vegan travel Archives • Cook the Beans

Top Vegan places to eat in Tbilisi

Once in Georgia, you will find out that lots of local Georgian dishes just happen to be vegan and true to be told.. they are delicious! So don’t worry, if you’re planning to visit this stunning country finding vegan food will not be a problem.

Tbilisi is the vibrant and cosmopolitan capital of Georgia, where the vegan scene is growing. Nowadays there are several outstanding options to choose from.

Here is a list of my favourite places in Tbilisi to eat a great vegan meal.

TOP Vegan restaurants in Tbilisi

Namu

Outstanding place with mainly raw vegan food, gluten-free, sugar-free and table salt-free. Namu was the first raw plant-based place opening in Georgia.

They use high-quality ingredients and create something that is both a treat to the eyes and also incredibly tasty.

They serve fresh juice, kombucha, granola, chocolate, cake, soup, delicious toasts, bowls and rolls. If you want to try some of Ana Tikaradze’s creations she has some recipes on this website.

Irmale’s Cafe

Irmale’s is a small cafe serving healthy vegan dishes and indulgent dessert. They have an eclectic mix of breakfast and lunch options including salads, soups, buckwheat pancakes, juices, smoothies, avocado toast, vegan chocolate and cakes.

Living Vino: Natural Wine Bar & Vegan Food

A wonderful place serving delicious healthy vegan food. Ingredients are sourced from eco farms and the wines from local producers.

Kiwi Vegan Café

One of the most popular places for local vegans. They have an extensive menu, that includes delicious tofu, aubergine sandwich, a cheeseburger with fries, hummus, falafels, pizza, salads, soups, pasta dishes, and wraps.

Muhudo

Vegan falafel shop in the centre Tbilisi that serves falafel, dips and drinks. The perfect place for a quick tasty snack.

Vegan Place

Vegan place is a street food restaurant well known for the delicious seitan. They serve unique bowls with complex flavours as well as shawarma, nuggets and gyros.

TOP restaurants in Tbilisi serving vegan food

Mama Terra – Veggie corner

Mama terra is a vegetarian restaurant with lots of vegan options. The food is absolutely delicious from the wide selection of vegan sandwiches, quinoa bowls, tacos, raw spring rolls, soups, desserts, teas, kombucha and coffees.

The menu is well-marked as vegan, raw food and gluten-free and they use high-quality ingredients. The menu is constantly expanding.

Goby

Goby is a healthy fast food place offering a wide variety of delicious food with a mixture of Georgian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.

They serve flavorful and filling falafels, different types of hummus including beetroot, tasty sandwich, fritters, soups like yellow pea soup and salads.

Have you been to Tbilisi? have you tried any of the restaurants mentioned? Share with me if you know any other outstanding places to eat delicious vegan food.

If you are travelling around the country you will need to know which traditional Georgian food is vegan! Find here how amazingly vegan-friendly Georgia is.

Travel vegan in Cuba

Where to eat

In Cuba, there are two types of places to eat like a local, the state-run restaurants and the particulares (private restaurant).

Being the particulares a bit more expensive than the state-run restaurants but not by much. It’s like instead of paying 1 dollar for your meal you will pay 2.

Cooking your own food it’s not an option here, but you can do what we did, that was adding fruit and/or veggies to your meals like avocado, mango, tomato and ask at the restaurants to cut it for you.

Fresh juices are amazing and very cheap. The best option is to have an empty water bottle with you and ask them to refill it with juice (1,2,3.. cups). This is very common between locals.

Being Vegan in Cuba

Being vegan in Cuba can be very hard when you are travelling on your own, on a budget and off the beaten path.

Both state-run restaurants and the particulares are not abundant and have a very limited offer of 1 to 2 dishes.

Eating at the casas particulares, is always an option as well. The hosts will happily cook something for you but will be no different from the things you can eat outside.

How to survive as a vegan in Cuba

Fresh fruit is by far one of the top foods you can eat in Cuba. The most common are guavas, papayas, pineapples, bananas, mangoes, avocados, mamoncillo and coconuts.

Carrying a knife is truly a lifesaver because you can just eat fruits and some veggies when you want.

The morning is the best time to buy seasonal fruit and vegetables. Cubans sell them on street carts near the road or on the markets.

