Where a little planning goes a long way
Vegetarian is widely understood but vegan may need clarifying. Supermarkets are reliable and self-catering covers most gaps, but restaurant ordering requires more attention than Level 1.
How these destinations are chosen
US Virgin Islands
US supply chains; major cruise and stay destination; predictable retail; thin dining outside tourist strips
US FDA labelling applies. Cost-U-Less and Plaza Extra stock mainland products. St. Thomas has the strongest dining concentration, but island-wide options thin quickly outside tourist strips.
Bermuda
UK-style supermarkets; British imports; Hamilton leads; limited islandwide options
UK-style supermarkets with strong imports. MarketPlace and Lindo’s stock familiar British vegan brands. Hamilton has the strongest dining concentration but options are limited islandwide.
Canary Islands
Spanish supply chains; EU labelling; Tenerife/Gran Canaria lead; supermarket ease
Mercadona supermarkets stock Spain’s “Hacendado Vegetal” own-brand range with clear labelling. Look for the green “VEGANO” shelf tags. Tenerife and Gran Canaria have the strongest scenes.
Balearic Islands
Ibiza wellness scene; Mallorca improving; EU standards; strong tourist infrastructure
Ibiza’s wellness tourism has created a dense vegan cluster around Santa Gertrudis, but traditional Mallorcan cuisine hides sobrassada (pork sausage) in unexpected places. Ask “¿Lleva sobrassada?”
Gibraltar
Dedicated vegan restaurant; Indian restaurants with labelled vegan menus; EU-equivalent labelling; English only
Sam’s Kitchen is a dedicated vegan restaurant in the town centre. Indian restaurants with clearly labelled vegan menus are well established. Morrison’s and Eroski handle self-catering with both British and Spanish imports. English is the only language you need.
Cayman Islands
Wealthy; resort accommodation reliable; good imports
Wealthy territory with excellent imports — Fosters and Hurley’s stock US and UK products with familiar labelling. Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach strip has the strongest dining options.
Malaysia
Indian vegetarian infrastructure; Buddhist options; KL strong; hidden fish ingredients require vigilance
Look for yellow “Vegetarian” signs at Chinese-Malaysian restaurants, but these often include egg. Hidden fish-based ingredients are common. For strict vegan, seek “Vegan” in English or Buddhist restaurants marked 卐.
France
Paris transformed; supermarkets excellent; butter and cream run deep outside cities
Paris now ranks #5 globally on HappyCow. Carrefour and Monoprix stock extensive vegan ranges with clear EU labelling. Outside Paris, butter and cream are in everything by default. Ask “sans beurre, sans crème, sans fromage” and expect to self-cater more heavily in rural areas.
Egypt
Ful medames often vegan; animal fats common elsewhere; tourist hotels accommodate
Cairo’s Zamalek and Maadi districts have the most options. Ful medames (fava beans) and koshari are often naturally vegan — but street food versions vary. Carrefour and Seoudi stock imports. “Ana nabati” means vegetarian; add “bidun lahem, bidun laban” for vegan.
Iceland
Reykjavík strong; outside capital very limited; self-catering essential; high cost
Reykjavík has several dedicated vegan restaurants, but outside the capital options thin dramatically. Bónus supermarket (the pink pig logo) is cheapest for self-catering essentials.
Brazil
São Paulo leads Latin America; “natural” restaurant culture; rapid plant-based growth; regional variance
São Paulo has more vegan restaurants than any city in Latin America. Look for “natural” restaurants serving pay-by-weight buffets where you can see exactly what you’re eating.
Estonia
Tallinn tech-forward; EU standards; delivery apps strong; thinner outside capital
Tallinn’s tech-forward culture extends to food. Bolt Food and Wolt deliver from multiple vegan restaurants, and Rimi and Selver supermarkets stock solid ranges with EU-standard labelling.
Isle of Man
Award-winning VIBE Plant Based Cafe; UK supermarket supply chain throughout; self-catering very reliable
VIBE Plant Based Cafe in Douglas won the 2025 Manx Menu overall award across all four categories, beating every non-vegan restaurant on the island. Tesco and Shoprite stock full UK vegan ranges. Beyond VIBE, options are thin, so self-catering is the reliable backup.
Guam
US imports; tourist infrastructure; significantly better than Micronesia proper
US military presence means familiar American chains and products — Pay-Less Supermarkets stock mainland vegan brands. Chamorro cuisine relies heavily on coconut milk, making many traditional dishes adaptable.
Turkey
Istanbul strong; dairy dominant outside cities; mezze adaptable
Istanbul ranks among Europe’s fastest-improving vegan cities — but traditional Turkish cuisine hides butter (tereyagi) in rice, vegetables, and bread. Ask “Vegan mi?” or “Hayvansal urun var mi?” (Does it contain animal products?).
Hong Kong
Buddhist vegetarian culture strong; dense restaurant coverage; very low HappyCow density per million visitors
Buddhist “pure vegetarian” restaurants (齋) are widely available but often include egg and dairy. Always confirm “完全植物性” (completely plant-based) or “無蛋奶” (no egg, no milk). ParknShop and Wellcome supermarkets stock solid self-catering ranges. Despite the city’s density, HappyCow listings per million visitors are the lowest in Level 2.
