10 Top Vegan-Friendly Cities

#8 Bangkok Photo of May Veggie Home in Bangkok by earthville Entering the top ten this year is a city in a country known as the "Land of Smiles", and the quality and complexity of Thai food can certainly put a smile on any face. Being vegan in Bangkok is a breeze. Tropical fruit stands and fresh markets are plentiful in this city, and due to its predominantly Buddhist background, most restaurants have solid vegan options on their menu. Traditional Thai cuisine is composed of vegetables, but if eating at a non-vegan restaurant, be sure to tell your server "no fish sauce". Fish sauce is a very common ingredient in Thai cuisine. Another tip is that if you order "hot" in Thailand, as your ordered food will light your mouth on fire. The number of purely vegan restaurants, called "jay" food restaurants in Bangkok, has grown substantially the past few years, with 42 vegan restaurants currently listed on HappyCow in this bustling city, and another 67 vegetarian restaurants. Although the majority of vegan restaurants in this city serve Thai cuisine, Bangkok has incredible quality food, and for westerners, the value is tremendous. You are a Tuk Tuk ride away from some of the world's finest food we have found. Among the city's vegan offerings include Nourish Cafe connected to Martial Art Gym, perfect for a filling and delicious lunch or dinner after a workout. Favorite dishes include the Garlic Pepper Tofu Bun and Burmese Tea Leaf Salad. If you are craving dessert, the original Veganerie at the Mercury Ville mall is one of the world's finest vegan bakery/ice cream shops (See our Veganerie video here), and its massive success spawned three other locations around Bangkok which focus more on vegan meals. Try the BLT Wrap, Mac and Cheese, and the Spinach Vegan Cheese Bake. International fusion vegan food restaurant Vistro serves globally inspired cuisine like tacos, nachos, and Thai noodles. They have amazing sweets like vegan donuts, ice cream, a superb chocolate brownie, and raw cakes. May Kaidee is one of the original vegetarian Thai restaurants in Bangkok and also offers cooking classes. This restaurant, which serves classic Thai veg cuisine, is one of the reasons why HappyCow exists today. Barefood Bangkok is a deli and shop producing plant-based nut cheeses and preserved and fermented vegetables and fruits. They offer a few hearty international fusion cuisine meal options such as burgers, sushi rolls, hummus, and lasagna. If you are interested in a modern, casual-nice restaurant on two floors with a high ceiling and plenty of seating, Broccoli Revolution is for you. This restaurant also serves a variety of international fusion dishes such as quinoa-broccoli burger, taro fries, pasta, and cakes. They also offer vegan cheese, smoothies, and cold-pressed juices, and due to the popularity, they now have three locations. In the mood for an old American style cafe? Bonita Cafe and Social Club is a social gathering club offering tasty vegan food and drinks. The Raw Pasta is healthy and delicious. Part of the largest vegan restaurant chain in the world, Loving Hut's two Bangkok locations have a variety of Asian/Thai food options, from dumplings to curries. May Veggie Home offers Thai food, East Asian dishes, and some western ones. Favorite dishes include Tom Yam soup and Cauliflower Spicy Wings, and their menu includes everything from spring rolls to sushi rolls. Their vegan ice cream and cakes are exceptional. Feel like ordering food to wherever you are? Vegan Crush Food Delivery service serves vegan meals made from whole, unprocessed ingredients using low sodium and oil. They serve different menus every week. Many of their ingredients are made in-house like pickles, patties, mayonnaise, dips, sauces, and cheese, Bangkok even has two vegetarian grocery stores (Jondee and Veggie J), and numerous health food stores stocked with vegan products. You haven't had truly amazing Thai vegan food until you have eaten in this city, and due to the rapid increase in the number of vegan restaurants and options in this city, and the abundance of fresh food everywhere, Bangkok has become an incredible city for vegans.



#10 Prague Photo of Mist by Ben-Cooper With a population of only 1.26 million people, Prague comes up in the top five of most vegan restaurants per capita in the world. Although Prague has 53 vegan restaurants listed on HappyCow within a five-mile radius, most of these restaurants fall within a 2-mile radius. Just a few years ago, the majority of vegan restaurants in Prague were comprised of the seven Loving Huts that you can find throughout the city, but over the past couple of years, Prague's vegan scene and the variety of vegan restaurants have grown rapidly. Highlights in this beautiful, small city include Bistro Střecha ("roof" in English) which offers delicious and inexpensive vegan, primarily Czech cuisine, and is owned by a worker cooperative where all who work there can eventually become members. This socially conscious cooperative offers jobs to underprivileged people who are having difficulty finding a job, such as former prisoners, and the homeless. Chlebíček is a shop and a tiny bistro where you can buy and eat typical Czech open sandwiches ("chlebíčky"), which are very popular in Czechia at all kinds of events. Forrest Bistro is a new bistro/café/restaurant which offers a daily lunch menu in addition to the regular menu. The food is a fantastic fusion of many world cuisines and occasionally includes Czech cuisine. The restaurant also makes some of the best coffee in town. Waipawa Letná offers great vegan burgers and Czech classic meals like fried cheese or "svíčková" gravy with dumplings. Another excellent vegan burger place opened called Pastva. Moment is one of the early vegan restaurants in Prague and is best known for its tasty brunch, featuring scrambled tofu, bagels, shawarma, and quesadillas. Amitabha is a reasonably-priced self-serve Thai buffet. Since it is located in a basement, the temperature remains pleasantly cool in the warm Prague summers. If you love vegan buffets, Veganland's four locations offer excellent Asian-style pay-by-weight buffets. In the city's center is Forkys fast food bistro with international food like Beyond Burgers, bowls, kebabs and hot dogs. Futher from city center is Eaternia, a small vegan cafeteria offering cheap and delicious Czech and international cuisine including burgers, hot dogs and desserts. Far from the center but worth the visit is Bubu's Pub & Kitchen where you can enjoy Czech dumplings stuffed with mock meat and delicious burgers. Czech alcoholic or nonalcoholic beer is also available. Blue Vegan Pig Shop offers delicious American style doughnuts which are very popular in Prague. If you are into raw vegan gourmet cuisine, the three locations of bistRAWveg will fill your craving. Legendary pub Belzepub which is famous for its delicious vegan burgers is going fully vegan in 2020. Due to the vast number of vegan choices and the density of vegan restaurants in this small city, Prague is a superb choice for vegan travel.

Watch our video with some insider vegan tips in Prague here

Thanks to these HappyCow Ambassadors for their suggestions and guidance: Sassyvegan - London Ambassador mjveganfitness - London Ambassador J-Veg - Berlin Ambassador Fricka - Berlin Ambassador Poundie - New York Ambassador dbader13 - New York Ambassador Cascadian - Portland Ambassador YogiGoldberg - Tel Aviv Ambassador Mirage - Warsaw Ambassador pyza - Warsaw Ambassador jonprc - Toronto Ambassador lamarks - Toronto Ambassador Tereza-soucitne.cz - Prague Ambassador VeganCrush - Bangkok Ambassador By Ken Spector & Eric Brent, November 27, 2019