Read this if you are a pure vegetarian visiting Singapore

"Pure vegetarian" is a common diet in India, whereby a person does not eat any meat products (flesh of any animal) or egg. This is alternatively known as lacto-vegetarian in a more global context.

And if you are a pure vegetarian, your biggest concern when coming to Singapore is likely to be: Food.

• "What can I eat if you are just walking on the streets of Singapore?" 
• "Will I accidentally eat egg or seafood somehow?" 
• "I can't eat pizza every day."
• "What if I can't find an Indian restaurant?"

This guide is more than a restaurant recommendation list

Instead of just listing a bunch of restaurants, I hope to provide guidelines on what food you see, is vegetarian or not. Many guides out there just give a bunch of vegetarian places you can eat. But if you're touring around Singapore, you're unlikely to find yourself near some pure vegetarian place recommended in some blog, making it kind of useless.

Although this guide may not be your full proof solution to finding pure vegetarian food in every place in Singapore, I hope it can serve as a checklist to really know your food options when going around. It's more than you think!

PS: All the photos in this post are taken by me. I can't remember all the places that I've taken them though, so not all of them will have their restaurant locations in the description.

Restaurants that offer Vegetarian options

Singapore is incredibly cosmopolitan, so you're likely to find the cuisines of multiple countries  in any shopping mall, even in the heartlands. So while its quite uncommon to find a purely veg restaurant, there are many restaurants that will provide a healthy vegetarian option in the menu.

For example, Thai food usually doesn't have clear vegetarian options, but a modern chain like Bangkok Jam has a vegetarian section in their menu:

Read on to see what F&B outlets / restaurants would have fantastic vegetarian options that you may not be aware of.

Healthy bowl restaurants

A very common kind of restaurant you might see around is "Healthy Bowl" restaurants. Such restaurants typically allow you to pick a combination of carbs, vegetables and protein to create a custom "bowl".

Most of these "bowl" restaurants are a unique brand with only have 1-2 locations, but their dishes very typically look like this:

If you are not sure whether they have a vegetarian option, just ask. But many of these restaurants have tofu, mock-meat, or beans-based protein to round out your vegetarian meal.

Examples include Poke Theory, Cedele/Workspace, SaladStop!.

Mexican / Burrito restaurants

We don't have Chipotle in Singapore, but we do have several brands that essentially offer a similar burrito kind meal. Again many of these places not only offer vegetarian options, they also allow you to pick what ingredients go into your bowl / wrap.

Examples include Guzman Y Gomez, Chimichangas, Stuff'd

Chinese vegetarian restaurants

Some sects of chinese buddhism restrict consumption of any kind of meat. Traditionally their diet includes lots of fresh vegetables, soy beans / tofu, and mushrooms.

Asian mushrooms have a very different taste to the button mushrooms commonly used in India, and can be quite strong for someone who's not used to it. One that you will often see in place of meat is the Lion mane mushroom (also known as "monkey head mushroom"). And most regular eaters of it compliment its nutrition, texture, and savory taste.

The upside of this category of restaurants is that "vegetarian" is often in the name, and their dishes do not include egg. Most of them are stand-alone concepts however, and are not chains.

Examples include Greendots, elemen 元素, Herbivore

Western Restaurants

"But isn't it obvious that pizza restaurants will have vegetarian options?"

Yes it is. This section is more of an excuse to share some subjectively tasty (abeit pricey) vegetarian dishes:

So even if you feel tired of pasta and pizza, do know that really impressive versions exist a-plenty in Singapore. Many of the above dishes are given a thumbs up from locals of countries where they originate from. So if you do get the chance to try them, I highly recommend to do so.

Middle-eastern restaurants

Or anywhere that features Falafel. Usually these dishes are in fact vegan, and full of nutrition and flavour:

My husband has written about Dönergy as one of his favourite places to eat, particularly because of their lentil and chickpea-based dishes. Food comes fast, fresh, and their regular patronage is a testament to their food quality.

Japanese restaurants?

Most Japanese restaurants' only vegetarian options are tofu, edamame beans, and seaweed (and they are often side dishes only). Only fusion restaurants are more likely to have a proper vegetarian meal option. It's generally recommended that you don't go to Japanese restaurants unless having vegetarian options is something they're known for.

Singapore does have good pure vegetarian food

In fact its a growing trend, and I foresee more restaurants providing genuine vegetarian options in the F&B scene for years to come. 

But for now, I hope the above guide is helpful in finding good pure vegetarian food in Singapore, and not feel stuck to eat salads and sandwiches outside of Little India.

Went to one of the locations mentioned in this post? Tag me on twitter! I'd like to know what you think.