For those of you that read my previous post on Eating Vegan in Mexico City, my brain is now trained to look for vegan food, whether I am eating it or not. I have found quite a few more places I like since the last post. Here’s a list that I updated in June 2023.

By far the best vegan food I have eaten anywhere in the city is at Malportaco in Colonia Narvarte. The chef is dedicated to making delicious vegan food and her passion shines through to the food. A simple affair, with outdoor wooden tables and chairs, Malportaco has all the Mexico City classics — menudo, al pastor, suadero, the taco placero (!) in incredible vegan form. If you eat ANYWHERE vegan on your trip to Mexico City eat here. They also sell very good mezcal and some cheap barrilito beer.

Second to Malportaco is Paxil. A tiny sidewalk sand run by two sisters, Paxil makes vegan seafood with very few meat subs like soy or wheat, instead concentrating on mushrooms, cukes, and other veggies for the main protein. I never thought I would swoon over vegan aguachile but I did, and the Gobernador taco with vegan cheese is also heavenly. Another streetside stand that I love is Gatorta on Insurgentes Avenue. DELICIOUS vegan tortas of all kinds.

Los Loosers which I previously wrote about as a to-go service has had a rebirth as an Asia-inspired sit-down restaurant with a menu that almost entirely uses mushrooms for protein replacement. That said, I had a tetela there the other day it was delicious. I have also recently fallen in love with Seven Buddhas Cafe. They have great coffee and I am partial to their burritos and the acai bowl, but they have many options for vegans — Avocado toast, a vegan burrito, vegan waffles — and/or substitutes you can get like vegan chorizo. Plus they have lots of smoothies and cold-pressed juices.

A couple places I think are a little disappointing that I have tried in my search are Forever on the corner of Merida and Guanajuato in Roma and Pitahaya (even though every vegan I know loves this place, I just don’t get it… are they in love with the pink taco?).

In the freezer of La Nave Cosas Ricas (Tehuantepec 66, Roma Sur) you can find soy sausages, amaranth milanesa, soy al pastor, almond paste chorizo, quinoa milanesa, and bean “meatballs.”  My personal favorite is the falafel. In addition, they sell vegan cookies, lots of jams and jellies, organic soap, organic eggs, and more.

vegan bakery Roma NorteVegani (Manzanillo 22B, Roma Norte) sits right next to the Vegana Por Siempre taco stand on Manzinillo (see my previous post). They are open for lunch offering soy cochinita or poblano burritos (poblano peppers, corn, and mushroom), rice bowls, an elaborate list of salad fixings, and tiramisu. The fries with chile and salt are particularly nice.

For cooking at home, the Amsterdam Market (Av Ozuluama 14, Condesa) has a couple kinds of vegan cheeses, one made with almond and the other with cashew along with other vegan-friendly processed foods which are all but impossible to find in regular grocery stores. They, along with their sister store, Origenes Organicos, are close to the only game in town selling gluten-free, soy-free, corn-free and any other kind of free you need.

More to come, stay tuned…

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By Lydia Carey

I have been living in and writing about Mexico for 15 years and Mexico City for almost 10 of those. My writing focuses on food, history, local culture, and all the amazing stories that this place has to tell. I also give food and history tours in the city and am the author of the book "Mexico City Streets: La Roma" about Colonia Roma, the neighborhood where I live.