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Vegan Leuven: A Guide to 11 Great Hotspots (2024)

Leuven is the eighth largest city in Belgium and the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant. Most foreign tourists who visit Belgium will flock to Bruges or Brussels and with good reason. But Leuven is on the rise now too as it has been chosen in 2022 as one of the top destinations in Europe to visit. In this vegan Leuven guide, you can find the best restaurants in the city for plant-based foodies!

Leuven

Leuven

Leuven is a vibrant student city with a cute historic center and holds a lot of the things that Belgium is famous for, for instance, some of the most famous Belgian breweries and lots of places to try Belgian fries. The city is easily visited on a day trip from Brussels and has a lively food scene with streets like Parijsstraat and Tiensestraat packed with charming restaurants fronted by cozy roadside terraces.

While Belgian cuisine is not vegan-friendly, you will have no problem finding decent food as a vegan in Leuven. I scoured the streets of this city for you to find the best vegan indulgences and comprised a vegan Leuven guide with 11 hotspots worth giving a try!

Vegan leuven: where to go for great vegan food?

The center of Leuven is not that big so all the following places are easily reachable on foot. There are not many all-vegan restaurants in Leuven, but a lot of the regular restaurants cater to vegans and have some surprising options included in their menu.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to try out all the vegan(-friendly) restaurants in Leuven. That’s why I included a wishlist at the end of this post with places I want to visit on a future trip. But for now, here goes the places I did try!

1. Life Bar (vegan restaurant Leuven)

Vegan Leuven: Life Bar, Leuven

Vegan food in Leuven: Spelt pancakes and scrambled tofu, Lifebar, Leuven.

Life Bar is a vegan health food restaurant in the cute and cozy Parijsstraat. If you’re a die-hard vegan, this is definitely the number one place you should go to.

On the menu, they have dishes like scrambled tofu and carrot salmon while the Dutch weed burger was the absolute highlight of my trip. Drinks include Kombucha, organic beer and wines, and plant-based hot drinks. Maybe one point of critique: I was not that big of a fan of their coffee. It was too strong for me so the next time I’ll be ordering a latte.

That said, Lifebar is easily the best place you can go for vegan brunch or vegan lunch in Leuven!  

Website Lifebar

Directions

2. Palmyra (vegan-friendly restaurant Leuven)

Vegan Leuven: Palmyra restaurants Leuven

Vegan Leuven: Vegan fried vegetable platter, fried cauliflower and fattoush, Palmyra, Leuven.

Their website states: “Palmyra is the first and best Syrian and Lebanese restaurant in Leuven” and I couldn’t agree more! While I haven’t tried other Syrian or Lebanese restaurants in Leuven I have tried some in the rest of Belgium and this was the best Syrian food I ever had in Belgium.

The vegan fried vegetable platter was delicious, the fried cauliflower delicately flavored (Next time I visit I want them to tell me which spices they use!) and the potatoes baked in a yummy muhammara sauce.

One tip: the fried vegetable platter also includes fattoush, hummus, and baba ganoush so don’t take these as an extra mezze on the side. There are many other delicious vegan mezze on the menu so this way you will have more variation!

Website Palmyra

Directions

3. Nirvana Kitchen (vegan-friendly restaurant Leuven)

Vegan Leuven: Nirvana Kitchen, Leuven

Vegan Leuven: Baingan Bharta (smoked tandoori aubergines), Nirvana Kitchen, Leuven.

If you are craving amazing vegan Indian food then look no further: Nirvana Kitchen in Leuven is the place to be. I went there for lunch and had some delicious samosas followed by Baingan Bharta, which are smoked tandoori aubergines.

The fresh ingredients were paired with a delicate mix of spices and completely blew me away. I have to be honest: I did not travel to India yet. So maybe I am not the best one to judge. But I’m pretty sure you will be delighted by the quality of this place.

One part of advice: they offer a shortened version of their menu for lunch with only one vegan appetizer and one main vegan dish so go in the evening if you want to have more of a choice. I will surely go back soon to try the vegan thali! Namaste, Nirvana Kitchen! 

Website Nirvana Kitchen

Directions

4. Noordoever (vegetarian restaurant Leuven)

Vegan Leuven: Noordoever, Leuven.

Vegan Leuven: Design your own plate, Noordoever, Leuven

Noordoever is a fully vegetarian restaurant on the Vaartkom in Leuven, a former industrial part of the city that has recently been redesigned into a vibrant and green area.

