‘I will answer any of your questions as long as you don’t ask for vegetarian restaurants’ our tour guide said. We had a feeling that vegetarianism was going to be difficult to uphold here, and now it was confirmed by a local.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is known for its ćevapi and heavy meat-based dishes; vegetarian dishes are not the norm. Surprisngly though, Sarajevo has several restaurants serving veggie food. You can find traditional Bosnian cuisine, Middle Eastern and even some vegan dishes. I know, I was shocked too; it wasn’t actually too tough to find restaurants catering to people like us. And we didn’t end up just eating the classic salad and chips that every vegetarian has had to ensure at some point. Take a look at our favourites below.

Or if you’re interested in things to do in Sarajevo, read this post.

Falafel Restaurant

A fully vegetarian restaurant in Sarajevo. I got a little too excited at this place because the falafel is so so good. We tried the falafel tortilla covered in tahini sauce and sriracha that comes with some chips and tabbouleh, as well as the falafel fatoush salad. Oohh. This is proper food in my book and we felt great after eating here.

Zdravo

One of our favourite vegetarian restaurants in Sarajevo is actually fully vegan! It has the most beautiful indoor area with books and magazines, but also has an outdoor shaded area. If we had this place back home, we would be regulars. Located a little outside of the city, you may want to get a tram/trolleybus part of the way (or just walk it like we did). I promise you it is worth it. We ordered the chickpea tuna sandwich (a fond favourite I make myself back home), and a tricolore salad which consisted of quinoa, avo, garlicky tomatoes, curry sauce and walnuts. It sounds bizarre, I know, but it is so tasty.

The Singing Nettle

Not a vegetarian restaurant, but there are vegan and veggie options available. The restaurant is in the newer part of the city and showcases traditional Bosnian cuisine as well as vegan and veggie alternatives. Almost all dishes contain nettle or nettle pesto which is collected from the nearby mountains of Sarajevo. Try the vegan sahan (Bosnian meatballs), and ravioli with nettle pesto and cheese. Really good food in a really cute setting.

Aščinica Stari Grad

Veggie options available. Proper traditional Bosnian cooking. They cook different food each day, so it is very much a case of asking for whatever veggie food is on for today. We had mashed potato, spinach with rice, veg stew and fluffy flatbreads – it was really tasty stuff. The restaurant is only open 10am til 4pm so head over during the day instead of for dinner.

Bahrana

Veggie options available. The menu is huge and there are plenty or veggie pizza/pasta options. We went for the four cheese pasta. It was really rich, like cheese fondue with pasta mixed in. I would recommend it to share between two people. The restaurant is also a grapperia!

All Bakeries

Ok, not technically a vegetarian restaurant, but you can find burek filled with potato, cheese or spinach, or sweet cinnamon simit which looks like a Danish pastry. Great for on-the-go snacking and picnics.