My Favorite Vegan-Friendly Spots in the Camino de Santiago Francés
Cúrcuma, a vegetarian restaurant in Burgos
Walking the Camino de Santiago was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. It was challenging, spiritual, fulfilling, emotional, not to mention it gave me confidence, peace of mind, stories to tell, and friends to cherish forever.
Also known as Saint James’ Way, this network of ancient pilgrim routes that stretch across Europe is walked by approximately 350,000 pilgrims every year. I chose to walk the Francés route, which is the traditional one, and therefore the most popular (but I swear there were many days in which I barely saw anyone on the trails!).
I’ve already shared some of my experience and my tips in my blog post “How I Managed to Eat as a Vegan in the Camino de Santiago”, so make sure to check it out!
This time, however, I’m going to talk about the ‘where to’, instead of the ‘how to’. To create this list, I revived my Camino and went back to my photos and map pins to track down all the restaurants, albergues, and stores where I had amazing vegan food! The most budget-friendly option (and the friendliest one for me also because I’m vegan and celiac) is always to cook or prepare your own food. However, there is no better feeling than stopping at a restaurant after walking many kilometers, sitting at a table, and waiting for a local to bring you some homemade vegan food.
Make sure to save these spots on your maps or to save this link to your bookmarks, so you can plan your daily eating hours in the Camino in advance. Here we go!
Best places to eat vegan food in the Camino de Santiago Francés
I listed my favorite vegan-friendly spots in the Camino de Santiago Francés, in chronological order. Therefore, the first ones are from the beginning of my trip, and as I walked forward, I started finding the following places. Please remember I walked by hundreds of towns, and here you will only find a few. It doesn’t mean you won’t find vegan food in other towns (for that, check out this blog post), as most will have supermarkets, or places with other vegan options that might not be gluten free (that’s why I might have not eaten there), or with more common vegan alternatives, like a simple salad, or sides (artichokes, potatoes, beans). For this post, I specifically mention places with big plates and clearly marked vegan food.
Pamplona
The capital City of the Community of Navarre, Pamplona is a beautiful city that I passed by twice during my Camino. First, I flew there from Madrid, and caught a bus to Saint-Jean-Pied-du-Port, which is the French town from which I started my Camino. The second time, I arrived walking from Zubiri with my friend, who walked the first week with me (the rest of the Camino I walked by myself). In the afternoon, we did laundry, and we went to Frida Café, a cute coffee shop that has a few vegan options, like vegan cake, salads, toasts, and plant-based milks.
Frida Café: C. de Iturrama, 45, 31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
After our clothes were clean and dry, we headed to Aloha Poké, which is right around the corner from Frida. The place has a lot of vegan options for you to build your own vegan poké bowl. Mine was huge! You have vegan options to choose as a base for your bowl, like quinoa, rice, spinach, chickpeas, and pasta; plant-based proteins like smoked tofu, heura (a plant-based meat); the avocado love, which is the vegan choice for sauce; and the vegan toppings which are plenty and include onions, edamame, pineapple, mango, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, corn, zucchini noodles, black olives, peanuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, wakame algae, and avocado, among others. A great choice for when you are out-of-this-world hungry and are in need of nourishing plants!
Aloha Poké: Av. de Pío XII, 24, 31008 Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
Aloha Poké, a good place to eat plant-based in Pamplona
Logroño
In Logroño I spent two nights instead of one so that I could rest a bit, take the first week slowly, and get to walk around this beautiful city. I didn’t have any trouble finding delicious vegan food in Logroño. My favorite place was Sol Veggie, a fully vegan restaurant with an amazing plant-powered menu, that includes the classic patatas bravas, vegan nuggets, vegan fish sticks, vegan burgers (what I ordered), vegan shawarmas, pad thai, falafel, salads, and vegan desserts.
Sol Veggie: C. Menéndez Pelayo, 11, 26002 Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
Bar Cid Logroño is another classic spot in Logroño. Its menu is simple: they specialize in mushrooms, which are vegan, and they serve them with bread (they also have gluten free bread alternative). They are amazing! You can order a pincho, which is just a small portion of mushrooms with a small slice of bread, media ración (half a portion), and a full portion, which is basically a plate full of mushrooms. When I visited, the prices were €1.5, €5, and €8 respectively. They also offer vegan wines to accompany, or beer (they also have gluten free beer).
