My Florence vegan experience
Are you ready to go on a culinary trip to Florence with me?
Let me first tell you from my experience that Italy hasn't adopted many vegan meals yet. Being vegetarian there is very easy but as a vegan you need to double check all ingredients with the waitress and even then, you can't be sure that the meal is 100% vegan. They might try to sneak some butter in your meal as they believe that the taste without it wouldn't be as good as it should be.
What you can do is tell them that you're dairy intolerant (even when you're not) to avoid any surprises. There are just a few vegan places in Florence so if you stay for more than a couple of days you might feel like going to non- vegan places too 😊
RAW
Raw is a cute little place located on Via Sant'Agostino, 11R. Opening hours are from 11 AM until 6 PM. I'm not such a fan of completely raw meals as I like warm food a lot, but I wanted to try it as I read very positive reviews.
It is a kind of a self- service restaurant. If you want a drink from the fridge you can take it yourself. If you order something what is already prepared you just ask the cashier and he will give it to you. But if you order a main or a smoothie you just take a seat and they will bring the meal to you. It is a very strange principle but it seems to work.
The interior is very unique with many wooden elements. It's very cozy and you will instantly feel relaxed. It's like being having your lunch in the nature.
The staff is very friendly and professional. They prepare all meals themselves and can easily answer all your questions.
They offer variety of raw meals and all their products are raw vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free, dairy free, and free from artificial preservatives.
Everything sounds so delicious that you will struggle to choose. They offer menus including: wraps, a burger, pizzas, avocado toast, various bowls, Zoodles, Pad Thai or spring rolls (each menu is EUR 8.50), cold pressed juices (EUR 4.00 - EUR 6.50), energy shots (EUR 3.50), breakfast bowls (EUR 7.00 - EUR 7.50), smoothies (EUR 6.50) and last but not least delicious raw vegan gelato (EUR 3.50 - EUR 4.50). They also have fresh coconuts! (EUR 6.50)
We ordered a few meals and decided to try a little bit of everything. I don't have all of them on my photos as my friend was very hungry and started munching on her Zoodles before I had a chance to take a photo 😊
First meal was the Classic wrap. It was filled with lettuce, spinach, carrots, avocado, cabbage, pesto and peanut sauce. It also came with some dehydrated celery chips sprinkled with sesame seeds. It was so good that I ate it all before my husband had a chance to try one. Well, if something is so good I can't stop eating until it's gone 😊
The size of the portion was quite big and perfect to share. It was fresh and crunchy. I've never had the combination of pesto with peanut sauce and I was positively surprised. It was delicious!
I also liked their presentation on a black stone plate and I loved that they are using bamboo cutlery set. I was very excited until I got my juice served in plastic cup with a plastic straw. Looks like their concept is not perfect yet.
Next meal that we ordered was Pad Thai. To be honest it was exactly what we had in the Classic wrap just without pesto and with addition of arugula, peanuts and zucchini. The presentation was nice, and the peanut sauce was served separately so we could decide how much we wanted to use. Overall it was very tasty, but it was too similar to what we had before.
What I loved were those two tiny pieces of bread. I have asked about the recipe, but they were not willing to share it. They only said it was made from dehydrated vegetables and seeds. I spotted some pieces of tomatoes and onions, but I was not able to say what else they used. It was so good! The taste was strong and it kind of chewy.
The last meal that we ordered were the Spring roles. We were not sure what to expect as the spring rolls in Indonesia are deep fried and this doesn't go together with principles of raw eating. These ones were however wrapped in rice paper.
This was my favorite meal! The vegetables used were very similar to the other two meals, but the sauce was so good. It was a little bit spicy as well. We also got some flax seeds chips that were very good too.
I have enjoyed the atmosphere in the restaurant. The guys were very friendly and they all spoke good English, so it was easy to communicate.
