The UK capital is the world's most vegetarian-friendly city. London has come out on top in a new study that ranks cities around the world for their meat-free offerings.
The index ranked the English city particularly high for the number of vegetarian-friendly restaurants it has, and it scored well for the affordability of fruits and vegetables.
Germany holds second and third place with the city of Berlin scoring 98.79, and Munich right behind it with a total score of 97.16. Other cities in Austria, Switzerland, Spain, the UK and the US round out the top 10.
On-demand housing platform Nestpick created the ranking as a way to help people discover cities that best cater to vegetarians. The study compares the top 75 cities in the world for those who live meat-free.
Points were awarded out of 100 for each destination, with various criteria factored into the final score, including the cost of being a vegetarian and the availability of vegetarian-specific restaurants and events. A score of 100 means the city is the best in this factor in comparison to the other 74 cities ranked.
Top 20 cities for vegetarians
- London, UK
- Berlin, Germany
- Munich, Germany
- Vienna, Austria
- Glasgow, UK
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- Los Angeles, US
- Bristol, UK
- San Francisco, US
- Rome, Italy
- New York, US
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Melbourne, Australia
- Tel Aviv, Israel
- Gothenburg, Sweden
- Sydney, Australia
- Manchester, UK
Dubai ranks 10th for number of veggie-friendly restaurants
When it comes to destinations with the most vegetarian-friendly restaurants, London holds on to the top spot. Berlin is also in the top 10 in this list, but the remainder of the category has new cities claim rankings.
Italy's Rome ranks second, with a score of 98.81, while Ubud in Bali is third, scoring 98.80. Dubai, which is in 57th place in the overall rankings, makes the top 10 for the number of veggie restaurants in the city, with a score of 95.37, putting the emirate in 10th place.
A comparison of 200 destinations
The study does not take every city in the world into consideration, but is designed as a starting point for people to compare 200 of the world's major destinations.
"While there are undoubtedly countless cities that are incredible for vegetarians around the world, which do not feature in this index due to a lack of available data, we believe that this shortlist offers an excellent springboard for vegetarians looking to move abroad,” said Omer Kucukdere, founder and chief executive at Nestpick.
Other notable cities for vegetarians to visit include Taipei in Taiwan, which ranks first for the average rating of its top 10 vegetarian restaurants; Ghent in Belgium has the most affordable fruit and vegetables (adjusted for local purchasing power); and Denver in the US has the most affordable plant-based protein products.
Thailand's Chiang Mai is the place to go for anyone on the hunt for the most affordable vegetarian restaurants and Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, has the highest percentage of vegetarian-friendly restaurants compared to the total number of restaurants in the city.
Top 10 vegan-friendly cities
The index also ranked cities by the number of vegan-friendly restaurants they had in comparison to the total percentage of restaurants. While Balinese town Ubud came out on top on this list, UK cities dominated, with Edinburgh, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester and London also making the cut. Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland, also scored well.
1. Ubud, Bali
2. Edinburgh, UK
3. Bristol, UK
4. Glasgow, UK
5. Tel Aviv, Israel
6. Wellington, New Zealand
7. Dublin, Republic of Ireland
8. Manchester, UK
9. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
10. London, UK
