My 5 Favorite Countries to Eat In
The countries that I love to eat in as a vegetarian
I consider myself a food based traveler. As a vegetarian a lot of local cuisines are cut off from me. When a place does have great vegetarian food it makes it a much more memorable trip for me. Conversely when a place has food that is hard for me to eat it can come close to ruining my trip.
5. Italy
I’ll be honest, I haven’t been to Italy in over 20 years, but even before non-meat diets became popular it was an easy place to eat as a vegetarian. Pizzas and pastas all have incredible vegetarian options, and they are a country that loves mushrooms.
4. Mexico
Mexico is one of the world’s top food destinations, but can be a little difficult for vegetarians. In the cities it’s not so hard - you can find great vegan and vegetarian restaurants and many restaurants have options. But it cuts you off from a lot of street food. Many dishes may have hidden lard or chicken stock in something that otherwise would be veggie friendly.
Still, Oaxaca City and Mexico City are two of the top eating destinations in the world. There’s a reason many of the best chefs in the best kitchens are from Oaxaca.
3. Lebanon
Lebanon is like Italy in that its food already has a strong base of dishes vegetarians can eat. I never found a “vegetarian” restaurant while I was there, but I never needed to. I got my fill of hummus, labne, falafel, baba ganoush, and muhammara. Down the street from where I stayed in Hamra was my favorite man'oushe bakery.
Malek al Foul - This is a place I think about constantly. The owner makes the creamiest hummus I have ever had. I have searched all over and made many recipes all to find a replacement for this hummus. I loved weekends with fried pita, pine nuts, tons of fresh veggies and mint, chickpeas, and a side of giant, puffed up pita bread. I need to go back.
Sadat Bakery - The bakery down the street from me. This ended up being my favorite of the many I tried. The bread tasted fresh, and the toppings were all high quality. One of my favorite toppings here was the kishk, which is dried yogurt. The kishk goes on a fresh flatbread with tomatoes, onions, and olive oil.
Cafe Younes - A coffee shop chain full of students working. Their first shop opened in 1935.
Barbar - Chain of falafel and kebob shops.
2. Japan
Kaiseki meal at the Kanbayashi Hotel Senjukaku
Japan is one of the greatest food destinations in the world. The quality of all the food is high as the majority of the population seems to know and care about good food. Fruits and vegetables are celebrated when they are in season. If you’re an omnivore and you see a line for a food stall it’s best to get in it.
I’m going to say something I want you to pay attention to. I believe some of the best pizza in the world right now is coming out of Japan. Tokyo has its own style with it’s charred crust with a mochi-like chew. When I went in 2009 I couldn’t find good pizza, or I didn’t know where to look. Now it’s hard to find bad pizza. It’s possible, I achieved it on this last trip, but most pizzaiolos in Japan are dedicated to making the best pizza they can.
The pizzaiolo at PST Higashiazabu
It can be harder to find vegetarian food sometimes, not every place has an option. With a little research ahead of time, though, you can have amazing meals. And if you’re in a pinch, the 7-11s and Lawsons all have the most incredible egg salad sandwiches.
The Chef at Lopez in Hiroshima putting pickled jalapeños on okonomiyaki.
Pizza Studio Tamaki - My favorite small chain of pizza shops in Japan. There are many I still need to try, but of the ones I’ve been to, this came out on top.
Lopez Okonomiyaki - Chef Lopez, originally from Central America, studied under the best Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki master. I just told him I was vegetarian and he took care of me.
1. India
India is a vegetarian’s dream country. It’s the place with the most vegetarians due to three of their main religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, having tenets about non-violence to all living beings.
When I first went to India I could never decide on what to get for dinner so I ended up getting three dinners every dinner. It helped that each was $.75. I would get a dosa, a large fermented rice and lentil crepe with a filling, a palak paneer, and usually something creamy like paneer masala. I put on weight.
I traveled through India and Nepal for 3 months in 2009 and, sadly, at that time I never thought to take a photo of my food.
Other Places
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