The Most Vegan Friendly Countries and Cities in the World

The United States, the UK and Poland top this list, with Israel, Thailand and Taiwan the standouts outside Europe and Australia rounding out the ten. All ten have dense clusters of vegan restaurants, supermarkets that stock plant-based staples, and in several cases a local cuisine that was largely vegan to begin with.

Veganism has grown steadily worldwide, and as demand has risen, so has the number of places that cater for it properly. Travelling as a vegan is far easier than it used to be, though it varies enormously by city rather than by country, which is why this guide covers both. The countries are ordered by how easy it is to eat well across the whole country rather than just in the capital, and the cities follow underneath.

The countries, ranked

1. USA

The United States is one of the most vegan-friendly countries in the world, largely on sheer volume. Plant-based eating moved from fringe to mainstream over the past decade, and the growth in people identifying as vegan or plant-based has been steep enough that supermarkets, fast food chains and airlines all now carry options.

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You do not need to be in a major city to find something, though the difference between coastal cities and small inland towns is real. Directory listings run into the tens of thousands of vegan and vegan-friendly venues nationwide, covering everything from diner comfort food to fine dining.

Top vegan-friendly cities in the USA: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Austin, and New York. These cities not only have a high number of vegan restaurants but also offer plant-based grocery stores and markets, making it easy to maintain a vegan lifestyle while travelling.

2. UK

The UK is arguably the easiest country on this list for everyday vegan eating, as opposed to destination dining. Supermarket own-brand vegan ranges are extensive and cheap, chain restaurants label clearly, and Veganuary each January pushes another wave of products onto shelves.

Vegan restaurants, cafés and grocers are easy to find across the country, and cities like London, Manchester and Bristol have deep, long-established vegan scenes covering most cuisines.

Vegan festivals and markets run regularly, showcasing plant-based food from local producers.

Top vegan-friendly cities in the UK: London, Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.

3. Poland

Poland surprises people, but it has quietly become one of Europe’s strongest vegan countries. Warsaw in particular has ranked near the top of global vegan city indexes for years.

In Warsaw, Kraków and Wrocław you will find a large number of vegan restaurants and cafés, running from veganised Polish classics like pierogi and żurek through to international menus. Supermarkets carry plant-based ranges, so self-catering is straightforward.

Poland also hosts a solid calendar of vegan festivals and events.

Top vegan-friendly cities in Poland: Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, and Gdańsk.

4. Canada

Canada has built a strong vegan scene, concentrated in its big cities. Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal all offer plenty, from fast food to fine dining.

Canadian supermarkets stock a wide range of plant-based products, which makes self-catering easy whether you are at home or in an apartment while travelling. Outside the major centres the options thin out considerably, so plan ahead for rural trips.

Vegan festivals run in cities throughout the year.

Top vegan-friendly cities in Canada: Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa.

5. Thailand

Thailand is excellent for vegans, with one important caveat. Traditional Thai cooking uses a lot of vegetables, tofu and herbs, but fish sauce, shrimp paste and oyster sauce appear in far more dishes than people expect, including many curries and stir-fries that look plant-based.

The workaround is the word “jay”, which refers to Thai Buddhist vegan food and is marked with a yellow and red sign. Jay food excludes animal products as well as alliums. Bangkok and Chiang Mai both have large vegan scenes, from street stalls to full restaurants, and the annual Vegetarian Festival in October is a good time to visit.

Coconut milk, rice and fresh produce make it easy to eat well once you know what to ask for.

Top vegan-friendly cities in Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Pattaya.

6. Germany

Germany is one of Europe’s biggest producers of plant-based products and one of its biggest consumers. Berlin has been a vegan hub for well over a decade, and the country’s supermarkets and discounters carry own-brand vegan ranges at low prices.

Berlin, Munich and Hamburg all offer a wide selection, from veganised German staples such as vegan sausages to international menus.

Germany also hosts a large number of vegan food festivals and trade fairs.

Top vegan-friendly cities in Germany: Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, and Cologne.

