Central America doesn’t have a great reputation for being vegetarian-friendly, but these 10 spots put that myth to rest! I could have stayed a whole month in San Juan del Sur (or more) and not gotten sick of the vegetarian options.
1. Dale Pues
Photo Credit: Dale Pues SJDS
While I try to make it a point to try as many different vegetarian-friendly restaurants as possible while traveling, I couldn’t help it with Dale Pues. I just had to have more! So I ended up here more times than I’d like to admit 🙂 And the vegetarian food was so freaking good that I ended up eating it before I even took a photo (bad blogger, I know).
Their salads are bomb (and I actually don’t usually order salads while traveling), as is the black bean burger, and the portions are enormous.
Hours: 7:30AM-11PM, 7 days a week
Location: Zona central, 500 meters west of the gas station, San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
2. Republika
This cute little spot has a variety of vegetarian dishes. I got the falafel sandwich (better than the one at “Falafel” itself, though pricier) and potatoes for 250 cordobas including tip.
Hours: 9AM-12AM, 7 days a week
Location: Avenida Mercado, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
3. Taco Stop
Taco Stop is a Nicaraguan Tex-Mex fast-food restaurant best described as what it’d be like if Chipotle and Taco Bell had a baby. You can find several locations throughout Nicaragua (including Granada), and they’ve got quite a few vegetarian options.
The food is quick, easy, relatively inexpensive (190 for a bowl) and can be customized with their handy salsa bar.
Hours: 10AM-5AM, every day except Sunday (when it closes at 12AM)
Location: Avenida Mercado, San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
Website: TacoStopNicaragua.com, Menu Here
4. Falafel
This little falafel spot is takeout only (no place to sit, right on street). It’s quick and easy, and relatively inexpensive.
I paid 120 cordobas for an alright falafel sandwich (I’m biased, I go to the Middle East about once a year and eat my weight in “real” falafel. It’s the pita that makes it).
Hours: Variable
Location: Maps
Website: Facebook (but hasn’t been updated in years)
5. The Beach House
This is yet another restaurant in San Juan del Sur that somehow perfectly spans the gap between potential date location and ideal coworking spot [side not: “coworking” had originally auto-corrected to “cowering”]. The wifi is very good, and the restaurant itself is super cute and with a great view. They run happy hour alcohol specials almost all day.
I ordered their gazpacho and a salad, and it came to 340 cordobas after tax.
Hours: 8AM-10PM, every day except Friday and Saturday when they stay open til 11PM
Location: Paseo del Rey, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Website: BeachHouseNica.com, Menu Here
6. Tree Casa
This is the best place to eat in San Juan Del Sur AND Nicaragua in general for vegetarians, hands-down. I’m obsessed. The vegetarian food is fresh, inventive, and downright delicious.
The vegetable skewers were one of the best meals of my life, the breakfast was my favorite I had in SJDS, and the iced coffee was top notch.
You can catch the shuttle to the resort from downtown San Juan del Sur for $15USD in food credit, and it includes a day pass to the pool (but it’s also a worthy place for an overnight, the grown-up treehouse rooms are unreal!)
Hours: Breakfast 8:30-10:30AM / Lunch 12-3PM / Dinner 5-9PM
Location: Map
Website: TreeCasaResort.com, Menu Here (email for reservations: info@treecasaresort.com)
7. Simon Says
This was one of my favorite food spots in all of my travels, in terms of atmosphere. I wish I would have discovered it sooner (I didn’t find it til my last day in San Juan del Sur). Most of the seating and tables are made out of recycled materials and set in a cool and funky garden, with tons of plants everywhere. Clearly, my dream.
Hours: 8:30AM-10PM, may be closed on Tuesdays
Location: 70 meters to the South of Gato Negro, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
8. Panaderia Alemana (German Bakery)
This unassuming little bakery has good prices and GREAT bread. It also has spots for sitting and enjoying your baguette. I went just before closing time and the owner threw in an extra croissant for free 🙂
Hours: 8AM-5PM, Monday through Saturday
Location: Av. Gaspar Garcia Laviana (two spots north from the Municipal Market), San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
9. Barrio Cafe
This place has been hailed as the best breakfast in San Juan del Sur, and I’m so sorry that I don’t agree! That honor would have to go to Tree Casa. The breakfast at Barrio certainly wasn’t bad, though, and their menu had quite a few vegetarian options.
Location: One block west of the Municipal Market, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Website: BarrioCafeSanJuan.com
10. Kiss Me Heladeria
I loved this adorable little ice cream shop. I’m not normally a big sweets person (especially when I’m by myself… idk why, but ice cream feels like a shared social activity to me), but I made an exception and I’m SO glad I did. Everything I tried was absolutely delish, and the little garden patio area was perfect for eating my ice cream and reading a book.
Hours: 10am-10pm
Location: At the intersection of Av. La Bolsa, south end of the Church and Central Park, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Website: Facebook
CURRENTLY CLOSED: Buddha’s Garden
This is another restaurant that was just “meh” for me, but maybe you’ll love it! When I visited, they were “out” of almost everything I was interested in on the menu, so I settled for some spring rolls that ended up being quite sub-par and overpriced. The restaurant staff also seemed annoyed (I was the only one in the restaurant, but I double-checked that it was open) that they had a customer to help rather than play on their phones.
I would love to go back and try more dishes. The restaurant itself is super cute.
Hours: Closed temporarily
Location: At the intersection of Av. La Bolsa, south end of the Church and Central Park, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Website: Buddha’s Garden, Menu Here
*All of the nearby beaches I visited (Playa Hermosa, Playa Maderas, etc) had very limited vegetarian options at their respective restaurants. The quality and taste of the food was quite bad and the prices high. If I did it again, I’d plan to eat before and after my day trip to the beach, and would bring a snack*
Or just get one of the smoothies/juices.
Pin it for Later: Best Restaurants for Vegetarians in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
A short vacation in Thailand turned into a life abroad with a canceled ticket home. Nearly a decade later and after living in Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, Puebla, and Puerto Vallarta, Steph is on to her next adventure and living back in beautiful, cosmopolitan Mexico City. She is living, traveling, and working (both as an expat therapist and an international health insurance representative) around the world to find the beautiful, inspirational, and interesting while sharing it with you!
It’s Very helpful ,Thanks for sharing
Glad it helped! 🙂