Bar Cid: Tr.ª de Laurel, 1, 26001 Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
Before my friend Jose had to leave for the train station, we had lunch at Sibuya Urban Sushi, where I had avocado maki, cucumber maki, and mango maki, all of which were vegan.
Sibuya Urban Sushi: Calle Bretón de los Herreros, 21, Bajo, 26001 Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
Burgos
I arrived at Burgos on a rainy day, and it looked so beautiful. The cozy streets with the colorful buildings, the cute stores, and the majestic cathedral, were a breath of fresh air after one of the most mentally tedious walks in the Camino. Entering the city was a gruesome contrast to the landscapes I got used to during the previous days. Instead of grass, flowers, fields, and mountains, I had to walk by furniture stores, fast food restaurants, and the dullest avenue. But have no fear! It ends up being worth it once you reach stunning Burgos.
I stayed just one night, and I had lunch, merienda (tea time), and dinner in the same place, because I loved it! Cúrcuma is a vegetarian restaurant in the center of Burgos, and it has tons of vegan options. Before checking-in in my albergue, I stopped for lunch and had a quinoa vegan pizza, went back for merienda after my shower and touring the city, and had a cheesecake and coffee, and then back for dinner with two English friends that I met during my Camino, and we had nachos, soup, quiche, and a wrap. Don’t miss this spot!
Cúrcuma: C. de la Puebla, 21, 09004 Burgos, Spain
Ledigos
Ledigos is a tiny town in Castilla y León, where I arrived after walking from Carrión de los Condes, and where I spent the night before heading to Bercianos del Real Camino. My albergue of choice: Albergue La Morena, a beautiful and modern rest place for pilgrims, that also has its own restaurant. There were a few vegan options (like the classic roasted potatoes as sides), but I had the vegan paella for dinner, which came with a side salad, and it was great!
La Morena: C. Carretera, 3, 34347 Ledigos, Palencia, Spain
Bercianos del Real Camino
After Ledigos, I arrived at Bercianos del Real Camino, another small town in which I spent a night, as I stayed in Albergue Bercianos 1900, a nice albergue with a cute restaurant/cafeteria, that offered a vegan menu! I believe it cost around €14, and it included a few options, from which I chose quinoa with tomato sauce and veggies, and grilled vegetables and lentils, as well as a dessert.
Bercianos 1900: C. Mayor, 49, 24325 Bercianos del Real Camino, León, Spain
The first course of my vegan menu in Bercianos 1900
León
Just like Logroño and Burgos, León is one of the biggest towns you pass by on the Camino Francés, and it’s just as beautiful! Again, walking into a big city is mentally challenging, but once you arrive there you are met with breathtaking architecture, including some Gaudí (Casa Botines was a very interesting visit), the Cathedral, the Convento de San Marcos (a must-visit, and make sure to pay a visit or drink a coffee at the hotel Parador de León), and lovely squares. Together with cute European streets and architecture, big cities offer more vegan options for the plant-based pilgrim!
La Factoria Vegana is a bit outside downtown León, but you can still walk there (what is a 15-minute walk in a Pilgrim’s life?!). The menu is to die for, and they also have several gluten-free options, which is why I had a hard time choosing what to eat. The options are varied: from pasta to sauteed rice, to various bowls, vegan meats, and burgers. I ended up ordering vegan nachos (it was a huge plate, with tomato sauce, vegan melted cheese, shredded cheese, and beans), and a mushroom risotto that was delicious. Luckily, I had risotto leftovers for the next day because my stomach was full and happy just with the nachos.
La Factoría Vegana: C. Fernando III el Santo, 5, 24007 León, Spain
Another vegan-friendly spot in León is El Colibrín, a cozy bar that offers vegan tapas, including potatoes with mushrooms, chickpeas with mushrooms, rice with veggies, cous-cous, hummus, salmorejo, and nachos. I went there with Hannah, one of my English pilgrim friends, and ordered several tapas (which came with the drinks), sangría, and gluten-free beer.