The only minus point I would give them would be for dirty tables and plastic straws/cups. These are just minor issues that can be resolved quickly and I'm sure that this place should be on your list of restaurants to visit 😊
Shake cafe
Shake cafe is a super trendy cafe located on Via del Corso, 26. It's open every day from 7 AM to 7.30 PM. It is a small place with high ceiling, big windows and cool trendy interior.
It's mainly vegetarian cafe but they have many vegan options. They even serve vegan croissants - plain, chocolate or with jam! But you need to come early in the morning to get these as they're gone very fast.
They only have a few tables available and many people order something to take away. The service is very nice and fast. You place the order, take a seat and wait until they announce your meal. You go to the counter, collect your order and enjoy it. I saw a few people order the same but somehow the waitresses know who came in first so that it doesn't get mixed up.
Their menu is changing every season and in summer they have these vegan options available: bagel (EUR 4.50), sandwich (EUR 7.00), various salads (EUR 8.00), wraps (EUR 6.00), smoothie bowls (EUR 7.00), smoothies (EUR 4.00 - EUR 5.00), super smoothies (EUR 6.50) - you can choose from aloe vera, raw cacao or green matcha and elixis shots (EUR 3.00) - ginger, turmeric, lemon or cayenne pepper.
They have also big selection of warm beverages. I took matcha latte with blue matcha instead of the green one. It has a nice blue color but I don't think there is much difference in taste.
We went there for breakfast and ordered one Energy smoothie (blackberries, blueberries, almonds, banana), Matcha green smoothie, a vegan bagel, a vegan sandwich and a croissant filled with blueberry jam. All of it was so yummy! Next day we came there just to get some croissants to go as they were so good!
Vegan bagel was filled with spirulina hummus, sun dried tomatoes and spinach and vegan sandwich was filled with hummus, lettuce, sun dry tomatoes and carrots. Both of them were perfectly toasted.
This is a lovely place for everybody. It doesn't matter if you're omnivore, vegetarian or vegan. You will surely be happy with these delicious meals. It is the best place to visit in Florence if you're looking for quick and fresh meals to go!
Universo Vegano
Universo Vegano is a vegan fast food located on Via Pietrapiana, 47r and it is open everyday from 10 AM to 10.30 PM. However they stop serving food at 4 PM and start again at 6PM.
First of all, we thought it was a very nice place. It looked fresh and clear. They serve variety of vegan croissants including ones with turmeric, ginger/lemon or blackberry jam.
They also have huge variety of vegan sweets that I didn't even know could be made vegan. We came here directly from the airport. We were so hungry but they haven't started to serve the lunch yet, so we settled for some croissants and one sweet treat. I tried their tiramisu which tasted heavenly.
We thought we will come again as their menu looked interesting. They offer various lasagna, risotto, pizza and pasta all priced reasonably (EUR 7.50 - EUR 9.50). They also have salads (EUR 6.90 - EUR 8.00), burgers (EUR 7.00 - EUR 9.00), sandwiches (EUR 7.00 - EUR 7.50) and wraps (EUR 6.50 - EUR 8.00). They have a couple of English menus so just ask them if you need one.
We were so looking forward to come again and so we did.
I think we didn't choose the right time or the right day as the cook (the one on the photo) was a bit grumpy.
I was looking forward to order gnocchi with tomato sauce and he told me they didn't have them anymore. I wanted to change my order and get one of their burgers. They didn't have it either. At this point I was getting a tiny bit frustrated. I tried and asked for a sandwich. When I got to hear that they didn't have it I asked him if he could kindly tell me what they have so that we don't spend the rest of the day ordering. Now he seemed to be a little grumpier than before and told me they only had pizza. I said Thank you and left.
I can't say how their meals were, but I know I wouldn't go there anymore. I don't understand why they offer so many meals and then they don't prepare enough to serve throughout the day. It doesn't make any sense.
But the croissant and tiramisu that I had the day before were delicious.
