5 vegan-friendly restaurants you must check out in #MyDubai
Not too long ago, finding a restaurant with vegetarian and vegan options was nothing short of a challenge. However, veganism has made its way to the Middle East sooner than the world might have expected. ?
Over the last couple of years, Dubai has been turning increasingly vegan-friendly. From grocery items to offerings at cafes and restaurants, vegans are finding more options to support their lifestyle.
1. Little Erth by Nabz&G
Location: Cluster J, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Cost: AED 185 for two
A cozy little restaurant located in JLT, Little Erth by Nabz&G offers a variety of vegan and vegetarian options from multiple cuisines from Italian to Vietnamese to Spanish. ?
– Buddha burger: One of their most popular dishes, the Buddha burger is made with quinoa, red-kidney beans, and sweet potato, served with your choice of salad or air-fried sweet potatoes and is definitely one of the best vegan burgers I’ve tried..and I’ve tried a LOT of quinoa burgers! ? Fresh, wholesome and healthy since the patty is not fried. You can even replace the bun with gluten-free bun.
– Truffle mushroom risotto: Another favorite on the table was the highly delectable risotto made with vegan truffle cream. ?
– Pho R’ way: The restaurant’s take on the classic Vietnamese dish involves a big bowl of healthy noodle soup consisting of a variety of vegetables including bean sprouts, mushrooms, asparagus, and spinach. ?
– Lemongrass Penang stew: If you’re in the mood for an enjoyable and wholesome Thai curry, the lemongrass penang stew is a good choice. Consisting of potatoes, broccoli, carrots, green peas, red bell pepper cooked in lemongrass, penang curry and coconut milk. ???
2. IL Donaccino
Location: Cluster D, Jumeirah Lakes Towers
Cost: AED 50 for two
Who says vegans can’t have dessert? ? The beloved donut joint IL Donaccino offers a variety of vegan donuts much to the delight of vegans everywhere. They aren’t unreasonably priced either with their prices ranging from AED 7 – AED 12 per donut. ?
Some of our favorite vegan donuts include:
- Lotus biscoff
- Double dark chocolate
- Hello berry
- Original
- Apple cider glazed
3. Wagamama
Location: Multiple branches at The Greens, Dubai Marina, Crowne Plaza, The Dubai Mall, The Walk at JBR and Golden Mile at Palm Jumeirah
Cost: AED 200 for two
A perfect spot for nutritious Japanese food, Wagamama won me over with their delicious vegetarian and vegan menu as well as the impressive sizes of their main courses. ?
– Mixed mushroom and panko aubergine hirata steamed buns: A starter dish consisting of two steamed hirata buns which are similar to the Taiwanese bao bun. The soft buns enclose a delicious stuffing of mushrooms and aubergine. ?
– Kare Burosu Ramen: A steaming wholesome bowl of the traditional Japanese noodle soup, the vegan ramen consisted of tofu, grilled mushrooms, pea shoots, carrots, chilli and coriander with udon noodles. Definitely a must-try for those cool winter nights. ❄
– Yasai Pad Thai: A classic Thai dish turned vegan and just as delicious. The Wagamama Pad Thai nailed the amai sauce and includes tofu, beansprouts, shallots, leeks, chilli, peanuts, mint and coriander with fresh lime. ?
4. Bareburger
Location: Branches at City Walk and La Mer
Cost: AED 170 for two
Going vegan or vegetarian doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy a fantastic burger! Bareburger offers up vegetarian and vegan burgers and additionally allows you to create your own vegan burger. ?
– Vegan The Beyond Burger: The legendary plant-based burger that tastes like real meat is served up with vegan cheese and with multi-grain bread. So good it might entice meat-eaters to consider plant-based meat alternatives! ?
– Guadalupe: For those who do not particularly care for meat substitutes and prefer an option that is more “traditionally” plant-based, this is a great alternative. The Guadalupe burger won us over with its black bean and rice patty served with guacamole and piquante relish on multi-grain bread. The fantastic guacamole made the burger doubly more enjoyable. ??
5. Freedom Pizza
Location: Branches at Dubai Marina, Uptown Mirdif, Al Barsha, Motor City and Downtown Dubai
Cost: AED 110 for two
The vegan love menu offered by Freedom pizza is sure to satisfy those late-night pizza cravings and you can feel a little less guilty in doing so. ? In addition to pizzas served with vegan cheese and vegan sausage, Freedom Pizza also offers a vegan superfood salad, a vegan tartina sandwich, vegan cheesy breadsticks and vegan desserts! ?
– Free-gan pizza: A vegan favorite that comes with a red sauce base and topped with a host of different vegetables and vegan cheese.
– Viva Las Vegans: The new, wonderfully punny and flavorful new pizza offered is also tomato based with veggies, herbs such as basil, parsely and spring onion with vegan cheese and vegan sausage. ?
The newly offered cauliflower crust is definitely something I need to try!
If you want to try out some healthy treats click here.
Are we missing out on any other delicious vegan restaurants? Tell us in the comments below!
Written and Researched by Maria D’Costa