El Colibrín: Plaza Santo Martino, 2, 24003 León, Spain
For more vegan havens (and heavens) in León, don’t miss out on visiting Arepa Lovers, a 100% gluten-free restaurant, where I was able to eat as a vegan and celiac. They have clearly marked vegan items in the menu, including a vegan salad, plantains, potatoes, yucca, veggie fries, vegan arepa, vegan empanada, vegan bowl, guacamole, vegan sauces, vegan yogurt, and many other items that can be made vegan to order.
Arepa Lovers: Av. de los Cubos, 12, 24007 León, Spain
If you want an extra vegan spot in León, visit MasQueBio, a health store (in Argentina, we call it dietéticas), which sells all kinds of health-related products, including supplements, cosmetics, and food. I spent a long time here, perusing their vegan and gluten-free food, and ended up filling my backpack with mouthwatering products, including tofu made with olives, buckwheat cookies, vegan cheeses, rice snacks with cacao cream, cashew & oat with chia and lemon cookies, among other yummy goodies.
MasQueBio: C. Lope de Vega, 3, 24002 León, Spain
Astorga
Astorga is another one of the bigger (or medium-size) cities in the Camino Francés, and my number one recommendation is stopping at La Casa de los Dioses, which is about 7 kilometers before arriving to Astorga. It’s a donativo, run by David, a beautiful soul that dedicates his days to providing food, drinks, shelter, and medical assistance to all pilgrims. It’s my favorite place in the whole Camino because you can just feel the love and community spirit, which is what the Camino experience is all about. I found a lot of vegan products on David’s table, including a wide variety of fruit, chips nuts, juices, and plant-based milk.
La Casa de los Dioses: La Majada de Ventura, n 1, 24710 San Justo de la Vega, León, Spain
Once you arrive to Astorga, I recommend walking it and visiting the Palacio Gaudí, which is basically Hogwarts in real life. After your visit, have a coffee by the window at the Hotel Gaudí, from where you can see the Palacio, as well as have a talk with the lovely staff! After a few hours of tourism, and some minutes at the pharmacy refilling my anti-blister kit, I got hungry and started perusing menus to see if any restaurants offered vegan options. Luckily, I saw a big sign outside RIOS Irish Tavern, and noticed they had vegan paella. It was amazing!
RIOS Irish Tavern: C. Padres Redentoristas, 12, 24700 Astorga, León, Spain
Molinaseca
One of the cutest towns I passed by during my Camino Francés, Molinaseca is a Spanish village in the province of León with a beautiful bridge and crooked old houses. I arrived by crossing the Roman bridge and from there I noticed a restaurant that was located on the edge of the Sella River. A few pilgrims were getting their feet wet, while others were having lunch at the tables outside on the terrace. I decided that was where I was going to stop for a break, so I went to the restaurant, called Mesón Puente Romano, and searched for an empty table outside, but I ran into my friends Fiona and Steve, so I sat down with them. At first, I just ordered an orange juice and some chips, but after reading the menu, I decided I was going to try their boletus a la plancha (grilled mushrooms). The waiter told me they were cooked in olive oil and garlic. It was one of the most intense, religious, and incredible gastronomic experiences of my life. The flavor was out of this world. Honestly, it was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Check out the menu for other vegan alternatives (you probably need to negotiate and ask the waiter a few things, but they also have pimientos, salads, and potatoes).
Mesón Puente Romano: C. la Presa, 1, 24413 Molinaseca, León, Spain
One of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted in my life: the mushrooms at Mesón Puente Romano, in Molinaseca
Ponferrada
Good news to every vegan or plant-based person doing the Camino de Santiago Francés: there is a plant-powered haven when entering Ponferrada, called La Marmita Verde. If you love homemade food, with the single most important ingredient ever (love), and made entirely of delicious plants, this is your place! Not to mention about 95% of the menu is gluten-free (I remember there were 1 or 2 items with seitan, and that was it). I arrived just in time, about 10 minutes before they closed, and the owner Maria was super nice and managed to prepare me a quiche with a little side salad, since the kitchen had already been closed. For dessert, I ordered the flan! Finally, I bought a few vegan cheeses that she made herself, so that I could have something flavorful to add to my sandwiches the next day.