7. Singapore

Singapore packs a lot into a small area. Its food culture blends Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan cooking, and Indian and Chinese Buddhist vegetarian traditions mean genuinely vegan food has been sold here for generations, long before it was labelled as such.

Hawker centres almost always have a vegetarian stall, and dedicated vegan restaurants and cafés are spread across the island. Supermarkets stock plant-based ranges, and the government’s interest in food security has made Singapore an early adopter of alternative proteins.

Top vegan-friendly spots in Singapore: Chinatown, Orchard Road, and Little India.

8. Taiwan

Taiwan is a standout, and the reason is Buddhist su shi cooking, which has been widespread for centuries. That means vegan food is not a trend here, it is infrastructure. Convenience stores label vegetarian items, and buffet-style su shi restaurants are everywhere and cheap.

Taipei and Taichung have large numbers of vegan restaurants and street vendors covering both Taiwanese and international food. Night markets are worth working through, though it is worth knowing that some Buddhist vegetarian food includes egg or dairy, and traditional su shi excludes onion and garlic.

Top vegan-friendly cities in Taiwan: Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Tainan.

9. Israel

Israel has one of the highest rates of veganism per head in the world, and Tel Aviv is regularly described as the vegan capital of the world.

Much of the everyday food is vegan without trying: falafel, hummus, tahini, salatim, sabich. Kosher dietary law also separates meat and dairy, which means parve dishes are common and dairy-free options are easy to identify. Beyond local cuisine, Tel Aviv has a dense international vegan restaurant scene, and supermarkets carry plenty of plant-based products.

Top vegan-friendly cities in Israel: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Eilat.

10. Australia

Australia has one of the fastest-growing plant-based markets anywhere, and Melbourne in particular has an outstanding vegan scene. Sydney, Brisbane and Perth all have plenty, and cafe culture means oat and soy milk are standard rather than a special request.

Woolworths and Coles both carry sizeable plant-based ranges, and vegan versions of Australian staples, from meat pies to sausage rolls, are easy to find. Regional and remote areas are a different story, so long drives need a bit of planning.

Australia also hosts large vegan festivals, including events in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane through the year.

Top vegan-friendly cities in Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.

The cities

Country rankings only get you so far, because vegan-friendliness clusters in cities almost everywhere. This is the city-level version, absorbed from six separate lists that used to sit on this site competing with each other.

The United Kingdom

Bristol is the one people call the vegan capital of the world, and it earns it, with somewhere near 300 vegan and vegan-friendly venues in a city you can walk across. Brighton is the close second and the more fun of the two. Manchester has gone from a hard city to eat vegan in to an easy one inside a decade, helped along by a young population. Glasgow and Edinburgh both have solid scenes, Edinburgh’s driven by its student population.

Leicester is the surprise on most people’s lists, and the reason is its long-established Indian vegetarian cooking, which was plant-based before anyone called it that. Cardiff is worth knowing about for vegan versions of things done properly rather than approximated. Norwich, Newcastle and Sheffield round it out, all with enough to keep you going for a weekend without planning.

London is not on that ten because it is a category of its own. It regularly tops global vegan city indexes and has more choice than anywhere else in Europe.

The United States

Portland and Seattle are the two where you can stop thinking about it, Portland especially, which has vegan cafes, restaurants, markets and stores across the whole city. San Francisco and Oakland are excellent and expensive, with Oakland the better value of the two. Austin has a real scene under the barbecue reputation. New York has hundreds of vegan restaurants across the boroughs, at every price point from Terri to fine dining.

The two that surprise people: Fort Wayne, Indiana ranks high on affordability, with most restaurants carrying vegan options and a few fully vegan places. Boise, Idaho went from nothing to a real scene inside a couple of years. Orlando is far better than a theme park city has any right to be.

For a trip built around the food rather than a trip that happens to include it, the restaurants worth planning around are Vedge in Philadelphia, Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Shizen in San Francisco, Avant Garden in New York, Plum Bistro in Seattle, Kindred in San Diego, Gracias Madre in Los Angeles and Elizabeth’s Gone Raw in Washington DC. For everyday eating, the chains that do it properly are Next Level Burger, Veggie Grill, Native Foods, Project Pollo and Bareburger, plus Superiority Burger in New York, which is a counter rather than a chain and worth the queue.

