Oh, Bogotá. Colombia’s capital. Lots of hustle and bustle. Questionable weather. And some really great vegan options.
Because it’s so large, there are vegan options throughout the city. Bogotá was one of the few places that I had to schedule my days to be able to try as many restaurants as I could.
I will be the first to say that this list is as comprehensive as I could get in a few weeks. I tried the majority of the vegan restaurants, but there are some places I didn’t have the opportunity to check out. I prioritized restaurants that either had high ratings, had a unique concept, or had a menu that appealed to me. I wish I could have done everything, so if there’s a restaurant I didn’t get to that you love, let me know in the comments!
Let’s get into it!
The Loves
Starting with the places I loved. When I love a restaurant, it’s because of the décor, service, variety or creativity of menu options, flavor of the food, or some combination of all.
Elektra Punk & Food
The tagline for Elektra is ‘Punk and Good Food’. It follows through on both of those promises: the vibe of the restaurant is very punk. And the food is very good.
The décor is artsy with a pink, black, and yellow color palate and punk posters and artwork throughout. The restaurant is really large with both indoor and outdoor seating.
The menu offers a good variety of interesting options. I love when dishes have some unexpected components, and Elektra does well in including those surprise elements that make the dish fresh and interesting.
My two choices were the mushroom bruschetta and the cauliflower tacos. The bruschetta is not a traditional bruschetta in the Italian sense. It’s a thick-cut piece of seeded sourdough bread topped with a tomato paste, pear slices, mushrooms, walnut cream, and sprouts. I loved this dish. The contrast of the slight acidity from the tomato paste with the slight sweetness and tartness of the pears with the earthiness of the mushrooms and creaminess of the walnut cream. Yum! Listing them out, it doesn’t sound like they should work so well together, but boy, they did. It was complex and delicious.
The cauliflower tacos were also excellent, but not quite as exceptional as the mushroom toast. The tacos had fried cauliflower, coleslaw, pickled onions, and agave honey. All of the components were well done, but I found myself wishing for more acid from the onions or a spicy component to cut through some of the creaminess of the coleslaw.
Casa Lelyte
Café Lelyte was my last stop in Bogotá, and it was a really strong finish. The restaurant is attached to a small hotel, and has an upscale vintage feel to it.
My friend and I were really excited by the menu, so we ordered 2 appetizers and 2 entrees to split. It was absolutely too much food, but I have no regrets (the extras were taken as leftovers 😋).
The menu here is incredibly creative and uses plant-based ingredients in unique ways. I absolutely love when restaurants rely only on whole food ingredients rather than using pre-packaged vegan meats and cheese.
We started with the purple corn tart (with a purple corn crust, cauliflower béchamel, sautéed cauliflower and seeds, vegan cheese, balsamic reduction, and olives). I loved this. The crust was crisp and contrasted the creaminess of the cauliflower béchamel. I did think the crust was just a touch oily, but there were enough acidic ingredients to cut through some of it.
Next came the gyozas. There were four total: 2 with an activated charcoal dough and beet filling and 2 filled with an eggplant chicharron filling. The beet filled were my favorite. I enjoyed the other as well, but the activated charcoal and beet just felt more unique.
The two entrees were the Watermelon strip and the Ravioli. The watermelon was so interesting. It’s cooked over wood, covered with Capuchina leaves, served with yuca gnocchi croquets. The Ravioli is filled with sesame and almond ricotta and dried tomatoes topped with pesto and toasted pumpkin seeds. I enjoyed both options, but I have little qualms with both. I loved the croquets that came with the watermelon, and I loved the concept of the watermelon. They just didn’t work well together for me. They almost felt like components to separate dishes rather than one unified whole. The ravioli was great, but the flavor of the pesto was too overwhelming to taste the filling of the ravioli. I wish they had gone a bit lighter on the sauce.
But overall, the menu is inventive and shows some exciting progress for vegan cuisine. While I was eating, I told my friend “I wish they offered a tasting menu. I would pay whatever they asked”. I stand by that. I would love to try a small amount of many of their dishes. I imagine that it would be a great experience.
