Travelling while Vegan in Rome

Vegan in Rome

Rome is obviously famous for it's well-preserved history, but I will never forget its well-prepared food. Out of the three Italian cities that we visited (Milan, Venice, and Rome), Rome was easily the most vegan-friendly. We did not find strictly vegan locations, but it was easy to locate clearly marked vegan options in many restaurants. Our first stop was Origano, located just minutes away from the Trevi Fountain. Our waitress told us we ordered traditional Italian food, and that tradition sure was tasty. The first dish may look like plain old penne pasta, but let me assure you that this dish was far superior to anything I've had back home. Even though it was prepared with just a handful of ingredients, the flavor was really astounding. Furthermore, what initially appeared to be a rather small portion size to my greedy American eyes turned out to be more than I could finish. Philippe actually could have used a larger portion but he does have quite a large appetite. Nevertheless, the gnocchi was filling with a mild kick, and the flavorful sauce really complimented the texture of the pasta.

As delicious as Origano was, our favorite restaurant was definitely Rifugio Romano. While they were not exclusively vegan, they did offer a full vegan menu which was quite extensive. The gnocchi was baked to perfection with herbs and vegan cheese. But you know how sometimes you eat vegan cheese and everyone can tell that it's vegan? Not the case here. I could not believe just how much flavor was packed into that dish. It was the same situation with the pizza. Such simple ingredients on a thin and crispy crust, but it wasn't bland at all. Philippe agrees that the pasta at Rifugio Romano was simple, tasty, and well-prepared. The portion size was small for him, but the noodles were rich in flavor. If you are in search of traditional Italian vegan pasta, this restaurant is a homerun.

However, there was one dish that wasn't completely amazing. When Philippe ordered the vegan burger he expected it to be at least a little firm, but the patty was soft and had a strange after taste. The potatoes were prepared with a lot of oil, and they weren't crispy at all. I guess it makes sense that you don't come to Italy for burgers. Stick with the pasta.

That being said, I was really excited to try the risotto. We took a walking tour in Venice, and our guide told us that risotto is a very typical Venetian dish. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to eat any in Venice, so I did not want to pass up the opportunity once we got to Rome. No surprise here, it was absolutely delicious. I actually have never been a huge fan of zucchini, but it really worked well in this rice dish. No one flavor was too overpowering, and they blended together quite well. It didn't feel like I was just eating rice; it was an entirely new dish and very satisfying.

Although we had eaten some really amazing pasta, I felt like I couldn't leave Italy without some classic spaghetti. We actually decided to eat in our hotel's restaurant, and they were very accommodating when we explained that we're vegan. Philippe actually planned to order another dish, but they let us know that it wasn't prepared in their own kitchen so they couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't have traces of eggs. They did assure us that the spaghettone was 100% vegan. The pasta was delicious, but it did have a bit more oil than we would have preferred. Rifugio Romano definitely had better flavor and more reasonable prices.

Spaghettone with tomato and basil from Restaurant Doney, Westin Excelsior Rome

Of course we couldn't leave Italy without having gelato one more time. Il Gelatone offered several vegan selections, and it was sweet and delicious. No complaints here! The perfect way to end our Italian adventure.

Vanilla and pistachio gelato on the left, vanilla and strawberry gelato on the right