Vegan Guide to Komodo

OCTOBER 2022: Due to COVID we were unable to travel for nearly two years, which means it’s been impossible to update our vegan travel guides. Therefore we cannot be sure if the below restaurants are still open, so please contact them directly to check. As travel has now restarted we will be updating guides accordingly, but in the meantime please check out the excellent HappyCow, which you can find via the link at the bottom of this vegan guide.

Published July 2018

The gateway town to Komodo National Park is Labuan Bajo and whilst not the prettiest of towns you will almost certainly have to spend time here either before or after your Komodo cruise. Below are the vegan options that we found and a couple that we were recommended but didn’t get a chance to check out. Also we include who we consider to be the most vegan friendly cruise operator in the region, Wunderpus. They are currently number 1 on TripAdvisor and rightly so in our opinion, we feel blessed that our research paid off and we ended up sailing with such a great organisation.

Catur’z Coffee Club

Catur’z Coffee Club
Jalan Mutiara
Labuan Bajo

Opening Times: 7am-10pm (closed Monday)

This all vegetarian cafe with many vegan dishes was without a doubt our favourite spot in Labuan Bajo, located just off the main road it is a quiet and chilled location to enjoy some very tasty Indonesian vegan food.

As well as the menu, check out the pots on the bar downstairs which change daily, when we looked there was a very tasty tofu and green bean dish and others with pumpkin, red beans and a dahl; friendly staff and a well priced menu make this a must visit for vegan food in Labuan Bajo.

Happy Banana

Happy Banana
Jalan Soekarno Hatta
Labuan Bajo

Opening Times: 7am-11pm every day

Extensive menu with a number of vegan options to choose from, located on the main road it has a few tables outside but a large and well designed interior with AC.

Sadly their was no avocado as it was out of season which ruled out some of our choices, also they had strangely sold out of bananas!? However, we ordered a chia and strawberry pudding and a vegan cooked breakfast with tempe that were both very good indeed.

Bajo Taco

Bajo Taco
Jalan Soekarno Hatta
Labuan Bajo

Opening Times: 7am-10pm (closed Monday)

This is meant to be the best Mexican food in town with vegan options including tofu and tempe, we didn’t have time to visit but walked past to see the sign advertising vegan options which is always re assuring!

Bamboo Cafe

Bamboo Cafe
Jalan Soekarno Hatta
Labuan Bajo

Opening Times: 7am-11pm every day

There seemed to be some confusion amongst the staff as to what exactly being vegan meant which is a shame as there are plenty of vegan juices and smoothies with coconut milk on the menu. Luckily we asked about the bread (we were going to order bruschetta) as it contains milk so not suitable for vegans, this rules out a number of options. We then asked for tempe sate but no one could confirm the ingredients for the sauce.

This is a shame as we liked the cafe and would have happily eaten here, we would say proceed with caution…

Made in Italy

Made in Italy
Jalan Pantai Pede
Labuan Bajo

Opening Times: 11am-11pm every day

Our short time in Labuan Bajo meant that we didn’t have time to check out the best pizza and pasta in town, from all accounts it’s worth a look next time as has authentic Italian dishes that can be adapted to be suitable for vegan guests.

Wunderpus Liveaboard

Email: info@wunderpusliveaboard.com

The communication prior to our liveaboard experience left us feeling confident that we would be well catered for as vegans on Wunderpus. This didn’t stop us taking our own emergency vegan snacks just in case as imagine being on a boat for 4 days hungry, we can confirm that all the snacks were left untouched as we enjoyed dish after dish of delicious vegan food!

As well as being one of the most eco and environmentally conscious operators in the region they sure know how to cater for vegan guests, here you can read our detailed review from our experience on Wunderpus.

Mimic Liveaboard

Email: info@wunderpusliveaboard.com

If your budget doesn’t stretch to joining Wunderpus then you should check out the other boat in their fleet called Mimic.

You can expect the same high level of communication, service and respect for the environment and we’ve been assured that the chef is well versed at catering for vegans, these guys are certainly the best vegan liveaboard option for your Komodo adventure.

Other Vegan Guides to Komodo

We normally include links to other vegan guides and online reseources here but we couldn’t find any, but as we all know, Happy Cow is your friend as a travelling vegan so here’s their Komodo page.