10 Most Underrated Vegan Cities You Need to Visit in 2026
Everyone knows London, Berlin, and Los Angeles top the vegan city rankings. They've earned it — hundreds of dedicated restaurants, vibrant communities, and menus that make plant-based eating effortless.
But here's the thing: the most exciting vegan food in 2026 isn't happening in the usual suspects. It's happening in cities where Buddhist monks have been perfecting plant-based cooking for centuries, where soul food pioneers have been reinventing Southern comfort since the 1970s, and where street food vendors are accidentally creating some of the best vegan meals on the planet — for under $3.
We dug into the data, talked to travelers, and cross-referenced HappyCow's 2025/2026 Vegan City Index to find 10 cities that deserve way more attention from plant-based travelers. These aren't cities where you'll "survive" as a vegan. These are cities where you'll eat better than everyone else.
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1. Taipei, Taiwan
Why it's underrated: Taipei might be the single best vegan city in the world that nobody talks about.
Taiwan's Buddhist heritage means vegetarian restaurants — marked with the character "素" (su) — are literally on every block. Not tucked away in trendy neighborhoods. Every block. The island has over 6,000 vegetarian establishments, and Taipei alone offers everything from Michelin-worthy dim sum at Yang Shin Vegetarian Restaurant (inside Taipei 101, no less) to $3 all-you-can-eat buffets at Fruitful Food.
For something more modern, Ooh Cha Cha — founded by a crew of Californian and Taiwanese friends — serves veggie burgers and Buddha bowls with a sustainability-first ethos. And Nice Cream does vegan gelato that rivals anything in Rome.
The kicker? A full meal at a local su restaurant costs NT$80-150 ($3-5 USD). Taipei is the rare city where eating vegan is both the easiest and cheapest option.
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2. Tel Aviv, Israel
Why it's underrated: Tel Aviv has the highest percentage of vegans of any city on Earth — roughly 5% of the population eats fully plant-based.
That's not a niche subculture. That's a market force. The result? 30 fully vegan restaurants and 54 venues scoring B+ or higher on vegan-friendliness indexes. Anastasia is the local favorite for all-day plant-based brunch (their vegan shakshuka is legendary), while Dosa Bar up in the Old North does 100% vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free Indian-inspired plates that are somehow still indulgent.
The real move is hitting the markets. Carmel Market's falafel and hummus stalls are vegan by default — no special requests needed. This is a city where plant-based eating isn't an accommodation. It's the baseline.
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3. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Why it's underrated: HappyCow named HCMC the fastest-growing vegan city in the world for 2025, with a 41% increase in fully vegan businesses in a single year. Over 1,200 vegan-friendly venues and counting.
Vietnamese Buddhist "chay" (vegetarian) restaurants are everywhere — look for signs reading "Quan Chay." Veggie Saigon is the top-rated fully vegan spot, beloved by locals and travelers alike. Kashew Cheese Deli in District 2 makes cashew-based cheeses so good that expats smuggle them to neighboring countries. And the upscale scene is exploding too — NUC Kitchen and Bar is leading a new wave of ingredient-led, fine-dining plant-based cuisine.
But the real magic is the street food. Banh mi with lemongrass tofu, pho chay with mushroom broth, fresh spring rolls bursting with herbs — all for about $1-2. The growth rate here suggests HCMC will crack the global top 5 within two years.
Explore vegan restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City on VeganBites
4. Atlanta, USA
Why it's underrated: Atlanta has one of the highest densities of vegan restaurants per capita in the US — and almost nobody outside the Southeast knows it.
The city's secret weapon is its deep-rooted Black vegan food movement. Soul Vegetarian, operating since 1979, is largely credited with bringing plant-based soul food to Atlanta. Their mac & cheese and collard greens will make your brain think you're eating traditional comfort food. Tassili's Raw Reality in the West End has been a community beacon since 2011, serving raw wraps and kale salads that converted skeptics into regulars.
The newer wave includes Planted Soul (vegan fried chicken that legitimately fools omnivores) and Planta (the upscale Toronto-born chain with a stunning Krog Street Market location). Atlanta proves that vegan food isn't a coastal phenomenon — the South does it with more soul.
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5. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Why it's underrated: Dubbed the "vegan capital of Asia" by some travelers, Chiang Mai packs 14 vegan and 17 vegetarian restaurants into a walkable old city — plus a vegan hotel.
Away Chiang Mai is Thailand's first fully vegan hotel, with an in-house restaurant serving Thai-fusion dishes. Vegano Bistro is a quirky spot with 1950s diner vibes and a secret garden patio. And Goodsouls Kitchen makes vegan cakes that locals describe as the work of a "baking wizard."
Visit during the annual Vegetarian Festival (usually September-October) and entire neighborhoods transform their menus to plant-based. Pair that with elephant sanctuaries, temple tours, and massages for $8, and you've got the best-value vegan trip in the world.
Explore vegan restaurants in Chiang Mai on VeganBites
6. Lisbon, Portugal
Why it's underrated: Portugal isn't exactly known for veganism — this is a country built on bacalhau (salt cod). But Lisbon's plant-based scene has quietly become one of Europe's most exciting.
AO26 is consistently named one of the best vegan restaurants on the continent, with a menu rooted in Portuguese flavors. The city's farmers' markets overflow with fresh produce, and a new generation of chefs is reimagining traditional dishes without animal products. Lisbon's affordability compared to Paris or London makes it an incredible-value European vegan destination.
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7. Mexico City, Mexico
Why it's underrated: Mexico City crashed into HappyCow's top 10 vegan cities for the first time in 2025 — and it wasn't a fluke.
The city's plant-based boom is fueled by a new generation of chefs combining pre-Hispanic ingredients (huitlacoche, nopales, amaranth) with modern vegan techniques. The street food scene offers naturally vegan options everywhere: esquites (corn cups), elote, fresh fruit with tajin, and tacos loaded with grilled cactus and mushrooms. When a city's traditional cuisine is already 80% plants, the vegan scene writes itself.
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8. Seoul, South Korea
Why it's underrated: Korean temple food — "sachal eumsik" — is one of the world's oldest and most sophisticated plant-based culinary traditions. And Seoul is where it meets modernity.
Michelin-starred Balwoo Gongyang, run by Buddhist monks, offers multi-course vegan tasting menus that redefine what plant-based fine dining can be. Meanwhile, the K-food wave is driving mainstream restaurants to add plant-based bibimbap, kimchi jjigae, and tteokbokki options. Seoul is climbing the global vegan city rankings fast.
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9. Melbourne, Australia
Why it's underrated: With 130+ fully vegan restaurants, Melbourne has more dedicated plant-based spots than most cities twice its size. The city's cafe culture means vegan flat whites, smashed avo on toast, and acai bowls are on practically every corner.
Fitzroy and Brunswick are the vegan epicenters, but plant-based options have spread across every suburb. Melbourne's food scene rewards exploration — skip the tourist traps and let the neighborhood cafes surprise you.
Explore vegan restaurants in Melbourne on VeganBites
10. Prague, Czech Republic
Why it's underrated: Central Europe's best-kept vegan secret. Prague's plant-based scene keeps getting better, and your money goes 2-3x further here than in Western Europe. The city's growing community of vegan restaurants and cafes caters to both tourists and a surprisingly large local vegan population. When you can eat a full vegan meal for 6-8 euros in a city this beautiful, it's hard to justify paying 20 euros in Berlin.
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