This post is written for two sets of people:
- For the non-vegans that think vegan food is boring
- For the vegans that think they’d have trouble eating out in Spain
If you fall into one of these categories, get ready to be proven wrong! 🙂
A bit of background…
So two years after Wonderful Husband and I got married, we finally made time to go on a long weekend away together. We travelled only 100km from our little Spanish town, Dénia, to the beautiful city of Valencia. Our trip had no set plan other than food, food, food, food, walking tour, food, food and food.
Below are the restaurants we dined in. I hope you enjoy the photos of the food, we definitely enjoyed eating it.
Copenhagen
Our first stop was, what was supposed to be a quick bite, in the veggie restaurant, Copenhagen. Once Wonderful Husband had a glimpse of the menu, we decided on staying for three courses. There was so much to offer at this restaurant and although the menu is predominantly vegetarian, I’d guess that more than half of the dishes can be made vegan.
We shared guacamole with yuca fries to start, I had a vegan burger (one of the nicest burgers I’ve ever tasted!) for my main and for dessert I had macadamia nut ice cream. The perfect end to a perfect meal on a lovely sunny day.
El Passatge Dels Gats – Cat Café
To my surprise, Wonderful Husband reluctantly agreed for us to visit the Cat Café in the North West of the city, his aversion to cats clearly wasn’t as strong as I thought anymore.
El Passatge Dels Gats is a non-profit in the form of a café/animal shelter, rescuing the cats from the streets of Valencia and finding them loving homes. The merging of the shelter and cafe works perfectly, enabling the business to make money to care for the cats and allowing people to socialise with the cats, therefore creating awareness for adopting animals instead of buying from breeders (#AdoptDontShop).
The café has such a positive energy, the cats are clearly well looked after by the wonderful mother and son team and you get to hang out with cats! What more could you ask for?
Aloha Vegan Delights
The first evening of our holiday was coincidently the first meeting between Arsenal and Athletico Madrid in the Europa League Cup semi-final. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, then just note that Wonderful Husband was insistent we grab take-away food from somewhere before heading to a bar.
We stumbled across Aloha Vegan Delights and (I don’t mean to sound vegan cheesy) it was in fact, a delight. I chose a sobrasada paste (incredibly Spanish sausage made from ground pork, paprika and salt), cheese and caramelised onion toasted sandwich with a side of chicken nuggets – all vegan of course. The food was delicious, super reasonably priced and I’ll definitely be going back to try their kebab (which came highly recommended by one of their diners!).
Brunch Corner – Sant Bult
The next morning we were on our way to a walking tour so we had to grab breakfast from somewhere in town. Brunch Corner had great reviews on Trip Advisor so we thought we’d give it a try.
I adore going to non-vegan places and finding little, unexpected, vegan treats on their menus and Brunch Corner was no exception. To my surprise there was a yummy PB&J sandwich, made with home-made cashew butter and strawberry jam. It was delicious!
I must add that their customer service was also outstanding. They were not only lovely in the restaurant but when I messaged them to ask if they could send me a photo of the sandwich (because mine looked sooo bad!) they were more than happy to help 🙂
Picnicity
After the walking tour, we needed recharging and Wonderful Husband had been super keen on trying out the empanadas in Picnicity, a very popular restaurant in the region of Carmen.
To my amazement, they had a whole vegan section (photographic proof below!). I began by trying out the seitan and mushroom empanada… And they were so good that I went back for another! Then I had a slice of vegan carrot cake. What was only supposed to be a snack turned out to be a full-on, yummy, three course meal.
Almalibre Açaí Bar
We’ve eaten at Almalibre Açai Bar many, many times before and instead of trying a new restaurant on our second night away, we chose to return to our old favourite. We LOVE the food and the atmosphere but most of all we LOVE THEIR AÇAI BOWLS… and can you believe I didn’t take a picture of the açai bowls? However, if you’re desperate to glance at their beauty then feel free to check out my Instagram – you’ll find evidence of my past meals at Almalibre Açai Bar.
For dinner, we shared a huge bowl on nachos, Wonderful Husband had the red rice and tempeh burger (featured below) and I had a hotdog (I know, no photo, I’m lame) and, of course, we had açai bowls for dessert.
Bluebell Coffee
We started off the third day of our holiday as we meant to go on – great surroundings, good food and lovely company. Bluebell coffee is a very understated little cafe off a little road in Ruzafa. They had a beautiful courtyard at the back so we opted to sit there. They had mega vegan options (like a buddha bowl!) but I went with the simple, yet yummy, Spanish choice of tomato on toast and a cappuccino with soy milk. The breakfast was a perfect way to start the day.