Vegan options in Cuba

Here is a list of the most common ingredients/dishes, that you should know if you don’t speak Spanish. Knowing some basic Spanish its essential when travelling through non-tourist places.

arroz (rice)
ensalada (salad)
frijoles (beans)
arroz morro or moros y cristianos (black beans + rice)
fruta (fruit)
maduros (fried sweet plantains)
tostones (fried green plantains)
Yuca frita or cassava (a root vegetable)
pan (bread)
papas (potatoes)
Batido (milkshake) *not vegan
jugo natural (natural fruit juice)
Cucurucho (desert with coconut and pineapple)
Pasteles dulces (bakery)
mani (peanuts)

Veganism in the big cities

More touristic places, like Havana, Trinidad or Viñales will have better options than the rest of the country because they have some touristic infrastructures and some vegan-friendly restaurants.

Cuba was one of the hardest countries to eat well as a vegan. You will definitely not going to starve but you will get fed up to eat the same food every day, especially if you are travelling like me for a long period of time.

I’ve read that the Vegan Movement is starting to appear in Cuba especially in Havana so things might change in the future.

Read – Part 1 for information about money and prices.

Read – Part 2 for information about transports, internet, scams, packing, entertainment and when to visit Havana.

Vegan in Mozambique

10 Comments

Mozambique is an extraordinarily beautiful country, that amazes with its stunning beaches, reefs and sea life, landscapes, national parks, nice welcoming people, lively atmosphere filled with music and dance, colonial architecture and art. But if you’re travelling in Mozambique as a vegan don’t expect much.

Vegan food is not a thing in Mozambique and even in the capital Maputo, you can only find one vegetarian restaurant called KRU.

As you know they have a famous cuisine and are one of the best countries in Africa foodwise, but is all about tiger prawns, seafood, fresh fish and chicken.

I travelled from north to south only by public transports and through lots of rural areas, where there isn’t any infrastructures, restaurants, cafes, food stalls, or even many street markets. So you are asking the same question I did. Where and what am I going to eat?

If you are in a rural area, you need to rely on the local people and on what they can do for you, but communication can be a big problem if they don’t speak Portuguese.

Where to eat vegan in Mozambique?

Maputo is the exception, has some good options, and it’s easy to find your way around. There are also a few places around the country mostly linked with accommodation or some kind of recreative activity that also cater in some way for vegans.

A great example is a vegetarian place in Tofo, called happi located in the Liquid Dive Center.

Another great option is the Turtle Cove, that during their Yoga Retreats provide an array of vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Mozambique was colonized by Portugal in 1505, their cuisine has been deeply influenced by the Portuguese. One of the most eaten dishes is ncima a thick porridge made with ground maize and water, in my opinion just serves the propose of giving you energy… it’s tasteless, but vegan 🙂

Here is a list of some traditional vegan dishes:

Mucapata– rice with coconut, absolutely delicious, very common in the Mozambique Island.
Xiguinha – Made with cassava and cacana leaves, common in Inhambane province.
Pão – white bread rolls, you can find it in any market baked in wood-fired ovens in villages.
Matapa – made from stewed cassava leaves, ground peanuts, garlic and coconut milk, more likely to get it if you end up staying with locals.
Collard Greens in Oil – it’s a sauté of onions and collard greens.
Chamusas – triangle shaped pastries, asked for the potato ones.
Cassava with Red Sauce – a sauce made with fresh tomatoes, green peppers, onions, garlic and oil
Rice and Beans – it’s a very common dish.
Mucuane – with boiled cassava leaves, tomatoes, coconut milk, ask if is made with shrimp or Cashews.
Quiabo a Zambiana – Okra
fresh sugarcane juice
pão de sura – it’s a coconut sweet bread more typical in the Inhambane province
Cashews – they have nut trees growing all over the place. You’ll see people selling bags of cashews on the side of the road and on the beach. they sell while plain, roasted piri-piri, roasted salt.
Fruits and vegetables– fruit and veggies are available at markets and on the sides of roads all over the country, depending on the season you can find good papayas, coconuts, mangoes. Avocados, okra and collard greens are also seasonal. Tomatoes, cassava or beans, are available year-round. Green peppers, onions, and bananas seem to go through recurring phases.

? If you are planning to visit Mozambique, or if you are just curious.. check this post – Mozambique.. it’s maningue nice

SaveSave

Eating Vegan in Windhoek

3 Comments

Namibia is on my top 10 destinations of all time. Its a country that has it all in terms of nature, wildlife, culture and tradition. But because nothing can be that perfect, Namibia doesn’t really stand out for its abundant vegan food options.

But this is not a reason, not to visit this stunning country. There is always a way around, and being true that is difficult to travel Through Namibias as a vegan, it’s also true that is possible.

