Globally known as the Eternal City, a haven for the greatest forms of art and history, Rome is home to an excellent food scene too.
Millions of visitors are swept away by the land’s traditional flavors and regional delights like mozzarella, prosciutto, pizza, pasta, gelato and so on. But who thought Rome could be a vegan paradise too?!
The truth is, the culinary culture in Rome is accessible in its authenticity to people with different dietary preferences. Keep reading for the ultimate and utterly delicious Rome vegan food guide.
Tips & Structured Options
Planning a trip to Rome can be a lot of work if you want to experience the city right, vegan or not. Bookmark this post in your browser along with our things to know while planning a trip to Rome post. This way you can circle back to them easily.
Structured activities are quintessential when visiting a city like Rome. Check out our best Rome tours for your visit.
BREAKFAST
Wani Bakery
This tiny pasticceria nestled away from the crowds of central Rome is the ultimate Mecca for vegans with a sweet tooth or dairy intolerant people. Here you’ll find the biggest selection of authentic italian pastries, such as “bombolone alla crema” (cream filled doughnuts) and the classic cornetto, but also savory bites and to-go lunches. Have a gluten intolerance or want to make sure your favorite treat is in stock?! Give them a call the day before and they’ll be more than happy to cater to your needs.
Via Gabriello Chiabrera, 162/b, 00145
Tue – Sat: 9a.m. – 8p.m. Sun: 9a.m. – 12:30p.m. Monday closed.
Uovo à Pois
Another 100% lactose free pasticceria and cake shop, Uovo à Pois offers top quality pastries using all organic ingredients, whole grain flours and raw sugar. Whether you are a vegan or just looking for a light breakfast or dessert in Rome, head there to indulge without the guilt!
Via Pellegrino Matteucci, 62, 00154, Roma
Mon: 2p.m. – 7:30p.m. Tue – Sat: 8a.m. – 7:30p.m. Sunday closed.
100% BIO
Renowned for the evening aperitivo spread, 100% Bio’s breakfast selection certainly does not disappoint! Located just a few steps away from metro Piramide, this is the perfect spot before a day of long walks and sightseeing. Get there early in the morning for the vastest choice of all vegan, delectable traditional crostata filled with fresh jam or plant-based nutella!
Piazza di Porta S. Paolo, 6/a, 00153, Roma
Mon-Sat 7:30a.m. – 9:30p.m. Sun 8a.m. – 4p.m.
Bar La Licata
Not far away from the Colosseum, Bar La Licata is a great spot for Rome vegan food, since they offer an all-vegan lunch menu. Their plant based cappuccino and cornetto is the perfect combo to start the day off right and proceed to the discovery of ancient Rome!
More breakfast spots: with multiple locations in Rome, Zazie is the perfect stop for those who want to have an healthy breakfast on the go!
LUNCH
Romeow Cat Bistrot
Already quite established in the Rome vegan foodie scene, Romeow Cat Bistrot is characterized by a dozen friendly cats, an exclusive menu, exotic ingredients cooked up in secret, ambitious recipes and a unique interior! Sitting at their communal table while savoring their staple marinated Otani tofu dish will be one of the foodie highlights of your Rome trip!
Via Francesco Negri, 15, 00154, Roma
Fri 4p.m. – 11:30p.m. Sat-Sun 11a.m. – 11:30p.m. Mon-Wed closed.
Ops!
Close to Termini train station, Ops! offers one of the best vegan buffets in town! All you need to do is grab a plate, choose from a huge assortment of cold and warm dishes, and pay by weight! When available, their roman supplì and potato croquettes are to die for!
Flower Burger Roma
Feeling a little bit hungry after your Vatican tour?! Flower Burger will deliver a meal you won’t forget. Pick one of the tasty brightly colored vegan burgers, your favorite sauce to go over their delicious slightly spiced roasted potatoes and snap the best IG pic of your life! Also, watch out for their seasonal choices made of fresh organic produce and innovative ingredient concoctions!
Breaking Bread Bistrot
The self-proclaimed green and ethic bistrot in the hippie Rome neighborhood Pigneto is quite remarkable for their baked goods and sharing platters. When hitting Breaking Bread, you’re setting yourself up for a crunchy bagel or panino, focaccia, assorted cookies and occasionally a great live acoustic show! Pro tip: their Sunday brunch is unbeatable!
More lunch spots: for an affordable, hearty buffet that will leave your tastebuds completely satisfied, head to Orto in Prati. If you’re looking for an experience, go to Bibliothè in Corso Argentina and try their incredible ayurvedic food selection.
DINNER
Il Margutta
Located in one of the most scenic streets in Rome, Il Margutta is the true depiction of La Dolce Vita, vegetarian-style. The restaurant really comes alive at night, just like the city itself, offering a unique dining experience surrounded by a tasteful art collection, live music and dim lights. Head there to choose between approximately 50 edible works of art.
Rifugio Romano
Welcome to vegan paradise, just a few minutes away from Termini station. Rifugio Romano is the perfect stop to make vegans and non-vegans alike happy, with a double menu comprehensive of all traditional Roman recipes and their 100% plant-based versions. If you think carbonara and cheese-stuffed ravioli are impossible to replicate into vegan delights, be prepared to have your mind blown.
Ma va’?