Valencia Principe Felipe Science Museum
Chick Incubator
To my disappointment, the Valencia Principe Felipe Science Museum featured two incubators on the first floor. Inside both incubators were unhatched eggs and very few chicks (I think one had died).
There were several other exhibits keeping living beings captive.
We do not need to keep animals in captivity to learn about them. Please do not pay to enter the Valencia Principe Felipe Science Museum as you will be indirectly funding animal cruelty.
Food Truck
There was a music festival taking place outside the museum and alongside the stage were a mass of food trucks, one being a vegetarian food truck offering several vegan options. The line was longer then the rest of the food trucks (possibly due to lack of availability or just the high number of people wanting vegetarian food) but it felt great to see the food truck being so popular.
Wonderful Husband doesn’t look too happy standing in line
Jardin Urbano
Jardin Urbano is the level 100 vegan restaurant that every vegan dreams about! Plants hanging from the ceiling and walls, paintings of birds and nature everywhere and a huge menu of dishes, some that I hadn’t eaten since going vegan!
It was genuinely quite hard to choose but we eventually decided on ordering the tomato and cheese puff pastry and a pulled pork baguette. Both were super yummy! I’ll have to head back, at least, another ten times to try out the rest of the menu.
Ubik Cafe
Ubik cafe was probably my highlight of the trip.
This very retro library turned cafe had books from floor to ceiling but was quite clearly a place in which people came to drink, eat and socialise. They modestly mention ‘vegan options’ on their TripAdvisor profile so I was not expecting the many vegan options on their menu, far more than most non-vegan establishments.
In the end, we chose a cheese, sun-dried tomato and rocket sandwich and some polenta chips to share. Both dishes were super good and perfect for a casual night out. I couldn’t have asked for more from Ubik Cafe.
Valencia is one of the many cities in Spain that has awoken to the vegan life and wow, they promote it so well! I absolutely recommend visiting Valencia and every restaurant I’ve mentioned above, whether you’re vegan or non-vegan, you’ll have a fab time! 💚
Made me hungry reading all about that fabulous food.
Great post Zo xxx
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Ah thank you! 💚
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After reading this, I’ve decided that Trey and I MUST come here to experience all of this food! It’s really hard to find a restaurant with vegan options that isn’t….you know… a salad. I have no problems cooking, it’s just I want to go out sometimes, too. It sounds like you and the hubby had a wonderful time in Valencia! Loved the pics 🙂
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Ahhh you and Trey would love Valencia! There are vegan options everywhere! So unexpected considering the reputation that Spain has (although that is changing quite rapidly now 🙂 ) 💚
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It’s great that they are! And it definitely bumps it up on my bucket list to a sooner rather than later!
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Sounds lovely Zozo. We found a place in Southend that has a vegetarian and vegan section. We’ll be trying it next time we go there xx
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Ah fab – let me know what it’s like. There are actually lots of places in Southend that are now vegan-friendly 💚
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This post made me feel hungry. Like that these food options are vegan, not something you can easily find in restaurants
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Oh I’m glad you like the look of the food 🙂
Fortunately times are changing and vegan food is becoming super available now 💚
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Even though I’m not a vegan, I would enjoy almost all the food you mentioned (and pictured) here. Even that pb&j looked delicious.
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Hahah yes I agree! I get that most people have their reservations about vegan food as it is different from the norm but vegan food is definitely becoming the norm and will be soon! 💚
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I’m definitely in the category where i’m a non vegan who thinks vegan food is boring lol I’ve even thoight it looked gross at times. You have proven though that it’s not always the case. The food options here look quite good.
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I’m glad you like the look of the food 🙂 I can appreciate people thinking about that about vegan food years ago, but it is one of the most invested industries now and vegan food is actually amazing… I would highly recommend trying something new (vegan) when you get the chance 💚
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Well I fell into the-I think vegan food is boring group but this has changed my mind! These meals looks absolutely delish!
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Very happy to have changed your mind. When you get the chance, have a try – the food is delicious! 💚
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YES thank you for this post, this is perfect. Planning a trip to Spain this summer and was already dreading the struggle of finding vegan options. This definitely puts me at ease haha xxxx http://www.thevolcanicveins.com
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Ah you’re going to have the best time! If you ever need any help then feel free to get in touch and make sure to use happycow.net too 💚
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I love reading posts like this! This way I can always know where to eat when I travel. It’s always so hard to find good vegan places! Thank you so much for sharing this!