The only thing is that you will not remember this country for its outstanding food and flavours, but you will, I assure you, for other reasons.

With time I hope that Namibia will become a more vegan-friendly country, if not for anything else, to conserve their ecosystems, environment, and wildlife.

For a piece of more comprehensive information about being vegan while travelling independently in Namibia, you will find this article interesting.

Windhoek

Comparing with other Sub-Saharan countries, some people would say that Namibia is Africa for beginners. I’m not sure they are right but the capital city of Namibia, Windhoek is quite modern and in a way kind of ‘Western’ when compared with other African countries.

Windhoek is far from being the highlight of a trip to Namibia but can be a great place to begin and end your journey. In contrast with other parts of the country, Windhoek has more accommodation choices, cultural sights, an urban buzz and food variety. So let’s discover where you can find vegan food in Windhoek.

Where to eat Vegan in Windhoek

Plant’d

Is the first vegan restaurant opening in Namibia and as far as I know its the only one. They serve delicious buddha and granola bowls, pizza, pasta, scrambled tofu and refreshing freshly squeezed juices. The food is super tasty and they use quality ingredients.

Restaurants with some vegan options:

Olivia’s Kitchen

They serve a divine mushroom pasta with vegan cream, lots of vegan smoothies, sandwich with vegan cheese, salads with vegan feta and plant-based milk for coffees. Their food is locally sourced and freshly prepared.

Bonsai Bistro

This Bistro serves vegan sandwiches, baked goods, juices, smoothies and have daily vegan/vegetarian specials. I can’t recommend enough the Morrocan bowl, vegan omelette, vegan cakes and tarts.

Garnish Indian Restaurant

For some authentic Indian flavours, this is the right place to go. They serve delicious spiced food and cater for vegans and vegetarians.

The vegan options are well marked on the menu. The food is really tasty and filling.

Do you know any other good places in Windhoek serving vegan food?

Discovering Angola – Travel guide

40 Comments

Angola was my home for 2 years and I have great memories about this colourful, warm, magic and not yet well-known county.

Travelling through Angola is a real challenge, that starts with getting a visa. The country is not really open to tourism and to be fair doesn’t really like visitors… Although it seems that things are changing slowly in this regard.

Luanda

If you are lucky enough to get a visa you will land in the international airport of Luanda, Angola’s capital city. An extremely expensive place with a high level of violent crime, where you can’t walk on your own after dark. I’ve been to Luanda many times, but I don’t recommend it.

Angola has miles and miles of coastline, rainforests in the north, the world’s oldest desert in the south, and savannah in between.

Language and food

You need to know how to speak Portuguese to be able to communicate. A very low percentage of the local population can communicate in English.

Outside the big cities eating out is also difficult. There are no restaurants, so you will need to find where the markets are, buy the ingredients and cook your meals.

When you find a place selling food expect it to be expensive and some have poor hygienic conditions.

Transports – getting around

Compared with Luanda the rest of the country is relatively safer but there are no reliable or safe public transports.

The options are the local minibuses that are called Candongueiros, painted in blue and white or you can also get a ride from a motorbike called cupapatas.

This is the informal economy, they don’t belong to a company, so there is no timetables, no stipulated stops or standards by any means.

The candogeiro’s driver shouts trough the window to advertise where they are going to. The cupapata is mainly for short distances and will go anywhere you want.

Both options are used by locals but are very unsafe. They have very bad driving habits and do unimaginable things like driving on the sidewalk. I don’t recommend you to use any of these options as a tourist. Because to do it you really need to know well what is going on and speak the local lingo.

Before buying my 4×4 I used those options and was involved in some minor accidents. But you see almost daily road accidents involving both cupapatas and Candongueiros. Road sinistrality in Angola is a serious issue.

Renting a car is difficult and extremely expensive, but getting your vehicle (4×4) is essential. Just bear in mind that driving standards and some road conditions are poor, to say the least.

There is a good road between the capital Luanda – Lubango and Namibe but getting into remoter areas can be rough.

Police Officers

Angola’s police officers are notorious for asking for bribes—known as gasosa. It’s safe to say that if you are driving you will not miss this experience.

I can’t count how many times I was stopped and accused of an imagined traffic infraction and then offered to pay for a gasosa instead of paying a fine. My advice is – always offer to pay the fine.

Mines

When exploring less well-established routes outside major towns, mines and unexploded ordnance remain a problem, sometimes even in ‘cleared’ areas. So try to travel on well-established routes.

