There is a huge misconception that Spain is not vegan friendly but that is simply not the case. With the help of these resources, I was able to find plenty throughout Spain. (See my Bilbao & Madrid vegan guides.) While in Barcelona, we were in the Poble Sec neighborhood so the dishes I found are local to that area.
Calle Blai (a pedestrian street with many restaurants) had a handful of options for vegan tapas. Pictured above is from Pincho J a restaurant bar on Calle Blai. They always seemed to have grilled vegetable tapas & always satisfied.
Cooking your own food while traveling is always a more affordable and healthier idea. La Boqueria (described further here) has so many options to cook up a meal on your own. Pretty frequently we'd gather ingredients at La Boqueria to make paella for dinner.
Juices & fruits are a great option for breakfast!
& there are plenty of snack options at La Boqueria, too!
This is our homemade paella. We grabbed a few different types of veggies, veggie stock, rice, beans & paella spice at La Boqueria & shops to make for dinner. Recipe to come!
Another restaurant we frequented was Dostrece. It's an omnivore restaurant with vegan brunch items. You can see above that when I went to Barcelona the first time the menu was rather small. But when I returned in June, it more than doubled! So many yummy options. We probably went to Dostrece probably 6 times for brunch.
We loved it so much.
& there are pastries!
See? So many options!
They also have patties and cheese to take home with you! Another great option.
Don't miss out on the donuts & desserts, too!
gelaaati! DI MARCO can definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. This gelato shop has many dairy free options with great customer service, so just ask which ones are dairy free. (I cannot remember if they are labeled.) When I asked for chocolate the employee suggested I get another flavor because it's rather rich. I got it with mango & it tasted delicious! They give you a healthy portion with a size small ^pictured here^.
Tacos Tacos! We loved this place. I feel like I'm constantly saying that these Barcelona restaurants have great costumer service & it's probably because everyone is just so friendly in Barcelona! But yes, Tacos Tacos (no "!" but every time I mention it it makes me want to shout it. ;)) is an omnivore restaurant but they did a great job modifying my tacos so they could be vegan. They were just beans and guacamole but super delicious! They have a few different group meals where you can get something like 20 tacos for the table, with nachos & drinks. Great restaurant for groups.
I wish I had more photos to show you Flax & Kale. Such a beautiful restaurant with beautiful food. Next time I'll go for lunch so I can get better photos. ;) (They have great natural light see their Instagram!) Flax & Kale is a flexitarian restaurant with plenty of vegan options. See their well labeled menu here. I got the kale chips, the Green Power Ravioli & DESSERT! :)
La Heladeria Mexicana is a pleasant surprise. It's a Mexican ice cream shop by the beach with A LOT of vegan ice cream options! I got the small horchata flavor. Did you know that Spanish horchata and Mexican horchata are different? The person helping me informed me that I was ordering Mexican horchata not Spanish. I didn't even know there was a difference! Mexican horchata is rice based whereas Spanish horchata is nut based. Don't miss out on stopping by at La Heladeria Mexicana when you're by the beach!
More burgers & patatas bravas in Barcelona. Got no problems with that. I've been wanting to go to Cat Bar Vegano for years. I discovered this blog post & because it had to do with veganism and cats, I was in. It was a priority for me to go Cat Bar when we were in Barcelona. It did not disappoint! My mouth waters just looking at these photos. The environment is great, too! A lot of cat art. & they also have a huge selection of Catalan beer.
I was not expecting to find a little vegan snack at the BlackLab Brewhouse. You've probably seen your share of spring rolls so it's not groundbreaking but it's nice to know you have an option! They're near the beach and open during siesta so it's a great place for travelers.
& that rounds up my post of vegan options in Barcelona. Whew! (I didn't even name them all! We also went to Juicy Jones for breakfast, too! But choose Dostrece over Juicy Jones for breakfast in my opinion. :))
I absolute LOVE Barcelona & CANNOT wait to return. To be completely honest, I think about Barcelona & these meals all of the time. This is the 2nd of 4 posts I have about Barcelona. See what we did in Barcelona here. & stay tuned for a post about Barcelona cocktails & things to do for FREE in Barca!
Gopal is a completely vegan restaurant & deli. It's a burger joint with many options to build your burger. Lots of vegan cheese and burger patty options. & you can have patatas bravas! Patatas bravas are fries with a spicy sauce that is mayonnaise based. So Gopal has a plant-based sauce so it's nice to be able to participate in a traditional Spanish dish!
Don't miss out on the donuts & desserts, too!
La Heladeria Mexicana is a pleasant surprise. It's a Mexican ice cream shop by the beach with A LOT of vegan ice cream options! I got the small horchata flavor. Did you know that Spanish horchata and Mexican horchata are different? The person helping me informed me that I was ordering Mexican horchata not Spanish. I didn't even know there was a difference! Mexican horchata is rice based whereas Spanish horchata is nut based. Don't miss out on stopping by at La Heladeria Mexicana when you're by the beach!
I was not expecting to find a little vegan snack at the BlackLab Brewhouse. You've probably seen your share of spring rolls so it's not groundbreaking but it's nice to know you have an option! They're near the beach and open during siesta so it's a great place for travelers.
& that rounds up my post of vegan options in Barcelona. Whew! (I didn't even name them all! We also went to Juicy Jones for breakfast, too! But choose Dostrece over Juicy Jones for breakfast in my opinion. :))
I absolute LOVE Barcelona & CANNOT wait to return. To be completely honest, I think about Barcelona & these meals all of the time. This is the 2nd of 4 posts I have about Barcelona. See what we did in Barcelona here. & stay tuned for a post about Barcelona cocktails & things to do for FREE in Barca!
- Christina
