The best cities for vegan travelers in 2025

Food and travel often go hand in hand. Exploring a city without trying its various cuisines (local and popular) seems like a half-hearted attempt to sum up your travel experience. Besides, what says more about the culture of a place than its food habits? But what happens when you’re on a plant-based diet and on your way to explore places that are rather more famous for their steaks and chops than tofu and tempeh?

Fret not, for we have carefully curated a guide that won’t disappoint.

If you’re a plant-based nomad traveler planning your 2025 escapades, these vegan-friendly cities are your passport to culinary delight, ethical exploration, and eco-conscious adventure. Whether you're navigating Asia, Europe, or the Americas, cities are embracing cruelty‑free cuisine with gusto. From street‑food havens to Michelin‑starred vegan fine dining, the following urban hotspots are not just vegan‑friendly and they’re vegan‑thriving.

This guide takes you to those top cities that blend unique local flavors, sustainability, culture, and community in an unforgettable plant‑based travel experience.

Let’s dive in!

This might seem like a shocker, but at the very top of HappyCow’s Top 10 Most Vegan-Friendly Cities for 2025, London boasts over 3,600 vegan-friendly listings, with 12% growth in fully vegan restaurants in the past year. With iconic vegan pubs, gourmet restaurants, multicultural street‑food markets from Bermondsey to Camden, and vegan versions of classics like fish & chips and Sunday roast, there's never a dull bite. And London is more than just an iconic city. From fully vegan pubs serving fish & chips and Sunday roast to high-end plant-based fine dining, London offers a multicultural vegan menu that’s hard to beat. Home to Gauthier Soho, the UK’s first Michelin‑starred vegan restaurant, and major events like VegFest UK, London seamlessly combines gourmet excellence with everyday cruelty-free convenience.

Berlin isn’t just historic, it’s equally modern and relevant, too. Often called Europe’s vegan capital, Berlin remains second in HappyCow’s 2025 rankings. With around 116 fully vegan restaurants and 1,772 vegan‑friendly spots across the city, Berlin continues to innovate plant‑based cuisine at casual and gourmet levels. Try vegan döner (“Vöner”), cruelty‑free currywurst, and creative street food at Markthalle Neun. Berlin also hosts VeggieWorld festivals and has a thriving ecosystem of zero‑waste shops and vegan supermarkets like Veganz.

It’s like hitting two jackpots at one go!

Los Angeles sits at third on the list, with over 2,500 vegan-friendly venues and near about 50 fully vegan restaurants, despite slight declines in recent years. From vegan birria tacos in Hollywood to kelp poke in Venice Beach and carbon‑label menus, L.A.’s plant-based scene is yummy and high-concept.

Portland ranks fourth and leads the US in vegan density, with 46 fully vegan restaurants, 631 vegan-friendly spots, and a 10% upswing in vegan-friendly venues. Its eco‑centric ethos, food‑cart pods, zero‑waste shops, community gardens, and VegFest create a tight-knit vegan culture fundamental to its identity.

Lisbon, in fifth, has grown rapidly, with 41 fully vegan restaurants, close to 600 vegan-friendly spots, and a 10% annual surge in vegan dining options. Vegan pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tarts), jackfruit croquettes, and farm-to-table innovation thrive in sunny, tile-lit neighborhoods.

Barcelona, in sixth place, features almost 60 vegan restaurants, over 950 listings, and steady growth. Vegan tapas, patatas bravas with aioli, and no-fish paella are regulars on the menu, and many venues offset carbon or engage in reforestation.

In the seventh place, we have one of the most scenic cities in the world; it’s Amsterdam. This canal‑lined city remains a prime vegan destination, offering over 50 fully vegan restaurants and more than 800 vegan-friendly listings, even after a substantial (almost 30%) dip in fully vegan spots. Amsterdam embraces sustainability with compost‑centric cafés, certified plant-based dining programs, vegan cruises on the canals, and industrial-chic markets like Vegan Junk Food Bar and TerraZen Café.

This one’s a first-timer and how! Making its first-ever HappyCow Top 10 appearance at #8, Mexico City now offers tremendous plant-based promise. With 124 fully vegan restaurants, 193 vegan businesses, and 493 total listings, the city saw impressive annual growth (~7–13%). Street‑food staples like blue‑corn tortillas, huitlacoche tamales, and cultured‑mushroom carnitas appear alongside kombucha bars and weekend pop‑ups in Roma Norte. The EcoBici e‑bike network rolls you effortlessly between hotspots.

And we have New York City at #9! This diverse, multi-cultural, cosmopolitan city offers over 1100 vegan‑friendly businesses, and 122 fully vegan listings, even with an 11% drop in some metrics. Thanks to its cultural diversity, NYC hosts infinite plant-based cuisines, from vegan sushi to Caribbean, Ethiopian, and soul food. The heart of the USA remains a hub of vegan events and dining innovation.

No wonder Vietnam has been on the list of almost every traveler. For this country is one of the most attractive factors in South East Asia; at #10, Ho Chi Minh City is the fastest‑growing vegan destination of 2025. Fully vegan restaurants grew by almost 33% to over 200 establishments, with more than 1200 vegan‑friendly listings in total (growth is almost 16%). Imagine having vegan pho, bánh mì, and bánh xèo thriving in bustling street scenes and walking tours – you’ll have it all in Vietnam!

This one’s an honorable mention. Just outside the Top 10, Warsaw is ranked #11 by HappyCow and has been hailed as an “unlikely vegan capital of Europe,” according to The Guardian, with numerous vegan delis, animal‑free peking duck, and festivals celebrating plant‑based life. Think about vegan festivals, delis, faux‑meat peking duck, vegan pierogi, sushi, and ramen clustered around pedestrian Poznańska Street. Step in the streets of Warsaw, and you can devour plant-based Polish staples within a few blocks.

Like Warsaw, Chiang Mai, too, hasn’t made it to the top 10 list yet. However, that doesn’t imply, one of the most significant cities in Thailand doesn’t have the potential! Often called the vegan capital of Asia, Chiang Mai, blends Buddhist vegetarian tradition with street food abundance. During the annual Nine Emperor Gods (Vegetarian) Festival, whole neighborhoods serve an array of vegan dishes, including pink noodle soups, tofu varieties, and curries without fish sauce or garlic; some street stalls even display red jay flags to signal vegan food. With vegan and vegetarian restaurants nestled into the Old Town’s walkable grid, this northern Thai gem is serene, delicious, and culturally immersive – all packed in one.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is provided for general informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, details about restaurants, events, and local customs may change without notice. This content should not substitute for professional advice, especially dietary, medical, or travel, and readers should verify specifics (menus, opening hours, reservations) with official sources before making plans.

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