Bangkok has everything. You want a cheap suit? Go to Thailand. You want a great massage? Go to Thailand. You want a raging nightlife? Go to Thailand. You want culture, history, and art? Go to Thailand. You want amazing vegan food at a low price? Thailand.
Thailand has been a tourist hotspot for decades, meaning there is no shortage of gluten-free, vegan, paleo, whatever other diet you can imagine options. Luckily, Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country, and many Buddhist monks practice a vegetarian diet, or something called Jay (a belief in eating foods that will not lead to any suffering). There is even a symbol for Jay food that looks like this:
Many items at 7/11 will have the symbol printed on the label. It’s an easy way to spot vegan options. There are even a few restaurants that are entirely Jay.
Everything I ate in Thailand was freaking amazing in all honesty (except the durian popsicle). Without further ado and in no particular order, here are all my favorite vegan spots in Bangkok.
1. Jae Lee
This was the first restaurant I ate at in Thailand. I’d just finished 24 hours of travel to get to Bangkok. I was exhausted and half asleep, but my Airbnb wasn’t available for another few hours. I needed food. I typed vegan into google maps, and this was the closest thing I could find.
Located in an alley in Chinatown, Jae Lee caters towards Buddhists who follow the Jay diet. I’ve also seen it spelled Lae Lee and Jay Lee. If it’s located in Chinatown and looks something like this, then you’ve found the right place.
The restaurant is half outside, half inside. There is one guy behind a massive wok cooking everything, and some ladies making samosas at a little table next to him that take collect the money. You sit on stools at a tiny table attached to a building across the street. The menu has the English words for all the food, but no descriptions. I ordered by pointing at the pictures.
After I ordered, I turned to sit down and almost got hit by a motorcycle. Never in my life did I expect to get run over by a motorcycle in a restaurant.
The food is good and cheap. My meal was less than $2, and I ended up going here a few times because it was so close to my Airbnb. Try the samosas – they’re great!
2. Ruyi Vegetarian
This was another great spot discovered by typing “vegan” into google maps. It was an authentic experience to say the least. The restaurant is enclosed and has tables and chairs. I don’t remember there being air conditioning. It’s very small and full of locals. It seemed like the waiter knew everybody.
I ordered Tom Ka without actually knowing what it was – I just liked how the picture looked on the menu. While waiting for my food, the waiter brought me this. I was stupid enough to take a sip. It was water.
Word to the wise, bring your own water because the food is spicy. I had a bottle of thai tea from 7/11 in my bag so my tongue wasn’t constantly on fire. You can’t drink the tap water in Thailand.
3. Ethos
Ethos is a vegetarian and vegan restaurant. It’s one of the most popular veggie eateries for tourists in the city, but for good reason. The food is amazing and the ambiance is so cozy. You have to take your shoes off before entering the restaurant, and then you get to sit on cushions on the floor, which is my favorite way to eat in Asian restaurants.
Be warned, the place is a little difficult to find, especially at night. It’s sort of located on a side street in a dark alley. But trust me, it’s worth the few moments of confusion you’ll face when your google maps stops working.
The menu is comprised of traditional Thai food and also some more Western dishes. I would recommend the Thai dishes. You shouldn’t be eating lasagna in Thailand in my opinion hehe.
I recommend something called morning glory. I had never heard of it until I came to Asia, but it’s so delicious. It reminds me of broccoli rabe. It’s a crunchy green veggie that looks like a combination of broccoli and spinach. It’s usually cooked with a bunch of garlic. We ordered it everywhere we went and it was SO GOOD every time. Who knew a crunchy little vegetable would be our favorite food in Thailand?
4. Broccoli Revolution
This place was the most touristy restaurant we visited, but the food was great nonetheless. The aesthetic is modern and hipster and the servers speak perfect English.
We ordered the spring rolls, green curry, and pad thai. It was a bit overpriced, but still cheaper than any Thai food you could get in America. The presentation was beautiful and the entire ambiance was perfect for a romantic dinner out. Plus it had airconditioning!
5. Khaosan Road
I’m going to group this entire street into one section because it has so many options. This is the place to go for street food. Every cart had cheap pad thai that you could easily order without the egg. Just say “Vegetable pad thai no egg please,” and you’ll have a delicious plate of food in seconds.
There are also tons of people selling freshly made coconut ice cream. Double check that it’s dairy free before you buy it.
Finally, you can’t go to Thailand without trying mango sticky rice. Sometimes they pour sweetened condensed milk on top- and we do not want that. Many places will do coconut milk instead, and Khaosan Road seemed to have a bunch of carts offering this option.
This wraps up my favorite vegan spots in Bangkok. There are so many more veg friendly places in the city, but I sadly didn’t have time to try them all. Hopefully I will be returning soon!
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Jet Lagged Gianna 