I’m not vegan, but I do strive to keep a plant-based diet as much as possible. At home, I cook mostly vegan food and when eating out, I take the vegan option whenever I can. In Thailand, that can be difficult to do sometimes. Even for meat eaters, just finding food that’s healthy can be a challenge when eating out. A lot of Thai food contains frighteningly large amounts of sugar, oil and MSG. While living in Bangkok for the past four years or so, it’s become progressively easier for me to find suitable places to eat as more and more vegan and vegetarian restaurants have appeared over time. Now, there’s a range of options including some really amazing food, and I’d like to share that here.

May Veggie Home

May Veggie Home was the first vegan restaurant I ever visited in Bangkok, and I loved it so much that I’ve been a regular ever since. As you walk in, you pass a guestbook in which customers have written lots of messages about how much they love it there. On my first visit, the chef came to our table and offered to answer any questions we had and mad some recommendations, which was lovely. Their menu is 100% vegan and consists of mostly Thai dishes. They have vegan versions of larb, pad thai, krapow, khao soi, green curry, and lots more. They also have some Vietnamese and Japanese options (the pho yam and gyoza are really good). Their massamun curry is the best I’ve ever tasted, really fragrant and packed with flavour. Massamun was a favourite of mine back when I used to eat meat, but since it always had chicken in it, I reluctantly had to give it up. Now, not only have I found a vegan one, but it tastes even better! Double bonus. I can also recommend the stir-fried tofu and vegetables with cashew nuts and the spring rolls, which can be served fresh or fried. If you don’t fancy Asian food, they also have spaghetti dishes, burgers and salads, many of which come with mock meat, which is also good. I’m not usually into that, but the last time I went there, I ordered it by accident and actually really enjoyed it. They also have a stuffed avocado. For dessert, there’s dairy-free ice cream and a few cake options, but for the really great vegan desserts, you should check out Veganerie, which I’ll also cover later in this post.

May Veggie Home is very easy to get to. It’s on Sukhumvit 16, which is just off Asoke BTS station. There are some very clear and easy-to-follow directions on their website. On the way, you’ll pass a brothel named ‘Pearl Necklace’ (yes, really) with a big heart-shaped sign with a white horse on it. That information’s not important, but you can have it anyway.

Rasayana

Rasayana is a health centre where you can book yourself in for a ‘cleansing’ retreat, including colon hydrotherapy, if you’re into that kind of thing. I’m not, but I did check out their raw food cafe. Everything they serve is completely vegan and raw. Their menu includes some interesting options, all at a very reasonable price. However, when I first arrived, I found it confusing that many of the dishes were called things like ‘pizza’ and ‘spaghetti’ when they are of course weren’t. They are raw food interpretations of those dishes, but they are a far cry from the real thing. Descriptions were given in the menu, so I wasn’t completely unaware of what I was ordering. The pizza consists of chopped, marinated vegetables on a flaxseed base and zucchini noodles are used in place of spaghetti. I get what they’re trying to do, I’m just not into veggie food that’s trying to be something that it’s not because I usually don’t find that it works well. For that same reason, I’ve never liked mock meat (although I just found a new place that made me eat my words, read on to find it). Although I was skeptical of the menu, I actually really enjoyed the food. I tried the Hawaiian pizza, which had a delicious mixture of pineapple, sundried tomatoes and macadamia nut sauce. It was more like salsa on a cracker, but it was very tasty. I also tried the mock salmon sushi rolls. I’d recommend both of those (pictured below).

This place is a walk away from Phrom Phong BTS station, but it’s hard to find. As a retreat, I guess it’s supposed to be. I managed to walk straight past it and head 30 minutes in the wrong direction before finding it, but that could be just me. Follow the map on their website and as you walk down Soi Prom-Mitr off Sukhumvit 39, keep your eyes peeled for a yellow ‘Rasayana’ sign.

