All Flavor, No Meat: A Vegetarian Journey Through India, Vietnam & Japan
Hello and welcome! I recently took a six-week trip across Asia that took me from the foothills of the Himalayas to the streets of Shibuya. I experienced beautiful cultural traditions, took in incredible views, and had a lot of great (vegetarian) food. Eating vegetarian in some parts of Asia is not always the easiest thing, so I’m here to share some tips and great eats.
Credentials: Seven years as a vegetarian, who’s spent a lot of time in meat-centered places and knows how to find a great veg meal.
First stop on my trip was India. I spent three weeks in Rishikesh, India, a vibrant town in northern India at the foothills of the Himalayas. India, and especially Rishikesh, may be one of the easiest places in the world to eat a vegetarian diet. The cultural and religious roots in Hinduism and yogic philosophy, which place an emphasis on nonviolence (or ahimsa), have a major impact on local cuisine. Don’t get me wrong- you’ll find meat in India, no problem. But for me, it’s the only place I’ve ever visited where vegetarian feels like the default.
While in Rishikesh, I surprised to visit restaurants that only had vegetarian food on the menu. My favorite meal was at Rajasthani Jalpan Grih Evam Bhojanalaya, which offers an extensive all-veg menu.
The food here is outstanding. We ordered several dishes to share and each one was excellent. This is the kind of place where you want to keep ordering even when you’re full, just to try it all.
What I enjoyed most was getting to fully experience a local cuisine, which is not always possible on a vegetarian diet.
Other standouts in Rishikesh included cheese-stuffed naan, paneer rolls, and banana cinnamon lassi.
Next stop, Vietnam. I visited Ho Chi Minh City first and then traveled up to Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. Overall, there are definitely great vegetarian options, but you may want to do some extra planning to find them.
An easy veg option is Pizza 4P’s, a highly-rated chain restaurant that blends Italian cuisine with some Vietnamese elements. The pizza here is good, but I really enjoyed their Zero-Crab Cream Tomato Spaghetti. I had seen the iconic crab spaghetti at a few other places, so when I saw the vegetarian version at Pizza 4P’s I had to try it, and it did not disappoint!
This trip also began an obsession with banh mi. I couldn’t resist trying every vegetarian banh mi I came across- and I came across quite a few! Overall, the best one I had was at Banh Mi 74 in Ho Chi Minh City. It was a quick bite after seeing the AO show at the Saigon Opera House, but it ended up being the best banh mi of the trip.
I also did a couple of day trip tours to the Mekong Delta and Ha Long Bay while in Vietnam, and was really happy that the tour operators provided great vegetarian options for classic Vietnam dishes including spring rolls, savory pancakes, and fried rice.
From Vietnam, I traveled to Shanghai, China for three days. On my first night, by the time I got to my hostel it was dark outside and I was already so overwhelmed (navigating WeChat and DiDi and Alipay was more challenging than I expected)… so when I saw a Pizza Hut was right next door, I shamelessly wandered into the near-empty restaurant to grab a cheese pizza to go. The familiarity was comforting, and sometimes when you’re traveling for a while that’s just what you need.
I was a bit at a loss for finding good vegetarian options, and I wasn’t able to fall back on using Google Maps to find reviews and menus. So, I gave Happy Cow a chance. For those who aren’t familiar, Happy Cow is an app to find vegan and vegetarian restaurants, and it has loads of helpful photos and reviews from the community of users. I was surprised to see a good amount of options in Shanghai, and used that as a source for finding some meals.
Sadly, I ended up eating at more Western places than I planned. However, a highlight of the trip was the Xuyan Immersive Tang Dynasty Banquet, which has a concept similar to Medieval Times. I always love dinner and a show, and any chance to dress up, so I was excited for this.
At Xuyan, I wasn’t sure if vegetarian food could be provided, but I made the request anyway and was happy they were able to accommodate me. The vegetarian alternative dishes were primarily steamed vegetables, but the staff was very attentive and always made it clear that the dishes were vegetarian, which was really appreciated.
Overall, I think this is a really unique and fun experience worth doing- and vegetarian-friendly!
The final leg of my trip was a week in Japan, traveling to Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. I had heard it can be difficult to eat a vegetarian diet in Japan- and even things that seem veg may have some meat-based ingredients, like dashi. Happy Cow came in handy here, along with browsing Instagram and TikTok for posts about vegan/veg food in Japan.
Good veg eats in Japan-
Osaka- I really enjoyed Paprika Shokudo Vegan, which has a fully-vegan menu and a cosy environment. I really enjoyed their take on “fried oysters”
OKO Takoyaki, with another all-vegan menu, has a fun atmosphere and great takoyaki- I loved the original sauce flavoring but they have several options
Kyoto- Favorite meal of this trip was at Otowa Saryo, a cosy restaurant in a traditional teahouse tucked onto a quiet path in Asahizaka. The “kitsune” soba noodles with tofu was too good! I also had a great creamy vegan ramen at Moon and Back near Nishiki Market.
Most of my other culinary joys in Japan were the sweet treats, from mochi to candied strawberries. And of course, matcha! Highlights also included convenience store treats like yaki grilled rice onigiri and strawberry-cream sandos. Overall, Japan has great vegetarian options, including meat-free variations of classic Japanese dishes. My favorite meal at Otowa Saryo was just luck, but most of my great meals I owe to Happy Cow.
In six weeks of travel across Asia, I had a lot of great meals and got to experience culture through food in the places I visited. For those who follow a vegetarian diet, eating while traveling can sometimes be more of a chore and you can feel like you’re missing out. There were times I felt like that, but overall I was happy to find so many great options. I hope this post will share some useful information to fellow vegetarians or anyone who enjoys great food!