Vegan eating, difficult abroad? Maybe. But not always. Gabriëlle spent several weeks in Thailand and gathered some cool vegan-friendly spots in Bangkok, Koh Phangan, Chiang Mai, and Pai.
Bangkok
Okay okay, eating vegan in Bangkok is not that easy. Most have heard of vegetarian, but many places still don’t fully understand vegan. If you explain it, it’s often doable. I booked a night at the lovely W hotel after a long flight. After a few strange sleep hours on the plane, I could fall into a deep sleep here in the comfy bed after a delightful bath. I indicated beforehand that I eat vegan and at breakfast, they completely accommodated me. As long as the chef knows in advance. I shared a delicious plate of rice noodles, granola with pistachios and sunflower seeds, two muesli bars, a quinoa salad, and a fruit salad with my travel partner. I certainly didn’t starve. The W hotel has two restaurants, The Dining Room and The Courtyard: both are beautiful buildings with fantastically decorated spaces and an inner garden. They had to get used to vegan here as well, but once the chef understood, an asparagus and aubergine salad, a smoked eggplant salad with tomatoes, and delicious rice came to the table.
Broccoli Revolution
This super trendy restaurant in the Sukhumvit area has a large vegan menu with options like Mac & Cheese, different curries, spring rolls, and more. The food I had was fine. The vegan (and gluten-free & nut-free) cake was really delicious.
Market
In Bangkok, there is a large weekend market called Chatuchak market. A super cool place to visit and score typical Thai souvenirs. If you want to have lunch here, know that there are few vegetarian options on the menu. But ask for something without meat, milk, and egg, and you’ll get a delicious spicy curry with vegetables.
There are more cool vegan restaurants in Bangkok, such as May Veggie Home and Veganarie Concept. Unfortunately, I had no time to visit them, but if you’re in the area; go check ’em out!
Koh Phangan
On the island Koh Phangan you find the typical ‘island life’: relaxed vibe, friendly people, healthy and vegan food, yoga resorts, and more of that. Eating vegan here is super easy. On Koh Phangan, you will find many more vegan restaurants than I mention below and it is not hard to eat vegan in a Thai restaurant either. The curries, for example, are made with coconut milk and can often be ordered with tofu.
Green Gallery
First dinner stop: Green Gallery. From vegan spring rolls and Lebanese dishes with cheese balls to cleansing juices and kombucha. Oh, and you can eat outside here, on a carpet on the ground near the campfire.
Bluerama
Lunch with a view: at Bluerama you have a stunning view over the island and you can also enjoy the infinity pool after lunch. I chose the curry which normally has chicken and asked if they could replace it with tofu, which was not a problem. The curry with tofu and rice (unfortunately no vegetables) tasted delicious and when I was full I jumped into the pool. #toughlife
Tidbit
Behind the night market (which mainly revolves around food) in Koh Phangan is Tidbit. A small place with murals of Alice in Wonderland. Here you can go for vegan (and gluten-free!) pancakes, but also for a piece of cake. I had been craving chocolate since day 1 (#addicted), but pure chocolate without milk is not available here. You understand: this cake was a piece of heaven.
Seed to feed
Crazy about smoothies and salads? This is the place to be. And the best part is: all veggies and seeds are grown in the garden. Everything is super fresh.
Chardonnay at the beach
This restaurant is part of a large resort. My boyfriend had his birthday during our visit to Koh Phangan, and that needed to be celebrated. We had informed the chef about ‘vegan and gluten-free’ in advance, and he came up with a tailor-made menu full of deliciousness. Not just a boring salad here, but a super luxurious vegan and gluten-free three-course dinner.
Chiang Mai
I am secretly a little in love with Chiang Mai, what a cozy town! And here you will find a lot of organic, vegan, and gluten-free restaurants. I like!
Morning Glory
Not very cozy, but a menu full of vegan goodies. And the food is very tasty.
Vegan Heaven Restaurant
The name is totally justified. Decorated like a modern fast food restaurant, but once again very good food. You can go here for vegan fast food or typical Thai dishes (and sweet potato fries!). The (green) smoothies are also very nice.
Taste from Heaven
This restaurant is owned by the same owner as Vegan Heaven (but is located in the center instead of just outside). The menu is quite similar, but not exactly the same. Very good to know: the vegan brownie is super tasty.
Peppermaint
The owner of this little restaurant is so sweet. Not everything is vegan but there are several vegan options.
Bodhi Tree Cafe
An extremely cozy place with super friendly staff and amazing food. Everything is vegan and the pumpkin with basil was so good that I wanted to eat there every day.
Pink House Garden – Cakeaway Gluten Free Bakery
Probably my favorite spot in Chiang Mai: this pink house with a gorgeous garden full of palm trees. Everything on the menu is gluten-free and they have vegan options (including cakes!). Allergies are also no problem for the chef. The food tastes fantastic, and the avocado cake I took away was just the bomb.
Ruby Raw
Raw smoothies and fruit salads can be found at Ruby Raw.
Pai
Considering the vibe here (love this place!) you would expect to find many vegan restaurants, but it takes a bit of searching.
Earth Tone
Hello new favorite spot! This restaurant-with-a-garden-feel has many healthy and vegan options (did someone say buckwheat waffles with fruit for breakfast?) and even has a shop with natural cosmetics, herbs, special teas, and more. Probably the best thing about this place: they have a fridge filled with vegan cakes. Just saying.
Moonshine
My first smoothie bowl in Southeast Asia! The smoothies are super good (no sugar!) and all vegan options are marked with a star on the menu.
Om Garden Café
Another beautiful garden-like setting! And again, plenty of vegan options. Here I ate a well-filled fruit salad, and my travel partner went for the coconut porridge. So good!
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