Samoa for Vegans & Vegetarians + 10 Best Restaurants

© SamoaPocketGuide.com

Vegan and Vegetarian Guide to Apia

As Samoa’s cosmopolitan capital and official melting pot, Apia offers plenty of options for vegans and vegetarians! Although the one vegan/vegetarian-exclusive restaurant often has limited options, there are at least creative vegan dishes on the menus of many other cafes and restaurants that cater to all. You’ll even enjoy the traditional dishes of Samoa where dairy staples are naturally replaced with coconut milk and fruit!

Top 5 Restaurants in Apia for Vegans and Vegetarians

Here are our top picks of the best restaurants in Apia for both vegans and vegetarians.

1. Kure Juice Bar

Primarily a smoothie and juice bar, Kure Juice Bar is your solution to a bit of a health boost in Apia. Their bar (with limited seating but can do takeaway) serves 100% vegan meals, with their sushi and chilli bean bowls looking genuinely impressive. However, their food cabinets have been pretty bare each time we’ve visited, giving the sense that they have a limited made-to-order menu. Nevertheless, if you want to support what they’re doing, be sure to check them out.

2. RiVaiv Cafe Tanugamanono

Although RiVaiv serves a range of cuisines, their vegan options are done well, such as their bean bowl, shiitake bowl, power bowl, pesto burger and tempura sushi taco made with tofu.

3. Nourish Cafe

Nourish Cafe is a vegetarian-friendly haven in Apia, offering a diverse menu that caters to various dietary needs. Their standout dishes include the Eggplant Poke Bowl, Coconut Katsu Bowl and Tempura Eggplant Sushi. You’ll also find delicious vegetarian curries, Pad Thai, and Vermicelli Salad. For a refreshing treat, don’t miss their smoothies and juices. With plenty of gluten-free options available, Nourish Cafe truly lives up to its name, providing a nourishing boost to your day.

4. Paddles Restaurant

Paddles Restaurant, easily the most popular dine-in spot in Apia, if not Samoa, is a paradise for food lovers of all dietary preferences. Specialising in Italian cuisine, this eatery offers a range of delectable options for vegans and vegetarians, such as Vegetarian and Vegan Risotto featuring seasonal veggies and fresh coconut cream. Paddles serves up several vegetarian options, including the tempting Penne Milani. With its reputation for adapting dishes to different diets, you’re sure to find something to tickle your taste buds at this Apia favourite.

5. Tifaimoana Indian Restaurant

One of the limited Indian restaurants in Samoa, Tifaimoana Indian boasts a menu with the majority of curry, starter and naan dishes being vegetarian. Ask about making dishes vegan (thank god for coconut cream!).

Honourable Mentions

7. Milani Cafe – Vegetarian lunch and cakes, vegan lunch bowls, sandwiches, pancakes and more.
8. RiVaiv Cafe Vaitele – Vegan bowls, burgers and sushi tacos.
9. Scalini’s – Bruschetta Italiano, Bruschetta Scalini’s, Arancini and several vegetarian-friendly antipasto and sides.
10. Bella’s Kitchen – Vegetarian burgers, noodles, wraps and soups.

Self-Catering as a Vegan or Vegetarian in Apia

Finding vegan ingredients in Apia is easy, thanks to the well-stocked supermarkets and grocery stores found around every corner. According to our very own editor-in-chief, Laura, the largest selection of foods can be found in stores like Frankie and Farmer Joe’s, which are typically stocked with imports from New Zealand and Australia. Items like almond/soy milk, rice, nuts and vegan snacks are all available.

While fresh local fruit and vegetables are available in supermarkets, it’s typically better and a little cheaper to pick up fresh produce from roadside stalls and markets, as listed in the 10 Best Markets in Samoa.

There are also small convenience stores in Apia, which offer the basics but usually not the variety of vegan options you’ll find at the larger stores. We go into more detail about what to expect from grocery stores and supermarkets in A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in Samoa.

All you need with your vegan or vegetarian ingredients is a place to cook them! Check out the 10 Best Self-Catering Accommodations in Apia & Upolu for our top picks.

© SamoaPocketGuide.com

Vegan and Vegetarian Guide to Upolu

Outside of Apia, the dining landscape is a lot different. Most restaurants on the greater island of Upolu can only be found in resorts and some beach fales.

You’ll find that most resorts only serve one or two vegetarian options per course and you can bet one of them is a vegetarian pizza… Needless to say, you won’t be having the most exciting meals as a vegetarian when exploring the greater island of Upolu.

Below, we’ve listed a limited couple of our favourite restaurants with vegan and vegetarian options, as well as where you can get supplies for self-catering.

Top 3 Restaurants on Upolu for Vegans and Vegetarians

Here are our top picks of the best restaurants on Upolu for both vegans and vegetarians.

1. Tiapapata Art Centre

(Malololelei) – Homemade everything and specialising in vegan meals (as well as meat and fish dishes), the Tiapapata Art Gallery offers a delightful lunch option on the Cross Island Road just 15 minutes from Apia. They also make espresso coffee, lemon-ginger-turmeric drinks, fruit pies and cakes, homemade ice cream, and rustic homemade artisan bread.

