Best Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants in Milan

Vegetarians and vegans visiting Milan, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this post there’s all you need to know about vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Milan, with delicious and healthy food for all budgets. 

Milan is a pretty good food destination for vegetarians. Fruit and veg are plentiful at street markets, vegetarian pizza and pasta can be found pretty much everywhere and if all fails, you can always ask for an insalata mista (mixed salad). Most restaurants have vegetarian options on the menu, but variety can be a problem.

What? Another plate of grilled vegetables? Another pizza margherita? Don’t worry – I may not be a vegetarian myself, but I do feel your pain.

Not to mention, some places just don’t ‘get’ vegetarian. They might try to offer chicken, ham or fish, or use meat stock in the preparation. Some restaurants (especially small, family run places like trattorie) might even have no veg options whatsoever. And vegans? Unless you want to stuff yourselves with cheese-less pizza and endless salads, options are even more limited.

Over the last couple of month, we’ve toured Milan from top to bottom looking for the best vegetarian and vegan restaurant options. We’ve come across Michelin-starred menus, colourful characters and some of the most creative food we’ve ever had in town. All vegetarian restaurants listed below are also vegan friendly, with several vegan options on the menu.

So, without further ado, welcome to our selection of best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Milan!

Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Milan

1) Osteria al 55

Located in a quiet street just off Cimitero Monumentale, this restaurant may not look like much at first, but the food is absolutely to die for. Definitely one of my top three vegetarian restaurants in Milan! The cuisine is quirky and creative, using techniques aimed to preserve the freshness and quality of the locally sourced produce.

To give you an idea, owner Carlo pointed to a man eating soup across the room. ‘He’s my Jerusalem artichoke man – he whispered – he delivered some today, fresh from the field’. The menu is divided in four sections; Assaggiami (almeno tre volte), a selection of three finger food-style starters, Ancora (pasta and soups), Mordicchiami (main courses) and Happy End.

We ordered pretty much everything from the menu – highlights included the poetically-named ‘come se fossero calamari’ (as if they were calamari, but I won’t tell you what they actually were), an ajì amarillo stuffed with lupine pate, gorgonzola cheesecake (every bit as good as it sounds) and macco, an ancient Roman vegan dish made with puréed dried peas on a bed of pan fried chicory with raisins and pine nuts.

Carlo will help you navigate the menu and offer advice if you are chronically indecisive like me.

Address: Via Messina, 55 – M2/M5 Garibaldi or Tram 12

Price: Tasting menu € 39 for four courses

2) La Vecchia Latteria

If you’re after something tasty and affordable, right in the city centre, you’re in for a treat. Just off busy via Torino you’ll find this old-style ‘latteria’ (milk shop), with tiled walls, vintage photographs and football trophies. The perfect choice for those that want a budget-friendly Milan vegetarian restaurant. 

Traditionally, latterie are only open for lunch and offer fast, no-nonsense home cooked food at lunchtime. The owners here have interpreted the latteria concept in true Milan vegetarian style, and created a menu with pasta, omelettes, soups and mixed starters, one tastier than the other. The best option is ‘misto forno’, a huge tasting platter of their specialties. When we went, there was more than enough food for two sharing – a selection of aubergine parmigiana, cheesy spinach, falafels, buttered carrots and more.

Address: Via dell’Unione, 6 – M1/M3 Duomo

Price: €15/20 for a main and dessert

3) Capra e Cavoli

When we first started compiling this list, we didn’t intend to feature Capra e Cavoli, since it’s not ‘pure veg’. Then we changed our minds, and oooohhh we are so happy that we did! Capra e Cavoli is a ‘not just veg’ restaurant; the focus is on veggie and vegan dishes, but there are a couple of meat and fish options.

Why we liked it so much? Because it’s not just a great Milan veggie restaurant, but also a real labour of love, making it a truly amazing vegetarian option in one of Milan’s coolest neighbourhoods, Isola. Every detail, every corner of this restaurant, from the décor to the menu, from the dishes to the prosecco and amuse bouche offered as we arrived, reveal the best feeling there can ever be behind a business; love and passion.