Veganerie Concept

I’m going to be frank, here. This place is the shit. It’s the dog’s bollocks. You simply must come here. Veganerie started as a vegan bakery, but after opening in a few locations, branched out further and opened a cafe with a full menu, and I’m so glad they did. It’s very different to all of the other places on the BKK veggie scene and although I love having so many healthy options for eating out, Veganerie provides us with opportunities to be more indulgent while keeping our diets cruelty-free. This is a great place for a ‘cheat day’. I said previously that I don’t go for mock meat, but this place completely changed my mind with their amazing dishes. Their ‘pulled pork’ burger ‘fried chicken’, which are both made from mushrooms, are both incredible and taste amazingly close to the real thing. Their fried chicken and waffle is a must try, too. Other available dishes include massamun curry with air-fried roti (without oil), zucchini noodles and larb. With Veganerie’s bakery roots, it’s no surprise that the desserts here are incredible. They have red velvet crumble, chocolate fudge cake (with a gluten-free version available), brownies, cookies, strawberry or blueberry cheesecake (made with cashews), pumpkin pie, a chocolate brownie sundae and a huge range of frappes and smoothies, including peanut butter, nutella, and mint chocolate chip. They use whipped coconut cream to replace dairy cream as well, which is a nice touch.

Veganerie Concept is pleasantly located behind Benjasiri Park, which is next to Phrong Phomg BTS station. The interior is lovely, too.The walls are lined with little bottled plants. All in all, a wonderful restaurant with fantastic vegan food. This is my new favourite place.

Broccoli Revolution

Broccoli Revolution is a vegeterian and vegan restaurant with a juice bar located in the swanky Thong Lor area. It’s a really great place for strictly clean eating and there’s even cold-pressed juices and vegan coffees including an almond latte. The most popular dish on their menu is the broccoli quinoa burger, which is served on a charcoal bun with mango salsa and root vegetable fries. Other main courses include a grilled vegetable sandwich with cashew cheese on wholewheat bread, mashed pumpkin burritos with guacamole, and quinoa maki rolls. For starters, there’s avocado bruschetta, a Mediterranean platter with pitta and various dips, and lots more. I’d recommend the Vietnamese spring rolls. Unfortunately, some of their dishes are rather bland, which lets down a visually impressive menu. I found that both the burger and the burritos sounded wonderful but the lack of seasoning meant they weren’t executed as well as they could have been. That’s my only gripe. Desserts are bought in from Veganerie, so you can’t go wrong there. Try the vegan cinnamon rolls, they’re delightful!

The concept is a little different here and you order from the counter and pay first, then the food is brought to your table. The service is good and the staff are very friendly, which anyone who lives in Bangkok will know, is not an easy thing to come by. If you’re into super-healthy vegan food, you will like this place.

Govinda

This place is a gem. Govinda is an Italian vegetarian restaurant with vegan and gluten-free options. There’s egg-free and gluten-free pasta and and wholewheat pizzas available. You can even get vegan cheese! Just ask the staff when you order. Their extensive menu has a huge range of options to choose from, but I highly recommend the Panzerotti, which is deep-fried ravioli filled with ricotta, spinach and mushrooms (pictured below). I’ve only been to this place once, but would definitely go back again. In comparison to the other restaurants listed here, it is a little on the pricey side, but well worth it.

Govinda is on Sukhumvit 22. Take the BTS to Phrom Phong station and walk past Benjasiri Park, turn left at Soi 22 and walk straight until you see a turning on the right that leads to a courtyard-like area filled with restaurants, bars and massage shops. Walk in and you’ll see it there.

May Kaidee

May Kaidee is a chain of vegan restaurants and cooking schools with three branches in Bangkok and one in Chiang Mai. They have three Bangkok branches, all of which are within easy reach of Khao San Road, and one branch in Chiang Mai. I visited the Samsen branch. My pictures aren’t particularly good, but they show a green curry and massamun curry with brown rice, fresh vegetable spring rolls, grilled pumpkin with cashews and plum sauce, and a mango and chilli smoothie. They also do a pumpkin hummus, which is quite interesting. If you’re interesting in recreating some of their dishes at home, they also sell a cookbook with all their recipes. May Kaidee’s isn’t my favourite vegan restaurant Bangkok, but it is very popular with tourists and has lots of good reviews.

