Vegan and plant-based lifestyles have been growing in popularity, so Utrecht’s restaurant scene couldn’t stay behind! So, are you vegan, do you try to eat less animal products or are you just looking for a different place to eat in Utrecht? Check out our tips on how to eat the best and most delicious vegan food in Utrecht!
Fully vegan spots
1. Oproer
Oproer is a completely vegan restaurant, where you can also try some delicious Oproer beers. They’re located in an old industrial warehouse right next to the Utrecht Zuilen train station. The menu changes every month, so you can treat yourself to a different surprise every month!
CAB-Rondom 90A |oproerbrouwerij.nl| Review
2. Waku Waku
Completely vegan and from Amsterdam. They have a big menu so they have enough choice for everyone. They also feature little colored dots on the menu, through which you can see the amount of calories in every dish. Convenient if you’re counting them!
Vredenburg 28 | wakuwaku.nl
3. The Vegan Gorilla | CLOSED DOWN
Lombok’s most fun restaurant Van De Straat has undergone a transformation to a fully vegan restaurant. You order smaller dishes here, inspired by international streetfood, completely vegan and delicious!
Surinamestraat 5 | thevegangorilla.nl | review
4. Karibu
‘Karibu’ means welcome in Swahili. As soon as you enter Oudenoord 330 you feel welcome. Karibu is an ‘Urban Jungle’ where you can escape. And enjoy delicious vegan dishes. You can also pop up down with your laptop to work. Or sit down on one of the beanbags to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.
Oudenoord 330 | karibucafe.nl
5. Kitchenpunx @ ACU
Every Tuesday – Thursday and Saturday the Kitchenpunx take over ACU on the Voorstraat. Their (completely vegan) menu differs every time, but is always tasty and surprising. They even make their own vegan cheese!
Voorstraat 71 |kitchenpunx.nl/content/restaurant |
Hotspots with vegan options
6. Soy
Soy is the vegetarian version of what we’ve come to know as the Indo-Chinese takeaway. All dishes are vegetarian and many are also vegan. On the menu it’s clearly stated which dishes contain egg and are not vegan. Don’t forget to bring some cash, cause Soy is cash only!
Antonius Matthaeuslaan 112 |soy-utrecht.nl
7. Sunshine
A surprising cuisine: Ethiopian! All vegetarian dishes are also vegan at Sunshine. You eat your dinner without cutlery and with an Injera, a kind of pancake. These are also completely vegan!
Pauwstraat 11 |ethiopisch-restaurant-sunshine-utrecht.nl
8. Kimmade
The vegan options at Kimmade are different in their two locations. The restaurant on the Oudegracht has a whole separate vegan menu. You just have to ask for it! The vegan pho is delicious. The street food location on the Mariaplaats doesn’t have the separate menu, but every menu item does have a vegetarian/vegan option. You should specify that you don’t want the dip with fishsauce though!
Oudegracht aan de Werf 61 | Mariastraat 2 |kimmade.nl | Review
9. Ekko
We all know Ekko as a music venue, but they also have a nice cafe where you can grab a bite every Thursday through Saturday! There’s always a vegan option available for all courses. The menu changes regularly, so keep an eye on their website to see what kind of tasty dishes they’re serving that week!
Bemuurde Weerd Westzijde 3 |ekko.nl/cafe
10. Jasmijn en Ik
This Asian fusion-restaurant in Lombok has a surprising amount of vegan options! They clearly state on their menu which dishes are vegan or can be made vegan. A reliable source has told me that the Buddha bellies are the tastiest dish you’ll ever try!
Kanaalstraat 219-221 |jasmijnenik.nl| Review
11. Broei
At Broei, everything on their menu is vegetarian (and delicious!). The vegan options are clearly marked with a (v) on their menu! My personal favourite is their pulled jackfruit sandwich. This may sound a little funky, but it’s just as delicious and smoky as pulled pork!
