best vegan restaurants in Istanbul

• The webpage is a Reddit thread titled “another visiting istanbul post. (vegan) (hidden gems?)” originally posted 2 months ago.
• The post is largely a discussion among Reddit users about recommended vegan restaurants and cafes in Istanbul.
• The first comment suggests Turp, Rulo Lezzetler, and Limonita Club on the Asian side for vegan options.
• However, another user strongly disagrees with the recommendation for Rulo, criticizing their food and employment practices.
• Other users suggest checking HappyCow for a more comprehensive list of vegan-friendly restaurants in Istanbul.
• Several users provide lists of their favorite vegan/vegan-friendly restaurants and cafes in Istanbul, often with specific recommendations and notes:
  • Favorites in Kadikoy: Vatka Vegan, Sisters & Harvest (an all vegan bakery with great desserts), Mahatma Cafe (claimed to be Istanbul’s first fully vegan cafe), Veganarsist, Kem Kum Egyptian Cafe, Turp
  • Euro-side favorites: Vegan Dukkan, Vegan Masa, Kafe NASanat, Falafel Zone
  • Other: House Cafe (with a good vegan burger), Veganzza (offering vegan pizza with their own vegan cheese), Tahin (has a vegan menu with falafel and batata harra), Helvetia (a non-vegan restaurant with vegan options like homecooked traditional dishes).
• Vegan Masa is criticized by one commenter for being just a shop, not a restaurant.
• Veganarsist is described as having excellent vegan food but a small space.
• Some users raise concerns about the availability of vegan options at high-end or fine dining restaurants in Istanbul.
• Overall, the thread provides many recommendations and opinions on vegan restaurants in Istanbul, but readers may need to do further research to determine the accuracy and usefulness of each recommendation.

• Turkish cuisine is known for kebabs and meat-based dishes.
• Istanbul has a wide range of vegan options.
• Veganism is becoming increasingly popular in Turkey.
• Limonita has multiple branches and offers vegan meat alternatives like sucuk, kebab, and tantuni.
• Vegan Community Kitchen offers homemade vegan meals and a great ambiance.
• Bi Nevi Deli offers vegan, gluten-free products, sugar-free desserts, and unique vegan options.
• Healin Foods is a sophisticated and pricey restaurant that offers high-quality vegan and gluten-free food, including healthy shots.
• Vegan Istanbul offers a cozy all-vegan menu in a tiny shop that also serves as a market offering plant-based milk, different jams, and more.
• Sisters & Harvest is a vegan bakery located in Kadikoy that offers cakes, pastries, magnolia dessert, and flowers for purchase.
• Kem Küm Egyptian Vegan Restaurant has a different menu and offers falafel and hummus as standouts.
• The blog article is mainly about vegan options of Turkish cuisine.
• The author is an Istanbulite who loves exploring the ancient city and is trying to do the best for nature.

• A list of vegan dishes and restaurants in Istanbul compiled by the author based on their personal experience.
• The author assures that the website contains no ads and no paid reviews.
• The list includes 11 restaurants and cafes offering vegan options in Istanbul.
• These options vary from traditional Turkish cuisine to international cuisine such as Italian, Mexican, and Indian.
• The author provides brief descriptions of each restaurant, including their location and what vegan dishes are offered.
• The author also includes a note about asking for specific vegan options, even in places that don’t necessarily advertise themselves as vegan.
• One Reddit user in the comments section warns that some vegan dishes can still contain non-vegan ingredients such as meat stock or bouillon cubes with animal products.
• Another user recommends using Happy Cow, an app/website dedicated to helping people find vegan-friendly restaurants and cafes.
• One user recommends three new fancy vegan bakeries on the Asian side of Istanbul that have opened recently: Sisters & Harvest, Cico Cebali, and Ethique.
• The same user also mentions that the vegan scene in Istanbul is massive and that new places are opening every day.
• Another user warns that some pilavcilar (rice sellers) may use butter in their rice, so it’s always best to ask before ordering.
• The user suggests asking about butter in other dishes like the beans and lentil soup as well.
• One user expresses gratitude and thanks the author by mentioning their Reddit username, who is PETA Gaming.

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• W is a travel and tourism website that provides information about hotels, flights, vacation rentals, travel guides, and restaurants across the world.
• The website has an entire section dedicated to restaurants in Istanbul, which includes several categories such as popular types of food, popular dishes, and popular restaurant categories.
• There are several categories of restaurants listed on the page, including African Restaurants for Breakfast, Cafés, Fast Food, Halal, Indian Restaurants with Delivery, Italian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Romantic Japanese cuisine, Seafood, Turkish, and Vegetarian.
• Additionally, visitors can find vegan-friendly restaurants in Istanbul, with more than 10 restaurants listed on the page including the restaurant type (such as Italian, Mediterranean, or Turkish), the price range ($$-$$$), and some menus.
• The website provides a map of Istanbul, with the restaurant locations pinned on the map to help visitors plan their routes and find the best options easily.
• The page also features a list of popular neighborhoods in Istanbul where visitors can find hotels and restaurants, such as Besiktas, BeyazIt, Beyoglu, Fener & Balat, Grand Bazaar, KadIkoy, Karakoy, New City / Taksim, Sisli, and Sultanahmet.
• For each restaurant in the vegan-friendly list, there is a “View Map” button that allows visitors to see the restaurant’s location on the map.
• Furthermore, there is a list of popular restaurant categories, including breakfast restaurants, lunch restaurants, dinner restaurants, bakeries, coffee & tea, desserts, food delivery restaurants, kid-friendly restaurants, late night restaurants, restaurants for group dining, restaurants for special occasions, restaurants with outdoor seating, and romantic restaurants.
• Visitors can also find a list of popular landmarks and attractions in Istanbul, such as the Hagia Sophia Mosque, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Topkapi Palace, the Sultanahmet District, the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Bosphorus Strait, the Galata Tower, the Dolmabahce Palace, and the Chora Museum.
• For each landmark on the list, there is a “Hotels near” section that recommends nearby hotels with links to their profiles on the W website.
• Lastly, visitors can find a list of hotel types in Istanbul, as well as popular amenities, popular neighborhoods for hotels, and popular hotel brands such as Hampton by Hilton, Radisson Blu Hotels, and Sheraton Hotels.

