What are the best Bucharest vegan restaurants?
Bucharest is not famous for anything related to the vegan lifestyle, and Romanian cuisine isn’t abundant in vegan dishes. But over the past few years, more and more vegan restaurants have opened in Bucharest. I want to tell you about my favourite vegan restaurants in Bucharest.
But first of all, I have to mention something not a lot of foreigners know about Romanian traditions and cuisine. Yes, Romanian cuisine is considered to be tasty but heavy due to the many animal products used to cook it, but most locals know and eat vegan sometimes, although they don’t realise it.
Does Romanian cuisine have vegan foods? YES!
You see, Romania is an Orthodox country, and religious holidays are a big thing. A large part of the population still attends weekly church services, and even more attend them for holidays like Christmas and Easter.
The point that I want to make is that since there are so many religious people, the culture has adapted to the situation. Before each religious holiday, Christmas, Easter and other smaller ones, it is a custom to fast. Fasting is different for each religion, but in the Orthodox religion, it basically means to do good and be a good person and to adopt a strictly vegan diet.
The only thing is that we don’t call it vegan, we call it “post”.
And post means fasting. So if you are visiting Romania during major fasting time, before Easter or Christmas, which hold for around a month each, then most traditional restaurants will include a “de post” menu, which is vegan.
But if you would ask for vegan food, they would have no idea what that is. Some extremely religious people do this fasting every Wednesday and Friday, so you can always ask the restaurant what they have for “post”.
But let’s now talk about fancy vegan food, and where to find it. There are some really nice vegan restaurants in Bucharest that locals, such as myself, love, and you will love too. They are mostly small and cosy restaurants.
Top Bucharest vegan restaurants that locals love
Rawdia
Puțul lui Zamfir 50-52, Bucharest
Rawdia is one of the first vegan restaurants in Bucharest, and it is situated in a very posh area. It has a medium sitting area, but it is recommended to book a table in advance, especially during lunch or dinner, during the week. The food is good, and they have all kinds of reinterpretations of international dishes.
They are closed on Sundays.
Barca
Pictor Barbu Iscovescu 19, Bucharest
Barca is the closest you will find in Bucharest to looking like a traditional restaurant, with a big menu and enough tables to fit smaller parties.
The staff is passionate about the vegan lifestyle and willing to suggest dishes based on your requirements. They offer a wide variety of raw vegan dishes as well.
Sara Green
Bulevardul Lascăr Catargiu 43a
Nicolae G. Caranfil 85
Sara Green is the first vegan fast food from Romania, and if you love burgers, then this place will not disappoint.
They have 2 locations since 2018, and they are open Monday to Saturday. The food is delicious, the prices are good and the staff is super friendly. They also have special menus for your family meal for Christmas and Easter, which need to be ordered in advanced and picked up a day or two before the holiday.
Bistro Raw Vegan
Transilvaniei 11
Bistro Raw vegan offers delicious daily menus (2 courses) at the best prices and the best vegan desserts. They have a variety of Raw and Vegan dishes available for delivery, take away or served in their cosy restaurant.
Mr Cigkofte
Bulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu 18 They closed!
Mr Cigkofte is a small Turkish street food place right in the centre of Bucharest. I used to love cig kofte when I was living in Turkey, and I am super happy we finally have cigkofte in Bucharest.
You haven’t tried cigkofte yet? It’s only bulgur, sauce, onion, garlic, walnut and spices. It looks like raw meat, but it’s all vegan! You will love it! The staff is super friendly, and they have amazing hummus!
Level Up
Sfânta Vineri 10, Bucharest
Level up is a vegan fast food place, where people with a love for healthy food serve great alternatives to traditional junk food. It’s delicious.
The location is central, and they even have raw pizza.
Sublimmme
Splaiul Independentei NR 2F
Sublimmme is the place where you will find vegan and raw-vegan food and desserts, and one of their main dishes is the famous Beyond Burger. If you haven’t tried it, then this is a must. I often order food from them (using Bolt Food), especially vegan cakes, which are delicious every time.
More restaurants with vegan options in Bucharest (that I love)
Perhaps there are other restaurants that I don’t know about, but for now, I don’t feel there are enough vegan restaurants in Bucharest. The good news is that there are some really good restaurants with vegan options, which I love and I would eat at any of them any day, and that’s why I want to recommend them to you as well.
Wok pe Loc
Bulevardul Ion C. Brătianu 44, Bucharest
Wok pe Loc is the local version of the Asian wok. If you have been anywhere in Europe before (and not only), you might have noticed the WoktoWalk franchise. This is really similar to that. You can pick from a set of woks or make your own. You select the type of noodles you want, meat or tofu and other extras.
To make your wok vegan, you need to mention no egg (all woks have egg included) and to pick whatever veggie you want.
Beirut
Strada Nicolae Racotă 3A
As a vegan or vegetarian, you need to be aware of international cuisine, and I’ve discovered that Middle Eastern cuisine has so many vegan options. And they’re all delicious. My favourite country to travel to, based on the food criteria, was Jordan.
Beirut is a Lebanese restaurant with delicious food that can accommodate vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters. I highly recommend it. And you always get vegetables on the house! And no meal is complete without spicy potatoes!
Arome
Strada Luigi Cazzavilan 25
Arome is a cosy bistro with a backyard terrace available in the summer and some great, healthy food. Soups, burgers, and sandwiches are on their menu, and it’s delicious. For everybody, but the vegan options are actually great!
Coolinart
Calea Victoriei 142-148
I’ve walked past Coolinart so many times, and it’s always full. It’s a cosy restaurant in a central location. They have options for all healthy eaters, not just vegans.
Simbio
Strada Negustori 26
Simbio is known as a cool, hipsterish place in the old part of the city, central, where you go for a coffee and a quick snack or have brunch with a couple of friends. The options are great for everybody.
Simbio offers catering and is often seen at street festivals with its food truck.
Soup Up!
- Promenada Shopping mall
- Pipera Plaza (shopping mall)
- Baneasa Shopping City (shopping mall)
- Piata Amzei Strada Piața Amzei 7-9
- ParkLake shopping mall
You can guess, based on the name of this place, that it’s all about soups. Always fresh and available all around the city, they always have vegan and vegetarian options. Soup Up! has 5 locations at the moment, and you can eat at the location or on the go. The space is usually small, but the soups are delicious.
verv kitchen
I’ve recently discovered a lovely new vegan restaurant called verv kitchen, that you need to try. The cook, who is also the owner, changes the menu every month and uses only local and organic ingredients for all the dishes. You can check out the current menu on their website.
The location is cute and cosy, like an old villa in the old part of Bucharest (can be a nice stop while exploring Bucharest), and it’s big enough for a family lunch or dinner. Orders are done at the bar, they also have lovely deserts, and some of the dishes are gluten-free, which is not easy to find in Bucharest. Enjoy!
Coming to Bucharest soon? Save this post for later! Also, check out my top recommendations for my hometown, Bucharest:
Tell me what you think!