While studying abroad in Valencia, Spain, I was constantly traveling — and, well, constantly eating. Searching for the best vegan restaurants in every city I visited became a serious hobby of mine, so naturally I needed to compile a list for all the foodie vegan travelers out there. Warning: it's virtually impossible to scroll through this list without getting hungry. Get ready.
1. Chilled Soba Noodle Salad— Barcelona, Spain
I began my study abroad adventures in Barcelona, Spain, a vibrant coastal city that seriously caters to plant-based eaters. Veggie Garden, an entirely vegan restaurant located in the El Raval neighborhood, has a great atmosphere with tons of artwork, unique ethnic dishes and incredible prices. Not to mention, they also served the best sangria and mojitos I've ever had. I don't say that lightly, either. I've also heard along the grapevine that they offer a lunch special for less than 10 euros!
Just do me a favor if you go and order this chilled soba noodle dish. It has tons of veg, pan-fried tofu, avocado and a mouthwatering teriyaki style sauce. You won't regret it.
2. Dark Chocolate and Mint Gelato— Palma, Mallorca
My second trip was to Mallorca, an island off the coast of Spain. Now, you may find it rather confusing that gelato isn't in the Italy portion of the article, but let me explain. Pannelatte Gelato & Caffe is indeed an Italian-owned gelateria, complete with the gelato churning in metal canisters right before your eyes. That's the sign of a stellar gelato, by the way.
First off, the size I chose is a medium, and the cup was literally overflowing with gelato. On the left is mint, and on the right is the most luscious dark chocolate gelato I've ever had. The combination was absolutely amazing and the perfect end to a day exploring National Geographic worthy beaches. Yes, it was better than the gelato I had in Italy. I don't joke about these things.
3. Handmade Spaghetti— Milan, Italy
On a warm Milanese afternoon, my friends and I visited Pasta d’Autore for lunch. It was a decent walk from the center of the city, but 110% worth it for pasta that had been made that morning by hand and the stellar service. Our server spent a solid 15 minutes at our table explaining every single item on the menu to us, how it was prepared and her own preferences. We even learned that this restaurant was also a pasta-making school, which is pretty neat. Not only was the fresh pasta with tomato basil sauce incredible, but each plate was only 8 euros!
4. Roasted Vegetable Pizza— Cinque Terre, Italy
After Milan, we visited Cinque Terre. Upon arriving, we decided we needed a pizza — each. Luckily, it is incredibly easy to make a pizza vegan by requesting just tomato sauce and a myriad of veggies, maybe even arugula on top if you're feeling spicy. If you're like me and are a little high maintenance, you can even request extra tomato sauce on the side (but also risk really confusing your waiter).
5. Truffled Porcini Tagliatelle— Florence, Italy
Florence was a city I will never forget, and that I will definitely return to. Not only does the city feature the incredible duomo, countless basilicas, Michelangelo's David and the Gucci Garden, but it also offers the most incredible Italian food I have ever tasted (other than from my mother's kitchen). Trattoria ZaZa is a very well-known restaurant to tourists, but for good reason. They were extremely accommodating to my vegan diet as well, and I had the most delicious truffled porcini mushroom tagliatelle. The homemade pasta was tossed with perfectly tender porcini mushrooms and finished with a healthy dose of truffle oil and fresh parsley. I probably could have eaten three plates worth, that's how good it was.
6. Deep Dish Dutch Apple Pie— Amsterdam, Netherlands
If you must know, I was on a mission in Amsterdam to find a vegan version of the traditional dutch appeltaart. Luckily, one day I stumbled across Vegabond, a vegan cafe and store in the Jordaan neighborhood. Sure enough, they had my coveted deep-dish apple pie, and I happily shelled out 6 euros for it.
7. Pesto Toast— Prague, Czech Republic
Oh boy. I did some serious eating in Prague, and it was extremely difficult to narrow my favorite food I ate to this pesto toast from the Naplavka Farmer's Market. Not only was this farmer's market incredible, with booths offering stunning cupcakes, blackcurrant hot wine, succulent pastries and raw treats, but the most popular booth was selling this luscious pesto slathered on homemade whole wheat bread. When I first approached the booth, I wasn't overly hopeful for a vegan option, but to my surprise they did offer a vegan pesto! And let me tell you, it was one of the most flavorful and satiating things I ate during my travels. Please, please go try this amazing toast. Dare I say pesto toast > avocado toast?
8. Speculoos and Coconut Cranberry Gingerbread Ice Cream— Vienna, Austria
Now, to Veganista. Veganista is Vienna's premier vegan ice cream shop with a charming staff, modern decor and, duh, amazing vegan ice cream. What stood out to me was the variety of bases for the flavors (rice, soy and oat) and the variety of flavors themselves. Just to name a few, they offered maple pecan, basil, peanut butter and cookies, blueberry lavender, matcha and lemon pie. My cup featured the speculoos flavor, apricot doughnut and coconut cranberry gingerbread, the latter being my favorite which I would have never expected. Don't knock it till you try it!
9. Hummus, Halloumi and Veggie Crepe—
Lisbon, Portugal
Sama Sama Crepe and Juice Bar is an absolute gem in Lisbon. I repeat, an absolute gem. If you are looking for delicious, healthy vegan breakfast or lunch items, Sama Sama is your place. It is the cutest hole-in-the-wall I've ever seen, with a tiny kitchen and fun, funky atmosphere. I was astounded by how many options there were for both sweet and savory crepes, and my stomach is growling right now just thinking about the crepe I ordered. This buckwheat crepe was stuffed with sautéed chard and tomatoes, homemade hummus, avocado and a vegan halloumi cheese. Unreal.
10. Soft Pretzels— Frankfurt, Germany
Soft pretzels, also known as "bretzels," are an insanely popular snack in Germany. You probably already knew that, but did you know that they are pretty much always vegan, too? Oh yeah, these soft, chewy, salty twists only contain a few ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast! I can definitely admit to eating a pretzel a day while in Germany, most often as a snack or dipped into hot chocolate for a sweet and salty dessert.
11. House Vegetable Yellow Curry and Vegetable Bao— Strasbourg, France
Readers, meet East Canteen, a modern asian fusion restaurant located in the German town of Strasbourg, France. My dinner spread featured a perfectly spiced yellow curry with assorted vegetables over jasmine rice, and a vegetable bao with peanut satay sauce. These two items complemented each other beautifully and comforted me in the midst of the cold, overcast weather. And let me tell you, I could have eaten 10 of those fluffy baos and not regretted a single bite.
12. Cashew Cream Nachos & PB Chocolate Acai Bowl— Valencia, Spain
Let's have a chat about Almalibre Acai Bar, located in the Carmen district (also known as the old city) in Valencia, Spain. Valencia was my home base while studying abroad, and will always hold a very special place in my heart. And so will Almalibre. I visited Almalibre several times a week for my acai fix, my favorite combo of all time being the dark chocolate chips, paçoca (a Brazilian candy made from ground peanuts, sugar and salt) and sliced banana. If you ever visit Almalibre, which I highly highly recommend you do, you can order this bowl by its nickname, the "Runner". And while you're there, please order the nachos with cashew cream, which are the perfect savory accompaniment to the silky sweet acai.
Vegan Around the World
And that concludes the best vegan food I ate while abroad (I told you it was drool-worthy). But for real, catch me searching for flights back to Europe to check more vegan restaurants off of my bucket list.