Accommodation

Outside the capital, accommodation is scarce, expensive and most of the times the conditions are deplorable. Once I stayed in the only place available in a remote country-side village, where there was no running water, the toilet was a hole on the floor, there was no electricity, and can’t even start describing how dirty it was, all of this for $100USD p/night! I know shocking.

Power and water can be cut off for days without notice, having a generator it’s essential.

Sometimes the best option is to camp on a deserted beach 🙂

Topics to avoid

Basic rules of politeness are essential at all times anywhere you are in the world. But in Angola, there are a few more things that you should keep in mind. Avoid talking about the government, politics and the civil war. Angola is a democracy in name only, and Angolans can be nationalistic and proud.

It will happen that when you are talking to a group of Angolans the discussions will turn to politics, just try to listen more than talk.

Be ready for the mosquitos

Mosquitos are your public enemy number one, try to keep safe. The last thing you need is to get malaria or even yellow fever. To enter the country you’ll need an International Certificate of Vaccination (Yellow Card)

Pollution and lack of basic sanitary conditions

There are a few severe problems with garbage, fly-tipping, open-air sewage, polluted water and in the big cities air pollution is very poor due to the heavy traffic and obsolete vehicles.

Find here more about what to see and where to go while travelling through Angola.

Travelling vegan in Georgia

7 Comments

Georgia is a stunning country to travel to and the vegan food is abundant, fresh and delicious. When you find your way around the meat and cheese, you discover a whole world of beans, veggies, bread, potatoes and mushrooms.

One of the reasons Georgian food is so vegan-friendly is because of the Orthodox fasting periods, that many adopt, where they can’t have any food from land animals. You will find that many restaurants have a ‘fasting menu’.

Many local Georgian dishes just happen to be vegan, making our life easier while travelling. In Tbilisi, you have some choices of restaurants and cafes serving specifically vegan food, but outside the capital, the reality is different.

I assure you will not have any problems to eat vegan even when visiting small villages.

Here is a list of some of my favourite vegan dishes that you can get from a regular place in Georgia serving local food.

Vegan-friendly Georgian food

Veggie pâtés

Pkhali – different coloured balls of vegetables minced with walnuts and seasonings, normally with garlic, onion, herbs. The most common are spinach, aubergine and beetroot.

Eggplant with walnuts (Nigvziani Badrijani) – Slices of eggplant that filled with walnuts, coriander and garlic, served cold topped with pomegranates.

Red pepper stuffed with walnuts – as the name says is a red pepper filled with hearty walnut paste.

Beans and bread

Lobio – It’s a bean stew served in a clay pot, made with red beans, onion, garlic, herbs, and local seasonings. Mchadi – cornbread that is usually eaten with Lobio. Comes in fried and non-fried varieties.

Acharuli, Stew boats – a boat-shaped bread from Georgia, is the most popular filling melted salty cheese and egg. Although I found other options, from aubergine stew, wild mushrooms, spinach and other greens and even with tomato and cucumber salad.

Georgian Pastries: Lobiani – Is a mashed bean-filled bread easily found everywhere. Similar to lobiani is the Mkhvlovani- made with a mixture of different kinds of herbs. I did find other pastries that were vegan but couldn’t memorise the names.

Georgian traditional dumplings

Khinkali – The easiest vegan ones to find are the ones with potato and mushroom fillings, but I also found some with beans and spinach.

Mushrooms

There are several dishes with mushrooms served in clay pots.

They also have wild stewed mushrooms, fried mushrooms, grilled mushrooms, etc.. If you are a mushroom lover like me Georgia is heaven on earth.

Ojakhuri with mushrooms – instead of the traditional potatoes with pork, this one is with mushrooms.

Shilaplavi – Kind of a Georgian risotto with mushrooms.

Vegetable stews

Ajapsandali – is a vegetable stew made with onion, potato, aubergine, pepper, tomato, parsley and other seasonings, a little bit like a ratatouille.

Salads

The most common one is Cucumber and Tomato Salad with a creamy walnut and herb sauce, but there are various other kinds of salads too. The Georgian beetroot salad with tkemali (plum sauce) is also quite easy to find.

Mexican potatoes – Thickly cut potatoes with lots of seasoning. They can be fried or baked.

Pickles – you can order mixed pickles or plates of specific pickles.

Vegan Georgian Sweets

Churchkhela – also known as the Georgian Snickers is a traditional sweet made from nuts and fruit juice. It is extremely delicious, nutritious, healthy and energizing. To prepare it the string of nuts is repeatedly dipped in concentrated fresh fruit juice.