Shirai Ramen
The weather in Bogotá reminds me a bit of England: often chilly and overcast/slightly drizzling. Because I spent so much time walking through the city, the weather caught up with me and I got really sick for about a week.
All that to say, Shirai Ramen was my first meal out after recovering. I was still feeling a little weak and didn’t want to travel too far from where I was staying. It was walking distance, and ramen sounded like an incredible post-illness meal.
Shirai is a tiny restaurant. Like they only have 12 seats. I didn’t know this when I went, but luckily I was there right when they opened. In the time that I was there, a line 10 people deep formed outside the door. Because of the growing line, I felt a bit of internal pressure to eat more quickly than I normally would (of course, there was no pressure from the staff).
The menu is very limited, and they only offer one items that is vegan: the Veggie Ramen. However, that veggie ramen is spectacular. It’s a little spicy and has great umami, and the broth has a great depth of flavor. I was really pleased with it.
I will note that when I went, the menu listed the dish as vegan (and on the website, it says that it’s vegan). But as I was writing this, the updated menu lists fish sauce and bonito as potential allergens. I’m not sure if they changed the recipe or if it was previously improperly listed as vegan. But it’s definitely something to check if you do visit.
Dalia Plant-Power Mex
Being from the southern part of the US, Mexican cuisine is the Central/South American food that I’m most familiar with. I love some good Mexican food, and I was so pleasantly surprised to find a vegan Mexican restaurant. It’s in the northern part of Bogotá, so it’s a bit out of the way.
I honestly wasn’t hungry when I went, but this was the only time I was in this part of the city, so I found room to try the Esquites. My mouth is watering thinking back on this appetizer. It has roasted corn slathered in vegan sour cream, tajín, and lime. It sounds so simple, but man, sometimes simple dishes done well can be so delicious.
This little teaser made me want to try more of the menu, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity. The menu is quite large and 100% plant-based, so it’s an excellent option if you’re in this area of Bogotá.
Veggie Beans and Shakes
Whoever named this restaurant did themselves dirty. My expectations going in were so so low because the name just doesn’t sound very good. But I went because it’s vegan and near where I was staying. Let me tell you, I was shocked by how good the food was.
I went during lunch, and they do have a menu del día, which is my normal choice for lunch. But I was in the mood for the street curry. Unfortunately, they were out the day I went, so I had to pivot. Everything else on the menu looked delicious (and they have dishes from all over the world), but I ended choosing the Ethiopian Wat because I was having a craving for tofu.
I was so pleasantly surprised. The dish comes with 6 different components on top of injera. The variety of flavors and textures were fantastic. Each individual component was tasty and well balanced, but together, I was very impressed. It was fun to be able to mix and match each bite.
The service was very friendly, and I just had a great overall experience.
The Likes
Vegga Pizza
I love a good pizza, so I had such a hard time deciding what to eat! They have a varied selection of vegan pizzas with inspiration from global cuisines. They also offer a few pasta options and desserts. I debated getting a pasta, but the cashier recommended the pizza, so that helped to make my decision. I opted for the Bollywood Pizza (with hummus, roasted peppers, baba ghanoush, crispy falafel, and parsley mayo).
I’ve said it before, and I will. I’m not much of a fan of many packaged vegan cheeses. The flavor may be ok, but the texture kills me. It’s usually very waxy and I can’t eat a whole pizza with vegan cheese. I was happy to see that this restaurant has a homemade vegan cheese, and doesn’t even use it on all of their pizzas. The pizza I had doesn’t come with the cheese, so I didn’t get to try their version to see how it holds up to other vegan cheeses.
The Bollywood pizza had a lot of elements that I really liked, but it wasn’t flawless. Conceptually, I loved all of the elements: the crisp falafel pared with the dollops of baba ghanoush and hummus are a nice contrast. The parsley mayo makes for an herbaceous base. The crust well cooked. But as a whole, it didn’t knock my socks off. The pizza was quite dry even with the additional sauces, and the flavors weren’t exceptionally powerful. The texture of the baba ghanoush is loose enough that it could have been drizzled instead of dolloped, and that would have added some sauce to a wider area of the pizza.
