Top 7 vegetarian and vegan restaurants to visit in Budapest
Veganism is one of the world’s fastest-growing lifestyle movements. The choice of eliminating animal products from one’s life can be motivated by various factors, such as weight management, health benefits, preventing the exploitation of animals, or reducing one’s ecological footprint. To keep up with consumers’ food choices, more and more restaurants offer vegetarian and vegan options worldwide, and the Hungarian capital is no exception.
In this article, we want to provide an updated version of our previous list of the best vegan restaurants in Budapest. The following restaurants are great options for curious meat-lovers, vegetarians, vegans, or anyone interested in plant-based cuisine.
Deli’s Vegan
Located in Szabolcska Mihály Street, near Alee Mall (District 11), this vegan bistro offers a great variety of plant-based and gluten-free soups, main courses, sandwiches, salads, and burgers. Red lentil soup with sun-dried tomatoes, Thai coconut soup with vegetables, creamy green pea soup with mint, miso soup, and creamy pumpkin soup with roasted pumpkin seeds are just a few of the versatile soup options on the daily menus.
Dishes like Jókai bean soup with vegan sour cream, green pea stew with nokedli, Hungarian layered cabbage, Hortobágy-style pancake, Túró Rudi cake, and cottage cheese dumplings exemplify the union of the Hungarian cuisine’s classic flavours and plant-based eating. The price of three-course meals ranges from 2,090−2,190 forints (EUR 5.95−6.24), soups cost 740 forints (EUR 2.1), the main courses are 1,440 forints (EUR 4.1), and desserts are 790 forints (EUR 2.25).
Govinda Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurant
The Govinda restaurant chain was founded by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, and it is the world’s first large-scale vegetarian restaurant chain. Govinda Restaurant Budapest opened in 1996. After 6 years of successful work, the restaurant moved to Vigyázó Ferenc Street (District 5), the location of the former Gandhi restaurant.
It offers a variety of traditional Indian dishes, lacto-vegetarian and vegan dishes, including nutritious soups made from legumes (dhāls, 740 forints, EUR 2.1), various vegetable curries (subjis, 1,340 forints, EUR 3.82), fried savoury snacks (pakoras, 390 forints, EUR 1.1), sweet and spicy sauces (chutneys, 360 forints, EUR 1), turmeric rice, as well as Indian and Hungarian desserts (480−590 forints, EUR 1.37−1.7). The preparation methods and recipes follow the Ayurvedic culinary practices, using the best quality ingredients.
Hummusbar
The first Hummusbar opened in 2005, offering hummus, falafels, and a few salad options. Since then, Hummusbar has sites all across Budapest at 11 locations: Október 6. Street (District 5), Alkotmány Street (District 5), Kecskeméti Street (District 5), Hollán Ernő Street (District 13), Wesselényi Street (District 7), Bartók Béla Street (District 11), Záhony Street (District 3), Tompa Street (District 9), Corvin Promenade (District 8), Király Street (District 6), Nagymező Street (District 7), Bécsi Street (District 3), Váci Street (District 5), and Akácfa Street (District 7).
Vegans, vegetarians, and meat-lovers can choose from a wide variety of warm soups, shakshukas, tasty hummus and pita creations, crispy falafel balls, healthy salads, and hand-pressed juices in this restaurant. All dishes are hand-prepared, authentic, and freshly made each day.
Napfényes Restaurant and Confectionery
Since all dishes are prepared from mainly organic vegetable ingredients, without any meat, eggs, dairy products, preservatives, additives, or colouring agents, Napfényes Restaurant at Ferenciek Square is the perfect choice for health-conscious people, long-time vegans, and those who are just starting their plant-based journey.
The À la carte menu includes a number of traditional Hungarian and international dishes as well, for example, goulash soup, stuffed cabbage, falafel, and pizza. The daily offers always contain some form of grain or cereal, and guests can choose from a great variety of fresh, mixed, spicy, and mayonnaise salads at the salad bar. Apart from some home-made desserts, this vegan restaurant also offers a selection of vegan pastries made with cane sugar, xylitol, and agave syrup.
VegaCity
Whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, or sweet and salty snacks, there is something for everyone on the menu of VegaCity at Múzeum Boulevard. The weekly changing menu of this vegan buffet restaurant includes a wide variety of vegetable and cream soups (690/540 forints, EUR 1.97/1.54), stews (690/540 forints, EUR 1.97/1.54), layered dishes, kinds of pasta, and Indian dishes. Besides the daily menu options available at fixed rates, guests can also choose from tasty burgers, gyros plates, raw dishes, sushi pieces, and raw pizzas. Given the popularity of the place, the service can be hectic.
Vegan Love
Can vegan burgers taste better than regular burgers? In Vegan Love, they can. Located in Bartók Béla Street (District 11), this restaurant mainly offers plant-based street food alternatives, such as burgers (1,960−2,150 forints, EUR 5.6−6.1), hot dogs (1,960 forints, EUR 5.6), sweet potato fries (900 forints, EUR 2.56), mac&cheese (1,250 forints, EUR 3.56), gyros, and vegan Philly cheesesteak. At the self-service salad bar, you can choose from various healthy ingredients and fill some pita bread with them. In November, Vegan Love will open its second restaurant in downtown, in Vitkovics Mihály Street (District 5). This place is a must on any list of vegan and vegetarian options.
Vexicana
We close our list with another vegan street food option. Located in the Vegan Garden in Dob Street (District 7), Vexicana is Hungary’s first vegan Tex-Mex food truck certified by the Mexican Embassy. The menu includes Burgers, burritos, huitlacoche quesadilla, quinoa salad, jalapeno poppers, chimichangas, smoothies, and other tasty Mexican specialities. Perfect for both a quick lunch or evening out with friends, Vexicana has a lot to offer.
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Source: Daily News Hungary
If I m not mistaken Vegacity closed. My favorite vegan spots are Feel good and the amazing Napfenyes. Hope they are all able to keep their doors open, with all the Covid panic measures l, businesses are closing and lives are being shattered…