Tklapi – Thin fruit sheet.

Pelamushi – reminds a frozen pudding prepared with grape juice and walnuts.

Georgian Markets and Street food

There is no best place to explore Georgian food culture than visiting some of the markets. Here you can find the best deals to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, dried fruit and grains, coffee and tea, spices and much more.

Street food is not a strong concept in Georgia by any means, but you can occasionally find small stalls selling, fresh fruit, fresh cold-pressed juice and Turkish coffee.

Have you been to Georgia and tried any of these dishes? Do you know any other traditional Georgian dish that is accidentally vegan?

If you are looking for some great vegan restaurants in Tbilisi find them here!

Travelling vegan in Macedonia

8 Comments

Travelling vegan in North Macedonia

Macedonia is not the most vegan-friendly of countries. Traditional Macedonian food involves quite a lot of meat, but also delicious salads.

If you are up to come up with your own quick vegan meal, some supermarkets have some choice of plant-based milk, nuts, crackers, fruits and veggies.

But there are also some dishes that are vegan in the traditional Macedonian cuisine. Just keep in mind that the word vegan or even vegetarian doesn’t mean much to the majority of people. Plus not all people speak English very well, and because I don’t speak Macedonian either, google translator was my way to go.

Traditional vegan Macedonian Food

While in Macedonia there are a few things that you can’t miss trying.

Ajvar is a spread made out of roasted peppers, aubergine, garlic and olive oil. It goes amazingly well with bread and vegetables. You can find Ajvar in all supermarket. Lutenica is similar to ajvar but has carrots, onion and tomatoes.

Gevrek is a circular bread ring covered in sesame seeds. It’s easily found on the street or in bakeries and is delicious on its own or with Ajvar.

Tavche Gravche is a traditional Macedonian dish that is vegan by default. Its a bean stew made with spices cooked in an earthenware pot. Sometimes it can contain sausage so just double-check before you ask for it. Most traditional restaurants serve this dish.

Polneti Piperki is a dish where peppers are usually stuffed with meat, but some restaurants will be happy to do it with rice and vegetables.

Travelling vegan in Skopje

Skopje the capital city of North Macedonia is probably the place where you will find more vegan option, but with that, I’m not saying that it is a well-spread concept or that it is super easy to find good vegan options.

The Juicy&Co makes a perfect stop for fresh juices, smoothies, fruit salads, muesli bowls and raw balls.

The green market, also known as Bit Pazar located in the heart of the Old Bazaar is the biggest market for fruit and vegetables, a great place to buy fresh produce.

Top 3 vegan places in Ohrid

Chances are, if you are travelling through north Macedonia, you will visit the charming Ohrid. That goes without saying that doesn’t have many options for you to choose from.

Sezers Food & Salads

Sezers serves delicious Turkish salads, soups, grilled vegetables, veggie spreads, and bean salads. It’s a perfect place to go for lunch or dinner. The food is fresh and tasty.

Dr.Falafel

As stated on the name, Dr. Falafel is a place specialized in falafel. Here you can have your falafel server on bread with hummus or you can have a falafel bun with carrot, cucumber, cauliflower and cabbage. Both options are delicious and filling.

Fruit Box

Fruit Box is a juice and smoothie bar that also serves vegan snacks, energy balls and raw cake. Everything I tried was incredible.

Have you been to North Macedonia? Do you know any other Macedonian dish that is vegan by default? ?

Vilnius vegan scene

3 Comments

When you first arrive in Lithuania the first impression is that they are as far from being vegan-friendly as you can get. Lithuania is not exactly known for being a culinary paradise, heavily centred on meat and dairy…. and well potatoes.. but that is vegan 😉

However, like many other major cities, Vilnius has a growing vegan scene, like its neighbour country Estonia.

Nowadays there are a number of places with vegan options, especially around the University. If you’re looking for the best plant-based options in Vilnius, here are my 5 favourite spots:

The best vegan food in Vilnius

RoseHip Vegan Bistro

This is one of the best vegan places in Vilnius. Everything I tried here was absolutely delicious, plus the staff was very kind and friendly.

The restaurant is very well decorated with electric pinks and cute neon signs.

Vieta – conscious vegetarian and vegan food

Cosy, rustic and comfortable place with a great variety of vegan/vegetarian food, located in the centre of Vilnius. The Menu is well-labelled so you easily see what is vegan.

The area is not too big, and it’s popular with local students, so better to book a table just to be on the safe side.