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Yahhh! Let me know if you need any more tips. Remember to always check our happycow.net on your travels too 💚
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Um, all of this sounds AMAZING and DELICIOUS! My mouth is especially watering over the Macadamia Nut ice cream — sounds absolutely delightful!
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Ah that was a highlight for me too! Glad you enjoyed 💚
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I’d love to visit Spain. I also like all the places you presented in the pictures, I don’t really think that vegan food is that boring. 😉 All the pictures were just mouth-watering. 🙂
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Ahhh I love that you don’t think vegan food is boring, you are very open-minded Natalia 🙂
Thank you for commenting 💚
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I’m a big meat eater, but these dishes do look very good.
I think sometimes vegan food gets a bad name when it tries to copy meat (vegan burgers/mock meat etc). The food above stands on its own two feet and is appealing.
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You are right Tom! There are definitely two different kinds of vegans, the side that like the fake meat and the side that likes to stay away from anything that could possibly resemble an animal product. I know which side you’d be on if you did go vegan 😉
So happy you thought the dishes looked good and thank you for commenting 💚
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I went to Spain several years ago but didnt make it to Valencia unfortunately. I totally need to go back for some of this food! I love trying vegan options in other countries and that pb&j sounds awesome. I love cashew butter. 🙂
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You would adore Valencia!! I also visited Barcelona and Madrid last year and they were filled to the brim with vegan options… You should totally revisit Spain! 💚
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I ‘m not a vegan but I feel that if I continue to read all of your articles I will become one. Great article.
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Hahah! Then please, keep reading!! Thank you for the mega compliment 💚
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Great to see that you found some very cool vegan food havens in your travels. Sometimes it’s worth searching to find those places, and take time to dig a little deeper into our destinations to uncover the gems!
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It was hard in the past but now they seem to be everywhere 🙂 💚
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making me so hungry. I live in the USA. Been vegan since April 1st.
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Yahhhhhhhhhh!
So fab you’ve gone vegan. I hope you’re loving it 💚
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Loved your blog post. It feels so good to find people who in one way or the other speak for the ones without a voice.😃 Keep up the good work.
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Ahhh I loved your comment sooooo much! Thank you Muskan 💚
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I absolutely love this post! As a vegan I can’t wait to try these!
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Yahhhh let me know when you do – you’ll love them 🙂 💚
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Love
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Your comment makes me happy 💚
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I love this! It’s great when people share their vegan travelling experiences so others have it as a reference point 🙂
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I agree, I always find it helpful. Thanks for the mega comment 💚
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I’ll have to get over to Valencia soon!;) Amazing to see such an upsurge in vegan options in Spain, even tofu now in Mercadona!!:)
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You’re right! It’s such an amazing time to witness the growth of awareness in Spain. I would highly recommend getting over to Valencia when you can 🙂 💚
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Well I absolutely love vegan food (currently digging into Haagen Daaz’s Chocolate Salted Fudge Truffle). Anyone who thinks vegan food is all about grazing on grass is pretty daft. I did take a road trip around Spain and came across this super yummy vegan place in Malaga called Canadu. I highly recommend it if anyone is in the area.
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Ahhh I’m so jealous, Array!! I haven’t found the vegan Haagen Daaz in Spain 😦
I love that you love vegan food, we need more people like yourself telling the world about how mega it is 💚
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Thank you. I am in the process of ‘veganizing’ Indian food and putting up the recipes. So far so good! Plus I am learning a lot in the process 🙂
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Oh sounds great. My husband is Indian and he cooks a lot of vegan food for me, so I know it’s not the norm haha! Will follow your blog to look for new recipes 💚
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Thats awesome. Gotta love a man who cooks! Thanks for the follow. My blog is travel oriented, so restaurants and home cooking adventures are a big part! Enjoy! I look forward to reading your recipes 🙂
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It all looks AMAZING!!! Yum!!
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It really was! 💚
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Oh my yum! It all looks so delicious! Now I’m hungry lol.
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It really was! 💚
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This post is really inspiring. I love your blog ❤ I've just discovered it and I'm catching up eheh!
Since you're Vegan as well you might be interested in mine: I'm a vegan chef and I share easy and step-by-step plant based recipes 🙂
http://avegtastefromatoz.com
Have a great V day
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Hahah thanks for the lovely comments. I’ll make sure to check out your blog 💚
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