When I was planning my trip to walk the Camino de Santiago one of my main worries was if it was going to be easy finding vegetarian food in the Camino Frances, the route that I had chosen.

Even though I did find an online list of vegetarian restaurants in the Camino Frances, it hadn’t been updated in many years. So from day 1 of my walk (2023), I decided to keep track of all the places I would eat to create a resource that would be available for all vegetarian pilgrims in the Camino.

My walk started in Roncesvalles, but because of personal reasons I walked the stretch Roncesvalles-Pamplona, and then had to restart the walk from Burgos. That means there’s a stretch of the road that I didn’t walk, so I can’t give personal recommendations of places to eat there.

Still, of course, the idea is to cover the vegetarian restaurants throughout the whole route along the Camino Frances. So the list of vegetarian restaurants that you will find below is the result of my own experience combined with suggestions I’ve read on forums and groups. If I know a restaurant had vegan options, I mention them as well.

Please feel free to contribute to this list, by sending me an email to sharon@theroadsbeyond.com, with the name of the restaurant you went to, what vegetarian or vegan options they had, the price range and even pictures if you have! You can also just send picture of the food you had or of a picture of the menu if the restaurant is already listed.

Also, if you know a restaurant is closed or if any information is outdated, you can drop a line as well or write a comment below.

Let’s make this a comprehensive and updated list that will useful for other people walking the Camino! That way, we will be able to just focus on enjoying the stunning landscapes and walking through some of the nicest medieval towns in Europe without worrying about finding food.

Roncesvalles

Roncesvalles is a tiny town but luckily you can find two options for eating out here. Keep in mind that there is no grocery store in this town.

La Posada

My first vegetarian meal in the Camino de Santiago was in Roncesvalles, at La Posada. You can find this restaurant right on the left hand side if you are walking out of the Albergue Municipal. The restaurant is an open air terrace and they had a vegetarian burger (almost sure it was vegan) with fries for 9.50 euros.

Casa Sabina

I have not eaten here, but I have read they serve a vegan paella.

Zubiri

Cafe El Camino

Cafe El Camino is just a block away after you cross the bridge into town. They had two different kind of tortillas: the usual potato tortilla and a vegetable tortilla (that is, a potato tortilla which also had vegetables). They also serve vegan burgers, which come without fries. Simple but good options, plus great staff at the restaurant! We had a one tortilla, two burgers plus a tea for 16.50.

Bar Valentín

I didn’t get to take pictures here, but they had a salad and tortilla. The tortilla portion was big, enough for a lunch or dinner, and came with a lot of bread. Two tortillas plus an ensalada mixta (mixed salad) were 15 euros.

The waitress mentioned that they often have a vegetarian lasagna available.

Pamplona

Pamplona is a big city so for here options are more varied. But also take into account that in smaller towns, which mainly cater for pilgrims, you will be able to find a meal at any time. Here, many restaurants will close at 3:30pm or 4pm and only reopen later in the evening. If you arrive late, a good option can be Burger King. It’s open at all times and has a wide selection of vegetarian options.

Bar Ulzama

Very near the main square you will find Bar Ulzama, which offers a set menu consisting of a starter, main course, dessert, and wine or water, for 13-14 euros. For a starter, we had a vegetable couscous and a salad (which came with a delicious goat’s cheese). As the main meal, a vegan lasagna. And for dessert, a cheesecake.

Puente La Reina

Bar Restaurante La Plaza

Here you can see that on the menu they offer a vegetable burger, which is actually a Beyond burger!

Very Bar

This bar has several vegan options, including vegan nuggets, burgers and a sandwich.

Estella

Bar Mundo

A jewel in the Camino Frances with lots of vegetarian and vegan food options: Thai curry, tajine, burgers, tacos, burrito bowls, croquettes, nasi goreng and more!

Los Arcos

Bakery

On the Camino, on your right side at Calle Mayor 19, there’s a bakery selling vegan pastries, empanadas, paninis and pizzas.

Logroño

Sol Veggie

A great place for vegetarian and vegan food in the Camino Frances. You can find vegan tortilla de patatas, seitan sausages, burgers and more!

Nájera

Bar Naxara

They have a vegan paella for 12 euros.

