Los Angeles is the best city for vegans and vegetarians, according to new rankings.
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Plant-based travelers, put Los Angeles at the top of your bucket list. The destination has just been crowned the best city for vegans and vegetarians in the U.S. in 2024, according to research from the financial website WalletHub. It dethroned Portland, Oregon, which held the title for five consecutive years.
Los Angeles: The New Vegan Capital
Vegan mafaldine cacio e pepe and Caesar salad at Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles.
Joni Sweet
As a vegetarian for nearly 20 years and an avid traveler, I’m not surprised Los Angeles took the top spot. The city is a haven for plant-based cuisine, featuring an impressive lineup of vegan restaurants, like Crossroads Kitchen, Gracias Madre, and Cafe Gratitude. Whether you’re craving ramen, tacos, or classic comfort food, you can find a vegan version of just about any dish in this city. Beyond dining, Los Angeles hosts a variety of events for vegans, including the Vegan Exchange, Vegan Playground, and the Vegan Street Fair.
Now, there’s data to back up what plant-based foodies have long known: Los Angeles is the vegan capital of the U.S. for 2024.
How Vegan Cities Stack Up
To identify the top cities for vegans and vegetarians, the researchers at WalletHub analyzed 17 key metrics of vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness in the country’s 100 largest cities. This included data on the cost of vegetarian groceries, availability of affordable vegan and vegetarian options at well-rated restaurants, whether the city offered a vegan or vegetarian festival, cost of vegetarian groceries, accessibility of fresh vegetarian food, and number of vegetarian cooking classes per capita.
Based on this data, each city could earn a maximum of 100 points. Los Angeles emerged as the most vegetarian- and vegan-friendly city, with a total score of 61.26. The researchers noted that the City of Angels had the second-highest number of affordable restaurants with vegan and vegetarian dishes that have earned at least a 4.5-star rating on Yelp. It also earned points for having an abundance of farmers’ markets, organic farms, vegetarian cooking classes, and festivals.
Orlando is the second most vegan-friendly city in the U.S., according to WalletHub.
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Hot on the heels of Los Angeles is Orlando, Florida, which jumped to second place after ranking as the third-best city for vegan and vegetarians in 2023. It scored 60.60 points in WalletHub’s analysis, thanks to its high quantity of juice and smoothie bars, salad shops, and vegetable nurseries. The researchers also found that Orlando had a surprisingly low cost of vegetarian groceries and a decent share of restaurants with vegan and vegetarian options.
While Portland has been unseated from the top spot, the City of Roses remains a strong contender in third place with a score of 59.63 points. WalletHub’s research team noted that Portland residents order vegan and vegetarian food 148% more frequently than the U.S. average. The city has a high percentage of people who eat veggies every day and the fourth-largest number of well-rated restaurants with affordable meat-free dishes.
Other Insights on Veg-Friendly Cities
Scottsdale boasts a high percentage of restaurants serving vegetarian and vegan options.
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Beyond ranking the top cities for vegans and vegetarians, the report uncovered additional insights that can guide plant-based travelers to great destinations. Don’t overlook Scottsdale, Arizona—while it was ranked as the 26th best city for vegans and vegetarians, it boasts the highest percentage of restaurants serving vegetarian options, tying with Anchorage, Alaska and St. Petersburg, Florida. It also shares the top spot for the highest percentage of restaurants offering vegan options, once again tied with St. Petersburg and Washington, D.C.
And if fresh greens are your jam, you can’t go wrong with a trip to Miami, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Orlando, Florida; San Francisco, California; or Las Vegas, Nevada. They all tied for first place for having the most number of salad shops per capital of the 100 largest cities in the U.S.
With World Vegetarian Day coming up on October 1, check out the best cities for vegans and vegetarians in the U.S., according to WalletHubs’s 2024 rankings.