Capra e cavoli has a real ‘hidden garden’ atmosphere, with umbrellas, potted plants and beautiful décor, halfway between a vintage market and a summer party. The menu is so pretty I wanted to slip it into my bag. One page is black and one is white; black dishes were created by the chef, who (in Barbara’s words) is ‘passionate and Mediterranean’, whereas white dishes are Barbara’s own, simpler preparations with excellent quality ingredients. Whatever you do, don’t miss the ‘rossetto al cioccolato’ (chocolate lipstick) dessert – you’ll thank me later.

Address: Via Pastrengo, 18 – M2/M5 Garibaldi, M5 Isola

Price: €30 for two courses

4) Joia

If you know the Crowded Planet, you’ll know we’re budget lovers – so why on earth are we recommending a vegetarian Michelin starred restaurant in Milan? Because at lunchtime it’s affordable, with a €35 tasting menu and a €20 tasting platter. And it’s beyond delicious. Chef Pietro Leemann was one of the first in the world to show the upper echelons of uber chefs that it’s possible to create mouth watering haute cuisine making use of veggie ingredients.

We had ‘oh mio caro pianeta’ (o my dear planet) a veggie version of foie gras, a delicious pate made from a variety of vegetables, creamy and with a deep sweet flavor, accompanied by a leaf of caramelised cabbage, a grilled apple and tangy chutney.

The other two dishes in the menu were ‘serendipity nel giardino dei miei sogni’ a plate of colorful flourless potato gnocchi in a cheese fondue, so pretty I didn’t want to eat it, and ‘gong’, a dessert served in a jar and eaten at the sound of the gong. A wonderful veggie restaurant in Milan for a special evening!

Address: Via Pastrengo, 18 – M2/M5 Garibaldi, M5 Isola

Price: lunchtime €35 for a three course menu, €20 for a tasting platter. Much more at dinnertime.

5) Govinda

Veggies will know that Hare Krishna restaurants are a reliable choice for veggie food worldwide. The Milan restaurant, located in a grand room just off Via Torino in the centre, is no exception – come at lunchtime and for €9.50 you can have an all you can eat thali, and for €13.50 you can add a fried dish and a dessert. The food is good and plentiful, but don’t expect punchy, spicy Indian flavours, as Hare Krishna cooking is light on the spices and makes no use of strong ingredients such as onion or garlic. Another excellent vegetarian restaurant in the centre of Milan!

Address: Via Valpetrosa,5 – M1/M3 Duomo

Price: €9.50 small thali, €13.50 full thali.

6) Tathagata

Tathagata is  is a tiny organic deli in the Via Tortona area, more of a take away kind of place, with only two tables. The food on offer includes veg burgers, miso soups, baked vegetables and vegan quiches.

Address: Via Tortona, 20 – M2 Porta Genova

Price: Between €5 and 7 for a takeaway meal

7) Deliziamente Naturale

Away from the centre, in the eastern outskirts of the city, you’ll find this organic café-cum-deli, halfway between Lambrate and Udine M2. It offers a tasty array of salads, couscous, grilled and baked vegetables. You can go to the counter and order stuff to take away or sit at one of the tables. Either way, it’s a great vegetarian café in Milan!

Address: Via Ronchi 39 – M2 Lambrate FS/Udine

Price: €10 for lunch

8) I Lovegetarian

Are you looking for a quick vegetarian fix in the centre of Milan? I Lovegetarian is a veggie fast-food, with two locations in the heart of the city. I must say I wasn’t a big fan of this one. It felt like kind of vegetarian McDonalds, dishes were tasteless with a mass-produced flavour.

Maybe it was just a bad day? I don’t know. My soup was watery, my main dish of tempeh and red rice had little flavour, and the ‘seasonal’ shake I ordered contained pineapple and banana – in January? I might give them a second chance in the future, but for now, I think a pizza is a much better option!

Address: Via Paolo da Cannobio, 5 – M1/M3 Duomo

Price: less than €10 for lunch

Looking for Vegan or Vegetarian Food Tours in Milan? Check out these options!

