These five cities treat plant-based dining as simply the way things are done, not a lifestyle requiring explanation or apology.
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There's a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from being the person who needs "something special" at every restaurant. The apologetic menu scanning, the server's confused pause, the well-meaning friend who whispers "I think the fries are vegan" like they're sharing classified intelligence.
After nearly a decade of plant-based eating, I've learned that some places just get it. Not in a trendy, Instagram-worthy way, but in a quiet, matter-of-fact way that makes you feel like the most normal person in the room.
These five destinations have taught me what it feels like when nobody treats your food choices as a curiosity, a burden, or a conversation starter. They simply feed you, beautifully, and move on.
1. Tel Aviv, Israel
The first time I ordered breakfast in Tel Aviv, I braced myself for the usual negotiation. Instead, the server barely blinked when I asked what was vegan. "Most of it," she said, gesturing at a menu heavy with shakshuka variations, fresh salads, and hummus that would ruin you for all other hummus forever.
Tel Aviv has one of the highest per-capita vegan populations in the world, and it shows in the infrastructure. Street food vendors offer plant-based options without fanfare. Restaurants mark vegan items as casually as they mark spice levels.
The Mediterranean diet already leans heavily on vegetables, legumes, and grains, so eating plant-based here feels less like a restriction and more like a natural extension of the culture.
What struck me most was the absence of performance. Nobody congratulated me for my choices or asked probing questions about protein. They just handed me incredible food and let me eat in peace.
2. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Northern Thai cuisine has a relationship with vegetables that feels almost reverent. When Marcus and I spent three weeks in Chiang Mai, we discovered a city where Buddhist traditions have normalized meat-free eating for centuries.
The "jay" symbol, indicating vegetarian food suitable for Buddhist practice, appears everywhere.
Night markets overflow with stir-fried morning glory, papaya salads made without fish sauce upon request, and coconut curries rich enough to make you forget cream ever existed. The vendors don't treat modifications as an inconvenience. They treat them as part of the natural order of feeding people.
Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to relax into a meal when you're not managing someone else's reaction to your choices? Chiang Mai gave me that gift repeatedly.
3. Berlin, Germany
Berlin's vegan scene isn't subtle, but it also isn't precious. This is a city where döner kebab shops serve seitan versions without irony, where grocery stores dedicate entire aisles to plant-based products, and where asking for oat milk doesn't earn you a surcharge or a raised eyebrow.
What I appreciate about Berlin is its practicality. The city doesn't treat veganism as a luxury wellness trend. It treats it as a reasonable way to eat, accessible across income levels and neighborhoods.
You can find exceptional plant-based food at a Michelin-starred restaurant or at a late-night currywurst stand. The democratization feels intentional.
During my visits, I've watched groups of friends split meals without anyone commenting on who's eating what. The boundaries between vegan and non-vegan dining blur in ways that feel genuinely progressive.
4. Taipei, Taiwan
Taiwan's Buddhist vegetarian tradition runs deep, creating a foundation that modern vegan eating has built upon beautifully. Taipei offers something rare: a city where plant-based restaurants have existed for generations, not just since veganism became trendy in Western markets.
The buffet-style vegetarian restaurants scattered throughout the city serve dozens of dishes, priced by weight, with no explanation required.
Night market vendors understand the difference between vegetarian and vegan without needing a tutorial. The food itself draws from centuries of culinary creativity born from religious practice.
I remember sitting in a tiny restaurant near Longshan Temple, eating three different kinds of mock meat that tasted nothing like imitation and everything like their own distinct, delicious thing.
The elderly woman running the place didn't speak much English, but she understood exactly what I needed. That kind of intuitive hospitality stays with you.
5. Lisbon, Portugal
Portugal surprised me. Traditional Portuguese cuisine centers heavily on seafood and meat, yet Lisbon has quietly become one of Europe's most vegan-friendly capitals. The city seems to have decided collectively that accommodating plant-based eaters is simply good hospitality.
Modern Lisbon restaurants often feature vegan options not as afterthoughts but as genuine menu highlights. The pastéis de nata, those famous custard tarts, now come in vegan versions that would fool anyone. Even traditional tascas, the small family-run eateries, increasingly offer plant-based dishes alongside their classic fare.
What moves me about Lisbon is the generational shift happening in real time. Young Portuguese chefs are reimagining their culinary heritage with plant-based ingredients, honoring tradition while expanding who gets to participate in it.
Final thoughts
Travel teaches us what's possible. These five cities have shown me versions of the world where my food choices don't define my dining experience or dominate every conversation.
They've reminded me that the goal isn't to find places that celebrate veganism loudly. It's to find places that absorb it quietly into the fabric of daily life.
When you travel somewhere that treats plant-based eating as unremarkable, you get to be unremarkable too. You get to simply be a person enjoying a meal, not an ambassador for a lifestyle. And honestly? That ordinary feeling is extraordinary.
Where have you traveled that made you feel effortlessly understood at the table?