El Salvador
Cheese default on pupusas; ask for “sin queso”; bean dishes help
San Salvador’s Zona Rosa has the most options. Super Selectos and La Despensa stock basics. Pupusas contain cheese by default — ask for “pupusas de frijol sin queso” (bean pupusas without cheese). “Vegetariano” doesn’t exclude cheese here; say “vegano, sin lácteos”.
UAE
Dubai hotel corridor reliable; excellent imports; vegan understanding limited outside international venues
Carrefour, Waitrose, and LuLu Hypermarket stock excellent international vegan products with English labelling throughout. Inside Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s hotel and mall corridors the experience is seamless, but step outside that infrastructure and vegan understanding drops sharply. Treat it as a city-state destination rather than a country.
Jersey
UK supply chain; Waitrose, Co-op, M&S stock full vegan ranges; no dedicated vegan venue since 2024; Visit Jersey vegan dining guide
Jersey’s only dedicated vegan restaurant, The Sinful Vegan, closed permanently in February 2024. The island still works well thanks to its UK supply chain. Waitrose, Co-op, and M&S stock identical vegan ranges to mainland Britain, and Visit Jersey publishes a dedicated vegan dining guide listing restaurants with plant-based options across St Helier.
Kenya
Nairobi has options; safari lodges generally accommodate dietary needs
Nairobi’s Westlands district has the strongest vegan scene. Carrefour and Naivas supermarkets stock decent imports. Safari lodges generally accommodate dietary requests with advance notice. Ugali (maize porridge) and sukuma wiki (collard greens) are often naturally vegan.
Costa Rica
Rice and beans base; eco-tourism awareness; variable quality; supermarket backup essential
“Soda” restaurants serve traditional rice and beans (gallo pinto) that’s naturally vegan when made with vegetable oil, but ask “¿Está hecho con manteca?” to check for lard.
Sri Lanka
Coconut-based cuisine; rice & curry adaptable; Buddhist influence
Coconut milk is the traditional cooking base, making many curries naturally vegan — but Maldive fish (dried tuna) hides in most “vegetarian” dishes. Ask for “mas nathi” (without fish) even when ordering vegetables.
Slovenia
Ljubljana green credentials; EU standards; compact and walkable; thinner outside capital
Ljubljana was European Green Capital 2016 and has strong plant-forward culture. Mercator supermarkets stock good ranges, and the compact old town has several dedicated vegan spots within walking distance.
Qatar
Mall and hotel dining reliable; excellent imports; English understood; compact geography
Carrefour and LuLu Hypermarket stock extensive imports with English labelling. The Pearl-Qatar district has the densest concentration of international restaurants where staff understand “vegan”.
Lebanon
Mezze strong; political instability; Beirut scene excellent when accessible
Beirut has one of the Middle East’s strongest vegan scenes — mezze culture means hummus, falafel, tabbouleh, and moutabal are standard. But check for yogurt in cold dishes and butter in pastries. Say “bidun lahem, bidun halib”.
Cyprus
EU standards; halloumi avoidable; Greek-similar challenges; supermarkets reliable
Halloumi is everywhere but avoidable. Alphamega and Papantoniou supermarkets stock good EU imports with standard labelling. Similar challenges to Greece but smaller scale reduces friction.
Nepal
Dal-bhat reliable; tourist trails sorted; trekking lodges accommodate
Dal-bhat (lentils and rice) is the national dish and naturally vegan when prepared without ghee — ask “ghiu chaina” (without ghee). Tourist trail lodges on the Annapurna and Everest circuits accommodate vegans well.
Indonesia
Tempeh traditional; Buddhist vegetarian infrastructure; fish sauce risks
Tempeh originated here and is available everywhere — but “vegetarian” (vegetaris) often includes egg, and fish-based kecap (soy sauce) and terasi (shrimp paste) hide in most dishes. Say “tanpa telur, tanpa ikan” (no egg, no fish).
Lithuania
Vilnius options improving; rural areas remain meat-heavy; EU retail helps
Vilnius has a small but genuine vegan scene in the Old Town — Maxima and Rimi supermarkets stock EU imports. Traditional cuisine relies on sour cream (grietinė) and pork fat — ask “be pieno produktų, be mėsos” (without dairy, without meat).
Jamaica
Ital tradition genuine advantage; Rastafarian cuisine plant-based
Ital food from Rastafarian tradition is naturally plant-based and salt-free — look for “Ital is Vital” signs. Kingston and Negril have the strongest scenes. Outside Ital spots, jerk seasoning is vegan but sides often contain butter.
Bahrain
Most liberal Gulf dining; excellent imports; Mediterranean and Indian options; compact island
Most liberal Gulf state for dining. Carrefour and LuLu stock excellent imports, and the expat population supports Mediterranean and Indian restaurants where vegan options are standard.
Kuwait
Mall dining reliable; excellent hypermarkets; international chains; English understood
The Avenues and 360 Mall have the best concentration of international dining. LuLu Hypermarket stocks wide South Asian and European vegan imports with English labelling.
Panama
Panama City strong; dollar economy; good imports
US dollar economy means American imports are widely available. El Rey and Super 99 supermarkets stock familiar brands. Panama City’s Casco Viejo has the strongest dining scene — outside the capital, options thin rapidly.
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