La Marmita Verde del Mundo Vegetal: Av. de Molinaseca, n° 19, bajo, 24401 Ponferrada, León, Spain
Ruitelán
On my 26th day in the Camino, going from Villafranca del Bierzo to La Laguna (right before O Cebreiro), and in one of the steepest stretches in the Camino Francés, I rejoiced in finding Café Bar Omega, in Ruitelán, my savior! They have a vegan menu that can be made gluten-free, as well as several vegan snacks including cookies, vegan kit kats, and protein bars. I had vegetable soup and gluten-free spaghetti with vegan Bolognese sauce made with chickpeas, as well as coffee. I skipped the wine that also came with the menu. The food was amazing, and I enjoyed it at a table outside, where there was a big group of pilgrims that were walking the Camino together in a tour, and their guide, were having lunch and playing guitar.
Café Bar Omega: Antigua Carratera VI. No. 2, 24520 Ruitelán, León, Spain
Fillobal
When you are hungry, still having a few kilometers left to walk, and you start witnessing how the skies start turning black to announce the imminence of rain, there is nothing better than encountering serendipity. That’s what happened when I saw a sign outside a bar called Aira do Camiño, that boasted of having a vegan pilgrim menu. The menu was one page, front and back, with several vegan options, including oatmeal, salad, gazpacho, lentils soup, spaghetti, and croquetas. I ordered the gazpacho (which I thought would be a small cup, but was a huge bowl, at €3.9), and I asked if they had gluten-free spaghetti, and they did, so I ordered the GF spaghetti with soy Bolognese (at €6.5). While I was eating my gazpacho, it started pouring outside, so I was glad I was dry, warm, and eating delicious food. Once I finished my spaghetti and my coffee, the rain stopped, and I was able to continue walking till I reached Triacastela.
Aira do Camiño: Fillobal, 1, 27630 Fillobal, Lugo, Spain
Quiche and side salad at La Marmita Verde, in Ponferrada
Triacastela
I arrived at Triacastela after my wonderful vegan lunch at Fillobal, and as soon as I stepped into the city, I saw a group of men picking cherries from a tree. I stopped to observe, and one of them grabbed a bunch of cherries and gave them to me. That’s how well I was received in the wonderful town of Triacastela! It was a Sunday, so most stores were closed. Luckily, since I had already had lunch, I wasn’t in an urgent need to go to the supermarket. I stretched, showered, and laid in bed, until a bit later in the afternoon, when my friends Piera, Sandro and Julie told me they were having dinner at Parrillada Xacobeo, a traditional restaurant in Triacastela. As soon as I sat down, I started getting hungry, and since there wasn’t anything specifically vegan on the menu, I followed my own vegan tip: order sides! Hence, I ended up ordering pimientos de padrón, olives, and potatoes with green beans, all of which came in huge portions.
Parrillada Xacobeo: Rúa Santiago, 4, 27632 Triacastela, Lugo, Spain
Sarria
Before I checked in at the albergue, I visited EcoEspazo Vitriol in Sarria, to have a delicious vegan lunch, and also to buy a few vegan goodies. The eco bar at this store offers vegetarian and vegan options, with 100% eco products. I ordered the Heura Bowl, which had vegan chicken, coconut cream with curry, grilled veggies, basmati rice, and a salad, accompanied by an apple, kiwi, spinach and matcha smoothie. Everything was delicious, homemade, and nutritious! Once my stomach was full, I walked around the store–or may I say heaven– and had some trouble choosing only a few products, as I didn’t want to load my backpack too much. There was a whole fridge with vegan products, including yoghurt, cheeses, coconut spreads, vegan burgers, vegan ham, and other dry products on the shelves. I ended up buying the coco spread, tofu with tomatoes, vegan camembert, gluten-free bread, a white nougat bar, and protein bars. You will also find sustainable home and bathroom products, as well as supplements and organic clothing.
EcoEspazo Vitriol: Rúa Diego Pazos, 18, 27600 Sarria, Lugo, Spain
Melide
Getting close to Santiago, in Melide, I found a cute little corner where they had a vegan menu: Taberna do Farruco. The plant-based options included hummus, falafel, vegan nuggets, fries, vegan burgers, and vegan sausage. I ordered falafel and fries, and I was with another friend who decided to try a vegan burger for the first time–and thought it was delicious! A lovely spot with good vibes, and friendly people. Stop by!
