After spending the last few years living in Dubai as a vegan, one thing has become increasingly difficult to argue with: for a city built on indulgence, excess, and the occasional architectural “How did they even do that?”, it is remarkably accommodating when it comes to plant-based eating.
My personal favourite vegan spot remains the ever-reliable Seva Table. Tucked away on an unassuming residential street like it’s actively trying to avoid being discovered, it feels less like a restaurant and more like a sanctuary of recalibration. The serene, Bali-esque setting is reason enough to almost take up residence here, but the food more than plays its part in keeping you captivated.
Elsewhere in the fully vegan ecosystem, there is a swathe of other equally impressive locations to choose from, such as Wild & The Moon, Planet Terra and Vegan Burger. Each scratches a different itch: clean and virtuous bowls when I’m pretending to be disciplined and aggressively satisfying comfort food when I’ve abandoned all pretence (which is often).
One of the more quietly impressive aspects of eating vegan in Dubai is not the dedicated plant-based places but how unnecessary they often feel. Non-vegan restaurants here are, broadly speaking, far more competent than you might expect at accommodating dietary requirements. Vegan options are not only present but also usually labelled clearly and treated as more than an afterthought—which, in some cities, already feels like a minor miracle.
Where Dubai really leans into its personality, though, is in its buffet and brunch culture. It is almost a competitive sport at this point. The hotel brunch circuit in particular has become my unofficial weekend research project, and the standard is consistently higher than it has any right to be.
Standouts, thanks to their superior quality and outrageously expansive offerings, are Kalea, Hanaaya, LIV, Mina’s Kitchen and Feast Restaurant.
What’s most heartening isn’t just that vegan options exist, but that they are often given genuine real estate – mezze spreads, Indian selections, oriental stations, and made-to-order dishes rather than the usual lonely corner dish that looks like it’s been placed there out of obligation.
Indian cuisine, in particular, has become something of a recurring obsession. Dubai’s large expat community means the city is saturated with restaurants that either lean naturally vegan or can be nudged into vegan territory without protest.
There is something deeply satisfying about ordering what feels like an unreasonable amount of food and then slowly working through it like a strategic operation. A robust chole here, something indulgently fried there, and a series of dishes that somehow manage to make carbs layered with carbs feel like a reasonable design philosophy rather than a cry for help.
What has stood out most is the consistency. Even when expectations are cautiously lowered – especially with delivery timings that seem to operate on their own philosophical timeline – the food often arrives with more confidence than anticipated. Not everything is flawless, but even the near-misses tend to be interesting enough to justify the experiment. Perennial favourites in this sphere include I’ve found myself constantly rotating between Sukh Sagar Kitchen, Mohan Bhog, and Chaat Bazaar.
As much as I try, life can’t always be all-you-can-eat extravaganzas and takeaways. When it comes to the hoi polloi of everyday errands, grocery shopping is refreshingly uneventful in the best possible way. Supermarkets like Kibsons, Waitrose, Spinneys, Carrefour and Lulu Hypermarket stock a reliably expanding range of plant-based products – one of the foremost pioneers on this front being the UAE’s very own, homegrown Switch brand.
Perhaps the most interesting shift, though, is how quickly the scene continues to evolve. New venues, menu additions, and plant-based innovations appear with enough frequency that what felt “good enough” a year ago already feels slightly outdated. Dubai doesn’t move slowly when it decides it’s interested in something.
No city is flawless, and there are still gaps if you look closely enough. But overall, living here as a vegan has been far more straightforward – and far more enjoyable – than I expected. Between hotel brunches that treat plant-based food as a legitimate category rather than a concession, Indian restaurants that understand flavour is not optional, and a steady stream of new discoveries, it’s hard to complain.
Article written by our ambassador Tom based in Dubai (Keep_it_tdy)
