The best cities for vegan foodies who love to travel

Food production — from fertilizer to fridge — creates roughly one-third of all human-made greenhouse-gas emissions.

Swapping animal products for plants is one of the simplest levers an individual traveler controls: the United Nations’ ActNow campaign estimates that going vegan can shave up to 2.1 metric tons of CO₂ off one person’s annual footprint — about the same climate punch as skipping five round-trip flights from Dubai to Istanbul.

Pick a city that makes plant-based eating effortless and you’ll stack health wins, climate gains, and local-economy love into every bite.

How we crunched the numbers

I merged HappyCow’s 2025 Top 25 Vegan-Friendly Cities list with municipal tourism stats, population data, and the past six months of news coverage. We weighted five factors:

1. Fully vegan restaurants inside city limits

2. Total vegan-friendly venues (cafés, bakeries, groceries)

3. Density per capita (so you’re never hitchhiking for hummus)

4. Year-on-year growth (momentum beats hype)

5. Community energy—festivals, pop-ups, and city policy

Below are ten destinations where those metrics converge. Think of them as your edible bucket list—no compromises, no cardboard veggie burgers.

The 10 hottest hubs for planet-first palates

London, UK

3,620 listings | 154 fully vegan restaurants | +12 % growth

Seitan shawarma in Soho, jackfruit banh mi at Borough Market, and oat-milk soft-serve by the Thames—London still wears the global vegan crown.

Green perks extend beyond the plate: Transport for London powers the Tube with 30 % renewables and just launched a zero-emissions bus fleet on Oxford Street.

Travel hack: hit Mildreds’ pay-by-weight lunch bar before noon; queues form faster than a sourdough starter.

Berlin, Germany

1,772 listings | 116 fully vegan restaurants

Currywurst re-imagined in soy, dairy-free Döner kebab at midnight, and an entire “Veganz” supermarket chain—Berlin’s plant scene feels as casual as grabbing a beer.

Rent a Lime e-bike, glide down Karl-Marx-Allee, and sample black-forest-cake gelato that’s both palm-oil- and cruelty-free.

Los Angeles, USA

2,515 listings | 50 fully vegan restaurants 

Glam meets gut health: Koreatown kimchi quesadillas, Venice Beach kelp-based poke, and Hollywood’s famous vegan birria tacos. Many menus carry carbon-labels, so you can choose the lowest-emission entrée at a glance.

Portland, USA

631 listings | 46 fully vegan restaurants; highest density per capita

Food-cart pods fuel you between riverfront cycle lanes. Zero-waste co-ops, refill shops, and the annual VegFest knit a tight community.

Must-munch: truffled mac ’n’ cheese at Homegrown Smoker, best enjoyed on a picnic blanket beside the Willamette.

Lisbon, Portugal

583 listings | 41 fully vegan restaurants | +10 % VR growth

Ocean breezes, tile-clad alleys, and pastel de nata reinvented with oat custard. The metro already runs on 66 % renewables, and baristas knock €0.20 off if you bring a reusable cup.

Order bacalhau-style jackfruit croquettes and watch sunset from Miradouro da Graça.

Barcelona, Spain

951 listings | 60 fully vegan restaurants 

Tapas culture, now tempeh-friendly: patatas bravas with smoked-paprika aioli, no-fish paella by Barceloneta, and vermouth bars switching to organic, gelatin-free clarifiers.

Many eateries offset their dishes via local reforestation—your mushroom croquette might plant a tree.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

827 listings | 52 fully vegan restaurants

Cycle canals, refuel with vegan bitterballen, repeat. The city’s circular-economy blueprint rewards restaurants that compost and source regionally.

Rent a bakfiets (cargo bike)—handy for toting market veggies plastic-free.

Mexico City, Mexico

493 listings | 124 fully vegan restaurants | +13 % overall growth

A brand-new entrant to HappyCow’s Top 10, CDMX blends indigenous staples—blue-corn tlacoyos, huitlacoche tamales—with next-wave innovation like antojitos filled with cultured-mushroom “carnitas.” Roma Norte streets host weekend pop-ups where chefs pair mole negro with agave-based kombucha.

Bonus points: the city’s new EcoBici network expanded to 14,500 e-bikes, letting you pedal between plant-based hotspots without breaking a sweat.

Warsaw, Poland

Once meat-heavy, the capital now boasts vegan pierogi, Peking-duck substitutes, and a festival scene so lively that

The Guardian dubbed it an “unlikely vegan capital” earlier this year. Start on Poznańska Street and wander; within five blocks you’ll hit ramen, sushi, and a zero-waste bakery.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Routinely labeled the “vegan capital of Asia,” the laid-back northern hub packs 14 vegan and 17 vegetarian restaurants into a walkable old-town grid.

Fill mornings with mango-sticky-rice, afternoons with coconut-milk khao soi, and evenings at the weekly night bazaar where vendors serve jackfruit “pulled-pork” sliders on banana-leaf plates.

Five practical steps to plan a low-impact, high-flavor trip

1. Map before you book. Layer HappyCow and offline Google Maps so lodgings sit within a 15-minute walk of three restaurants.

2. Ride, don’t drive. Every city above offers bike shares, light-rail, or all-day metro passes. Bundle errands and avoid ride-hail surge pricing (and emissions).

3. Pack a micro-kit. Collapsible container, bamboo spork, and cloth napkin erase take-out trash. Lisbon cafés knock 20 ¢ off for BYO cups; Berlin food halls give 10 % discounts on reusable boxes.

4. Eat seasonal, local. Even plants rack up food-miles. Ask servers which ingredients grow within 100 km—many menus now list farm names.

5. Leave digital breadcrumbs. Post reviews, tag eateries, and tip well. Visibility boosts foot traffic and normalizes plant-based choices for the next traveler.

The bigger ripple

The global vegan food market is projected to hit US $46 billion by 2033, and cities that woo green travelers capture that spend while advancing local climate goals.

Mexico City’s boom revitalizes neighborhoods like Roma; Portland’s density keeps mom-and-pop storefronts rented; Chiang Mai’s plant-tourism funds community compost programs.

Beyond economics, widespread veggie options normalize climate-smart dining for residents—turning your holiday splurge into a catalyst for systemic change.

Your move

Grab that reusable fork, download your maps, and let your taste buds lead a sustainability charge. Each soy-latte layover is a vote for cleaner air, creative chefs, and tastier tomorrows. Happy travels—and happy munching!