Bonita Cafe and Social Club

This cute little vegan cafe is owned a couple of running enthusiasts, K and Neung, and home to the 100 Miles Running Club as well as an official Vibram shoe store. K is an ultra runner and gets up super early to run 40 km every morning, doubling that once a week! The restaurant closes between 3:30 pm and 6:00 pm so that he can take a rest before starting work again in the evening. They are both very passionate about what they do and it comes off in the lovely service and homemade food. When you first sit down, they’ll bring you a little bowl of popcorn to munch on as you flick through the menu.

The whole place is dedicated to their love of an active, vegan lifestyle and how they have travelled all over the world in pursuit of it. As you walk in, you’ll find a wall full of their running memorabilia on the left, and a collection of books on travel, running and veganism in a bookshelf on the right. K ran the entirety of Route 66, from Los Angeles to New York, in 79 days last year, and they have a green smoothie on the menu named after that trip. It’s made from banana, mango, spinach, soy milk, vegan protein powder and chia seeds, and it’s really tasty.

The entire menu (which you can see here) is purely vegan with Western and Japanese options. The teriyaki tofu burger is really delicious, as is the full English breakfast, both of which come with a side of German-style fried potatoes. They have vegan cream cheese, which you can get either with crackers, tortilla chips and salsa or toast. I didn’t try any of the desserts, but there’s wholewheat pancakes with almond butter, chocolate mousse, cheesecake and banana sherbet, all of which are homemade.

The best way to get to Bonita is to take the BTS to Surasak station and get off at exit 3, walk straight ahead towards to Embassy of Myanmar and turn left at Pan Road. Walk down that road for a couple of minutes and you’ll see it on the left. It’s a very small place with just a few tables, so it might be a good idea to call and book beforehand, although I went on a Friday afternoon and didn’t have to wait for a table.

Steps With Theera

Steps with Theera is a cafe that doubles as a vocational training centre for young people with special needs. See this video to learn more about what they do. Their desserts and snacks are all vegan and gluten-free, and their main menu is full of options, so it’s a good place to take meat-eating friends, too. Their vegan mac and cheese and pumpkin sweet potato burger are particular highlights for me. They also offer a range of vegan ice cream, some of which are soy-based and some of which are coconut-based. This is the first place I’ve ever found vegan cookie dough ice cream and that alone is reason enough to go back, but everything I’ve eaten here has been delicious. Plus, I love what they do, so I’d definitely recommend Steps With Theera for a brunch spot. It’s located on Ekamai Soi 10.

Walee Vegetarian

This is a vegetarian food stall in the EM Quartier food court. The dishes are already cooked and waiting to be dished up, and they change daily, but pictured below is the stir-fried pumpkin and basil with the larb tofu (a salad made with chilli, basil, onion and toasted rice). These are two of my favourite Thai dishes and neither of them are usually vegan, so it’s great that they’re available here. It’s fairly cheap, too. Two dishes with brown rice cost 80 baht. Next to this stall, there’s an Indian food one, which sells a really good chana (chickpea) masala a naan. So, if you fancy it, you can get a combination of both. There’s also a Veganerie bakery branch in the same food court, so you can get an awesome vegan dessert afterwards.

Dosa King

There are lots of Indian vegetarian restaurants in Bangkok, and Dosa King is one I would recommend. It’s located on Sukhumvit 11, right off of Nana BTS station. Not all of their dishes are vegan, but a large selection of them are, and they’re clearly marked on the menu. I tried the chole bhature, which is a chickpea curry, with a masala naan on the side and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. I seriously love Indian food and usually have to stop myself from ordering the entire menu. Theirs has so much selection that it’s hard to resist, but the portion sizes are big enough that there really is no need to go overboard. I was so eager to eat that I forgot to take pictures (sorry!), but they have a few on their website.

Loving Hut

Loving Hut has really delicious vegan food at very reasonable prices. We ordered six dishes (all of which are pictured below) and two drinks and it only came to 405 baht.