The menu here changes daily and is almost fully vegan. Only a few of the desserts contain dairy or eggs. The menu here is buffet-style. You can design your plate to your heart’s content and afterward, you pay per gram at the counter.

Watch out, it’s very tempting to fill up your plate with the dozens of options at the buffet but remember that this comes at a price. The plate you see on the picture cost €19. don’t get too carried away!

Nooroever website

Directions

5. Mykene (vegan-friendly restaurant Leuven)

Vegan Leuven: Mykene, Leuven.

Vegan Leuven: Vol-au-veggie with Belgian fries, Mykene, Leuven.

Mykene is a true Belgian restaurant in the Munstraat in Leuven. It was a great surprise when I read the menu and discovered nine vegan main dishes to choose from on the menu and also several vegan appetizers!

If you want to get a taste of Belgian cuisine, the vegan way, try the vol-au-veggie. Vol-au-vent, by its original name, is a classic Belgian dish and they veganized it in a pretty tasty way!

Furthermore, they are also thoughtful about some small details. Instead of butter, they bring you a small bottle of olive oil to go with your bread and vegan mayonnaise to have with the perfectly baked Belgian fries they serve. 

Mykene website

Directions

6. We love coffee (vegan-friendly coffeebar Leuven)

Vegan Leuven: We love coffee, Leuven.

Vegan Leuven: Tofu and vegetable quiche, We love coffee, Leuven.

I came by We love coffee by accident. It suddenly started raining pretty heavily when I was visiting Leuven and this coffee bar had a small covered terrace tucked away at the entrance of a hardware store opposite the street so I could hide from the rain.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they didn’t only serve coffee but also some nice organic drinks like wine and kombucha and they had several vegan food options on the menu. I tried the vegan quiche and it tasted great, made with tofu, and moist enough to replace the eggs.

An additional fun element of this visit was the owner, who always ran back and forth to us for our order, covering the food and drinks with a big umbrella to protect them from the rain! Haha, Thanks again! 

We love coffee website

Directions

7. Bar Florida (vegan-friendly restaurant Leuven)

Vegan Leuven: Bar Florida, Leuven.

Vegan Leuven: only drinks because the staff made a mistake with our order, Bar Florida, Leuven.

I was excited to visit this restaurant because there was little information to find about it on the world wide web and I was blown away by the few pictures I found online of the stunning interior.

I was happy as a child to find out they had a vegan option on their menu. They only serve pita and a few side dishes but the smells that came out of the kitchen were mouthwatering. Unfortunately, the waiter made a mistake with our order, so we left without actually enjoying the food, opting to go for a quick dinner at Noordoever which was a few meters away.

We got our drinks for free and I have to say that, despite not eating the food, I think it pretty good restaurant for vegans though. The pita looked delicious and their house cocktail is made with aquafaba! So I would seriously give it a chance if you are in the neighborhood.

Florida website

Directions

8. Koffie en Staal (vegan-friendly coffee bar Leuven)

Koffie en staal, Leuven.

Vegan Leuven: Avocado with salsa verde, Koffie en staal, Leuven.

Koffie en Staal is a coffee bar/furniture and jewelry store in the Dirk Boutslaan. I initially thought it would be more of a store than a coffee bar but it is actually just the opposite.

I didn’t really feel the concept was also about furniture and jewelry but only had eyes for the menu, which was not exclusively vegan but looked quite alluring. I had the avocado with salsa verde which was simple but fresh and the sauce was nice and tangy.

I’m definitely intrigued to try more options on their menu so next time I visit I think I will opt for the vegan lunch plate on which they combine a few vegan dishes of their menu! They serve oat milk so pick any coffee you like.

Koffie en Staal website

Directions

9. Bar Leuv (vegan-friendly brunch and coffee bar Leuven)

Bar Leuv, Leuven.

Vegan Leuven: Chai oatmilk latte vanilla, Bar Leuv, Leuven.

Bar Leuv is a popular hangout among students and it’s no wonder why. The atmosphere is young and casual and the all-day breakfast menu draws people in at any time of day.

You can opt for soy milk or oat milk to go with your coffee. I particularly liked the golden chai latte with oat milk. We had breakfast already so didn’t pick anything else from the menu but there were 4 options ( a salad, a sandwich and 2 breakfast bowls) you can choose from as a vegan. 

Bar Leuv website

Directions

10. Bavet (vegan-friendly restaurant Leuven)

Bavet, Leuven.

