September 25, 2019

Vancouver, BC Vegan Travel Guide

I have been fortunate enough to have visited Vancouver twice, as the first time I came with my family and it rained everyday and was freezing cold. I am so happy I got to come back and visit in the summer. The weather was perfect on my second visit and I was able to walk everywhere and even celebrate O’ Canada Day! I hope you enjoy my Vancouver Vegan Travel Guide!

Cafes

I didn’t have a chance to go to any cafes, but I did pass by a multitude of very cute and modern cafes ranging from small to large interiors in Gastown. If you are looking for a good cup of coffee I would highly recommend roaming the area and I promise you’ll find a great one on every block.

I will try to update my Vancouver Vegan Travel Guide when I get to visit Vancouver again!

Breakfast/Brunch

Everyday I went for a run in the morning, so I didn’t have breakfast or brunch anywhere special, but the lunch places I visited had breakfast items!

Lunch

There were endless amounts of places that I wanted to try for lunch, but with only 2 days to explore and using only public transportation, I needed to limit myself. Some other great places that I didn’t get a chance to checkout were The Green Mustache Organic Cafe (North Vancouver), Buddha-Full (North Vancouver), Po Kong Vegetarian Restaurant (East Vancouver), and Peaceful Restaurant for Dim Sum (Downtown).

3G Vegetarian

Located off the beaten path, I was able to find some great vegan dim sum! I ordered some of my favorite classics such as the Veggie Rice Roll with Veggie XO Sauce, Steamed Sticky Rice with Chick’n, Steamed Veggie Shrimp Dumpling, Steamed Veggie Pork Shui Mai, and Crispy Taro Roll. I was a bit worried because the place was completed empty, but the food was great and came out fast!

The Rolling Cashew

On O’ Canada Day, I was walking around Robson Street and noticed the Rolling Cashew food truck posted on the side of the road. I was so excited because I didn’t think I would actually find any of the Vegan Food Trucks. I decided to get their Sandwich Combo because it came with their Signature Toasted Sandwich (garlic cashew cheese, zucchini, red pepper, caramelized onion, meatless pate, kale/spring mix), Crokets (potato croquettes with wasabi mayo), and a side salad. It absolutely hit the spot and was delicious!

The Juice Truck

Located in different spots throughout Vancouver, I went to the Yaletown location and got my beloved Green Juice (kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, parsley, lime, ginger), The Almost Poke Bowl (sesame marinated Ahimi, romaine heats, curly kale, radicchio, quinoa, yams, edamame, carrots, pickled ginger, wasabi peas, crispy onion, crispy nori, wasabi dressing), Cacao Coconut Bar (Walnuts, pecans, cacao, coconut meat, coconut flakes, raisins, maple syrup), and Almond Cup. I loved the Poke Bowl and it was the perfect healthy bowl my body was craving. The inside is small, but great for a quick or on the go meal. I know the Main Street location offers Vegan Soft Serve Ice Cream as well.

Indico Age

Making our way towards Gastown from Robson Street, I stumbled upon Indico Age Cafe because I saw “vegan” in the name. I knew the name sounded familiar and realized that they offered a Vegan High Tea that I really wanted to try, but you need to make a reservation ahead of time. We ended up popping inside and tried a couple of their dessert items. Their food looked amazing and I believe this is an all raw vegan cafe. The desserts we ordered were the Key Lime Pie (avocado, coconut, blue agave nectar, spinach, dates, almonds) and Bread Pudding (coconut, bread, blue agave nectar, vanilla). I loved the Bread Pudding and it was interesting eating it cold rather than warm, but it was actually the best Bread Pudding I’ve ever tried.

Dinner

Again, there were endless options of places to eat for dinner that I didn’t get to try, so some of the places that I didn’t get to were Meet, which has multiple locations in Yaletown, Gastown, and Main Street, and The Acorn on Main Street.

Heirloom

I wanted to go to at least one nice dinner while in Vancouver and I had to decide between Heirloom and The Acorn. I decided to go with Heirloom because it was closer to where we were staying. The inside was decorated like a modern farm house theme. I had the hardest time trying to make a decision on what to order, but I ended up going with their Kale Caesar (kale, romaine, Caesar dressing, cornbread croutons, crispy capers, cashew parmesan, beet chips) and Pappardelle (vegan maccharoni, roasted squash, mushrooms, asparagus, vegan cashewr rose, lemon, parmesan). I read reviews saying to order the Kale Caesar and I was hesitant because I don’t like ordering salads when eating out, but I can’t stress enough that you absolutely must order the Kale Caesar. It was amazing and I loved the crispy capers and beet chips the most!

