Dear Editor:
Since people are always asking me where they can get good vegetarian food in Pattaya, about once every two years I write a letter to a local newspaper providing the readers with such updated information. The most recently opened vegetarian restaurant in Pattaya is near the bus station. (Just turn right at the bus station and keep walking until you see a restaurant with the sign “Healthy and Vegetarian Cuisine”. It’s about a three minute walk). The food is good and reasonably priced. After leaving the restaurant keep walking towards 2nd Road until you reach the Raw Food Cafe at the Rasayana Retreat near the Fairtax Hotel. While the food is a little expensive for a vegetarian restaurant I frequently eat there because I believe raw plant food is the healthiest and they try to use organically grown food.
Probably the best known vegetarian restaurant in Pattaya is Five Star Restaurant near the intersection of South Pattaya Road and 3rd Road.
Many non-vegetarian restaurants also offer good vegetarian food. Sizzler located at Central Festival on Soi 9 Beach Road and the Royal Garden Plaza has a great salad bar, although vegetarians and vegans must read the labels in front of the different foods. At the same two locations you have Burger King which has a vegetable burger. But be warned the burgers are not vegan and they’ll smother the burger in mayonnaise unless you remember to tell them not to.
Also at Central Festival you have Lebanon restaurant which has such popular Mid-Eastern vegetarian dishes as falafel sandwiches and hummus.
Of course the many Indian restaurants in Pattaya are always a safe bet for vegetarians. Shahi Indian restaurant at Beach Road, Soi 4 has a buffet every afternoon and all the food except the chicken (which is easy to avoid) is vegetarian. Probably the most popular Indian restaurant is Ali Baba which was given a good review by this newspaper. The restaurant, which is located on Pattaya Klang Road opposite Nova Lodge Hotel, not only serves great vegetarian food but is surprisingly inexpensive for such a classy restaurant.
I also occasionally go to one of the many Subway restaurants here in Pattaya where I order a “just vegetables” sandwich on whole wheat bread. Vegans must tell them to hold the cheese.
So while Pattaya is not a vegetarian paradise there is no reason vegetarians and vegans can’t have a great time eating out in this town.
Eric Bahrt