Vegan Leuven: Vegan nachos, Bavet, Leuven.

Bavet is a Belgian spaghetti chain with different outlets in Belgium and also one in The Netherlands. The concept is clear and catchy and you get what is promised.

At the outlet in Leuven, we were pleasantly surprised by the young but very professional staff and enjoyed some vegan meatballs and nachos. On the menu you can find 3 vegan spaghetti’s or you also have the option to create one on your own choosing your pasta, sauce and toppings yourself! 

Funny detail for non-Belgians: A bavet is a bib. You get a big one when you order so you don’t mess up your clothes eating the spaghetti.

Bavet website

Directions

11. Falafel Top (vegan fast food bar)

Vegan Falafel at Falafel Top in Leuven

Leuven vegan restaurant: Falafel Top

Falafel Top is, as the name indicates, a falafel bar in the Diestsestraat in Leuven. luckily for us, vegan foodies, this falafel bar in the center of the city is fully vegan! 

On the short but sweet menu, you can find a few incredibly tasty sandwiches like the Sandwich Top with baba ganouch and pumpkin or the sandwich extra with humus and cauliflower.

Everything is freshly prepared and the sweet owner gives you a falafel ball for free after you have put in your order to enjoy while he cooks your food!

Website: Falafel Top

Where: Directions

Vegan restaurants leuven: wishlist

I didn’t get the chance to try out all the vegan-friendly restaurants in Leuven I researched. Here are some other restaurants in Leuven I think are worth giving a try as a vegan.

Het Strand

This restaurant was on top of my wishlist and we were planning a lunch here but unfortunately on our last day in Leuven we saw they were only open during the evening. The website indicates they are a vegetarian restaurant but, based on their most recent menu, I think they went 100% vegan.

Website Het strand

Directions

Greenway

Greenway Leuven is a vegan chain restaurant with other outlets in Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp. They produce their own range of faux-meats which are sold in supermarkets throughout Belgium. In these restaurants, you can find a menu based on these faux-meats ranging from hamburgers to curry bowls.

Website Greenway

Directions

Otomat

Otomat is a pizza chain restaurant in Leuven with other outlets in Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent. There are three vegan pizzas on offer on their menu with a creative mix of ingredients that look delicious. This is your best bet for vegan pizza in Leuven.

Otomat Website

Directions

GRand cafe industrie

I got this tip from a local make-up artist who said this place offers great vegan food. considering the style and feel of this place, it sounded a bit weird but when you check out their menu you can see they have a separate menu with 5 different vegan dishes. Sound like a local hidden vegan gem to me!

Website Grand Café Industrie

Directions

Alfa Alfa

Alfa Alfa is a mostly vegan restaurant in Leuven. They started out as a falafelbar and reviews claim it’s the best falafel they ever had. They recently did some renovations and operate as a full-fledged restaurant now with some awesome-looking plates to share on the menu. 

Alfa Alfa website

Directions

Exki

Exki is not really on my wishlist but I wanted to include it in case you never heard of it. Exki is a “fast good” restaurant with multiple outlets across Belgium, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Italy and Luxembourg. You can eat in or do take-out. The dishes are organic and the vegan options are clearly labeled. I go here often and it’s an easy option for indeed, eat something fast that is also healthy.

Exki website

Directions

Vegan Leuven: final thoughts

There you go! I hope you enjoyed this vegan Leuven guide. I think it’s safe to say that there are some amazing vegan restaurants in Leuven and that more vegan-friendly restaurants will surely pop up in the near future!

If you’re still looking for a great place to stay in Leuven, I can highly recommend Park Inn by Radisson. It’s a Green Key hotel and is conveniently located next to the train station.

If you think I missed something and you would like me to add it to this post let me know in the comments below!

ENJOY!

Want more vegan travel advice?

Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links. If you click on them, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Vegan travel in Leuven: Best hotspots in the city!
Vegan travel in Leuven: Best hotspots in the city!

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Comments:

  • Shelly

    July 25, 2021

    Looks amazing, great post!

    reply...
  • Shafinah

    July 26, 2021

    Everything looks so delicious -I probably wouldn’t miss my meats at all with these on the menu!

    reply...
  • haley

    July 26, 2021

    The food looks amazing, it’s great to see locations to travel to with great vegan options.

    reply...
  • Laura

    July 28, 2021

    Everything here looks so delicious!! Now I’m hungry 😂

    reply...

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travelers and dreamers

Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!

On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!

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