Vegan Puerto Escondido: 12 Best Places For Vegan Food (2024)

The Puerto Escondido vegan scene has blossomed into something lovely in recent years. And many restaurants get creative by going beyond simply using soy products.

The vegan food in Puerto Escondido includes flavorful vegan tacos, healthy hummus bowls, inventive vegan breakfasts, classic Mexican dishes with a vegan twist, and even vegan kimchi if you need to get your Korean fix.

While this article focuses on Puerto Escondido vegan food, I’ve expanded it to include vegetarian options as well. Let’s dive into some of the best healthy food in Puerto Escondido.

A garden view of one of the vegan restaurants in Puerto Escondido includes a table and chairs surrounded by tropical plants. In the background are two signs that read YA'AB Vegan Kitchen.

A quick note before we dive into the best Puerto Escondido vegan food. I’ve divided this list by location so that you can find vegan and vegetarian restaurants wherever you are.

However, there are some really incredible places that stand out from the rest which I’ve listed below with a link to the fuller description in this article.

Cocofam – Dishes loaded with Veggies from their Garden
VéGe Express – Incredible Vegan Tacos
Xole Vegana – Best Vegan Mexican Food
Ya’ab Vegan Kitchen – Smoothie and Hummus Bowls

Central Puerto Escondido Vegan Restaurants

1. Cocofam

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On a rustic clay plate, a homemade green tortilla is loaded with veggies and mushrooms. Behind is a side of guacamole and a side salad with apple slices.

Cocofam is all about the veggies. The menu mostly focuses on tacos and tortas served with a nice side salad. The plates are loaded with veggies, many of which are supplied by the garden they’ve cultivated next to the restaurant. When I was there, I saw squash, papaya, lettuce, lemongrass, and more growing in the garden.

To drink, they offer traditional Mexican aguas, often with a healthy twist such as the oat water which adds amaranth and peanuts. And to round out your vegan meal, they also make a vegan tart for dessert. This is easily one of the best places for healthy food in Puerto Escondido centro.

2. Sweet Spot Cafe

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This outdoor vegan cafe serves a variety of dishes from vegan toasts, salads, and breakfast plates. They also offer a couple of Mexican inspired plates using soy protein, namely quesadillas and tostadas.

This is a solid space to eat vegan food in Puerto Escondido if you’re looking for breakfast or lunch.

3. El Sultan

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This middle eastern restaurant in Rinconada always seems busy. The menu includes classics like tabouli, hummus, falafel, shawarma, and kabobs. And soon after I ordered, the large bowls of salad that were brought to a nearby table made me question if I ordered the right thing.

But the falafel wrap was flavorful. I did think it was slightly on the small side, but the server informed me they have 2 for 1 falafel wraps every Wednesday. For about the same price the salads looked incredible, so I know what I’ll be getting next time.

In addition, the menu to create your own juice blend is extensive. To kick it up a notch, it includes a section of superfoods to customize your creation.

Zicatela Vegan Restaurants

4. VéGe Express

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Located in Mercado Zicatela, VéGe Express specializes in vegan tacos that emulate the flavors of Mexico. The menu includes the classics – carnitas, pastor, and suadero – all with a vegan twist.

It’s evident that the mother-daughter team takes great care to create quality plant based food that is well-loved by vegans and non-vegans. In addition, their tacos plates are an incredible value.

5. Elephant Garden

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Julienned zucchini tops a bagel of hummus and mushrooms from Elephant Garden in Zicatela, one of the best places for breakfast in Puerto Escondido.

While this isn’t a strictly vegan-vegetarian restaurant, Elephant Garden is a staple Zicatela restaurant with quite a few vegetarian and vegan food options clearly marked on the menu. They also take things a step further by making their own plant milk. And sweet lovers will enjoy their homemade vegan desserts.

The space at Elephant Garden consists of a small dining area that expands to the outdoor garden seating which often has live music on the weekends. This is one of the top places for breakfast in Puerto Escondido, so anticipate that there may be a wait for a table at peak times.

Traveling to Oaxaca City next? You’ll want to read my list of the best vegetarian and vegan food in Oaxaca City.

La Punta, Puerto Escondido Vegan Food

6. Xole Vegana PXM

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Xole Vegana creates some of the most interesting Mexican vegan food in Puerto Escondido. The menu focuses on guisados, or stews, one of my favorite taco fillings. 

And rather than simply relying on soy products, they transform Mexican classics into vegan dishes such as carrot tinga and mushroom chicharrón. 

Throughout the menu, they incorporate their homemade tofu cream and vegan ricotta cheese, sometimes found in the style of cottage cheese.

With incredibly affordable prices and flavorful food, I also included Xole Vegana on my list of Puerto Escondido restaurants. This should be a staple restaurant for vegans and vegetarians in Puerto Escondido.

