The world’s best cities for vegans have been revealed – here’s why Venice is the one to watch

From veganfoodandliving.com

Global car rental company SIXT has revealed the world’s best cities for vegans, looking at the top destinations overall and up-and-coming hotspots.

Cities were ranked based on search volumes of tourists looking for vegan foods, the number of vegan-friendly restaurants within the city and their ratings, and the number of Michelin-starred vegan restaurants, or those with vegan options.

While many of the top-scoring cities will come as no shock to seasoned vegans, the research did uncover some surprising ‘up-and-comers’, with smaller locales showing potential to knock destinations like London or New York City out of their top spots as their vibrant vegan scenes continue to grow.

The best cities for vegans worldwide

London sits at the top of the world rankings with 678 vegan-friendly restaurants and six dedicated vegan Michelin-starred spots. It’s widely recognised for its booming plant-based scene, with a diverse range of options ranging from high-end London vegan restaurants to bustling plant-based street food stalls.

London frequently scores highly for vegan-friendly spots, and this year in no exception. Photo © VV Shots/Adobe Stock

Close behind is New York City, which has surpassed its West Coast rival, Los Angeles, to become the premier US destination for vegans. NYC actually features more vegan-friendly Michelin-starred restaurants than London, offering everything from luxury fine dining to quick corner-store bites.

Berlin rounds out the top three, defying the city’s ‘meat and potatoes’ reputation. The German capital ranks second in Europe, with its Friedrichshain neighbourhood flourishing into a hub for plant-based living.

SIXT also compiled a list of ‘up-and-coming’ hotspots, finding the smaller ‘hidden gems’ of vegan dining by looking at vegan-friendly restaurant density per capita, review quality, and Michelin restaurants offering vegan dishes.

Italy’s ‘City of Masks’ can now be considered its ‘City of Vegans’, too. Owing to a large number of highly-rated restaurants, it emerged as the world’s top up-and-coming vegan hotspot.

The US capital, Washington, D.C., is the second-best up-and-coming city globally. It offers a higher density of 5-star rated vegan restaurants than any other American city, outperforming even San Francisco. Meanwhile, Amsterdam placed third on the list, already boasting an iconic vegan food scene.

SIXT’s top 20 cities for vegan food worldwide

Rank	Country	Destination	Tourist Search Interest	Total Restaurants 4+ with 5+ Reviews	Total Michelin Star Restaurants
1	UK	London	11,010	524	6
2	United States	New York City	4,420	388	7
3	Germany	Berlin	4,180	407	4
4	Singapore	Singapore	2,100	266	2
5	Austria	Vienna	2,630	208	3
6	Netherlands	Amsterdam	4,560	183	3
7	France	Paris	10,860	184	3
8	South Korea	Seoul	1,530	135	4
9	Switzerland	Zurich	1,350	80	5
10	Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	170	109	4
11	Spain	Barcelona	2,070	203	1
12	Taiwan	Taipei	9,670	92	4
13	China	Beijing	350	26	4
14	Australia	Melbourne	2,090	206	1
15	Japan	Tokyo	5,090	217	0
16	Thailand	Bangkok	2,880	187	1
17	Portugal	Lisbon	2,570	145	2
18	China	Guangzhou	160	17	6
19	Spain	Madrid	3,310	117	2
20	Canada	Vancouver	4,260	88	3

The UK’s best cities for vegans

It’s no surprise that London nabbed the top spot here, too, but there are plenty of other cities across the UK that are fast becoming hotspots for excellent vegan dining.

Beyond the capital, Bristol took the title of best vegan spot outside of London. With a thriving independent scene in Stokes Croft and upscale dining in Clifton, the city boasts 50 restaurants with a Google rating of 4.5 stars or higher.

Further north, Manchester was named England’s northern capital of vegan food, supported by a massive 174 vegan-friendly establishments and high consumer demand. Meanwhile, Edinburgh was named Scotland’s plant-based capital, with the Leith area serving as a dedicated vegan quarter and Stockbridge Market’s incredible array of unique vegan delicacies consistently growing to meet the demand for more planet-friendly food.

Perhaps the most surprising results come from the ‘up-and-coming’ category, in which Salford topped the list, with the highest number of vegan-friendly restaurants out of all UK cities. Of these 195 restaurants, a heady 59 were rated at 4.5 stars or higher.

Cambridge was ranked second on the list, with over 27% of its vegan-friendly eateries rated 4 stars or higher. Lauded as a “plant-based hotspot”, Cambridge has seen a surge in demand for quality plant-based food in recent years.

At number three was Wakefield in North Yorkshire. While small, this city boasts 127.88 vegan restaurants per capita, with half of those bearing glittering 5-star reviews.

Other cities rated among the top spots for vegans in the UK included Bradford, Coventry, Leeds, Liverpool, and Cardiff.

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/worlds-best-cities-for-vegans-revealed-sixt/