Virtuous Pie

Everyone raved about the pizza here and my boyfriend is obsessed with good pizza, so we made it a mission to make sure we stopped by Virtuous Pie. We started with some Garlic Knots (house made knots, chili flakes, parmesan, parsley, garlic ranch), which were warm, soft, and were perfect to dip in the ranch sauce. We then ordered two pizzas: the Stranger Wings (bianca sauce, spicy buffalo cauliflower, crisp fried shallots, blue cheese drizzle, scallion) and Pesto CBR (bianca sauce, pesto chicken, chili broccoli, sun dried tomato, cashew mozzrella, bacon, ranch drizzle, arugula). My favorite was the Stranger Wings and their pizza definitely met and exceeded all my expectations. I wish I got to try their Mac and Cheese starter or Skillet Cookie dessert because those looked amazing!

Sweets

Umaluma

Located near Chinatown, this small dairy-free gelato shop was serving up a vast variety of delicious ice cream! Not all the flavors are vegan, as half of the flavors contain honey, but they are all clearly marked. The two flavors that I got were Umaluma Love (raspberries, vegan fudge, macadamia nuts, caramel) and Pistachio served up in a Charcoal Waffle Cone. My favorite was definitely the Pistachio because it wasn’t too sweet and was perfectly salty as pistachio gelato should be. I will warn you that this gelato is not cheap!

Cartems Donuts

Located throughout Vancouver, this fun and modern donut shop has many vegan options. Half of the donuts were vegan! I got to try their Apple Fritter, Fuzzy Peach, and Earl Grey donuts. I thought their Apple Fritter was the best one I’ve ever had. The Earl Grey was a cake donut and had an amazing and interesting taste. The Fuzzy Peach was definitely my favorite out of all the donuts and reminded me of my favorite Grape Ape donut from Voodoo.

Vegan Pudding & Co.

On our way to Gastown from Robson Street, I found this cute little kiosk serving vegan pudding! There were so many different options all in Soy or Coconut base. I went with the Matcha Soy Pudding with Black Sesame Sauceand Coconut Whip Cream. I loved the texture and the Black Sesame Sauce worked perfectly with the Matcha.

Meet Fresh

I was craving a dessert that wasn’t too sweet and open late. Luckily, our Airbnb was right off Robson Street and I was able to find this place located less than half a mile away. This traditional Taiwanese dessert joint had a huge menu that was a bit difficult to navigate what was vegan, but I finally came to a decision and ordered the Hot Taro Ball served with red bean soup, steamed taro chunks, taro balls, and mochi balls. On the side I got Mung Bean Cakes, Peanut Butter Mochi, and Sesame Mochi. I loved everything because it was a perfect night cap! I even went there two days in a row because it was so good!

Areas to Explore

Robson Street

This iconic attraction is definitely a great place to stop by if you have never been before, but be warned it is always very crowded and busy. It is fun to watch the guys in the very front entrance toss around some fish and if you walk down the alley on the right hand side you’ll find the famous gum wall as well. If you are visiting during Strawberry or Cherry season, then I highly recommend picking up some!

Granville Island

I was able to make my way over to this fun little island by ferry and it was filled with so many little shops and food vendors. The best way to describe the inside of the Public Market is a permanent Farmer’s Market. There are a multitude of different vendors for vegetables, fruits, pasta, pastries, and the list goes on and on. I came here on Canada’s Independence day, so it was much more packed than usual because there was a parade throughout the island.

Stanley Park

The first time I visited Vancouver it was raining and we simply drove through the park. This time the weather was perfect and I actually ran through the park for my morning and evening runs. My first run I went through the park in the afternoon. My favorite run was in the morning and I ran along the water. It was incredibly peaceful and the views were amazing. I highly recommend stumbling into the park.

Gastown

This was definitely a type of place you want to explore to eat, drink, or shop. The streets were cobble stone and lined with the iconic gas lamp lights. It was fairly packed with people, as it was peak tourist season; however, it doesn’t take away from the experience.

Chinatown

I have seen my fair share of Chinatowns, as it seems like it was always on the list of places to visit on all my family vacations growing up. But this has got to be the largest Chinatown I have ever seen. I knew the Chinese scene in Vancouver was substantial, but I had no idea it was this large scale. The food looked authentic and amazing. I just wish I could of found some great vegan options.

Yaletown

One word to describe this area would be… boujee. It is definitely the hip and hopping, yet fun area to live as a young adult. There were all your classic expensive clothing brands, workout studios, and healthy franchises. By all means, I loved every bit of it. I didn’t have a chance to go out at night, but if you do this area is the place to hit up!

As I mentioned before, I had already visited Vancouver with my family, but it was such a different experience being able to travel back and do what I wanted and eat what I wanted. I was blessed with amazing weather and this trip was my very first trip on my own, without my family, and on my own dime. I fell in love with Canada, as I do everytime I visit and I can’t wait to plan another trip back one day to the amazing outdoors.

Please enjoy my Vancouver Vegan Travel Guide and let me know how you liked it in the comments below or on my social media platforms!
– Janelle