7. YA’AB Vegan Kitchen

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At Ya’ab, the vegan menu is simple although the dishes are substantially filling and healthy. The sweet side of the menu includes smoothies and smoothie bowls of vegetable milk, fruit, and other substantial ingredients such as chia, cacao, peanut butter, and granola.

A healthy vegan bowl of hummus topped with slices of avocado, sprouts, green olives, vegan cheese balls with carrot and celery sticks is served in a natural, dried gourd bowl. A toothpick sticks out of one of the vegan cheese balls with a small sign that reads Ya'ab Vegan Kitchen.

The savory side features various types of hummus (classic, beet, sweet potato, and avocado) which are combined with a mix of veggies to create hummus bowls and toast plates. The salad bowls replace the hummus with lentils or chickpeas, also combined with a mix of veggies.

YA’AB Vegan Kitchen also makes its own vegan cheese from almonds and cashews. The cheese makes an appearance on most dishes as small balls rolled in black sesame seeds.

Fortunately the WIFI at this vegan restaurant has improved enough to confidently include them on my list of Puerto Escondido coworking spaces.

8. Wang-taa Korean Food

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Give steamed vegan Korean dumplings circle a plate with a side of soy and kimchi.

While Wang-taa isn’t strictly for vegan and vegetarian food in Puerto Escondido, the fact the owner Sammy is willing to make a separate batch of vegan kimchi shows his dedication to bringing his Korean creations to a wider audience.

The vegan dumplings are filled with a mix of shitake, white button mushrooms, tofu, and other ingredients, providing a nice amount of protein to a vegan diet. The bowl of bibimbap is also available to order vegan, or vegetarian if you prefer to add an egg. 

Shops for Vegan Food in Puerto Escondido

There are a number of small tiendas in Puerto Escondido where you can buy vegan food to eat at home. Most of these aren’t purely vegan but they sell lots of vegan products, baked goods, and organic vegetables.

9. Señor Salud – An Organic Tienda

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Bright yellow accents on the stairs and window frame welcome patrons to Senor Salud, a health food store in Puerto Escondido.

Owner Evelia has curated an organic tienda full of natural products and produce. With a background in the spa industry, I step inside a lot of these little health food stores to browse.

At Señor Salud I was immediately impressed with the unique selection of products. Evelia explained that she tries to source only local products, though she will make exceptions for specific requests.

In addition, the produce is fresh and the homemade kombucha is just right. For me, the most intriguing items are a collection of oils and tinctures by Tierra Sur, a plant-based specialist located in the mountains of Oaxaca. 

I fell in love with this store as soon as I walked in but then I fell in love again, with copal oil. I was already familiar with copal from the energy cleansings I’d received before a temazcal ceremony in Oaxaca. But to have its intoxicating scent in oil form is really something special.

I highly recommend going out of your way to shop at this unique health store in Puerto.

10. Moringa Fresh and Wild

La Punta Location

A shirtless man shops at Moringa, a vegan store in La Punta, Puerto Escondido. In the foreground are various vegan food products.

Moringa is one of the oldest health food stores in Puerto Escondido. And like the others, they also offer a range of interesting products with a large selection of face and body care.

In the refrigerated section, you’ll also find kombucha and artisanal beer as well as some prepackaged snacks that are perfect to take to the beach such as an acai bowl, baba ganoush, and vegan sushi. 

The frozen section has veggie patties and vegan desserts and there is a small selection of fresh veggies. Other items include Mama Pacha chocolate from Oaxaca City, granola, coffee, tea, a small bulk section, and of course, mezcal.

11. Verde Puerto Rinconada

Rinconada Location

In addition to a selection of organic vegetables and bulk items, this health store in Rinconada carries a lot of products made by other small businesses in Oaxaca. This means by shopping here you’ll be supporting more than just Verde itself.

One of the most notable for vegans is the bean tempeh made by Oryza Om, a fermented food specialist whose range of products you can see on their Facebook page.

There are also some cacao energy snacks and other snacks you can pick up to go as well as things for the pantry such as tahini, a creamy pumpkin seed spread, and coffee from Binisa Cafe.

12. Canela Tienda Vegana y Organica

Zicatela Location | Rinconada Location

Bulk items line the shelves in this small shop in Puerto Escondido that sells healthy and vegan food items.

Canela organic and vegan store has several locations in Puerto Escondido as well as one in Mazunte. The location inside of Mercado Zicatela is the largest, with a wide selection of bulk items including cooking oils, shampoo, and soap.

There are also bulk spices, beans, and alternative flours for cooking. One of the most interesting is the basket of healthy tostadas made using unique ingredients, such as beets, sesame seeds, moringa, and nopal cactus.