All of the pizza options on the menu sound really intriguing, so if I’d be interested to try more of their pizzas to see if there are a some that are true home runs.
I also ordered a chocolate peanut donut to go (I can’t turn down a vegan donut). I heated it for a few seconds in the microwave, and it was delicious. I mean, how can you go wrong with chocolate and peanuts!
Maria Candela Vegan
This is a small restaurant conveniently located the La Candeleria neighborhood. The menu is not extensive, and they were out of several of the options listed. We had the Frijolada and the Arroz Atollado.
One thing I did find a little odd on the menu was that it only listed the dish names and prices. It doesn’t give much information about the dish components or what it’s served with.
For the price ($5-6 USD), they serve a large portion and the food is quite good. The Frijolada had really great flavor. It’s almost a soup/stew-like consistency with vegan meat and multiple types of beans. It’s served with rice, patacones (fried plantains), and avocado. The Arroz Atollado is a traditional Colombian rice with veggies and vegan meat. It’s served with potatoes and a small salad.
Both meals were nice, but if I had to choose between the two, I would go with the Frijolada. The flavors of it are more memorable and complex, and I like the sides that went with it better.
Most of the dishes do use vegan meat substitutes. So if that’s not your thing, this may not be the best restaurant choice for you.
Crepes & Waffles
I can’t do a true full review of Crepes & Waffles because I only went for their ice cream. This restaurant has locations throughout Colombia (and they have expanded to other countries as well). They offer a variety of vegan and vegetarian options, so I do wish I had gone for a full meal. One day!
What I did have was the ice cream. They didn’t have a huge selection of vegan options, but they did have a coconut lemonade and a chocolate. I tried both flavors. The chocolate was dark and rich. The lemonade was bright and citrusy. The texture of both were smooth. I was a happy camper eating both flavors.
Mestizo Vegano
The staff here was so welcoming. That’s what truly stood out to me: as soon as I walked in the door, I was warmly greeted and made to feel at home.
The menu has a selection of dishes with influences from a variety of Latin American counties. I was really open about what to eat, so I asked my server for his recommendation. He pointed me toward the Mancora Rice. The meal comes with a soup to start (you get to choose between two options) and a salad on the side. The rice is a Peruvian dish with vegetables, mushrooms, marinated quinoa chicharron, and plantain chips.
The food was all really good, but I didn’t necessarily think it was exceptional. It’s high quality, but it just wasn’t quite as flavorful as I would have liked.
I sat near the kitchen (it’s an open kitchen), and I was really impressed with the flow and how in sync the kitchen staff was.
Pianta Vegan
There are two words that will always make me want to visit a restaurant, and they are “Sunday Brunch”. As the good millennial I am, I love Sunday brunch. Pianta offers an unlimited brunch buffet on Sundays for about $10 USD, and I made it a priority to try it.
The brunch has a selection of pastries, fruit, sandwiches, and small savory items. My friend and I went close to 1pm, and I kinda wish we had gone earlier in the brunch service. Though there was still a good selection of food, most of it was room temperature. While we were there, they refreshed the buffet with freshly baked items, and they were much better than the ones that had sat out for a while.
To me, the savory options were better than the sweet. There was a seitan sandwich that was so convincingly like medium rare steak that I had to check with the server that it actually was vegan. I asked if they had a recipe, but they didn’t share (which I totally understand).
The buffet is quite carb heavy, so if you’re not big on bread and processed carbs, it would probably be better to order off of the regular menu.
Herbívoro Cocina Vegana
I always feel like I’m repeating myself when I talk about my experiences with breakfast in South American restaurants. Even though they are open, the restaurant doesn’t really feel ready for customers until lunch.
I went to Herbívoro for breakfast, and it was very quiet. I was craving some fruit, so I tried to order the parfait. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the coconut yogurt to make it. I pivoted and ordered the Caldo de Quinoa and a potato empanada instead (a complete flavor 180, I know).