Santo Domingo de la Calzada

La Alameda

Here you can find a vegan menu consiting of a starter (maybe some vegetables or pasta), a main (possibly fries and mushrooms), a fruit salad, bread, and water or wine, for 15 euros.

Belorado

Etoile

This restaurant has a few vegetarian and vegan options, like mushroom croquettes, grilled mushrooms, patatas bravas and pizza. You can also ask for a salad without meat.

San Juan de Ortega

Bar Marcela

Here you can find pizzas (probably the frozen kind), including a vegan pizza.

Burgos

Burgos is a big city so you will have many options to choose from. We went to an Indian restaurant which even though had many vegetarian and vegan options, the two dishes we tried weren’t unfortunaly very tasty.

The walk into Burgos is a long one, and it might happen that it will be already a bit late when it’s lunch time. Remember that the big chains will always be open, like Burger King and Taco Bell, and they have vegetarian options.

Gaia

Finally a vegan restaurant! They offer a menu for 14 euros, including a starter, main first and second dish, and dessert. Lots of options to choose from.

Casa Rural La Casa del Abuelo

Hornillos de Camino

I didn’t take any pictures here, but this was a casa rural (guesthouse in the countryside), with a lively patio and an indoor sitting space. There was nothing vegetarian in the meny, but once I asked they offered me a vegetarian paella and vegetariam tempura. I got the paella, which was good, for 12 euros.

Castrojeriz

Albergue Rosalia

We stayed at Albergue Rosalia (which is by the way a great albergue with lovely hospitaleros), which offers a communal dinner which can be accomodated to cater for vegetarians as well.

The dinner consisted of a pasta salad, bread, hummus (the nicest I have ever tried), boiled mushrooms and a chocolate mousse. It costed 12 euros.

They also sell instant Korean ramen soups, which you could prepare in their kitchen (price was 3.50-3.80 euros).

Albergue Orion

My friends stayed at this albergue, which they told me was owned by a Korean person. They offered Korean food, including bibimbap, which could be ordered vegetarian.

Fromista

El Chiringuito

Good place right in the center with a very nice and friendly owner. They have a pilgrim’s menu for 15.50, which consists of a main dish, desset and wine. There was one vegetarian option, grilled vegetables with potatoes, which looked quite good.

We ordered the other vegetarian option, which was a veggie burger that came with fries and a drink for 8.50 euros.

Carrión de los Condes

If you arrive on a Sunday or on a holiday, the town will have a very lively ambience and restaurants will be full of people of neighboring towns who go to have lunch at Carrion.

Naturale

Here we had some of the best vegetarian food in the Camino de Santiago. They don’t have a lot of vegetarian options in their big menu, but what they have is enough and delicious.

For a starter we had the salmorejo (vegan), which is a cold tomato soup, similar to a gazpacho. It was really good! Make sure to ask it without ham, as they normally serve it topped with it. We also had the boletus (a kind of mushroom) croquettes, which are the best croquettes we have ever tried. And a portion of grilled vegetables, which was also great.

They also have a vegan burger, which is not on the menu since they don’t always have it, but you can ask for it.

Calzadilla de la Cueza

This is one of the tiniest towns that I passed in the Camino de Santiago, so I was happy to be able to get vegetarian food.

Hostal Camino Real

There’s the Albergue Camino Real, and there’s the Hostal Camino Real, which are connected but they are not the same place.

At the hostal you can get a 14 euro pilgrim menu. There are four vegetarian starters to choose from. There are no vegetarian main dishes though, so you can choose two starters instead. It also includes dessert, bread, and wine or water.

The starters were grilled eggplant and revuelto de setas (scrambled eggs with mushrooms), both of which I had. Otherwise they had a salad, which looked very simple, and a revuelto de pisto, which was described as scrambled eggs with some ratatouille kind of vegetables. For dessert, I had a panacotta with berries and cream. It was all delicious. The amount was also good in the combination I chose since the eggplant was small and light but the size of the revuelto was ok.

Albergue Los Canarios

They have a small shop there where they sell canned food like legumes or vegetables, in case you prefer to cook. I had read that they prepare vegetarian food sometimes, which the staff confirmed when I passed by, but they were short of staff at the moment, so they couldn’t. Later, when I passed by the shop again, they proposed to prepare a gazpacho for me, but I had already eaten.