Most of their food is Thai or Vietnamese. The Vietnamese spring rolls, which you can get either fresh or fried, are delicious. They have a few different kinds of salad and we ordered the spicy tofu sheet salad and crispy seaweed salad. We also got some ‘vegan nuggets’, which are made from tofu, deep-fried and drizzled with tamarind sauce. I really enjoyed the tom kha mushroom soup. Tom kha is usually made with chicken, so it’s really nice to get a vegan option. All of the ingredients were really fresh and all of the food came quite quickly. I will definitely be coming back here.

When you visit, you might be confused by what’s playing on the TV. There are videos playing of a woman talking (the same woman who is shown on a poster on the wall and books on the shelves), and the owner explained to me that she is her spiritual leader, who goes by ‘Supreme Master Ching Hai‘ and is an advocate for veganism. She went on to explain how this woman has ‘come to our planet to save us‘ and is ‘omnipresent‘. It turns out that Ching Hai is the founder of Loving Hut, and there are branches run by her followers all over the world. It seems to me like the whole thing could be some kind of cult, which is definitely a bit odd. However, that won’t stop me from going back again. The food and service are both great.

Loving Hut Bangna has two locations in Bangkok, one on Rama 3 and one in Ramintra. They previously had one in Bangna, but it’s now been shut down. Delivery service available via Go Tasty, where you can see the full menu.

Man & The Figs

Man & The Figs is a plant-based restaurant on Sukhumvit 39 with vegan dishes like beetroot hummus and grilled okra, BBQ tempeh wrap and zucchini pappardelle pasta. They also make their own probiotics and vegan almond cheese.

Khun Churn

Tucked away on the ground floor of the Bangkok Mediplex, just of Ekamai BTS station, Khun Churn offers a huge range of vegan and vegetarian food. I’ve only visited once and the menu was so vast that I had trouble choosing, but I went for the deep-fried tofu and khao soi, which came with textured soy protein. Personally, I found the food to be mediocre, but it seems to have some good reviews, so may be worth checking out and just going for something else.

Baan Ahaan Thai

This isn’t an all-vegetarian restaurant, but provides vegetarian and vegan options for almost everything on their menu, and staff are very happy to amend dishes to suit your needs.

My favourite dish here is the vegetarian miang kham, which is a platter of toasted coconut, peanut, lime, chilli, ginger, red onion and tofu (or shrimp if you order the non-vegetarian option), which you wrap up in betel leaves and cover in a sweet coconut sauce. The combination of flavours is really amazing!

I also really enjoy the laab tofu and the fried tofu and cashew spicy salad, both of which can be seen below.

Baan Ahaan Thai is located at the Mega Bangna shopping mall. It outside, next to Ikea, and can be spotted by the big sign on the window saying ‘Thai and vegetarian food’.

Tonic

Tonic is a brand new restaurant that just opened in Phrom Phong. Their concept is fast but healthy food. It’s more like a canteen, with ready-made dishes that can be served up immediately. The dishes change every few days, but are consistently delicious. They have falafel, sesame encrusted tofu, avocado salad, honey balsamic pumpkin, sweet potato and lentil curry, and Asian quinoa slaw, just to name a few. They do offer grilled chicken breasts or salads with egg and feta for non-vegans, too. You just pick the protein and side dishes that you want, and maybe grab a cold-pressed juice to go with it if you like. It’s 120B for 2 sides (+20 for any extra ones after that) and 50B for protein. To get there, take the BTS to Phrom Phong station and from there it’s a 30B motorbike taxi ride away.

Nourish Cafe

Nourish Cafe is in the same building as Bangkok Fight Lab. It’s right above the gym, so you can watch training while you eat, if you like. The food is a little pricey, but really good. They have a selection of wraps, smoothie bowls, salads and burgers, all completely vegan. Here’s the jackfruit burger, which I really enjoyed.

Na Aroon

If you’re looking for a slightly fancier vegan, vegetarian or pescetarian dinner in Bangkok, Na Aroon is your place.

It’s located at the Ariyasom Villa hotel on Sukhumvit 1, and the setting is really beautiful. It’s a traditional teak wood Thai house, surrounded by greenery. The food is really good, too.

As well as vegetarian food, they also offer some seafood dishes. This makes it a great place to take non-vegans who don’t want to compromise on food. Below is a photo taken from a birthday meal I had there. There’s massaman curry, khao soi, shrimp cakes, spring rolls, and stir-fried vegetables.

