Best Cities for Vegetarian Foodies

Portland takes its vegetarian food as seriously as it takes its artisanal everything else, which makes sense when you're surrounded by organic farms and people who genuinely geek out over heirloom vegetables. This Pacific Northwest paradise is also home to a literal vegan mini-mall complete with a tattoo parlor, because nothing says commitment like permanently inking your love for tempeh.

LA residents consume vegetarian and vegan food more often than the average American, which tracks for a city where people treat their bodies like camera-ready temples and kale like a personality trait. From upscale spots serving pristine Japanese cuisine to hidden gems slinging incredible plant-based tacos, this sprawling metropolis offers vegetarian options in every neighborhood and cuisine you can imagine.

London has been crowned the world's best city for vegans four years running, which is quite the glow-up for a place once known primarily for meat pies and fish and chips. Whether you're craving Ethiopian stews or a proper Sunday roast minus the actual roast, this city delivers with a level of creativity that would make your grandmother simultaneously proud and confused.

Bangkok’s Buddhist temples have been serving incredible meat-free meals for centuries, which means the locals perfected plant-based cooking while the rest of us were still figuring out tofu. Street carts sling some of the most mind-blowing vegetarian pad thai and curries you'll ever taste, with flavors so intense they'll spoil every other meal you eat for the next six months.

The City That Never Sleeps also never stops eating, which works out perfectly when you're craving Korean temple food at midnight or French pastries at dawn. Whatever the mood, you can experience Michelin-starred vegetarian tasting menus that'll cost you a week's salary, or just grab a slice from a corner pizzeria at 2am like a proper New Yorker for less than a subway ride.

Berlin has earned its reputation as Europe's vegan capital with over 600 vegan-friendly restaurants and the continent's largest vegan summer festival. The city's creative energy extends to its food scene, where chefs transform traditional German comfort food into plant-based masterpieces that would make your Oma weep with joy.

Vancouver combines West Coast wellness culture with incredible Asian food influences, creating a vegetarian scene that's both health-conscious and ridiculously tasty. The city's proximity to fertile farmland means restaurants work with impossibly fresh ingredients. It's like someone designed a city specifically made for people who love both hiking and dumplings.

Chicago recently snagged the top spot in North American vegetarian rankings, proving that the Midwest can absolutely hang with the coasts. Between the deep-dish pizza places offering vegan options and custom vegan cakes from specialty bakeries, this city takes its veggie food as seriously as its sports teams.

Toronto's incredible diversity translates directly to its vegetarian food scene, where you can globe-trot through cuisines without ever leaving the city limits. The multicultural makeup means authentic plant-based options from every corner of the world, from Ethiopian kitfo to Indian thalis to Korean bibimbap (yes, these are all real words).

Melbourne's laneway culture and obsession with good coffee created the perfect breeding ground for an incredible vegetarian scene. From cozy cafes serving up inventive brunch to fine-dining spots that'll make you reconsider everything you thought you knew about being a vegetarian, Melbourne does it all with that effortlessly cool Australian vibe.