganburg was the world’s first plant-based burger joint, founded in 2010.

Their mission, as stated on their website is to “inspire and excite the world to choose a plant-based diet as a means of planet-restoration.”

With burgers such as these, how can you say no? 🙂

Genesis Vegan Restaurant serves “fish head” vermicelli and “chicken” rice. Asian and Western dishes are part of the menu, including hot and cold desserts, featuring a delicious vegan cheesecake.

The Loving Hut features vegan versions of traditional dishes such as nyonya laksa, orh nee, and many others. Customers have left excellent reviews on their Facebook page

Other outstanding restaurants are NomVnom, Fil A Pita, and HotCakes. NomVnom is a fast food joint that offers a wide selection of incredible burgers, including a Meatless Mexican and a QQ Cheezy with homemade cashew nut cream cheese. I would say, nom nom! 😉

Fil A Pita brings you great Middle Eastern food. HotCakes is a vegan/vegetarian cafe that, according to Time Out Magazine prepares the” best pancakes in Singapore you can have at any time of day”.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I have never visited Thailand, but I have seen many photos and I know people who have been there, and everyone tells me the same thing: it is so beautiful! I hope that I can go one day.

Taste from Heaven has a large menu that offers traditional as well as western dishes, and some delicious desserts. Some dishes are gluten-free. You can also order homemade curry pastes to take home with you.

Free Bird’s Cafe offers mouthwatering pancakes, stuffed toasts, cheesecake and more delicacies. Their menu also includes a gluten-free pancake. 🙂

Chiang Mai Vegetarian Society offer traditional Thai foods and they are known for their all-you-can-eat buffets. Meals are either vegetarian or vegan.

Customer reviews speak very highly of them, commending the excellent food and the low prices.

Makati, Philippines

Makati is the country’s financial hub, located in the Philippines Metro Manila region and famous for its skyscrapers, shopping malls, and the Ayala Triangle Gardens. It is also a haven for vegans.

Let’s explore some of its vegan restaurants.

Greenery Kitchen serves traditional meals such as bopis, pares, adobo, pinoy dishes, alloo matar, and also banana loaf bread and delicious desserts. The a la carte menu features some international dishes as well, so there is a wide choice of yummy vegan meals available.

Green Bar serves many different dishes, for example, vegan roast beef sandwiches, popcorn “chicken” tacos, seitan burritos, vegan grilled cheese, seitan Philly “cheese steak”, Banh Mi sandwich, donuts and desserts.

The Kismet Cafe offers sandwiches, burritos, pancakes, fruit shakes, smoothies, and coffee made from Philippine grown Mount Atok coffee beans.

The Corner Tree Cafe has been around for over ten years, and they have recently opened a second branch. Their meals are vegetarian, but they also offer some vegan and gluten-free food. Their menu features delicacies from Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and the Americas. They also have weekly specials which are inspired by current events or international days.

Customer reviews speak highly of the food, setting, and service, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Bali, Indonesia

Bali is a popular destination and I would love to visit one day. Friends and acquaintances who have been there always tell me to go; and, well, the photos speak for themselves 🙂 . Known for its yoga and meditation retreats, and visited by many health fanatics, it probably comes at no surprise that Bali features a wide range of vegan restaurants.

Seeds of Life is a healthy, organic, and raw restaurant. Their organic produce is grown on the side of an active volcano, picked on the day they order and delivered the next day, thus always ensuring the utmost freshness of ingredients.

Not only do they provide an ample menu of mouthwatering meals (have you ever had a raw vegan cake? It’s so delicious!), but they also offer the following courses: raw food chef certification and fasting and detox training.

Sayuri Healing Food offers delightful “cheese” platters and other healthy meals like “BLT” sandwiches, patties, impossible-to-resist cheesecakes, and more.

A “healthy” BLT sandwich, you might wonder? If it has no processed piglet’s meat and it’s made from raw vegan ingredients, you can bet that it’s healthy. Moreover, raw ingredients provide much flavor, which will often reduce the need for spices and herbs, creating delectable delicacies.

Although I am not a raw vegan, I have tried and also prepared some raw vegan meals, and every creation I ate felt like an explosion of flavors in my mouth. It is incredibly delicious.

Vegan food is still so unknown, highly underestimated, and still considered “unpalatable” when it is in fact the exact opposite. Writing about these restaurants, I am even taking notes for myself. I want to visit these places, I definitely want to visit Seeds of Life and take the raw vegan chef certification. There, I’ve said it, there’s no turning back now 😉 It’s on my bucket list 🙂

Earth Cafe and Market Ubud prepares many vegan options, for example nasi goreng, sate seitan ikan, burgers (all meat free), seitan satay, quinoa coconut curry, pizza, pumpkin seed balls, choc balls, and so much more …

Sari Organik gives the feeling of being in an oasis, the perfect place to unwind. Its location is a little off the beaten path, but as many customers reported in their reviews, it is well worth the walk. The restaurant offers a wide variety of meals, fresh dishes, raw Thai soup and vegan crêpes with soy ricotta cheese.

Shanghai, China

Yes, vegan restaurants are on the rise in Shanghai.

Super Vegan is located inside a food mall and it is a popular spot. Dishes like black pepper “beef”, sweet and sour veggie “pork”, tangerine-braised “beef”, hot and spicy vegan “fish”, dumplings, and many other meals have customers come back for more. They offer a lot of faux meats, but there are also many veggie dishes on the menu.

Gong De Lin also offers a wide variety of mock meats. There you can enjoy meat-free dishes such as mapo tofu, greens (in the photo below you can see that the meal is more than the name conveys 😉 ), eggplant casserole, and more.

Final Thoughts

I would have liked to include more restaurants in this review, but several that I researched were closed. I am guessing that this is due to COVID-19 … I was glad to find the other restaurants that are still open to the public, offering take out during these times of the pandemic.

Nowadays, it is important to help our local businesses, so that they remain open and survive these times; and concerning the restaurants I mentioned in this article, that is – of course – if you happen to live there. 😉

It is wonderful that there are so many vegan cities around the world now. It makes traveling a lot easier and at the same time it displays a beautiful message that compassion for our own health, for the planet, and for animals is rising.

Besides, vegan food is amazing! If you have not tried it out yet, you’re missing out 🙂 Funny, isn’t it? That’s what my non vegan friends used to tell me when I first became vegan. Whenever we went to a restaurant some would say “oh, that burger, man, you’re missing out”. It always surprised me to hear that because I never felt like I was missing out on anything. On the contrary, it felt as if I had gained a world of delicious options, and it still feels like that, with every single meal I make. 🙂

Thank you for reading! Let’s hope that we can travel soon. Stay safe and stay healthy!