1. Zencefil–The Oldest Vegan Restaurant in Town

• Located in Taksim Square, behind the Instituto Cervantes de Estambul
• Warm, friendly atmosphere, with ginger yellow walls
• Workers maintain first-day level of excitement
• Menu posted on blackboard on the wall
• Offers some vegetarian options
• Vegan dishes include lentil balls, stuffed vegetables, leeks with chickpeas, and rice with vegetables
• Soup of the day offered; recommends carrot soup with ginger or wheat soup in warmer weather
• Portions are large and affordable
• Noisy and crowded surroundings but cozy atmosphere with calming music

2. Veganarsist–A Mythological Place to Eat

• Located in Nişantaşı
• Small restaurant with a rich menu
• Offers vegan lahmacun and vegan döner
• Affordable prices compared to other vegan restaurants
• For breakfast, recommends menemen with soujouk and plain cheese
• Serves Nefertiti Toast, Tutankhamun, Ares, Hercules, and others
• Soups include mushroom with roasted pepper, cauliflower, pumpkin, eggplant with roasted pepper, or spinach and broccoli
• Vegan meatballs and side salads available
• Offers Frodo’s pita and Antigone salad
• Cookies with chocolate, magnum and bounty bars offered
• Daily specials added to the menu from time to time
• Helpful and active personnel
• Sells vegan products and offers home deliveries

3. Bi Nevi Deli–Eat like Crazy

• Located in Etiler
• One of the fanciest places with higher prices
• Offers simplicity and healthy food in a simply designed place
• Cheesecake with pomegranate made without sugar, flour, or dairy products, cookies with chocolate, anf the magnum and bounty bars are worth the price
• Daily specials offered at times depending on the season
• Personnel is genial, active, and hard-working
• Unique desserts and main dishes available

4. KafeNAsanat–Eat and Make Art

• Located in Beşiktaş, eco-friendly in the decor designed from recycled materials
• Offers vegan meatballs and vegan pizza or burger
• Serves cheddar toast, vegan cakes, and cookies
• Affordable prices and helpful personnel
• Sells vegan products to take home with you afterward

5. Vegan Istanbul– Home Kitchen Feel

• Located in Cihangir
• Owner is friendly,

• A person moving to Istanbul is asking for recommendations of vegetarian/vegan restaurants on the European side of Istanbul.
• One user suggests mezzes which are non-meat and Aegean cuisine, while also noting that some traditional Turkish dishes are vegetarian, including yaprak sarma, nohutlu pilav, mercimek köftesi, dolma, mercimek çorbası, ezogelin çorbası, yayla çorbası, and kurufasulye, though some restaurants may use chicken or beef stock.
• Another user notes that typical çiğ köfte places are non-meat, though non-vegan çiğ köfte still exists.
• There are recommendations for Veganarsist (Nişantaşı) for vegan interpretations of local cuisine, a mention of Burger King’s plant-based burger being available at some branches, and for vegetarian options Yuzu for vegan Asian/Japanese in Kadıköy, Bi Nevi Deli for some slightly pricier but interesting options in Etiler, and Govinda for less expensive vegan/vegetarian Indian food in Mecidiyeköy.
• There is also a list of a few other vegetarian/vegan friendly restaurants such as Veganzza, Kafenasanat, Coni & Co, Biber, Tahin, Thales, So Big, Mini Eatery, Why Burger, Peymacun from Hacioglu, and Rakun Burger, but no details are given about each place.
• HappyCow website/app is recommended to find more vegetarian/vegan options in Istanbul, with a note that its listings may not be entirely accurate during the pandemic.
• Online shops with vegan products are suggested via Vegan Dünyası, Vegan Dükkan, and Vegan Bakkal. Some brands that offer vegan cheese are Trakya, Cheezmir, and Yaşam.
• A user advises looking for specific vegetarian dishes instead of restaurants and provides another Reddit post giving examples of vegetarian-friendly Turkish food.
• A few users discuss the availability of vegan cheese and other vegan items in supermarkets. Another user recommends making homemade meals, mentioning Migros as a place to buy tofu and fake meat.
• There is some quick conversation between users regarding meze dishes that are not vegetarian, with some users listing examples of meat-containing meze, and also discussing their potential ability to help despite being non-vegetarian.

• A user asks for vegan restaurant suggestions in Istanbul.
• Reddit users provide recommendations for vegan options in Istanbul.
• One user recommends Bi Nevi Deli in Beşiktaş (Etiler) for a casual option.
• Another Reddit user offers to DM the original poster with map locations of vegan restaurants and cafes.
• A third user provides a link to a website with guides to vegan food options in Istanbul, including the best fast food and Turkish breakfast spots in the city.
• Vegan Dükkan Lokanta is recommended as a new and good vegan restaurant in Istanbul.
• Some comments veer off-topic and are not related to the request for vegan restaurants.
• Users exchange friendly comments about the conversation.

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