Europe

London first, then Warsaw, where every cuisine turns up in vegan form and there are vegan bakeries in the old city. Hamburg and Berlin carry Germany. Amsterdam has some of the best-quality vegan cooking anywhere, not just the most of it. Vienna has more vegan cafes and events than its size suggests.

Lisbon is the pick if you want sun, good food and a low cost of living in the same trip. Paris turned a corner when VG Pâtisserie opened and has not looked back, though it is still the hardest of these to eat in without planning. Budapest was genuinely difficult a few years ago and now is not. Madrid is the newest arrival, as meat-free eating has spread across Spain.

The rest of the world

Tel Aviv has over 400 vegan eateries and is the single best city on this page for a vegan. Chiang Mai is Thailand’s vegetarian capital, built on whole grains and fresh produce, and cheap. Ubud in Bali is a lot of very good plant-based food for very little money. Chennai is India’s most vegan-friendly city, and vegan there extends past food into clothing. Da Nang in Vietnam has a deep cafe scene. Toronto and Montreal carry Canada, Montreal especially if you want the dining rather than the convenience.

Eating vegan in France

France gets its own section because it is the one people ask about and the one where the answer is most mixed. Veganism is growing, with more vegan cheese shops, patisseries and cafes opening each year, and Paris now has a proper scene. Outside Paris and a handful of larger cities, attitudes and availability still vary a lot by region.

The traps are butter and cream rather than meat. They turn up in dishes that read as plant-based, including most sauces, a lot of vegetable sides and nearly all the baking. Learning to ask specifically about butter and cream, rather than about meat, solves most of the problem. What works in your favour is that French produce is superb and the markets are everywhere, so self-catering is a pleasure rather than a fallback.

Which country is the easiest for a first vegan trip?

The UK, if you want the least friction. Labelling is clear and legally consistent, nearly every chain restaurant marks vegan items, and supermarket own-brand ranges mean you are never stuck. Israel is the better choice if you want the food itself to be the reason you went, because the local cuisine is naturally plant-heavy rather than adapted.

Which single city is the best for a vegan?

Tel Aviv, on weight of numbers and on the food itself. Over 400 vegan venues, and the everyday local cooking of falafel, hummus, tahini and salatim is plant-based without adapting anything. Bristol is the answer if you want somewhere English-speaking and walkable, and Chiang Mai is the answer if budget is the deciding factor.

What is the hardest part of travelling vegan?

Hidden animal products in dishes that look plant-based. Fish sauce and shrimp paste in South East Asia, butter and cream in French and Italian cooking, and gelatine or whey in packaged snacks are the usual traps. Learning three or four phrases in the local language, plus the names of the ingredients you need to avoid, solves most of it.

Do you need to stick to big cities?

Mostly, yes. Vegan-friendliness is concentrated in capitals and university towns almost everywhere on this list. Outside those, your options narrow to naturally vegan local dishes and self-catering. That is not a problem in Thailand, Taiwan or Israel, where the base cuisine helps. It is more of a problem in rural Canada, the US interior and outback Australia.

Is the ranking likely to change?

Yes, slowly. These positions shift as supermarket ranges expand and vegan restaurants open and close, and city-level rankings move around more than country-level ones. Poland and Taiwan have both climbed a long way in a decade. Check a current restaurant directory before you book rather than relying on any list, including this one.

Final thoughts

Veganism keeps growing, and more places are worth visiting for the food rather than in spite of it. The ten countries and forty-odd cities above all make it straightforward to eat well without compromise, whether you want somewhere packed with vegan restaurants or a cuisine that was plant-based long before the word existed.

The practical advice has not changed: pick the city rather than the country, learn the two or three local ingredients that hide in things, and check a current restaurant directory before you book rather than relying on any list, this one included. That is still the difference between a great trip and a fortnight of chips.

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