Visit The Best Vegan Restaurants In Quito
Quito, like most big cities, has a lot of vegan food offerings. Like the very very vegan vegans that we are, we planned our days around vegan food spots that we wanted to try. In between visiting La Floresta and the historic district, among many other wonderful things, we explored Ecuadorian culture through our tastebuds.
If you’re new to vegan travel or aren’t sure how to find plant-based food, I highly suggest using HappyCow (it works all over the world!) on your next trip. It’s a website and app that allows you to filter through vegan-friendly spots in most places. It’s how we found all of the vegan food hotspots in Quito.
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In Quito it says that there are currently 8 completely vegan restaurants, but you can use the “Vegetarian” or “Veg-Options” filters to expand your findings. These were my favorites, divided into helpful categories.
Affordable & Healthy Vegan Food:
Govinda Gopal – I highly recommend going to here for lunch. They serve up a solid cafeteria-style lunch that includes a main meal, soup, bread, dessert and juice for the set price of $3. Everything is always vegetarian, and they can easily make most things vegan. When we went during the week the entire lunch was vegan (they even had an awesome vegan queso!). We went back for dinner the same day, where you choose what you want from a menu and they make fresh it on the spot. Dinners there are usually around $3.50 and the vegan empanadas were killer. We were delighted and impressed with both meals!
Quinua – This place was such a sweet gem in Quito. After taking a 9 hour overnight bus from Puerto Lopez back to the big city, we showed up here an hour before they were opening and I deflated at the realization. Seeing the defeated look on our faces, they let us in early and soon served us breakfast. It was a huge plate of rice, veggies, and a mock meat with a vegan empanada on the side and tea to sip on. The food was simple yet filling, delicious, and healthy! In addition to their menu, they have a lot of organic natural body products and snacks. Breakfast was great – I bet their lunch and dinner offerings are even better!
Delicious Food With A View:
Tandana – This is an 100% vegan restaurant in a vibrant location has incredible mission and delicious food offerings. When you visit restaurant you’ll find that there is an observation deck just outside the building that offers epic city views, but the vistas don’t stop there. When you step inside, you’ll find that all tables face a huge glass window that has that same dramatic and lush overlook. This restaurant supports local social justice causes, including animal rights and indigenous support.
It is one of the more expensive ones in the area, but I ordered a satisfying portobello sandwich with seasoned fries for $6 and my partner got the falafel for around $4. There are more expensive options on the menu (like pizza or pad thai) that cost around $8-$12, but it’s totally worth it. This is a queer-friendly space that deeply cares about nature and their local community. Tandana was about a 17 minute walk from some of the actives listed below in La Floresta district of Quito.
Cute & Cozy Cafe:
Vegano De Altura – This place had a great vibe and I was enchanted with the huge mural that covers the wall. They have solid options for lunch and dinner including sandwiches, cheviche, pizza, empanadas and more. The menu is quite small but everything that we had was delicious, and they have many veganized dishes of traditional Ecuadorian food. They also offer coffee and sweets, and it’s clear that everything is made with high quality ingredients by hand.
Biggest & Most Diverse Vegan Menus In Quito:
El Maple – Located in the Mariscal suburb, this vegetarian restaurant has it all. Their menu carries on displaying their wide offering of traditional Ecuadorian dishes, Mexican food, Italian food, and more. They serve up lasagna, burgers, sandwiches, rice and veggies, pizza, nachos, soup, milkshakes, ice cream, and more. I was delighted to realize that they have a whole vegan pastry case full of pies, cakes, and small desserts. In addition, there is a full organic health shop inside of the restaurant stocked with medicinal teas, organic body products, mock meats, and plant-based snacks.
Donde Gopal – This spacious veggie restaurant serves an affordable and filling vegan almuerzo as well as an extensive menu that will make your mouth water. It has traditional Ecuadorian dishes as well as sandwiches, pizza, desserts, bread, and snacks. There is a cute clothing store connected the restaurant as well as an organic shop that sells a lot of incredible menstrual tools like reusable pads, menstrual journals, menstrual cups, and more. This is a great place to buy vegan-friendly and organic shampoo, soap, conditioner, toothpaste, low-waste body products/household products and more. They don’t have a complete breakfast menu but you can order juice, coffee, tamales, and empanadas before lunch.
Check Out More Vegan Restaurants In Quito
I can highly recommend each of the restaurants listed here in this blogpost, but don’t let that stop you from trying out some others. There are 8 fully vegan restaurants in Quito, so be sure to follow your heart (and stomach!) and try out what looks good to you. I sadly didn’t make it to the Formosa restaurant, but it is highly rated on HappyCow and will be the first place that I go if I ever return to Quito.