We, Seyka and Brian are on a 21 country vegan voyage over the world to enjoy vegan food from all parts of our planet, connect to the vegan community, spread the vegan mission, report plant based news, create ethical consumer guides and have a blast while doing it. After our tour in The Holy Land, we are back with even more deliciousness in Hungary. Will this thirteenth be as lucky as the number makes it seem like it should be? Read on to find out in our Vegan Voyage Hungary!
Vegan Voyage Hungary: An Overview
Hungary definitely didn’t lack in energy! Budapest is well known for its bachelor and bachelorette parties and it didn’t disappoint. We enjoyed walking around shops, doing small hikes around the city and soaking in the local culture and night life. And of course, we fully embraced the amazing local vegan community and food.
How different is Budapest from what I know?
If you ever don’t feel like walking, electric scooters are available all over the city, as well as bikes and public transportation. To get away from the city, car rentals and trains to many different European destinations are also running everyday. We took a train from Budapest to Vienna which ran every two hours.
Like many of our European destinations, there isn’t too much of a culture shock when it comes to basic needs: you can use your credit card for most transactions and dress casually, especially during the warmer months. Come as you are, and Budapest will welcome you!
Vegan Voyage Budapest: Accommodation Guide
Our choice of accommodation for this part of our Vegan Voyage went to Brodyland, a convivial networking system for all types of creatives. The hotel we stayed in had beautiful rooms decorated by the artists that stayed there before, with a lot of the art available for purchase.
A Brodyland membership also gives you access to many other affiliated venues around the globe, including not only accommodation, but also bars, workshops, and social and cultural events (usually accompanied by a good range of vegan options). We’ve visited some amazing member’s clubs in London and Los Angeles and are dying to see more!
Vegan Voyage Hungary: The Food
And now, the part everyone had been waiting for… We were pleasantly surprised by Budapest’s vegan scene, as its equally amazing restaurants and people made it a true hidden gem for us.
Budapest’s Vegan Garden
Our journey first took us to Budapest’s Vegan Garden, which we immediately fell in love with. As the world’s first plantbased street food garden, they’ve been expanding their offers to cater to every taste. You can get high-end culinary art, American junk food, Mexican cuisine and traditional Hungarian sweets. We can’t recommend this place and its incredibly fun atmosphere enough. It’s the perfect stop in Budapest to make some new friends and save the planet while doing it.
Vegan Garden Spotlight: Kristof’s Kitchen
Many different food creators have found their home at Budapest’s Vegan Garden. One of them is Kristof, who was introduced to us as the Vegan Guru of Budapest and Tel Aviv – and after getting the pleasure of joining him at a pre-pride parade dinner, we have to say he completely deserves this title. Kristof is constantly making waves sharing incredible food, events and goodness to vegan and LGBT communities. Make sure to contact him before your stay in Budapest so you can join him in whatever new magic he’s up to!
Vegan Garden Spotlight: Las Vegans
Another great spot if you’re around the Vegan Garden is Las Vegans, known for their gorgeous vegan junk food. They have fun and unique burgers, nuggets, fries and dipping sauces. Not in the mood for a bite? Just grab some rosewater lemonade or one of their unique smoothies! We saw them again at Street Food Karavan and we would be lying if we said we were disappointed about it!
Vegan Garden Spotlight: Vexicana
And finally if international cuisine is more your thing, drop by Vexicana for a delicious burrito or gourmet quesadilla. Whether you’re tempted by cheesy jalapeno poppers or their tomato sauce, you can rest assured they will all be served in a wonderful Mexican vibe! You can also get their handmade sauces and desserts to take away with you.
Matrjoska Kroshka
For a unique spot with an even better backstory, look no further than Matrjoska Kroshka. The name of the restaurant is the Russian title for Russian nesting dolls.
The owner of this restaurant, Natasha, used to own a meat-heavy restaurant where people would come primarily to eat meat and drink vodka. She eventually educated herself on veganism and saw what an important impact her lifestyle change made to her own health, the planet, and animals. Once she fully made the switch and became vegan, she realized she couldn’t run a non vegan restaurant… So she shut it down.
People said that she was crazy! Closing a successful restaurant and changing her whole life was certainly no small decision.
