Zakynthos is the third-largest Ionian Island, I created a list of the best vegan options on the island. Zakynthos is famous for Navagio Bay, also known as Shipwreck Beach, which is one of the most beautiful beaches in Greece.
On Zakynthos beaches, you can find many turtle nests, which are all protected and marked because the type of turtle nesting there, Caretta Caretta, is endangered. Zakynthos is famous for being the “party” island. But we were lucky because we were travelling at the time of COVID restrictions when partying was not allowed, so it was peaceful and not touristy at all.
I chose Zakynthos to be the first Greek island that I visited because very touristy, and I wanted to go somewhere where it is easy to find vegan food.
Compared to the Greek islands that we are used to seeing in movies like Mamma Mia, Zakynthos is very green, and there are no white houses with blue roofs. These types of houses are typical for the Cyclades, but Zakynthos is part of the Ionian Islands.
The island is also full of nice beaches. We were staying at Aeolos Boutique Hotel and Suites in a city called Kalamaki. The hotel is small but cute and clean. If breakfast is important to you, I would not recommend it because vegan breakfast options are almost non-existent.
I was buying my own almond milk and bringing it with me for breakfast. Vegan options for breakfast are fruit, oats, bread, and jam.
VEGAN FOOD ON ZAKYNTHOS
You can find something vegan to eat in almost every restaurant in Zakynthos. Most of the restaurants have Dolmadakia, which is a traditional Greek dish that is stuffed grape leaves with rice and herbs.
This one is so good that we ordered it for almost every meal. You can also have potatoes, and to make Greek salad vegan, order it without feta cheese.
Most of the restaurants offer stuffed peppers or tomatoes with rice. These are the safe options, but we managed to find a few gems that offered vegan food that were a little bit different.
YARD OF TASTE, THE RESTAURANT THAT TRULY KNOWS WHAT THE WORD VEGAN MEANS
My favourite restaurant on our Zakynthos trip was this one. The décor is so cute and dreamy. On their website, it says that it was the first restaurant on the island with options for vegans, and they also offer gluten-free dishes.
We went there twice and both times had Forest Orzotto. This is orzotto with white wine, mushrooms, crispy chickpeas, sesame, and truffle oil. You have to order it without parmesan cheese to make it vegan. But the staff there really knows what the word vegan means.
THE OLIVE TREE TAVERNA IN ZAKYNTHOS OFFERS ONE VEGAN DISH
It is a popular restaurant and the oldest one operating since 1984 in Tsilivi. They use their own organic olive oil, lemon, and garden herbs. It is very traditional, and one item on their menu is vegan, and it is made with chickpeas.
We tried it and it is like a chickpea stew with rice, which was a nice change from all the other vegan foods that are available on the island.
ELLIE’S PLACE – ZAKYNTHOS VEGAN OPTIONS
It is a restaurant in Kalamaki that offers some almost vegan options. I tried sizzling vegetable fajitas. Everything was vegan except there was some white topping that I think was made from cream, so I skipped it. But the fajitas were delicious. And as I remember, the staff were very friendly.
AMBROSIA RESTAURANT WITH VEGAN PLATTER
It is a restaurant that offers a lot of different traditional Greek specialities on the main road of Kalamaki. We found this restaurant by accident and were so excited to find out that they offer a Mixed Vegan Platter that has garlic mushrooms, pita bread, stuffed pepper, stuffed wine leaves, spring rolls, roast potatoes, and hummus. And the waiter made sure we felt at home there.
FINDING COFFEE WITH SOY MILK ON ZAKYNTHOS
I am a big coffee lover, but I like my coffee with milk, vegan milk, of course. Some more modern coffee shops in Zakynthos offer soy milk for coffee. My favourite was from Coffee Break, which is a small coffee shop on the main road from Kalamaki on our way to our favourite Laperda beach.
The owner does not speak English, but it is the place that has the best coffee with soy milk for me. The coffee was also good at the Black Bean Espresso Bar.
Because Zakynthos is so touristy, I thought that there would be tons and tons of vegan restaurants, but I was wrong. Most of the restaurants there have similar menus, but I was happy that some of the traditional Greek side dishes are vegan, so we stuck to those.
I am very interested to find out what the situation is with vegan food on other Greek islands. I loved Zakynthos because of the nice beaches and friendly people. But as I said before, we were lucky to visit the island when partying was not allowed. Otherwise, I am not sure that I would enjoy it as much.
WHICH IS THE BEST BEACH ON ZAKYNTHOS ISLAND?
Of course, the first one that I must mention is the most famous Shipwreck Beach. It is a beach with the most turquoise water on the island, with an old shipwreck lying in the middle of the sand. The scene is so unique, and it looks like it came from a movie.
The sand gives us the appearance of being super soft from afar, but when you are actually on the beach, it is very hard to walk because it is made from little sharp stones. It is better to wear sea shoes and not flip-flops. It can be quite hard to get in and out of the water because the waves can be strong if you are barefoot. The only way you can get to the beach is by boat.
Because of the good reviews, we chose to go with Potamitisbros Boat Trips, and we were not disappointed. They also took us around to see the blue caves in Zakynthos, which were interesting and something new to see.
EXPLORING ZAKYNTHOS ISLAND
In my opinion, the best way to explore Zakynthos Island is with a four-wheeler. It can be hot, and you can get dusty, but it is so much fun. If this is not your cup of tea, renting a car is also a great option.
You have many different beaches in Zakynthos that offer sunbeds and beach bars. One of them is Banana Beach, but these types of beaches are also the most crowded, so we did not spend much time there.
Xigia Sulfur Beach is beautiful with turquoise water, but it is also small, so it is extremely packed. The beach also has a unique smell of sulphur, and the water is warm and turquoise.
Marathias Beach on Zakynthos is also good and not crowded. But our favourite was Laperda Beach. The beach was almost completely empty for the whole week we spent in Zakynthos, that is why we loved it the most.
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