Sahagun

Cafe Caracas

At Cafe Caracas they might not have the cheerful staff, but they have several vegetarian options. We had a good vegetarian paella for 9.50 euros. They also had pizzas, and they had several vegetarian ones.

Besides this, they also served different kinds of pasta dishes and a mushroom risotto, which we later saw in several other restaurants around the camino, so I think they are pre-packed pasta dishes. They come in small portions and are okay, but if you are hungry after a long walking day, you should order two dishes.

El Burgo Ranero

La Costa del Adobe

Good place for some vegetarian and vegan food options in the Camino Frances! You can find grilled vegetables with nuts, burgers, and chickpeas with fries and vegetables.

La Curiosa

This restaurant has a couple of vegetarian options: a salad, a mushroom risotto and a hojaldre de verduras (some kind of vegetable quiche).

Leon

El Colibrín

El Colibrín was a great find in el Camino! Definitely one of the best places to get vegetarian food in the Camino Frances.

They have an indoor sitting space as well as a nice terrace at a plaza. We tried the salmorejo (like a gazpacho), a stew of potatoes and mushrooms, nachos with guacamole, hummus, and a chickpeas and peas stew. This was for two people in two separate meals. Prices were between 4.50 (for the salmorejo) and 7.50 (for the potato mushroom stew).

La Factoria Vegana

This place has very high ratings on Google, so we were excited to try it, but they were unfortunately closed on those days. I suggest checking their Instagram before heading there, since as of mid 2023 they are temporarily only doing take aways.

Villadangos del Páramo – worse place for vegetarian food in the Camino Frances

I’m writing about Villandangos del Páramo not to recommend a vegetarian restaurant, but to say it was the only place in the Camino Frances where we didn’t find vegetarian food.

Ok, to be fair at Bar La Pradera they had patatas bravas so that’s an option. They also had a pizza, but they said they were too busy to prepare it when we were there. Also, the owner/manager, suggested we could eat lettuce when we asked if there was anything vegetarian…

In the other restaurant in the town they offered us a tiny portion of potatoes alioli, which was the only thing there was left (and it was 1:30pm).

Luckily, if you stay at the Albergue Municipal, they have a fully equipped kitchen. The hospitalero that was there at the time (Rai) also kept the kitchen very well assorted. You could even find pasta, rice, cookies, etc. A great hospitalero and the best kitchen of the Camino!

There’s a small shop in town where you can do groceries, but basically your only option will be to buy pasta to cook. If you want to cook something else, make sure to buy it in Leon.

Hospital de Órbigo

Albergue Verde

This albergue was one of the most beautiful along the Camino Frances. It’s located on the outskirts of the town, in a big house with a big garden and a yoga shala.

You can sign up to join the communal meal, which was donation-based and totally vegetarian (I would think everything was vegan, but not sure). We had a salad, a quinoa dish, a lentil spread, bread, and green beans with tomaoes. There was also a cake for dessert.

Bar El Puente

This is a beautiful bar at the entrance of the town, before you get to the bridge. You can stop for a plain tortilla or vegetable tortilla and enjoy it in their garden.

Astorga

Irish Tabern

You can find it very near the Albergue Municipal and has an indoor and outdoor seating space.

We had a vegetarian paella for 11.50 euros and a spinach lasagna for 6.50. Both were delicious but the lasagna was small if you are hungry after your walk!

They also had salmorejo and gazpacho (both cold tomato soups) for around 4.50. There were also vegetarian crujis, which were like pizzas, and at least one more pasta option which I can’t remember.

Rabanal del Camino

Albergue del Pilar

I stayed at this charming and lively albergue, where I got a portion of rice with vegetables for 7.50 euros. The portion was very big, maybe even enough for two people to share. They also had Korean noodle soup from a pack (a red pack which I know is vegetarian) which they serve prepared with egg for 5 euros. They also have kimchi.

Riego de Ambrós

Riego de Ambrós is a tiny village right past El Acebo. It’s so small that you wouldn’t think you would find anything vegetarian but Bar La Puente has you covered!

Bar La Puente

This is a restaurant with a very scenic view on the top of a small hill, run by a couple. Ask for what they can make vegetarian for you. There was nothing on the menu, but the owner offered me several dishes, including grilled vegetables (which I ordered), an asparragus dish and a vegetable tortilla.

