Best Destinations for Traveling Vegans

Did you know Nov. 1 was World Vegan Day? While veganism is growing in popularity around the planet (and why wouldn’t it, as research shows skipping meat in your diet can save you more than $750 in food costs per year), though, it’s not always easy to find (good) vegan options at restaurants while traveling.

So, WalletHub put together its ranking of the best cities for traveling vegans and vegetarians, looking at the 100 largest cities throughout the United States and comparing them across 17 key metrics. These metrics included things like share of restaurants offering meatless options to salad shops per capita.

The study found the most vegan- and vegetarian-friendly cities in the United States are, in descending order, Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; Orlando, Florida; Seattle, Washington; and Austin, Texas. The least vegan- and vegetarian-friendly cities are El Paso, Texas; San Bernardino, California; Greensboro, North Carolina; North Las Vegas, Nevada; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Among the findings, New York City, Miami, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Orlando and Los Angeles all tied for first place in most juice and smoothie bars per capita. New York City, Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco all tied for first place in most salad shops per capita. San Francisco boasted the most farmers markets and CSA programs per capita, while Scottsdale, Arizona, has the highest percentage of restaurants serving both vegan and vegetarian options. Vegetarians spend the least amount of money on groceries in Houston, and the most amount of money on groceries in San Francisco.