Vegan Victuals Goes to Spain 🇪🇸
Lots of Vegan Food in Madrid &
An Idiot’s Guide to Madrid

{Warning: This is long. Just scroll down for the food if you’re not wanting the idiot’s guide to visiting and eating vegan in Madrid.}

Simply put, the vegan food in Madrid is plentiful and outstanding.  From the moment of my arrival to the time I boarded a high speed train to Barcelona, I had partaken in gluttony on a daily basis.  Despite many restaurants and cafes taking their holiday the entire month of August, leading to several let-downs, there was never a problem finding labelled vegan options all about the city.  And by exploring these options I saw many neighborhoods I wouldn’t have discovered cozy in our hotel in the hub of tourist central… 

And tourist central it most certainly was! We stayed right outside the Grand Via metro station, close to Centro though I am not sure if there is a proper name to the neighborhood. A mix of Times Square and Park Avenue; shopping, eating and drinking seem to be the main reason Europeans take holiday in Madrid.  Of course there are the lovely governmental buildings—ornamental and regal, boasting Spain’s pride, its Old World power and influence.  Madrid, the country’s capital, can be traversed easily by foot.  In fact, I walked about 8-10 miles a day making missions of locating eateries and some cemeteries, gazing at sites along the way. It always seemed safe, though I’m always utilizing traveling street smarts help to prevent opportunistic crimes. 

The subway was very easy to acclimate to.  Having taken the red eye from New York’s JFK, I dove right into a quick lesson on the city’s mass transit.  For all who may need to know, the Metro is the city’s subway, indicated by a red horizontal rhombus.  But from the airport or train station, you will first have to board the city’s regional rail Renfa which operates super convenient shuttle trains, indicated by a tilted red C.  From Terminal 4 of the airport (and all other stations) you may purchase a tourist card that is good for all modes of transport (Metro, Renfa, bus–which I didn’t attempt).  That is 8 euro per day.  You will have to scan it upon entering and exiting when riding the Renfa, FYI.  And just once to get into the Metro system.  Cabs are also pretty cheap and plentiful at main transfer points or through an app called Cabify… though I did not use it.  And then there’s Uber.  That works for easy door-to-door traversing.  But no Lyft in Spain. 

Back to the food, kind of.  Many places near tourist destinations have English menus available; some have them available on their websites. You can use the website to decide on order in advance and nab its translation ahead of time, but it is often not necessary.  United States’ culture is, for better or for worse, pervasive and indirect exposure to its language is a side effect.  However it is respectful to make an attempt to communicate in the home language and it’s often met with appreciation.. and some giggles.  

Specifically when dining, It might be helpful to learn some key words to move the things along. But, again, English is commonly used. Actually, if you demonstrate a split second of hesitation or confusion as someone speaks to you in Spanish, they often automatically take the chance to practice their English, though several remark that they only speak a very little bit.  

Hi, how are you?… You should know this. “Hola. Como estas?”

I’m fine, thanks… “Estoy bien, gracias”

Vegan is easy… “vegano”

Check, please… “Cuenta, por favor”

Credit card… “tajeta”

Other random tips:

• Check for hashtags on Instagram, Google maps, Happy Cow, Yelp, Uber Eats (see below) for vegan options.  Many eateries close mid-day but many don’t.  Checking hours helps to not scramble and helps avoid a not-so-great option. Each eating opportunity is valuable and you don’t want to waste one on your limited days.  Unless you’re bulimic… but are people still bulimic?
• Check Uber Eats to see what eateries are actually open.  There were many, many eateries who did not update their website or social media about being on holiday.  Perhaps because it is so common in August. But when I checked Uber Eats I saw new options I hadn’t even known about.  And I saw who was actually taking orders. 
• Service is different than in The States.  You may not be checked on; you will likely have to specifically request the check; there might be longer waits in smaller cafes where one person is doing everything.  Tipping is not expected, so they say. But it is hard to not think of giving gratitude for good service, especially when there is only one person.
• Get wine. It is super cheap most places! Like 3 euro cheap.  

To follow, the vegan food I ate in Madrid!  This is in no way an exhaustive collection of what was available.  

Freedom Cakes C. de Cádiz, 7, 28012 Madrid, Spain

Great hours for travelers as many places do not open until 1 p.m.  Billed as an American-style diner with decadent vegan breakfast options.

Mad Mad Vegan C. de Pelayo, 19, 28004 Madrid, Spain

Burger joint offerings.  Nice space but can be very loud.

Chilling Café C. de la Estrella, 5, 28004 Madrid, Spain

Small, chilled out space with really yummy breakfast bennies.  At least the one I ate, The “Popeye The Sailor Man” was dreamy.  Biscuit made it.  Can get very busy. 

Distrito Vegano Calle del Conde de Romanones, 10, 28012 Madrid

A more high-end eatery with food sensibilities.  So much on the menu I think I blew it by ordering more of a sharable appetizer.  Wanted to go back to try more but there was so much I wanted to get to!  Very strong mimosa had me buzzed.

La Huerta de Almeria, Corre. Baja de San Pablo, 47, 28004 Madrid

An all-vegan store with produce, a bakery and paletas.

Planet Vegano, C. del Ave María, 34, 28012 Madrid

An all-vegan store with pantry staples, frozen food, meat substitutes and sweets.  I got some confections that I hadn’t seen before. 

Thunder Burgers, C. de Don Felipe, 4, 28004 Madrid

I found this place on Uber Eats and knew I had to hit it up.  Cute space but no seating, so delivery might have been a good bet.  Really good vegan chicken sammies they call “burgers.”  Better than many I’ve had in The States. 

Honest Greens, Paseo de la Castellana 89. 28046 Madrid

Found this after failing to get into 3 eateries in a row!  They all were on holiday.  The desserts called my name and tided me over until more food. 

Restaurante Vegetariano Artemisa Sol – Huertas, C. de las Tres Cruces, 4, 28013 Madrid

More of a date place—calm, very quiet, more mature for lack of a better word.  Escape the hustle and bustle outside for a more upscale meal. 

Chocolateria 1902, C. de San Martín, 2, 28013 Madrid

“Churros con chocolate” seemed to be a thing in Madrid.  I was happy to partake with verified vegan churros and dark chocolate dipping sauce.  I ordered these to go and made a ton of people drool as I walked them back to my hotel.  They were thinner than I am used to, but that perfect churro texture.

Zenith Brunch & Cocktails, C. de Valverde, 28, 28004 Madrid

Great place to hit if you’re with non-vegans.  They have colorful breakfast dishes for all.  Though it was a weird combo of stuff, I went for the Vegan Toast and we split a batch of pancakes.  Pancakes in Madrid are smaller but totally dressed to the nines!  These had too much peanut butter for my taste.  It over took all the other amazing garnishes.

Sanissimo Opera Vegan, Calle de Campomanes, Madrid

Great place for the veggie obsessed like me.  I ordered the Hipster Burger which was like 6 inches tall and covered in so much… stuff.  Delicious stuff.  Just look… 

VegAmazing Doughnuts, C. del Duque de Sesto, 31, 28009 

A little out of the way but both exclusively vegan doughnut shops by my hotel were on holiday (Ugh).  I was so glad I made the trip here.  Flavor options and presentation was mind-blowing and the service—top notch.  He threw in some donut holes for free! 

The Ones That Got Away

These were some places I missed… Go check them out and let me know how they are!