Taberna do Farruco: Furelos s/n, 15809 Melide, A Coruña, Spain
Falafel, fries, and vegan burger at Taberna do Farruco, in Melide
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela’s Cathedral is the destination for most pilgrims, and it’s the place where all the Caminos merge, so no matter what your journey was, what Camino you walked, or if you came from the south or east, all pilgrims have a common goal: reaching Santiago. For some, like me, the journey continues after Santiago, as there is another Camino (Camino Finisterre-Muxía) that reaches the ocean.
Independent of where your Camino ends, reaching the Cathedral in Santiago is a very emotional moment in every pilgrim’s life. It’s an instant when you don’t only realize you have added kilometers to your legs without even noticing, but, just like it happens after every long journey when you arrive home, you realize you’re not the same person that left: the path has changed you, your backpack has become a part of your body, the distance has hardened your skin, the people you met have made an impact on you, and the time spent alone has reconnected you with the parts of yourself you thought were lost. Then you arrive at the Cathedral and the square, and you see hundreds of pilgrims in that same spot, each one with their own history–filled with grief, hardship, adventure, thirst–but all united for a common purpose. It’s a beautiful moment that you get to share with yourself and those pilgrim friends you met along the way and with whom you coincided with in reaching Santiago on the same day.
Once that moment is flavored and imprinted in your memory and heart, everyone visits the Pilgrim’s office to get their Compostela and certificate. After that, it’s time to eat something, take a shower, and walk around this beautiful city in Galicia.
My favorite vegan-friendly spot in Santiago de Compostela was Clem Café, a vegetarian restaurant that offers many vegan alternatives for the plant-based pilgrim. The space is bright and cozy, the coffee is good, and the food is tasty–the perfect trinity! Vegan options in the menu include various types of toasts (with olive oil and tomato, with banana, avocado, vegan eggs, pesto, and more), homemade vegan pastries (palmeras, croissant, cinnamon rolls, bagels, cookies, bars, cakes, etc.), fruit bowls, smoothies, tofu scramble, acai bowl, plant-based milks, among others.
Clem Café: Rúa de San Pedro, 118, 15703 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain
Camino Finisterre
Olveira
As I mentioned before, after Santiago de Compostela, I kept on walking around 90 kilometers through the Camino Finisterre. I wanted to keep on walking for a few more days, and I thought reaching the ocean (after having started my journey in the depths of the Pyrenees), and finishing my Camino in the Finisterre lighthouse, would be way more powerful, symbolic, and nourishing to my soul. In a way, I wasn’t wrong. I loved that I stopped walking only when there was no more land to walk on. Yet, the most emotional part of the Camino was neither reaching the Cathedral nor the lighthouse but saying goodbye to most of my pilgrim family in Santiago. The Camino is a very introspective journey, and walking most of it by yourself is a great way to reconnect to yourself, to think about all those things you neglect in your daily life, and to give yourself the gift of the present and your own company. Nonetheless, at the same time, you discover that along the journey you’ve also reconnected with yourself in an unexpected way: by connecting with others. Sometimes, we are unable to see ourselves clearly, until another person works as a mirror, and then we see in them that which we couldn’t grasp on our own.
Before all of this happened, however, I made a few stops between Santiago de Compostela and Finisterre (I did that part of the Camino in four days). In terms of eating as a vegan, it is a more difficult task in the Camino Finisterre, as it is less populated, there are few pilgrims, and towns are smaller. For this reason, I relied a lot on the supermarket. But I did have a great early dinner at Albergue Ponte Olveira, in Mazaricos, Olveira, the albergue I stayed at, which also had a bar. I ordered a huge plate that had a salad, mushrooms, rice, and chickpeas, and it was incredible (not to mention generous in the quantity!).
Albergue Ponte Olveira: Ponte Olveira 3, 15256 Corzón, La, A Coruña, Spain
I hope you find this vegan guide to the Camino de Santiago Francés useful, and that you are able to eat delicious plant-powered meals!
Buen Camino!
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Hi, I’m Melina,
I’m the creator of Sustainable Rookie, and my goal is to share what I learn throughout my sustainability journey, so that I can help other people live a more conscious life.
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