The food plus the beautiful setting made it one of the best places to get vegetarian food in the Camino Frances.

My grilled vegetables plus a hot chocolate were 10.60 euros.

Albergue de Peregrinos

If for any reason Bar La Puente is closed and your are spending the night at Riego de Ambros, you can sign up for the communal dinner. When I was there, dinner was salad (with tuna), and spaghetti with tomato sauce and sausage on the side. Meaning you would get just the spaghetti. It included wine and dessert. The price was 7 euros.

Ponferrada

La Marmita Verde

This restaurant is just at the entrance to Ponferrada (that is, if you enter the right way, not like us who for some reason walked a couple extra km and entered from the other side…). So far it was the first fully vegetarian restaurant we had seen in the Camino Frances excluding major cities, and the food was good.

La Marmita Verde is a vegan restaurant and the menu is extensive, so you will have plenty of options to choose from. They had burgers, tofu dishes, rice dishes, legumes, soups and more. Water is included.

We had tempeh with sauteed vegetables, which was very good. Though if you are hungry after the walk, only one dish may not be enough.

We also had a vanilla custard for dessert, which was good as well.

Cacabelos

El Mono del Camino

If you like Korean food and like spicy dishes, you can get a Korean noodle soup (Shin Ramjun, from a pack), which they serve with rice and kimchi for 7.50 euros.

Hostal La Gallega

At the restaurant of the hostel they served several pasta dishes (the same ones as many other restarants serve which I think are from a pack from the same brand). Portions are small but they are just 5.50 euros. We had tortellini with cheese, it was good.

Villafranca del Bierzo

Bar El Castillo

They had the same selection of pasta dishes as many other restaurants in the Camino, which I think are from a pack of the same brand. They also serve pizzas (which are basically medium-sized toast with pizza toppings).

The menu was 7.50 euros and it includes one pasta dish or pizza and a soft drink or beer.

You can find it just across the castle.

Bar Sevilla

This restaurant is at the main square. They have a large selection of vegetarian pizzas, which were ok.

Las Herrerias

Las Herrerias is a very small town located in a very pretty narrow valley. Being so small, I could only find a tortilla at one of the restaurants, but it was the last portion (and it was around 1pm).

Albergue de Peregrinos Miriam

I was very lucky to stay here, not knowing beforehand that they serve a vegetarian community dinner! The dinner is donation-based (they suggest that you pay 10 euros for it).

The dinner I had consisted of a vegetable soup (I would think it was vegan), hummus with bread, a potato and olive salad, a mixed lettuce salad, cheesecake and tea.

O Cebreiro

I didn’t eat out at O Cebreiro, but I did see a restaurant that offered a vegetable soup, vegetable spaghetti and dessert for around 13 euros. I don’t remember the name but it was very near the church.

The bar right in front of the church serves tortillas, which is another option.

Otherwise, at the Alergue Municipal they have a kitchen. There are very limited pans, cutlery and dishes, but you can manage to cook something. I got instant noodles and a quinoa and beans salad from a pack at a nearby shop.

Triacastela

Cafe Esther

This is a big restaurant with an indoor sitting space plus a big terrace on the back side. They serve a vegetarian menu for 12 euros, which includes a starter, a main meal, a dessert, and water or wine.

We ordered asparagus with mayonnaise and a vegetable soup (advertised as mashed vegetables) as starters, and a burger with fries and a pasta dish with vegetables as mains. The pasta was better than the burger. I have to say it wasn’t the most tasty vegetarian food we had in the Camino Frances, but hey, we were happy to have options!

What was great, though, was the dessert. We ordered a tarta de Santiago (almond cake), which was the best tarta de Santiago that we had in the Camino.

Samos

Albaroque

I did not eat here, but someone I met at the albergue had had a vegetarian burger here and said it was very good.

Taberna O’Gayo

They only have a cheese sandwich, but the place has a nice outdoor terrace next to the river.

Sarria

Eco Vitriol

This is a small restaurant inside a shop where they sell natural and organic products. They have both vegetarian and vegan dishes on the menu. Their drinks menu has a large selection of drinks, including smoothies, kombucha, matcha latte, etc. It is open for breakfast as well.

We had a vegetarian burger with avocado, which was very good.

