Looking to banish meat and dairy from your diet? You don’t have to sit at home eating a limp lettuce – plenty of restaurants in Abu Dhabi are embracing veganism on their menus…

1. Pachaylen

This Thai outlet doesn’t just serve one vegan dish – it has an entire special menu. On it you’ll find spicy mushroom salad with roasted chili and soya lime dressing to start, and wok-fried tofu with chili and hot basil for your main course.

Eastern Mangroves Hotel And Spa By Anantara, Salam Street, Sat to Thur 12.30pm to 3.30pm, 7pm to 11pm, Fri 7pm to 11pm. Tel: (02) 6561000. abu-dhabi.anantara.com

2. Angar

Angar overlooks at the F1 track on Yas Island and serves a three-course vegan set menu every Saturday night, featuring crispy rice and lentil cakes, chickpea biryani, and a mango and turmeric dessert.

Yas Hotel, Yas Island, Sat 7pm to 11pm, Dhs220. Tel: (02) 6560600. marriott.com

3. Avasa

This smart Indian on Saadiyat has a vegan menu with a whopping 19 items on it, including mixed vegetable pakoras, yogic quinoa salad, Indian tacos and quinoa biryani.

The Collection, Saadiyat Island, daily noon to midnight. Tel: (02) 6742221. theroyalorchidgroup.com

4. Black Tap

It might be more famous for its colossal crazyshake concoctions and monster meat burgers, but this NYC import also caters for vegans. Its Vegan Burger comes with a black bean patty, picked red onions, salsa verde, cilantro and even vegan mayo.

Yas Mall, Yas Island, Thur to Fri 11am to midnight, Sat to Wed 11am to 11pm, Dhs85. Tel: (800) 927 6255. blacktapme.com

5. Freedom Pizza

One of the first pizza joints in the capital to cater for vegans, Freedom offers a Free-Gan pizza with orange bell peppers, jalapeños, cherry tomatoes, onions, caramelised onions, cilantro, and vegan cheese. They also offer gluten-free pizza bases.

Street 4, Al Khalidiyah, Sat to Wed 10.30am to midnight, Thur to Fri 10.30am to 2am, Dhs25 to Dhs45. Tel: (02) 6410029. freedompizza.ae

6. Bareburger

Vegans might be surprised to know you can find three vegan burgers at this US import. But the burger that gets the most attention on its menu is the Beyond Burger – created in 2009 by Los-Angeles company Beyond Meat, its makers claims it looks, cooks and tastes like a regular beef burger. In fact, it’s made of yeast extract, coconut oil and pea protein, plus beetroot to make the patty look red.

Marina Mall, Breakwater, Sat to Sun 10am to 11pm, Mon noon to midnight, Tue to Wed 10am to 11pm, Thur to Fri 10am to midnight. Tel: (02) 4411723. bareburger.com

7. Café 302

A café that has plenty of vegan options, with the highlight being their meat and dairy-free burger. Made with red lentils and cauliflower, the patty is topped with crispy fried onions and tomato relish, accompanied with sweet potato fries and a deli salad.

Al Maha Arjaan By Rotana, Al Markaziyah, daily 6am to 10.30pm, Dhs58. Tel: (02) 6106666. rotana.com

8. PizzaExpress

The popular chain does a meat and dairy free pizza – the Vegan Giardiniera comes with baby broccoli, mushrooms, red peppers, red onion, black olives, passata, vegan mozzarella and garlic oil.

Various locations including World Trade Center Mall, Al Markaziyah, Sat to Sun, 11.30am to 11.30pm, Mon 11.30am to midnight, Tue to Wed 11.30am to 11.30pm, Thur to Fri 11.30am to 12.30am, Dhs64. Tel: (02) 4447752. pizzaexpressuae.com

9. Frankie’s

Vegans can tuck into several dishes at the Italian outlet at the Fairmont, including the risotto funghi e tartufo, which is made of black truffles and wild mushrooms, and you can also try an asparagus salad with avocado pesto, chickpeas, hazelnut pate and garlic bruschetta.