This 100% vegan traditional Roman restaurant will prove that you can enjoy a warm, comforting, Roman meal without missing meat. No wonder why it is a local’s favorite in Rome! We recommend their staple saucy gnocchi and lasagna, you won’t believe it’s vegan!
La Capra Campa
Slightly far away from the city center, La Capra Campa is worth the drive. Especially for their outstanding selection of plant based cheeses, available for tastings and purchasing. If you’re looking for a quirky atmosphere, fresh, seasonal ingredients and IG-worthy food compositions, it won’t disappoint.
More dinner spots: for a fun night out in Rome, choose the Pigneto district and have a vegan bite at So What? Vegan before heading to one of the many bars and clubs in the area. For a more posh experience, pick L’Arancia Blu, in the exclusive Parioli district.
GELATO
Grezzo Raw Chocolate
Grezzo Raw Chocolate is the first ever raw vegan patisserie in the world, offering a life-changing assortment of cakes, chocolates, artisanal ice cream and other sweet nibbles. All of their products are gluten free, made with 100% raw cane sugar and the top-quality seasonal ingredients. Their almond based gelato is the creamiest you’ll ever taste and their raw sacher torte will make all your vegan dessert dreams come true.
Brivido
Get ready to taste the best vegan whipped cream of your life, handmade with love by the sweet owners of this tiny gelateria in the Testaccio district. The vegan flavors rotate accordingly to the season, but you can always find their nutella and pistachio bestsellers on our Testaccio Market Street Food Tour.
More gelato spots: with multiple locations around Rome, the vegan options at Fatamorgana (try their “panacea” flavor), La Romana, Olive Dolci and Il Gelatone will allow you to have unforgettable gelato experiences at almost every corner of the city. We highly suggest you visit each one of them and write us a comment with your favorite!
STREET FOOD
Vegan Store Box 83
If you haven’t tried street food in Rome, you haven’t truly experienced the best the city has to offer in terms of culinary miracles. The Testaccio Market is the best when it comes to pizza al taglio (huge squares of pizza in different flavors), focaccia, supplì (fried balls of rice and tomato sauce), panini and so on. If you’re traveling with non-vegans and would like to go on the discovery, jump on our Testaccio Market Food Tour and still get to taste incredible vegan street food options. Inside the market, you’ll also find this incredible 100% Rome vegan food stall.
Mercato Testaccio, Via Lorenzo Ghiberti, 19, 00153, Roma
Tue-Sat 8:30a.m. – 2:30p.m. Sun-Mon closed.
Alice Pizza
Who said pizza without mozzarella is boring?! Alice Pizza feeds thousands of mouths around the world and has many different locations around the Rome. Whenever hunger starts kicking in, jump on Google, find the nearest Alice Pizza location and grab a big square of “pizza rossa”, pizza with potatoes, pizza with veggies or plain focaccia!
More street food spots: if you’re into cheese, stop at Dall’Albero for the biggest selection of vegan cheeses you can bring (or send) home. Feeling a little bit bloated after all the carby goodness Rome has to offer?! Head to Solo Crudo raw snack food and juice bar in Prati for a nourishing, detoxifying bite.
APERITIVO
Alvarado Street
Aperitivo, or happy hour, is taken very seriously in Rome, and Alvarado Street in the Pigneto is the place to be for vegan aperitivo. Here you’ll find high quality craft beer, vegan “meat” cuts and cheeses, panini, dessert, live music, football matches and lots of fun.
Freni & Frizioni
For a trendier aperitivo, spend an evening at Freni e Frizioni, located in the heart of Rome’s nightlife, the picturesque Trastevere neighborhood. It is popular for its 100% vegetarian aperitivo buffet, with many vegan options to choose from. Grab a drink, fill up your plate and go sit by the stairs as real Romans do!
More aperitivo spots: if these aren’t enough, remember you’re in the Dolce Vita town and options are always available. L’Ombralonga is great cheap pick for vegans and non-vegans, 100% BIO caters some of the best fully plant based aperitivo buffet in Rome, and Cambio Vitai s quick and easy right in the city center. Cheers!
I want more Rome vegan food!
By now, you should have learned that eating vegan diet in Rome is not just possible, but easy and fun! You’ll realize many restaurants everywhere in the city serve multiple vegan options. While looking at the menu, look for the following items:
- Antipasti: tomato bruschetta, roman artichoke, focaccia, hummus, potato croquettes
- Primi: pasta with chickpeas/potatoes/lentils/tomato sauce/all’arrabbiata
- Contorni: mixed vegetables, roasted or fried potatoes, mixed greens, cooked beans, “panzanella”
- Pizza: marinara or “rossa, with potatoes/mushrooms/mixed vegetables
If you found this article useful, download our pdf Rome vegan food guide and share it on social media! Buon Appetito!
Royalty
Wow, this is awesome, thank you very much for sharing! This information is most valuable.
Paige
My husband and I are traveling to Rome later this month! Thank you so much for this guide!
Kayla Schorr
Thanks for reading! We hope you had a wonderful time in Italy!
Steph
Thank you! Do you know if grocery stores sell any vegan cheese?
Namita Satheesh
Great vegan food guide, thank you
Kayla Schorr
Ciao Namita! Thanks for checking out our content. We’re happy to hear you enjoyed reading our vegan food guide!
Giuliana Almada
Thank you so much! This post has helped me so much while planning our trip to Rome <3
MarQ Taylor
Great list I’m heading to Rome in 2wks. Thanks for looking after us vegans.