Portomarín

Slurp

This is an Italian restaurant with several vegetarian and vegan options, including pizzas, salads and a lasagna. They can even make pizza with soy Mozzarella!

We had a veggie pizza for 6.50 euros, mozzarella balls for around 5 euros, and ice cream and cheese cake for around 5 euros each.

Melide

Taberna do Farruco

This restaurant is just at the entrance of Melide, right after you cross the small bridge to enter the town.

The place was not a vegetarian restaurant, so it was a nice surprise to find several vegan options. It was one of the first times that we found several interesting vegan food options in a small town in the Camino Frances!

They had Beyond burgers, vegan nuggets, vegan sausage sandwiches and falafel. Here we got a Beyond burger with pickles, vegan cheese, tomato and chips for 8.50 euros. It was great.

Casa Alongos

We didn’t eat here but we passed by and saw they had grilled vegetables and a lentils burger. They had a nice outdoor sitting space. It can be a good option if you don’t want to walk too much since Taberna do Farruco is at the entrance of Melide, a bit far from the center.

O Pedrouzo

Santaia Casal de Calma

In O Pedrouzo most of the restaurants we passed by were by the road and seemed very unappealing. So we were very happy to find this beautiful restaurant with and outdoor sitting space in a garden plus and indoor sitting space.

We just stopped for a Coke, which came with olives, tortillas and chips!

On the menu, they had spinach and soy cheese croquettes for 13 euros (8 units), and a pisto (ratatouille-like vegetables with tomato sauce) for 10.50 euros.

Santiago de Compostela – best city for vegetarian food in the Camino Frances

Finally, at the end of the Camino Frances, in Santiago de Compostela, you will find several places that offer vegetarian and vegan food. With the excitement about the arrival to the Cathedral and so many things to do in Santiago de Compostela, you won’t need to be worrying about finding vegetarian or vegan food.

Head to Rua das Rodas, just an 8-minute walk from the Cathedral, to find three vegetarian restaurants in just two blocks.

A Corre Vexeta

This is a vegetarian restaurant. The food here was really good even though we thought the portions were small (you might also think so if just arrived from walking). We had delicious tacos and crepes in something like a bechamel sauce. Totally recommended. The price for both dishes was around 18 euros.

A Porta Verde – great place for vegetarian food in the Camino Frances

If you want more regular-sized portions than in A Corre Vexeta, head to a Porta Verde. We ate here twice and the food was very good. One of the best places to have vegan food in the Camino Frances! Most things or everything was vegan, not sure if there were non-vegan (vegetarian) options as well.

We tried the ramen, the falafel burger, udon with sweet chili (really good), and vegan croquettes. Everything was very good (though maybe I would order something else instead of the vegan croquettes). My favorite was the udon with sweet chili.

Entre Pedras

This vegetarian restaurant opens only Friday to Sunday, and was totally full when we went there around 1pm, so we couldn’t get a table. They even had everything booked for their later time slots which were at 3pm. Make sure to book if you want to eat here! It has great reviews so it’s probably very good.

A Carrillana

This cafe has both an outdoor and indoor sitting space. In the first floor you can see the archaeological remains of what used to be the old construction. The site used to be the parking a space for carriages.

I only had a matcha latte here, but the food looked good. It’s not a vegetarian restaurant, but they do have a Beyond Burger, salads, and bowls with yogurt and fruits.

This can be an option for dinner since they open only at 4pm.

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Final Thoughts

Spain might not be one of the most vegetarian-friendly destinations in the world. But as you can see, there are plenty of options if you want to have vegetarian food as you walk along some great places in Spain in the Camino Frances.

The best is that even if you eat out all the time, you still won’t be spending that much compared to other important destinations in Europe, since Spain is one of the cheapest countries in the EU.

It can be more difficult to find vegan options, though in most places you can find something. If you are a vegan, if you are not sure that you will find something in a specific town, I suggest staying in an albergue with a kitchen. Kitchens are usually well-equipped, even in municipal albergues (except in Galicia).

Extra tip: If you are visiting Barcelona before or after the start of your Camino, visit Super Vegan near Plaza de España. It’s a vegan burger place which serves Beyond Burgers, vegetable burgers, mushroom burgers, veggie chicken burgers, etc. We ate there at the beginning of our trip since we arrived in Barcelona, and it was amazing!