Buckle up, vegan friends! This trip was filled with a LOT of food places that I can’t wait to share with you. There was so much vegan food in Italy to eat that I had to post two vlogs! Make sure to pin the graphic at the end of the post so you have my hot for food approved list ready to go if you ever visit!
hot for food approved
gas stations
Yup, you read that right! Oddly enough, the gas stations across Italy were all great. I stopped at a lot of them on the way to Sicily and on my way back to Rome. Vegan croissants were available at all of them, so I chowed down on those a LOT during this trip. I also learned that ordering an Americano is super weird and uncommon, because they mostly just drink espresso there. They also don’t take their espresso on the go, but rather sit and chat with fellow patrons or enjoy the present moment. Hey, it was all a learning opportunity, so now I know! I also noshed some paprika flavored Pringles which I’ve never had in Canada before.
verdict: do yourself a favor and stop at as many gas stations as you can. Vegan croissants all day long, baby!
Divina Vietri
It was challenging to find a vegan restaurant in Amalfi or Vietri, but have no fear! I’m always up to the challenge of making vegan meals from non-vegan menus. We ended up getting fruity Amalfi Coast beer that was super refreshing. Then we got fried dough with tomato sauce, and mushroom artichoke pizza without the cheese.
verdict: not bad at all for ordering a vegan meal on a whim!
CuoreBio (Pompeii)
This was a grocery store in Pompeii that we stopped at! It’s always a great option to grab extra goodies to have on hand throughout your trip. They had a ton of vegan options! My biggest tip is to grab almond or soy milk in small tetra packs to use in your coffee since most places will not have it.
Haiku (Palermo)
This was the BEST vegan food in Italy that we had! The Antipasto Misto Grande has all of the appetizers included, and I highly recommend it – everything was delicious. We also had the Papardelle Al Sugo Di Zucchina Bianca, and Risotto Mantecato Verza Rossa E Pistachio. Fancy names, and equally fancy food!
verdict: you better bring a big appetite to Haiku! Make sure to visit if you’re nearby, because this food is some serious bizz.
Freschette (Palermo)
This is a vegetarian cafe, which definitely makes ordering things one step easier! Just make sure to ask which items are vegan. My faves were the adzuki meatballs, and the ricotta that gets served with every dish.
verdict: this is a really cute spot that I highly recommend! Skip out on the vegan seitan chicken dish, though, and cozy up with those meatballs instead!
CAPATOAST (Palermo)
PSA: CUSTOMIZABLE VEGAN SANDWICHES! Need I say more? The sandwich I got was literally bigger than my head and I ate it ALL. They even have vegan cheese and vegan mayonnaise!
verdict: two simple words: GO. HERE. All your sandwich dreams will come true.
Vino & Pomodoro (Palermo)
Italy is well known for its pizza and pasta, so you know I was pumped to find a place offering both… in vegan versions! At Vino & Pomodoro, we had the vegan carbonara, farfalle and seitan, and a vegetarian pizza which was actually vegan! Who says you need cheese to eat well in Italy?
verdict: A+ for having dairy-free pizza and pasta options! I recommend skipping out on the carbonara because it had more of a curry sauce than a traditional carbonara sauce, but def get the pizza & farfalle!
Tacos & Beer (Rome)
You know at any given restaurant, there’s a good chance I’m ordering chips and guac. It’s a vegan’s best friend when eating out! This place is the holy grail because it had 3 vegan tacos available: The Loco Vegano, Pavo Real (avocado tartar), and Nopalito (with cactus).
verdict: a round of applause for these vegan tacos! All 3 get the hot for food seal of approval.
iVegan (Rome)
This was a vegan grocery store, which is basically like stepping through heaven’s gates. They had SO MUCH STUFF HERE. I could barely contain my excitement, especially about the amount of vegan cheese they had… drool! Check out this haul video where I show you everything I bought! (Spoiler alert: I bought a LOT of stuff).
Madre Terra (Rome)
I was excited about this one because it’s a fully vegan restaurant, including some raw options! We had the avocado tartar, a white pizza with cashew cheese, and a fried artichoke dish. The tartar was actually amazing, the pizza not so much. Overall, the food was okay! Maybe we just didn’t order the right stuff?
verdict: we might have just ordered wrong, so if you try other items on the menu let me know what was good! Overall, it’s a cute place and worth going if you’re nearby. But it’s a little outside the Rome centre, so it’s not worth a long travel out of the way. There’s way more vegan food in Italy for you to try instead!
Pergamino (Rome)
This place served up coffee to the max! We went a lil’ crazy and got nitro coffee alongside vegan coffee cake. Both of them were hella tasty, and the coffee was the best I had on the entire trip! It’s also close to the Vatican Museum.
verdict: double up your caffeine intake and visit this place! The coffee and coffee cake are both must-tries.
Bere Artisinale & Trapizzino
What’s better than vegan pizza cones and craft beer? Not a whole lot, I tell ya! Both of these places are next door to each other, and close to the Vatican Museum.
verdict: if you’re planning on visiting the museum, you can hit up one spot before and one after! You can even grab a coffee at Pergamino along the way for a fully stacked itinerary.
Flower Burger
WOOOW, just reminiscing about Flower Burger has me gettin’ hungry! The quinoa cheesy burger was the best (and yes, that’s a black burger bun!), the tartar dipping sauce was bomb, and the flower cream is to die for. It reminded me of the granola and yogurt cups I used to buy at the grocery store before I went vegan!
verdict: if anything, just go here to try the flower cream! It’ll legitimately blow your mind.
extra treats: gelato & spritz!
Italy is just overflowing with places to grab gelato! You know I’m always down for somethin’ sweet, so I had my fair share of it during this trip. Just make sure to check on the menus if the one you’re ordering is dairy-free, and you’re good to go! Another common treat in Italy is spritz, aka a wine-based alcoholic bevvy that contains Prosecco, Aperol and soda water. It’s the most popular cocktail there, so similarly to gelato, I had a LOT of these during this trip.
Well, that’s a wrap, y’all! Some of the vegan food in Italy is seriously great, and even BETTER when washed down with spritz and gelato to wash it down. If there’s one thing you can take away from this (other than my pinnable list below), it’s go to the gas stations! Vegan croissants are my new obsession and it’s amazing how accessible they are throughout Italy. Bonus: they’re also palm oil free! Europe is way ahead of the game. If you visit, let me know what vegan food you ate so I have suggestions for next time I travel there!
noted, not notable
- Billy’s Food (Mondello)
- Burger Bar (Salerno)
1 thought on “what i ate in italy”
My favorite vegan food was at Refugio Romano in Rome. The cacio y pepe was divine and the shiitake carbonara. They even had a vegan tiramisu. But, it was so easy to eat “vegano” in Italy.