If you happen to be in Florence and get a chance to go there I would like to know your opinion about the service and the food - if you manage to get something to eat 😊
Carduccio
Carduccio is located on Sdrucciolo de' Pitti, 10/R, just a few streets away from Palazzo Piti.
It is a vegetarian restaurant where you can also buy some local products including some olive oil, vinegar, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, fresh fruits and many more. It is open everyday from 8 AM to 7 PM.
Vegan options include burgers (EUR 10.70), cous cous from the oven (EUR 10.70), buddha bowls (EUR 14.50), salads (EUR 12.00) and smoothie bowls (EUR 8.50 - EUR 9.20). They also have almond milk so you can enjoy your favorite coffee. I had a cappuccino and it came with perfect foam.
If the menu says cous cous from the oven then you would expect it to be warm, right? Well, it wasn't. I'm sure it was kept in fridge as it was cold. We asked the waitress to heat it up. It took her 10 minutes to come back again and guess what? It was still cold.
I don't like food waste so we ate it as we understood it didn't make sense to ask her again. It was not as fluffy as it should be but it was rather dry. It didn't have much taste but the veggies were cooked very well.
When I saw my burger I was surprised. I was expecting a patty in a bun - this is what we call a burger. Instead I got this patty with too much mayo and onions on it served on lots of iceberg lettuce, some radishes and tomatoes sprinkled with chia seeds. I couldn't hide my disappointment. It also didn't taste that good.
I think that the idea of this place is OK, but it is missing nice finishing touches that would make you smile. Overall it was too expensive for what you get. But it's up to you if you try it or not.
Of course, I ordered that fresh coconut! 😊 It took me ages to get the meat out of the shell using this special knife. I was not used to it but I'm sure that I would learn how to use it if I would eat about ten more coconuts 😊
As I mentioned before Italy is not that vegan friendly in general. But it is still one of the most beautiful countries in the world 😊
I hope that my guide will help you when you visit Florence. And please let me know if there would be any new vegan places opened in the meantime.
Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Martina
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So many details! the coconut looks Delicious!
Thank you for stopping by! Oh, it was :) and it was refreshing as well!
RAW seems amazing! Saved for a future visit to Florence @delishtreats!
Thank you for stopping by! :) I hope you'll make it to Florence soon! :)
Hi Martina!! This was a wonderful read, accompanied by lovely photos. It is such very useful work you are doing for us too. There is nothing worse than being disappointed when you sit down to eat out so you reviewing places in such a beautifully detailed way is a real blessing.
There were a lot of very delicious sounding things on the menus that seemed to out number the disappointments overall. I haven’t found Italy the easiest place to eat if you want vegetarian and not pasta dishes the past when visiting so glad that things seem to be really improving.
None of these places seemed to have the sort of furniture that would be comfortable for too long. Stools seem to be the thing and small table tops. Fine for espresso bars and fast food but for a proper full on meal with friends I prefer free standing tables where you can sit opposite each other and not stuck to the wall tabletops where you must sit side by side.
Your opening photo over the water is fabulous!! All the photos are. It has been a wonderful educational read. Thanks as always for your superb qualit posts. We love them!
💚🦋🌴🌈🦋🌴🌈🦋🌴🌈🦋💚
Hi my dear Sallybeth! :) To be honest we were expecting so much more from Florence. There are plenty of tourists and I thought they would take a chance and do it a bit differently. I hope it will grow faster in coming years :)
You are right! I think they don't want people to sit there for too long and this is why they put there uncomfortable furniture. We were looking for a typical Italian trattoria but of course they don't have any that is vegan and we even struggled to find simple spaghetti aglio olio or al arrabiata. It seems like they include either fish, meat or cream everywhere. The most frustrating part was that most of the restaurants don't even serve dried pasta. It's mainly fresh and made with eggs.
Vegan places are too small to accommodate many people and most of them were self service which for me means kind of a fast food. But at least we got some food.