2. Ava I Toga Restaurtant

(Maninoa) – The fine dining restaurant of Sinalei Reef Resort & Spa has a dedicated vegan and vegetarian menu with tempting antipasto platters, tempura vegetables, risotto, gnocchi, curry and more. Learn more about Ava I Toga in the 5 Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Samoa.

3. Survivor Beach Resort

(Falelatai) – Set in beautiful Fagaiofu Bay, Survivor Beach Resort offers a unique open-air dining experience with a TV-show theme. Vegetarians will love the tasty options, including crumbed eggplant tacos with capsicum and red onion, vegetarian sushi, and an eggplant fritter burger with chutney.

Self-Catering as a Vegan or Vegetarian on Upolu

The biggest hurdle you’ll have for self-catering on Upolu outside of Apia is finding somewhere to cook your own meals. What limited self-catering accommodation there is, is usually the highest tier of room at a resort, which is not great for those on a budget. See your options for making your own meals in the 10 Best Self-Catering Accommodations in Apia & Upolu.

We recommend stocking up on vegan and vegetarian snacks in Apia before travelling around Upolu. Otherwise, there are large supermarkets located in Saleimoa and Utualii on the northwest coast and in Tanumalala on the west coast Cross Island Road. Find out more about these supermarkets in the Information, Shops & Services on Upolu.

Another option is to bring your own vegan and vegetarian snacks from home, as long as they are not fresh and/or unpackaged foods that may not pass through airport biosecurity – find out more in Taking Food to Samoa: What You Need to Know.

While there is a generous number of small grocery stores in just about every village on Upolu, the variety of vegan “luxuries” is nowhere near as extensive as in Apia. You can still find items like tinned vegetables and vegan snacks like rice crackers, but you might just have to look in a few stores until you find what you’re looking for. Staples such as rice, flour and tinned goods are readily available.

Learn more about Upolu’s supermarkets in A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in Samoa.

© SamoaPocketGuide.com

Vegan and Vegetarian Guide to Savai’i

We’re not going to pretend otherwise; Savai’i doesn’t make it easy for vegans and vegetarians. Samoa’s more traditional island is also quite traditional when it comes to its restaurant menus.

Resorts will have a token vegetarian dish for each course menu, while the limited restaurants outside of resorts commonly have little to no vegetarian options, let alone vegan.

There is one exception on the island but this tiny cafe operation will hardly sustain you for your whole visit. In short, be prepared to have a polite conversation with the wait staff or chef to see how they can accommodate you.

Alternatively, self-catering is an option on Savai’i, although accommodation with cooking facilities is minimal. Interestingly, your best option might be staying at a beach fale where traditional staples of coconut cream and tropical vegetables will likely be a core part of the meal offering. Just be sure to inform your hosts about your dietary requirements before arrival – more on that in the section below.

The Top Restaurant on Savai’i for Vegans and Vegetarians

Here are our top picks (or pick) of the best restaurant on Savai’i for both vegans and vegetarians.

Taefu T. Matafeo Store (Netta’s Cake Shop)

(Asaga) – At the northern end of Asaga village is the Taefu T. Matafeo Store, also known as Netta’s Cake Shop. Needless to say, the cafe is famous for its cakes and cupcakes, which pair perfectly with an espresso, latte, mocha or iced coffee, but they also claim vegan and vegetarian snacks are available.

Self-Catering as a Vegan or Vegetarian on Savai’i

By far the largest supermarket on Savai’i, Frankie Supermarket at the commercial end of Salelologa (from the wharf, head toward Lusia’s Lagoon Chalets, then turn right) is your best option to get stocked up with vegan and vegetarian snacks and supplies before venturing across the island. Otherwise, small grocery stores are available in each village but are likely to have limited stock.

Learn more about Savai’i’s supermarkets, again, in A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in Samoa, as well as in Information, Shops & Services on Savai’i. As for where to stay for making your own meals, check out the 10 Best Self-Catering Accommodations in Samoa to see your two options on Savai’i.

© SamoaPocketGuide.com

Staying at Beach Fales for Vegans and Vegetarians

Staying in a beach fale is an iconic part of the Samoa experience, but these accommodations work very differently from resorts. Instead of a la carte menus, meals are usually predetermined or a buffet, enjoyed family-style with fellow guests in a communal dining fale.

Because meals are usually a set menu, it’s helpful to let your hosts know about your dietary requirements before you arrive. Not only is this much politer but it allows your hosts time to prepare.

Don’t worry; in most instances, hosts are happy to cater to vegan diets as their own diets tend to be not all that different from veganism (with the exception of seafood). Traditional meals are typically made with vegetables and fruit grown on the island along with coconut cream.

As some meals are shared with other guests, there will likely still be meat and fish served at the table.

For more tips for staying in a beach fale, take a look at our guide, Staying in a Beach Fale in Samoa + 10 Essential Tips!