United States
Tourist cities and chains extremely reliable; rural variance outside typical travel patterns
One of the world's most clearly labelled food supplies meets a thriving coastal vegan scene — significant blind spots exist inland and across Southern cuisine.
The United States ranks #10 globally — this is a country-wide rank, not a city rank, and the distinction matters significantly here. Los Angeles, Portland, and New York City each score considerably higher than #10 when assessed as individual destinations; Portland in particular is consistently cited as one of the most vegan-dense cities anywhere in the world. If you're visiting a major coastal metro, your experience will almost certainly exceed what the country rank implies. The #10 figure reflects the full picture — coast to coast, city to rural.
The US has very strong packaged food labelling by global standards — FALCPA requires the nine major allergens, including milk and eggs, to be declared in plain language on most packaged supermarket products, making grocery shopping considerably more straightforward than in many countries. That said, always check labels on packaged goods regardless: the rules don't cover every product category, "natural flavours" can include animal derivatives, and honey is not an allergen under FALCPA and won't be flagged in bold.
The principal challenge in the US is not labelling — it's the restaurant kitchen. Mexican-American and Southern diner staples routinely hide animal fat in places that look entirely plant-based on the plate. Ask the right questions at the right restaurants and the US is one of the most accessible vegan travel destinations on earth.
What's Hiding in the Kitchen
The single most significant hidden trap in US dining. At Mexican-American restaurants, refried beans are routinely cooked with lard by default — even when listed as a "vegetable" or "bean" side. Flour tortillas at many taquerias and chains also contain lard. Traditional Southern biscuits, pie crusts, and tamales carry the same risk. The finished dish is visually indistinguishable from a plant-based version.
At American diners, casual chains, and steakhouses, "vegetable" sides are frequently cooked in chicken or beef stock. Mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, stuffing, and seemingly simple soups are the most common offenders. The dish contains no visible meat — the stock is the invisible non-vegan ingredient. Kitchen staff often don't know this without checking, so phrase the question clearly and directly.
American diner and steakhouse culture defaults to finishing grilled and roasted items with butter — corn on the cob, bread rolls, sautéed vegetables, and toast all frequently receive a butter application after cooking, making it easy to miss when ordering. Shared breakfast griddles often have butter already on the surface. Specify "no butter — cooked dry or in oil" when ordering anything grilled, roasted, or toasted.
Honey appears throughout American salad dressings, BBQ glazes, marinades, granola, and artisan breads — frequently positioned as a clean or natural ingredient. Honey-mustard dressing is ubiquitous on salads and sandwiches. Crucially, FALCPA allergen labelling law does not require honey to be declared in bold on packaged food labels, so it won't stand out during a quick ingredients scan. Check ingredient lists carefully rather than relying on allergen summaries.
Say This in the Restaurant
What Actually Works
Supermarkets are your safest base
Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's carry extensive, well-labelled dedicated vegan ranges in most major cities. Sprouts, Kroger, Target, and even Walmart stock solid plant-based selections. FALCPA allergen labelling makes ingredient reading reliable — use it. Grabbing supermarket-prepared food is the fastest and cheapest vegan strategy in the US, and often better than a restaurant for ingredient certainty.
Dedicated vegan restaurants in every major city
The US has more dedicated vegan restaurants per capita than almost any country on earth. Chains like Veggie Grill, sweetgreen, and CAVA offer fully labelled vegan menus. At Chipotle, build your own bowl — beans, rice, fajita vegetables, guacamole, and salsa — and confirm bean preparation. In any top-10 US city, HappyCow returns dozens of fully dedicated venues within walking distance.
Navigate Mexican restaurants with two questions
Mexican-American restaurants are ubiquitous and can be excellent for vegans — but refried beans and flour tortillas are the two primary lard traps. Ask both questions directly; most kitchens will substitute willingly. Redirect to corn tortillas, black beans (usually safer than pinto), rice, guacamole, and salsa-based dishes. Fajita vegetables cooked in oil are reliably safe once you specify no butter or cheese.
Plan ahead for rural and interstate travel
Highway rest stops and rural small-town diners often offer very limited vegan options — a plain side salad and fries (check the fryer) may be your only choices. Stock up at the last supermarket before leaving an urban area. Road trips across the Midwest and South require more advance planning than any other US travel context. The coasts and the interior are genuinely two different countries for a vegan traveller.
Where It Gets Harder
The US experience varies by geography more than almost any other Level 1 country — world-class vegan infrastructure in coastal cities gives way to genuine scarcity in rural America, and several specific cuisine and travel contexts carry hidden risks even in major metros.