The popular vegan and vegetarian app HappyCow has released its 2025 version of its annual ranking of vegan-friendly cities, and London, followed by Berlin continues to be in the lead.
The study looked at the number and density per capita of fully vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants (those non-vegan restaurant that have vegan options) and businesses in each city, as well as the growth of vegan businesses since the last report, how easy it is to find vegan food, how active the vegan community is, and how well veganism is understood by the population.
Unfortunately, HappyCow detected a bad year for fully vegan businesses in many countries, with relatively modest growth and small dips in some areas. Eric Brent, founder of HappyCow, said in a statement, “2023 to 2024 were challenging years for vegan businesses, with a significant drop in vegan restaurants in many cities. This decline is partly due to increased vegan options at regular restaurants, leading to more competition. Combined with inflation, higher rents, and a reduced lunch crowd from remote work, these factors have created difficulties for vegan business owners who often operate on low margins and adhere to costly ethical standards.”
Berlin saw a slight dip in the number of vegan businesses, but it nevertheless remains one of the most vegan-friendly areas in the world, the second in the list, with 116 fully vegan businesses and a 7% increase in vegan-friendly businesses overall (reaching 1,772 in total).
However, since HappyCow’s last report, London has seen a 12% increase in the number of plant-based restaurants, with central London offering 54 fully vegan restaurants, plus over 285 vegan businesses of various types (including cafés, caterers, bakeries, shops, and more), and 3,620 vegan-friendly listings.
There are two cities with an increase of vegan restaurants that have put them in the top 10 list for the first time. Mexico City (number 8 in the ranking) has 124 vegan eateries and 493 vegan-friendly restaurants. Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam (number 10) has seen a sharp rise in vegan food over the last year, with fully vegan restaurants increasing by 33% now totalling 210, and a 41% surge in vegan-friendly businesses (reaching 1,214).
Other cities in the top 10 list are Los Angeles (3), Portland (4), Lisbon (5), Barcelona (6), Amsterdam (7), and New York City (9).
Join millions choosing vegan in 2025 with Veganuary! https://bit.ly/Veganuary25
