If you’re from the USA, you probably know that Portland is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to being vegan-friendly. But looking out into the horizon at the rest of the world, you’ll quickly see that there are vegan titans that beat out even the amazing Portland.
Plus, these special cities have some amazing local types of vegan foods, using different types of alternative flours, oils for cooking, dozens of plant-based milk choices, and more to create truly unique foods that blend their cultures and veganism into one!
Let’s travel across the world and check out the top 9 vegan cities you can travel to, and check out what makes each place so special!
How we found the top vegan cities in the world
There are a bunch of ways to determine whether one city is more vegan-friendly than another, and so we’ve looked at several different types of data to get the most well-rounded rankings possible.
Things we looked at include:
- Total vegan restaurants in the city
- Vegan restaurants per capita
- Vegan restaurants within a 6 mile radius
- Affordability and accessibility of vegan living
- Quality of vegan options within the city
- Overall vegan-friendliness and progressiveness
Obviously data here can change quickly from year-to-year, and our rankings may change as time goes on. But for now check out which city claims our #1 spot for the most vegan city in the world, with several others that are worthy to visit!
The top 9 most vegan cities in the world
We’re going to do this in reverse order, so that you can see the least vegan to the most vegan cities – that being said, each one of these cities is great for veganism since they beat out countless other cities in the world!
#9: Barcelona, Spain
Ah, beautiful Barcelona. Not only is this bustling city full of vibrant life, but also chock-full of amazing vegan options.
HappyCow reports that Barcelona has had a massive 74% growth in the vegan scene over the past 3 years, putting it on an impressive trajectory to becoming a top vegan hub in the world. And not only can you enjoy takes on traditional Spanish dishes, but you can also indulge yourself in vegan options of many different cultures – Barcelona is a tourist hot spot after all, so there’s no end of possibilities for foods from different areas of the world.
#8: Warsaw, Poland
With plenty of impressive and beautiful architecture all around, the capital city of Poland showcases a dense hub of vegan restaurants.
In fact, HappyCow reports that there are around 70 vegan restaurants within 6 miles of one another, making it nearly impossible to turn a corner without running into the next delicious vegan food spot.
Speaking of food spots, Krowarzywa is one of Europe’s most famous vegan burger joints, renowned all across the continent for its award-winning plant-based burgers!
#7: Amsterdam, Netherlands
I just got back from a trip in Amsterdam, and let me tell you: they love veganism out there almost as much as they love their bikes!
HappyCow reports that vegan-friendliness in Amsterdam has shot up by 78% in the past 3 years alone, with the city now boasting well over 100 vegan restaurants! On top of that, cafes and other eateries have many options for vegans even if they’re not a vegan-only establishment.
So, hop on a bike and peddle your way over to one of the many vegan restaurants, or buy yourself a snack from a vegan-friendly store before enjoying a cruise through the canals!
#6: Melbourne, Australia
While it may not be the #1 city in Australia (Sydney is holding tightly onto that spot), Melbourne is absolutely the best place in Australia to visit for plant-lovers.
With over 1000 vegan-friendly businesses, Melbourne allows your taste-buds to run wild with its many options. On top of being named “one of the most liveable cities on earth,” Melbourne boasts over 130 fully vegan restaurants – and that number is only growing!
You can also get yourself groceries from a chain of vegan supermarkets, giving you even more opportunity to cook up some creative dishes at home.
#5: New York City, USA
Known as the concrete jungle of America – except this jungle switches out animals for literally hundreds of plant-based eating options!
New York City has the most vegan restaurants out of all the cities in the USA, making it almost difficult to choose where you’re going to get your next plant-based meal – there are so many great places from street food to pizza to ethnic traditional dishes, all with a vegan twist.
The Big Apple also offers your sweet tooth countless vegan bakeries and ice cream parlors for dessert after visiting one of over 170 vegan restaurants within a 6 mile radius – there truly is no running out of vegan options in NYC!
#4: Tel Aviv, Israel
This one shouldn’t have surprised me, but the extent to which Tel Aviv is vegan-friendly is astounding.
It turns out that Israel has quickly become one of the most vegan-friendly countries in the world, with Tel Aviv leading the charge as the country’s economic and technological powerhouse. There are over 650 vegan listings on HappyCow, and The Vegan Word reports there are 8.9 vegan restaurants per capita.
#3: Portland, USA
Hailed as the vegan mecca of America, Portland is synonymous with “veganism.” While it may not have the most vegan restaurants on this list, it boasts a high number per capita, and boosts itself up a couple spots due to its push for locally sourced and organic foods.
In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any other city in the USA that is as proud of their vegan lifestyle as Portland is – plus, Portland is home to the world’s first vegan mini-mall!
This mall has everything vegan from clothes to foods to…tattoos?? Sure enough, you can get yourself a sweet new piece done from ink that has no animal by-products – which is nearly unheard of!
#2: Berlin, Germany
Going back and forth with #1 on this list, Berlin is known all around the world as one of the top vegan cities.
The German capital just hit 100 vegan restaurants within a 6 mile radius last year, and is on a steady upwards trend! In fact, you can stay at many vegan-friendly hotels – now if that’s not a testament to how serious Berlin takes veganism, I don’t know what is!
Walking through the city famous for its alternative scene will have you seeing hundreds of signs that boast “vegan-friendly” and “vegan-only” restaurants designed to attract the thousands of visitors and locals to try their plant-based food options.
Berlin is also home to Europe’s first vegan supermarket: Veganz. Not only is it a great place for vegans to check out, it’s another testament to Berlin’s dedication, having opened it all the way back in 2011 already!
#1: London, United Kingdom
You probably saw this one coming, as London is famous all around the world for its vegan-friendliness.
Just last year, London was the first city in the world to surpass 200 vegan-only establishments on HappyCow – that’s quite the remarkable stat! London also has 165 vegan restaurants within a 6 mile radius, quickly establishing that veganism in this city is the mainstream.
And this #1 spot is well-deserved – HappyCow has also named London as the #1 vegan city in the world for 4 years in a row! The land of red buses and Big Ben is on a constant upwards trend of veganism, claiming over 600,000 citizens as vegans already. That results in not just hundreds of vegan-friendly restaurants, but hair salons, clothing stores, and more following the wave.
Conclusion
You can see that all 9 of these cities are awesome to visit if you’re a vegan, and you honestly can’t go wrong exploring all of these. The vegan lifestyle is blowing harder and harder throughout the entire world, and these 9 cities are at the forefront creating trends and changing mainstream narratives of healthy eating.
That being said, there are tons of other cities that are absolutely amazing for vegans – we’d love to hear your experiences with them in the comments below!
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