Raw Vega

Raw Vega is a vegan, raw-food cafe directly opposite Broccoli Revolution on Thong Lor.

They offer vegan bowls, wraps, tacos, and lots of delightful desserts. Their raw snickers cake is particularly good.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsRzEZJgCYt/

Pala Pizza Romana

Pala Pizza Romana isn’t traditionally a vegan place. It’s an authentic Italian restaurant, situated at the foot of Asoke BTS station.

They recently started adding vegan dishes to their menu, including vegan pizzas, pasta, and a vegan cheese platter sourced from Barefood Bangkok.

Five Star J (Pattaya)

Five Star J isn’t in Bangkok, but I had to give it an honourable mention because it’s just so good. When I first arrived there, a nice chap (who I think was Russian, and possibly the owner) approached our table and talked us through the menu. He made sure to tell me that “there is no shit in [their] food”, explaining that they use absolutely no refined sugar, MSG, aspartame, additives or palm oil. For deep frying, they use coconut oil. Their menu is huge and has so many good things, but I have to recommend the tempeh satay (pictured below) above all else. They also do a really good tempeh burger. If you’re ever in Pattaya, you must check this place out. It makes me sad that I can hardly ever go there. I can’t recommend it enough.

Tacos & Salsa

This isn’t a vegetarian restaurant, but I had to include it because they offer an extensive vegetarian menu and their food is just so good. Without a doubt, this is the best Mexican food you’ll find in Bangkok. The owner hails from Mexico City, so the food is authentic and home-cooked, and the manager was a strict vegetarian for 5 years, so she’s very understanding and flexible with vegetarian customers. Plus, her food is delicious. Nothing I’ve ever had here has been anything less than awesome. To get there, take the BTS to Asoke and then walk to Sukhumvit 18. Walk down that road and you’ll see it on the left.

Maricel’s Vegan Supper Club

Maricel is a vegan chef who currently lives in Bangkok. Her website is constantly updated with new recipes, and she runs monthly supper club events at her home in Nana. They’re like tiny little dinner parties, where you book a space and she cooks and all-vegan menu for you. You can find out more about that here. I’ve not been to one of her events myself, but thought it was worth including here.

..And the Rest

Bangkok is so big and there are so many vegetarian and vegan places here that it’s just not possible for me to get to all of them, although I am trying! To see more, visit vegan website Happy Cow, where there is full list of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Bangkok, with reviews. The list currently has 153 listings in total.

One place I haven’t been able to check out yet but I have to add here because it sounds like such a good deal, is Guptaji Kitchen. It’s a 100% vegetarian Indian restaurant that has a lunch and dinner buffet service with unlimited refills for just 100 Baht! The menu seems to change regularly, but below is a picture of what just one serving looks like.

I will leave you with a few little tips, the first of which being a really good vegan banana chocolate cake. It’s hard to believe that a cake without eggs, milk or gluten could be good, but this one is. You can find it a Vista Cafe, which has branches in most shopping malls.

My second tip is Rivon ‘SoYgurt’. I’ve only recently discovered this, and I’m not sure if it’s been around for a while and I’ve just never noticed it before, but it’s now available at 7/11 and most supermarkets here in blueberry, strawberry and prune flavour. The prune one, as you might expect, is not so great, but the others are! The don’t currently seem to make a plain one, which would have less sugar, but I’m very happy to see a vegan yogurt widely available here.

The last tip for you is that you can get a really, really good veggie burger at The Firehouse, which is a burger restaurant on Sukhumvit soi 11. It’s not suitable for vegans, but is a really good option for vegetarians, especially if eating out with meat-eating friends. The patty is made beans, peas, mushrooms, breadcrumbs, caramelized onions, spices, eggs and cheese. Plus, you can get it with deep-fried pickles, and those are really good, too.

Sylvie and I talked about food in Thailand during the third episode of our podcast, Two Ladies in the Kingdom, and my experience of eating vegan food here was part of that. You can listen to the whole thing here.

Now that you’ve made it to the end of this post, you owe it to yourself to listen to this song: