vegan in Italy
 

Any suggestions on restaurants that offer vegan choices in Venice?

Can't think of any specific restaurants that offer vegan menus, but there are plenty of non-meat dishes offered. Stop at any number of places that offer cicchetti.

The website happycow.net is a good source for finding vegetarian/vegan restaurants. Good luck!

I'm sure La Zucca does - it was originally a vegetarian restaurant, now does some meat dishes too but the veggie ones are better and what it is known for. I'm sure that their menus would offer at least 1 vegan choice per course - but you could email them to check.

Vegan is pretty hard to come by in Venice, because butter is more common than olive oil. In fact, I can't think of a traditional Venetian dish that doesn't include either fish, cheese or butter. You can e-mail restaurants, but if you are strict about no dairy, specify to them that you want butter-free and egg-free.

Here's an interesting website for you:

http://veganbackpacker.com/blog/veni...an-vegetarian/

Actually, I can think of two Venetian dishes that are vegan: grilled raddicchio (or Treviso) and artichoke ends, boiled in lemon and vegetable broth. But they rarely show up on Venetian restaurant menus.

Be a bit careful of cicchetti as you won't know precisely what's in the Veggy versions and you won't know what it's been cooked in.

The website pizzocchieri recommends is very good, especially if you like gelato and don't mind trawling through the supermarket. Most pasta will be out if you are strict vegans.

you will be fine, but a lot depends how strick a Vegan you are. learn some Italian words like senza, which is without. you will be ok with most pizzas if you say senza formaggio.
here are some phrases for those who are vegetarians or vegans.

Sono vegetariano/a (I am vegetarian - male/female)

Non mangio carne, nè pollo o pesce (I don't eat meat, chicken or fish.)

Sono un vegano/ una vegana. (I am a vegan - male/female)

Sono strettamente vegetariano/a (I am a strict vegetarian - male/female)

Non bevo il latte. (I don't drink milk.)

Non mangio il burro, il formaggio, le uova, o il miele (I don't eat butter, cheese, eggs, or honey.)

Avete un piatto vegetariano? (Do you have a vegetarian dish?)

C'e' un ristorante vegetariano qui vicino? (Is there a vegetarian restaurant near here?)

C'e' del brodo di carne o pollo in questa zuppa/risotto? (Is there meat or chicken broth in this soup /risotto?)


i think someone else mentioned this, so i'll second that : http://www.lazucca.it/

thank you for all the suggestions - also thank you for taking the time to write out the italian phrases!!!

Rubicund - why is most pasta out for strict vegans???

Fresh pastas often contain eggs; dried pastas probably do not.

You really should contact La Zucca and ask them if they have vegan dishes before planning on eating there. I just checked their website, and while they don't have a menu online, they offer this as an example of their vegetarian-friendly attitude

"Le specialità vanno dal Flan di zucca allo sfornato di patate e broccoli con ricotta affumicata e il piatto vegetariano con riso o cous cous."

If you don't read italian, the dishes they are talking about is a pumpkin flan (a curtard with milk and eggs), a baked broccoli dish with smoked ricotta cheese, and a vegetarian plate with rice or cous-cous -- and it is very rare that these dishes are not made with butter, but you may be able to ask for them "senza burro".

As for whether fresh or dried pasta has eggs, you have to ask. One of the most popular fresh pastas of the Veneto is "bigoli", which has no eggs.

Holly_uncasdewar, it's what kayd said, most pasta is made with eggs. Fresh pasta usually is, dried pasta could be and so unless you know for sure, it's safer not to eat it.

pizzocchieri's suggestion of the pumpkin flan is obviously out for a vegan as is the broccoli dish. Strict vegans are very aware of the vegetarian option not being vegan.

Rubicund,

It wasn't MY suggestion to eat pumpkin flan. It is the vegetarian house specialty at La Zucca -- which is where other people keep suggesting a vegan will find vegan food.

I was quoting the actual La Zucca website to underscore that a vegan needs to check in advance if La Zucca has any vegan dishes, not just vegetarian dishes loaded with eggs, milk and cheese.

Mea culpa pizzocchieri if I misunderstood.

No problem.

Hi rquinn! I am vegan and plan on going to Italy this year so was wondering if you did travel there yet and if you found options for vegans.

I am actually heading toward Almalfi area so wondering if there are more options down southern region.