Best Vegan Places in El Raval, Barcelona

El Raval is one of the coolest districts in Barcelona. It’s not only full of vintage shops, museums and art galleries, but also with great vegan and vegetarian restaurants. I’d recommend you to spend an entire afternoon here, getting lost in the many small alleys, checking out some art exhibitions, shopping vintage clothes, observing the skaters in front of the MACBA museum, while drinking a cold cerveza and – of course – trying out the vegan food around this vibrant district. Here’s an insight to some of the best vegan places in Raval:

Teresa Carles

Teresa Carles was actually the first fully vegetarian restaurant in Barcelona, starting in 1979. Their vegetarian cuisine is not only healthy and sustainable, but also very innovative, thanks to their amazing chef cook Teresa Carles, who is dedicated passionately to vegetarian food for 35 years. The restaurant has a great atmosphere to offer, especially for a dinner with friends, first dates or special occasions. Their menu is always changing, offering a seasonal variety of exquisite vegan creations, like the so-called salmon tofu on mushroom foam with grilled asparagus (absolutely stunning), and healthy versions of traditional Catalan dishes, like the delicious croquetas.

Flax & Kale

Flax & Kale is worth leaving your job and life back home behind and move to Barcelona, just so you can try each dish of the menu and eat there for the rest of your life. In fact, the Açaí Bowl here is the best I’ve ever tried, anywhere in the world – and I’ve had a lot of Açaí Bowls, trust me. But any dish I’ve ever tried here was absolutely delightful – even such a simple side dish like the kale chips taste surprisingly different. The menu of Flax & Kale is focussed on healthy ingredients and superfood – therefore quite pricey, but definitely worth it. Each dish is arranged like a piece of art and is also marked on the menu whether it’s plant based, gluten free, raw or if it contains oily fish. So even your non-vegan friends will find delicious pescetarian options. Also, the interior and whole branding of Flax & Kale, which is a charming mix between modern and industrial, is very hip and cosy with a lot of attention to the details. Try out also the few other Flax & Kales around the city that all offer a different menu!

Veggie Garden

Veggie Garden is my favourite place for lunch breaks – it’s probably the cheapest vegan restaurant in town, while serving the biggest portions. Here you can get a full menu with a small starter and bread on the side, a huge main dish, a small dessert and wine or water for less than 10 Euros! The menu is inspired by Indian cuisine and tastes like real home-made dishes, prepared with love. The restaurant is very colourful inside and has a little sitting area outside in the heart of El Raval, close to the MACBA museum. I can highly recommend the cold oven vegetables or the hummus as a starter, the thali or quiche as a main dish and the apple crumble as a dessert.

L’Hortet

L’Hortet is one of the very few places in Barcelona, where you can get a good vegan or vegetarian dinner menu for a truly fair price! If you want to go for a menu, you can choose between the full menu with a starter, main and dessert for about 11 Euros, or you can choose one of the two express menus – either the diverse buffet or a main dish with dessert, coffee or tea for about 9 Euros. The portions are filling and very tasty, although rater plain fare than fancy. It’s the ideal place to go to with friends and have a good time, both for lunch and dinner.  

El Raval is indeed a great place to eat, hang out, drink and simply enjoy the artistic and alternative side of the city (people from Barcelona even created a verb out of the districts name – "ravalejar" means hanging out in El Raval). Enjoy the amazing vegan food you get here and check out my other reviews on the best vegan places in Eixample, El Born, Barceloneta and Grácia.

Header Photo: © istock/J2R