Just wait for the review from Berlin. It will be soooo different! :)
Thank you for stopping by my dear! :)
What an awesome experience. Because we are about to embark on a traveling journey I often look up how difficult or easy it may be to order food in various countries. So far I’ve read that Thailand may be the most challenging place to order plant based… I guess we just won’t know until we get there.
What a great share, thank you for all the eating tips when traveling in Italy. It’s a pleasure to read about your journey.
I think that in Thailand you need to be very careful with the ingredients. Just learn a couple of phrases and you'll be fine :)
Thank you so much for stopping by! If you would ever try any of those please let me know :)
I will definitely let you know if we end up in Italy. A friend suggested I have a few things written down too, I thought that was genius. Enjoy your travels 🤙
This is a great review of vegan eateries in Florence Martina! Your honest and in depth talk of the places is so needed. Being a veggie/vegan is more challenging in Spain too, and sometimes the food ends up being very bland. It's a bit disheartening when you are out for a meal and that happens so it's a relief to know I am not alone when I am sometimes left wondering what is going on??? Like I bet you were when you were served a soggy patty on lettuce with no bun!!
Overall Shake Cafe looked and sounded like the best place out of all - I was salivating at the thought of those bagels & sandwiches!!!
Thanks for another great post! :D
Thank you so much for stopping by my dear! You are right! But well, this is how it is in Europe nowadays. I hope that the options will be better soon :)
I would go for Shake Cafe too! :)
Another very thorough review! It is great to hear both the good and the bad as I know that can definitely help other vegans who may end up there in their own travels. That seems to be the case in a lot of places that vegetarian really isn't too hard, but those restaurants always sneak butter, lard or any number of animal products in the most unlikely places. My sister has a sensitivity to onions and garlic. It isn't really a full-blown allergy, but it makes her feel quite ill to eat them. Unfortunately she usually has to resort to telling a restaurant it is in fact an allergy just to be sure they won't put it in there. Being allergic to cruelty can be a thing, right?
Thank you for your comment Katie. I didn't feel very comfortable posting the negative stuff too but well, the review must be honest and not everything is good :) I'm glad you like the review like this.
It is so hard with allergies in some countries. Sometimes you feel like a fool when you try to CONVINCE the waiter not to bring you something you can't have.
Oh, I love onions and garlic. It would make me very sad if I couldn't eat them anymore. I hope she doesn't enjoy the taste of them then :)
You presented it in a very honest way, so it doesn't come off in a bad way at all. Many times constructive criticism is a good motivator for restaurants to do better! 🙂
Luckily my family has gotten good at subbing for onions and garlic when we all get together. She does have a hard time eating out though because it's in everything! I think some places are easier for me even to get a vegan meal than her avoid those.
I used to be a short term vegan. Dropped out because it is a bit too expensive to keep up =(
But i still consume more vegetables than meat
I think it really depends on in which country you live. It is also very expensive in Switzerland. If you go to a restaurant you'll pay even more for a vegan meal than for a piece of steak. It is sad but they are using the growing community to make profit.
On the other hand in Czech Republic you pay much less and the food is so good!
I agree that it might be more expensive but if you try to cook at home it should be fine. This is how we almost stopped going to restaurants. And if we go now then it feels like a treat :)
Thank you for stopping by!
Well, then is definitely worth it! since it is 10 times healthier than eating out =)
Yes, it is. And I love cooking so it's perfect for me :)
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Thank you! It's so nice to see your upvote!
I can see you are doing research for your own restaurant one day! Looks like lots of fun! :D
How can you know me so well!?? :D It's true, I travel to visit vegan places and also to gather inspiration for my own concept :)
@delishtreats let's just say I had a hunch! I think you will make a great owner of a vegan restaurant one day!
Wow what a great post. Such great content. Each review would be great by itself but together its like a restaurant guide! Great photography. I think I would start with Raw. Now if only I could get to Florence...
Thank you so much for your kind words! :) I hope you will get there soon!
I'm glad you like it and I hope it will help you once you're in Florence :)