As much as vegetarians and vegans look forward to the Vegetarian Festival, the food itself may not be much to get excited about.
With easy access to snacks and meals in the streets, it’s an opportunity to live like the other half for a couple weeks – or being Bangkok, perhaps the other 99 percent.
It’s also a time of dread for some of the urban Thai whose families recognize the holiday by adopting strictly je diets. It’s an understandable attitude when you consider that je food, by design, is mostly bland and blander.
In the spirit of sacrifice, eating je – stricter than vegan – is to renounce not just meat but “strong” flavors including overly “emotional” vegetables such as garlic and onion.
Meanwhile flavor lives on in the world of delicious vegetarian and vegan restaurants which continue to grow on trend in the capital. Years ago one had only a handful of reliable haunts such as May Kaidee, but the rapidly changing cosmopolitan foodscape sees new places opening nigh weekly.
Whether you’re veg every day or just a tesagan warrior, here are a few delicious destinations.
Photos: Watsamon Tri-yasakda
For more than a decade, Rasayana has been a wellness retreat offering treatments such as rejuvenating massage and bum-irrigation. A hygienic distance away sits its open-air cafe that’s a surprisingly cool place to enjoy a late lunch after walking up the hot, small soi. Fair warning: Most everything but the soup at Rasayana is raw, but if you were ever raw-curious, this is the place to give it a try. Meals are about THB150 per plate with free water. Some Thai and Asian dishes accompany mostly Western vegan fare. Stuffed with avocado, coconut meat and veggies in nori roll with live sour cream, the Barley Sushi (THB170) is a good place to start. For mains a popular pick is the Mushroom Burger (THB180), which comes stacked between delicious sunflower onion flatbread. Warning: Tricky to find.
Vegan/Raw. Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner
Open 9am – 9pm, every day
BTS Phrom Phong
Photos: Watsamon Tri-yasakda
Brown Eyes has been a reliable tasty source of good vegetarian cooking for decades, but it’s the only entry on our list that doesn’t pass the purity test. Because we’re pragmatic and sometimes you want to eat with rabidly close-minded carnivores. About a year ago it moved into Soi Sukhumvit 12, just past Cabbages and Condoms. Don’t feel guilty if you start with the soy soft-serve tastiness we’ve written about before. Otherwise there are some solid vegetarian and vegan options among a range of Thai, Japanese pasta and Italian fare, with dishes around THB200.
Vegetarian-friendly.
Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Open 11:30am – 3:30pm, 6pm – 9:30pm every day except Tuesday
BTS Asoke
Photos: Loving Hut
Supreme Master Ching Hai’s global satellite cult preaching peace through veganism from Southern California may have gone off the air, but her hundreds of restaurants remain around the world. The Rama III Road Loving Hut – one of two in Bangkok – has a big menu of 100-percent vegan dishes with dishes from across the pan-Asian spectrum. Dishes run from around THB80 to 160.
Vegan. Serves lunch and dinner
Open 11:00am – 10pm, every day
BRT Rama IX Bridge
Photos: Bonita Cafe and Social Club
Just down Thanon Pan from the riotously colorful Sri Maha Mariamman hindu temple sits the cozy dining room of the Bonita Cafe and Social Club. It’s 100 percent vegan and prices are on the high side for Bangkok. Soy coffees made with imported, organic Silk, italian sodas and fruit juices accompany whole-wheat and gluten-free pasta dishes, pancakes and a selection of raw dishes. Mains include a club sandwich with vegan scrambled eggs, fake bacon, avocado and vegan mayonnaise (THB290), a teriyaki burger (THB200) and pizza plate (THB250). The chocolate cupcakes, mousse and other desserts are surprisingly tasty. Bonus: Frolicking kitties.
Vegan. Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Open 11:30am – 3:30pm, 6pm – 9:30pm every day except Tuesday
BTS Surasak
That’s just a few, so please leave a comment with your favorite.
Related:
Due to math, next month’s vegetarian festival will happen twice
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