Oosterkade 24 |broei-utrecht.com
12. GYS
There they are again! GYS is a staple in all my lists about healthy/alternative ways of eating. Whatever it is you do or don’t eat, at GYS they have an option for you. Their menu is marked with several different icons to specify what is vegan, vegetarian or gluten free. Their menu changes every season to fit the seasonal vegetables and fruits they use in their dishes. Their ‘healthy’ kapsalon is going to disappear from their menu soon, so make sure to go taste it before that happens (the kapsalon is vegetarian but can be ordered vegan as well!).
Amsterdamsestraatweg 113 | Voorstraat 77 |gysutrecht.nl/ | Review
13. Bananas Utrecht
Asian street food in our own little city! Their menu clearly states what is vegetarian (v), vegan (vegan), lactose free (lv) and gluten free (gv). I couldn’t wait to try their vegan bao with tempeh and kimchi and it didn’t disappoint! They have a little jar of deliciously smoky chili oil on the bar to douse your bun in.
Twijnstraat 39 |bananasutrecht.nl
14. Eethuis Vers
Fresh sandwiches, salads and soups are on the menu at Eethuis Vers. On their menu it clearly states what is vegetarian(v) and vegan (vgn). The sandwich with sweet potato spread, smoked almonds and chili-jam sounds interesting and delicious!
Oudegracht 212 |eethuisvers.nl
15. ‘T Koffieboontje
If you’re vegan, you’re not limited to a black coffee here! ‘T Koffieboontje has a lot of plant-‘milks’: soy-, almond- and oat-milk. They also serve tasty vegan tarts by Sharp Sharp.
Oudegracht 92 | Gruttersdijk 42 |tkoffieboontje.nl| Review
16. Juuls Hummus
Julia and Remco have a passion for hummus! So why not open up a deli in the Maliekwartier that revolves around this delicious spread? At Juuls Hummus you can order several different kinds of hummus bowls, where most of them are vegan (except the one with beef stew of course). You can also put together your own bowl with whatever you prefer.
Baanstraat 1 |juulshummus.nl |
17. Le Jardin
At Le Jardin, vegetables take the spotlight! It’s no surprise that a lot of the dishes at this French gem are vegan. Make sure to ask for the allergen menu(or ask!) to make sure you’re ordering the vegan dishes.
Mariaplaats 42 |lejardinutrecht.nl | Review
18. De Oude Muntkelder
This might not be the most hip hotspot out there, but if you’re vegan and are craving a typical Dutch pancake, this is the place to be! They have a special vegan pancake batter. You do have to specify or ask for it and you pay €1,- extra per pancake.
Oudegracht 112 |deoudemuntkelder.nl|
19. Satriales
Satriales doesn’t have just one but two vegan pizza’s! You can recognise them on their menu from a little artichoke icon. A traditional ‘Marinara’ with tomato sauce and a modern pizza with hummus and avocado. Sadly, both pizza’s don’t have vegan cheese, but their options are already quite impressive!
Plantage 1B |satriales.nl | Review
20. Yum Saap
Like you would expect from Thai cuisine, there’s a lot of vegetarian (and also vegan!) options at Yum Saap. Sadly, the options aren’t as clearly marked as in other spots, but upon asking you’ll discover a lot of dishes are or can be made vegan. The curries are divine!
Twijnstraat 40 |yumsaap.nl/ | Review
21. Punk Pizza
Perfectly countercultural and perfectly good pizza, that’s what you’ll find at Punk Pizza. This brand new spot opened in what used to be a (kind of gross) place to get french fries and other fried horrors. Punk Pizza is experimenting with vegan pizza dough, cheese, salami and mozzarella! I’m already drooling…
Laan van Nieuw Guinea 141 |facebook.com/punkpizza |
22. An An Saigon Streetfood
Even more Asian street food! At An An they have a separate vegetarian menu, with tons of vegan options as well. You do have to ask specifically ask if the dishes contains egg or dairy though! This is a little inconvenient, but the food is more than tasty enough to make up for it.
Voorstraat 23 |restaurantanan.nl| review
23. Dogma
Vegan sausage impossible? Not at Dogma! Even vegans can sink their teeth in a delicious hot dog. The vegan dog is aptly named ‘Vrome Vreter’, which translates to ‘pious person gorging on food’ (literally me haha!). The vegan dog sports both a vegan sausage as a vegan bun!
