Ponce
Located in the South of Puerto Rico, Ponce is the second biggest town on the island. Its center is quite small, so the choices are limited in downtown Ponce, overall, and especially for vegans, but here are some places that I enjoyed while visiting town., but here are some places that I enjoyed while visiting town.
A lo Natural
This health store a few blocks west of the main Plaza has a deli in the back.
They have a set menu that changes daily (check their facebook page) and additional sandwiches, wraps and quesadillas, with vegan options.
We had a quesadilla with veggies and vegan cheese, and a wrap with vegan cheese and beans. Both were really good, and served with thin crispy yucca chips.
Service was a little slow but the food was worth the wait.
Amo Açai
This cute little place a block from the Plaza has delicious smoothie bowls. Many are vegan, some have honey but you can switch that for agave.
All the ingredients were super fresh and the açai base really good. I had one with oats and agave in the açai base, with many fruits on top. I had another (not pictured here) with peanut butter in the açai base and almonds on top with fruits. Both excellent!
Take a minute with the menu, as there are many options and all sound appealing. They also have teas, juices, smoothies and lemonades.
For a full menu, check out their Instagram page.
Lola
This place is a little hard to find as it is located inside the Ponce Plaza Hotel and Casino (yellow building on a corner, on the Plaza), but it’s worth it. It’s the most expensive option here, but it was absolutely worth it.
They had two vegan options: a quinoa-based stew and a portobello mushroom dish served with israeli couscous and beans, which is the one we chose. It tasted delicious, was very hearty and nutritious.
Click here for the full menu.
They didn’t have any vegan desserts, but keep reading for a vegan dessert option right on the Plaza:
King’s Cream
King’s Cream is an ice cream shop right on the Plaza. It’ll be easy to find… it’s where the long line is.
The line actually moved pretty fast, the service is very efficient. They have several vegan flavors, pictured here is the passion fruit (“parcha” in Puerto Rico).
They have nowhere to sit inside, but it’s okay because it’s really easy to cross the street and sit on one of the benches on the Plaza, and eat it while listening to music, or watching people (locals and tourists alike hang out there).