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Bain Al Jessrain, daily noon to 3pm, 7pm to midnight. Tel: (02) 6543238. fairmont.com/babalbahr

10. The Forge

You won’t find many vegans frequenting steakhouses, but The Forge has included a dish on its menu should you find yourself in a carnivore’s kingdom for one night. The grilled beetroot tenderloin is a huge chunk of the purple veg cooked on the outlet’s charcoal grill. It’s marinated with herbs and garlic and is served with a coconut and parsnip puree topped with roasted pears, carrots, butternut squash
and turnip.

Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal, daily 7pm to 11pm. Tel: (02) 8188282. ritzcarlton.com

11. District By Amalfi

The recently rebooted and reopened Italian embraces NYC influences, but it also has a comprehensive vegan menu featuring some 16 dishes including edamame spaghetti with vegan basil pesto and artichokes, plus barley risotto with garden peas, shaved black truffle and vegan mozzarella.

Le Royal Méridien, Al Markaziyah, daily noon to 4pm, 6pm to 11pm. Tel: (02) 6950300. leroyalmeridienabudhabi.com

12. Boroughs

This new coffee shop in Yas Marina serves several vegan dishes including sweet potato slices with roasted beet and smashed chickpea toppings. Breakfasts are a big deal at Boroughs, and they serve a shakshuka, which you can order without eggs (you’ll get your protein from a generous portion of kidney beans), as well as protein shakes made from a vegan protein powder and soy, almond or coconut milk. The rest of the menu here is vegetarian.

Yas Marina, Yas Island. Tel: (050) 2617672. Sat to Weds 5am to 10.30pm, Thurs 5am to 1am, Fri 7am to 1am. boroughs.ae

13. Wheatfields

This cool café is located in a supermarket in Khalifa City. The selection is diverse and caters for all sorts of diets, and they’ve recently launched a comprehensive new vegan menu, with dishes such as mushroom tacos and falafel burgers making an appearance, alongside breakfast grub such as a burrito, and superfood muesli.

Al Rayyana, Khalifa City, daily 7am to midnight. Tel: (02) 5500971. @wheatfieldsuae

14. The Sportsman’s Arms

A pub might be the last place you’d think of going for grub if you are a vegan, but this Zayed Sports City outlet serves a superfood salad that is meat and dairy free – it comes with avocado, quinoa, kale, pomegranate seeds and pine nuts.

Zayed Sports City, Al Madina Al Riyadiya, daily 8am to 2am, Dhs65. Tel: (02) 447 1066. sportsmanszsc.com

15. La Petite Maison

The award-winning brand serves two salads that will suit vegans – a lentil salad cooked in vegetable stock and served with celery, fennel, spring onion, red onions, cherry tomatoes, pink lady apple and jalapeno paste, plus a quinoa salad with mint, parsley, coriander, goji berries, golden raisins, cherry tomato, cucumber, red and spring onion.

The Galleria, Al Maryah Island, Thur to Fri noon to 3.30pm, 6pm to 11.30pm, Sat to Wed noon to 3.30pm, 6pm to 11pm. Tel: (02) 6929600. lpmlondon.co.uk

16. The Third Place

This popular community café off the Corniche serves a mean vegan salad, with quinoa, avocado, lentils, chickpeas, walnuts and a pile of veggies, all brought together with a pomegranate dressing.

Villa T3, Corniche Road, daily 8am to 11pm, Dhs59. Tel: (02) 6811877. thethirdplaceuae.com

17. The Raw Place

It’s a bit of a sanctuary for vegans, serving juices, soups and matcha powder drinks, and it also sells several salads as well, including the avo-qua bowl, with quinoa, cherry tomatoes, green peas, goji berries, pumpkin seeds, spring onions and a dairy free avocado dressing.

Various locations including World Trade Center Souk, Al Markaziyah, daily 7am to 10.30pm, Dhs35. Tel: (02) 6334677. therawplace.com

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