Voorstraat 17 |dogmahotdogs.com | Review
24. Meneer Smakers
At Meneer Smakers they have one vegan burger option: the Tante Lieke! Made with white lupine beans, curry spices and fresh carrot, topped with grilled bell peppers, mango chutney and cashews. A tasty combo of sweet and savoury!
Oudegracht 116 | Nobelstraat 143 | Twijnstraat 62 |meneersmakers.nl | Review
25. Sanju Ramen
At Sanju Ramen they don’t just have 1, but 2 vegan ramens. Do order them without the egg of course. The vegan broth is very flavorful and the ramen is chuckful with interesting vegetables!
Voorstraat 29 | sanju.nl| Review
26. Bindicafé (Amersfoort)
We’ve also thought about the vegans in Amersfoort! The Bindicafé only opened recently and their menu is not available online yet, but we can’t wait to make a trip to Amersfoort to try!
Bergstraat 6, Amersfoort |bindicafe.nu |
Vegan options at chains / fast food restaurants
If you’re craving a quick bite or need to grab something on the go, there’s also enough vegan options at larger chains or fast food restaurants. But what do you need to order?
27. LEON
What to order: the falafel wrap and you can also order the vegetarian salad without the feta cheese!
Catharijne Esplanade 8 |leonrestaurants.co.uk
28. Bagels & Beans
What to order: every bagel (except the gluten free Prana bagel) can be ordered with vegan cream ‘cheese’ and roasted red bell peppers, or you can order them with hummus. A sweet option could be the peanut butter/banana bagel. Craving something warm? The Dutch Weedburger bagel is completely vegan as well!
Mariaplaats 48 | Biltstraat 60 | Amsterdamsestraatweg 302 | Haroekoeplein 35 |bagelsbeans.nl
29. Comptoir Libanais
What to order: falafel, hummus baba ghanoush, muhammara, all kinds of delicious salads. Enjoy!
Catharijne Esplanade 49 |comptoirlibanais.com| Review
30. Ritos
What to order: you need to try the ‘Avocado Frenzy’ poké bowl at least once in your life. You can also create your own vegan burrito, poké bowl or sushi burrito.
Potterstraat 8 |ritosnederland.com
31. Poke Perfect
What to order: the Soy Joy! Or create your own custom healthy poké bowl with their crispy tofu.
Korte Jansstraat 17-19 |pokeperfect.nl |
32. Cigkoftem
What to order: Cigkoftem of course! These delicious ‘nuggets’ are made of bulgur (wheat grits), tomato puree, red peppers and 18 different spices. You get some wraps, iceberg lettuce, onion, fresh parsley and mint, lemon, tomato cucumber and a special pomegranate sauce with it. And all of that is completely and deliciously vegan!
Amsterdamsestraatweg 320G |cigkoftembestellen.nl
33. Vapiano
Vapiano has some vegan pasta’s that are clearly indicated on the menu. However, do keep an eye out that they don’t accidentally top it off with Parmesan cheese.
Stationsplein 4 | vapiano.com/nl/restaurants
Compose your own vegan dish at these spots
Of course there’s also a ton of places where you can create your own vegan dish with their offering. Our favourites are::
34. SLA (they also have some delicious vegan desserts and tarts here!)
Esplanade 45 | Voorstraat 52 | Nachtegaalstraat 58 |ilovesla.com| Review
35. Chidoz
Biltstraat 7 |chidoz.mx
36. Bammetje Bakery
Hooghiemstraplein 51 |only open during the week from 10.00 – 15.00 | bammetjebakery.nl
37. Salsa Shop
Catharijne Esplanade 6 |salsashop.com
Vegan cooking at home
38. Vmarkt
Does VMarkt deserve its own category? Yes, it does, because for as far as I know, this is still the only completely vegan ‘supermarket’ in Utrecht. You can find everything you could ever dream of as a vegan! Vegan cheese, Ben&Jerry’s ice cream, sausages, you name it and VMarkt has it! Order online and pick it up in Utrecht.
Hooft Graaflandstraat 18a |vmarktutrecht.nl