Chef Chloe Coscarelli Shares Her Favorite Vegan Food in Italy

This article originally appeared on Vegetarian Times

If you’re planning a trip to Italy this summer - or simply day-dreaming of a vacation off in the future - you’ll want to take note. Vegan celeb chef and cookbook author Chloe Coscarelli recently took a jaunt through Rome and Florence and shared her favorite vegan food in Italy on Instagram. Be sure to add these spots to your travel plans.

Chef Chloe’s Favorite Vegan Food in Italy

L’OV Osteria Vegetariana

This Florence osteria is entirely vegetarian but, as its website notes, “Non vogliamo un ristorante vegetariano, vogliamo che l'Osteria sia un posto per tutti,” or, in English, “We don’t want a vegetarian restaurant, we want L’Osteria to be a place for everyone.” There’s a mix of traditional regional dishes and global, seasonal offerings on the menu; gluten-free diners will find options, too. Coscarelli recommends the house-made gnocchi with pesto, cashews, and sun-dried tomatoes. Piazza del Carmine 4R, Florence; osteriavegetariana.it

Antico Forno Roscioli

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and currently operated by the fourth generation of Roscioli family bakers, Antico Forno Roscioli is the place for all things baked: bread, pizza, pastries, and more. Coscarelli shouts out their pizza arrabbiata in particular, describing it as “so spicy, so good!!!!” Via dei Chiavari 34, Rome; anticofornoroscioli.it

Grezzo Raw Chocolate

This gelato and confection brand is fully vegan, gluten-free, white-sugar-free, and organic. Pop into either of Grezzo’s two Rome shops to pick up an elegant dessert, selection of truffles, or a scoop of luscious cashew-coconut-cocoa butter-based vegan gelato. After all, if you don’t have some gelato while walking the ancient streets, did you even really go to Rome at all? Via Urbana 130 and Piazza Mattei 14, Rome; grezzorawchocolate.com

Origano Campo de Fiori

You might not see “carbonara and meatballs” on a vegan chef’s instagram every day, but the extensive plant-based offerings at Rome’s Origano Campo de Fiori mean it makes sense. Vegan options are clearly labeled on the menu and include lasagna with seitan and lentil ragout, artichoke risotto, and the vegan spaghetti carbonara Coscarelli mentions, among other pastas, pizzas, and other vegan Italian dishes. Largo dei Chiavari 83, Rome; origanocampodefiori.com

Shake Cafe

According to Shake Cafe’s website, its four outposts “offer an alternative way of eating to the very traditional city of Florence, emphasizing health, freshness, simplicity and quickness.” Here you’ll find vegetable-centric, market-driven light fare, smoothies, and salads, along with an array of coffee drinks and breakfast bites. Coscarelli notes that she makes a beeline for the pastry case, complimenting Shake Cafe on having the “best vegan chocolate croissant” - available for a mere EUR1.50. Via Camillo Cavour 67R, Via del Corso 28, Via Degli Avelli 2R, and Via dei Neri 56R, Florence; shakecafe.bio

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