Natasha stayed strong though. She had tough conversations with her family members (now most of them are vegan too). She then opened Matrjoska Kroshka, her vegan restaurant. Many of her old customers at her meat restaurant now come to her new plant-based café. Plenty of them have told her that they have converted to a vegan lifestyle as well!
This story is so touching to me and the food makes the place even easier to love. You have to stop by Matrjoska Kroshka yourself to see it and believe it. Definitely a spot you can’t miss on your Vegan Voyage Hungary!
Vegan Love
Eating as a vegan with additional dietary restrictions can be difficult. I definitely know a few things about that! Fortunately, Budapest’s vegan scene also has us in mind. A spot that made me giddy with excitement is the wonderful Vegan Love and their gluten free options, amongst which are organic sodas, desserts, burgers, mac’n’cheese, fries, salads, pita platters, smoothies… Anything your heart can imagine, you can have freely!
Plantmilkyway
For even more gluten free treats, another great pick is Plantmilkyway, which also prides itself on being completely soy and refined sugar free. On top of their delicious treats made to order or taken from their counter, you can also count of them for delicious brunch offerings such as sandwiches and salads. A lovely spot for both healthy and yummy food!
Brodyland (again!)
We’ve already mentioned the delicious food served at BrodyLand’s workshop, but they deserve a spot of their own on our Vegan Voyage Hungary food list. This exclusive coworking and creative networking space offers amazing coffee and cocktails as well as a great filling and satisfying vegan menu at every meal of the day. Truly a great experience if you get the chance to become a member!
And now for something sweet… Anjuna Pops
Finally, there’s no foodie traveling without trying out a few local treats: and our Vegan Voyage Hungary certainly had its share of delicious sweets! Our first choice has to go to Anjuna Pops, whose mission is to bring a bit of peace and tropical escape into Hungarian people’s lives. The concept of the shop was inspired by the owners’ own backpacking adventure along the Indian beach of Anjuna.
We were charmed by their fruity açai bowls and ice pops as much as by their support of animal rights (they even make dog pops for our little canine best friends, with profits going to dog rescue organisations)! If that’s not enough for you to pay them a visit, you should also know that they have been announced as one of the 20 most promising franchises in the world. So if you’re not ready to come to Anjuna Pops, there’s still a chance they’ll come to you!
Gelarto Rosa
For another refreshing vegan and extremely Instagrammable treat, we love Gelarto Rosa and their flower shaped ice cream. They favor local ingredients, so you will get a range of different choices depending on the season you visit them in. We’d love to go back in the Fall to get a taste of their pumpkin or wasabi hazelnut ice cream! And don’t worry about the weather too much: if you visit them in the colder months, they’ll also serve you a nice warming lunch! Plus, if you’re not into ice cream, they also offer beautiful rose cakes to order. What’s not to love?
Levendula
Finally, Budapest once again confirms that summer desserts are king in the amazing craft ice cream shop Levendula. Don’t be afraid to be a bit adventurous and try out their most unique floral and herbal flavors. You won’t regret it, and make the most out of an ice cream shop unlike any other! This was a wonderful last stop for our Vegan Voyage Hungary.
Vegan Voyage Hungary: The Conclusion
Hungary has much more to offer than delicious food. We had a wonderful time hiking in the city and enjoying the views. The Danube is breathtaking to watch while the sun set. You can either get swept up by the wild nightlife constantly full of bachelor and bachelorette parties, watch concerts with a nice drink from one of Budapest’s numerous bars, or enjoy a more intellectual vacation while discovering the museums of the city. We were pleasantly surprised by our stop here and hope the rest of our Vegan Voyage will be able to live up to it!
What’s next?
Thank you for tagging along with us on our Vegan Voyage Hungary! Our next stop is in Austria, and if you feel like tagging along in our visit to the musical centre of Europe, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube! And for the aspiring travelers following us, make sure to check out our previous posts and advice on how to make the best out of your own Vegan Voyage:
- Our travel packing guide
- Our advice on travel clothes
- Wellness while traveling
- Learn more about our Vegan Voyage adventure
For the sake of goodness,
Seyka & Brian
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