• Exclusive Milan Vegan Food Tour
• Milan Cookery Class and Market Tour
• Half Day Italian Cooking Class in Milan
• Afternoon Food Tour With Beer Tasting in Milan

Best Vegan Restaurants in Milan

1) Soul Green

First things first – Soul Green is definitely one of the most beautiful vegan restaurants in Milan, with a stunning interior with lots of hanging plants and natural tones on the walls and furniture. The menu includes a selection of starters like ‘crisps and dips’ (triple-cooked chips with plant-based dips), as well as homemade guacamole, hummus and more.

The heart of the menu is composed by ‘bowls’, the new vegetarian and vegan food craze in Milan – insta-perfect bowls with colourful ingredients on a bed of rice and quinoa. The bowls at Soul Green are inspired by vegan ingredients from all over the world – we loved the Lebanese and Indian bowls, but we want to return asap to try them all. This is probably my favourite vegan restaurant in Milan!

Address: Piazza Principessa Clotilde – M2 Garibaldi

Price: €20-35 per person

2) V3 Raw

Another awesome vegan bowl restaurant in Milan! Compared to the previous one, V3 Raw as more of a ‘cafe’ style, but the bowls and salads are literally to die for. If you’re visiting in the morning don’t miss one of the breakfast bowls with yogurt and fruit. At lunchtime you’ll find three bowls and combo meals that include a toast, a bowl and a fresh-squeezed juice. The music and mood of the place were carefully planned to give punters feelings of well-being. Another solid Milan vegan restaurant, perfect for those into raw food!

Address: Via Spallanzani ang. viale Regina Giovanna – M1 Porta Venezia

Price: €10-15 per person

3) Shaolin State of Harmony

This restaurant and cafe located within the Shaolin centre of Milan offers delicious raw vegan food options for lunch and dinner. The lunchtime offerings are called ‘mandala’ and include meditation sessions combined with a raw vegan plate that changes according to seasonality and availability of ingredients. However, the real show is at dinner time, when degustation menus are served, always fully raw vegan and based on the principles of Chinese Traditional Medicine.

Dinners are served only at weekends, and the waiting list is HUGE, due to the fact that this is not just the best raw vegan restaurant in Milan, but it’s also a great deal.

The centre also organises martial arts lessons, as well as initiatives to promote Shaolin culture.

Address: Via Teglio, 11 – M3 Maciachini

Price: €12 lunch, €45-55 dinner

4) Universo Vegano

Looking for a quick and easy vegan lunch in Milan? Universo Vegano is a new fully vegan fast food chain offering quick, easy and tasty vegan ‘junk food’ – think vegan pizzas, kebab, burgers and the like, in addition to salads, quiches and sandwiches.

Address: Ripa di Porta Ticinese, 49 – M2 Porta Genova

Price: €1o lunch

5) Flower Burger

The best vegan burgers in Milan! This mini-chain serves colourful and delicious plant-based burgers with homemade sauces and ‘cheddar cheese’ made with coconut oil. The menu changes regularly but quality is always top notch, and for those that don’t feel like burgers there are also vegan quiches and oven-baked potatoes. Don’t be afraid of the rainbow-coloured burger buns – the colours all come from natural, vegan ingredients like spirulina, turmeric, and beetroot!

Address: Via Vittorio Veneto, 10 – M1 Porta Venezia

Price: €1o

6) RadiceTonda

This was the first all vegan restaurant in Milan I tried about 5 years ago, and I still think it’s one of the best! Besides being vegan, all ingredients are also organic. The menu includes soups, quiches, sandwiches, mouth-watering vegan burgers, tacos, wraps and a selection of juices and vegan cakes and sweets.

In line with the eco-friendly ethos of the restaurant, all take away containers and cutlery are biodegradable and compostable.

Address: Via Spallanzani, 16 – M1 Porta Venezia

Price: €10-15 per person

7) Cibò

An ideal place for a vegan lunch in Milan, Cibò offers Mediterranean food reinterpreted in a vegan and macrobiotic key. The result is a place where you can enjoy no-nonsense, vegan comfort food including homemade hummus and hearty salads visible in the counter that can be combined creating affordable meals. Just make sure you save space for the vegan cakes and sweets, the best in Milan!

Address: Via Maiocchi, 26 – M1 Porta Venezia

Price: €10-15 per person

The Crowded Planet received no payment for the publication of this piece. Restaurants did not know we were coming and we paid for all meals ourselves.

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