Our guide to vegan restaurants in Rome shows you that eating vegan doesn’t mean eating second best.
It’s quite difficult to eat traditional Italian food as a vegan. Traditional dishes which are vegan are few and far between and are spread out amongst regional cuisines making them difficult to find everywhere. Neapolitan spaghetti with tomato sauce and tuscan ribollita (bread and vegetable soup) are both vegan, but often served with parmesan cheese on top. Some pizzas can be vegan, such as marinara (tomato sauce and garlic toppings) as can some risottos (although they usually have butter or cheese added as part of the cooking process, so check). You have to be careful with some kinds of bread as well, such as piadina or focaccia as these are often made with strutto (lard). And of course, fresh pasta is off the menu as it’s made with eggs.
No need to worry any longer, though. Our guide to vegan restaurants in Rome will show you what to eat and where to eat it—without feeling like you’re missing out.
Photo Credit: Romeow Cat Bistro, Text Overlay: Devour Rome Food Tours
Rome’s growing vegan scene
Luckily, the Italian vegan community is growing rapidly, and so restaurants in Rome are responding to the demand, and marking vegan dishes on their menus. This can leave you with a limited choice though. However, there is a growing number of vegetarian restaurants in Rome which also provide a wide range of dishes, both traditional and modern, catering for the vegan community. Many of these also happen to be trendy, quirky, hangouts popular among the fashionable young Roman set, so they are also interesting places to visit even if you’re not vegetarian or vegan. There is also a small number of restaurants which are exclusively vegan.
Here are some of our favorite vegan/vegan friendly restaurants in Rome.
Uovo à pois
Uovo à Pois is an ‘alternative patisserie’ that specializes in products completely without dairy products. Many (but not all) of their products are vegan and change almost on a daily basis. Chef Alberto Paciaroni fulfilled his dream of opening an Uovo à Pois in 2015 and has been creating amazing cakes and desserts ever since. From re-worked Italian and French classics to gelato, it’s worth a visit. The shop is located in the south of Rome in the Porto Fluviale area and is a short walk from the Piramide Metro (Line B).
Romeow Cat Bistro
Romeow Cat Bistro is the cutest vegan restaurant in Rome, because it’s also full of cats. It offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all in the company of a cohort of furry friends. It’s 100% vegan and the evening menu also contains a selection of raw food. Noted for their exquisite presentation, their dishes include such delicacies as soya fettuccine with coconut milk, ginger, kale and olives, and jackfruit marinara with sweet potato, olives and a parsley emulsion. And did I say there are cats? Located in the southern part of Rome, it’s a short walk from the Garbatella Metro (Line B).
100% Bio
100% Bio boasts that all its products are 100% organic. It’s a great place to get a vegan cappuccino served with a vegan croissant. At lunch time they have a buffet with a large range of vegan (but not totally) food. In the evening they offer an aperitivo again with a large range of food and vegan beers and wines. A nice place to fill up after visiting the nearby Baths of Caracalla or the Testaccio district. It’s a stone’s throw from Piramide Metro (Line B).