The soup wasn’t at all what I was expecting: it had quinoa in the base of the bowl with a vegetable forward broth and tofu. I really enjoyed it. The broth had a charred flavor to it. It almost tasted unintentional like something had burned, but it really gave the soup some much needed depth of flavor. My only complaint was that it felt quite oily on the palate. The empanada was great (but I’d be hard pressed to find an empanada I don’t like 😉). The filling had potatoes and vegetables, and it was a nice complement to the soup.
The restaurant has so much to offer: a really extensive menu, vegan ice creams, bulk goods, and vegan grocery items. It’s worth checking out. Just maybe go closer to lunch or dinner.
Iom Cocina Plant-Based
If you like to customize your meals, this is the place for you. The menu is fully customizable and comepletely vegan. You start by choosing 1. Your base (i.e. your main carb), 2. Your protein, 3. Your four toppings, 4. Your sauce, and 5. Your seeds.
I loved that there were so many options and that you could build your dish according to what you’re in the mood for that day. I built a pasta dish with their fresh fettuccine, feta tofu, olives, sautéed mushrooms, kale, dried tomatoes, pesto, and nutritional yeast.
The pesto came on the side of the pasta, and honestly, I wish that it had been mixed in the kitchen. I found there wasn’t enough sauce for the noodles and the dish was a bit dry. Acutally, thinking about it, all of the ingredients were on top of the pasta rather than incorporated, and it would have been significantly better if it was all briefly sautéed together. I didn’t dislike it, but I wasn’t impressed.
I did love the design of the restaurant. It’s upscale yet rustic and the design feels well thought out. Unfortunately, the location I visited has now closed, but they have another location (the one linked above) that is still open.
The Disappointments
Puro Zumo
This restaurant is located in the northern part of Bogotá, just around the corner from Dalia. It is out of the way if you’re staying in the city center. But I was in the area because I took a vegan cooking class in the neighborhood. The instructor recommended this restaurant for a post-class coffee and dessert.
Puro Zumo has a selection of juices, smoothies, light snacks, and coffee/teas. I went with the carrot cake and the matcha latte. There were a few things that I wasn’t very impressed by.
First, it was quite busy, so service was a bit slow. It wasn’t too bad, but noticeable. Second, I thought the carrot cake as a bit dry, dense, and lacked flavor. Admittedly, I’m more of a savory than sweet girlie, but I’ll eat a dessert if it’s really good. This one didn’t make me want to finish it.
If you’re in the area, maybe go for a juice or smoothie, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go back.
Frambuesa Pastelería Vegan
This restaurant was such a huge disappointment for me. Aesthetically, it’s so cute: all pink with sprinkles throughout the interior design. The ceiling is covered with fake ivy, donut balloons, hearts, and flowers. It’s just so adorable. The sweets display is incredibly appealing, and everything is beautifully made.
So I think because the aesthetics were so promising, I was that much more let down by the actual taste of the food. I went with a friend, so I was able to try a decent variety of foods. Between the two of use, we had a sandwich with greens and pesto, a ‘ham and cheese’ croissant, the empanadas, a slice of chocolate cake, and the aquafaba meringue.
The empanadas were the best thing we had. The two sandwiches had issues. The ‘ham and cheese’ was too dry and even though it had a vegan mayo, it really needed something else to offset the dryness of the croissant. The sandwich was good in theory, but there was something that gave it an odd fishy flavor. I almost couldn’t finish it because that flavor was so off putting. The chocolate cake lacked flavor, and the vegan buttercream that it’s made with tastes more like shortening than any actual flavor.
Overall, none of the flavors or textures lived up to the visual appeal.
Final Thoughts
When I was researching where to go in Colombia, I saw some mixed feelings about Bogotá. It’s definitely a big city vibe, but if you find the right area, it can be really cool. Because it’s a financial center, I feel like there is more investment into alternative restaurants. There were a bunch of vegan restaurants to choose from. No matter the cuisine, you can find something that suits your mood.
