Chengdu is rich with Buddhist influences, so vegetarian dishes and restaurants should be available in abundance…

But, if a stroll down the average hotpot riddled street leaves you wanting more diverse and exciting vegetarian options, then this list is for you. The vegetarian restaurants below have devoted themselves to providing a myriad of tasty vegetarian (and some vegan) options that we think will reinvigorate your lacklustre diet and prove that being a vegetarian in Chengdu can be easy and exciting．

 Vegetarian Lifestyle

枣子树素餐厅

A very popular Ba Bao Jie area chain restaurant that comes to Chengdu via Taiwan. Specializes in vegetarian recreations of classic Chinese dishes. Located on the 4th floor near Wenshu Monastery though easy to find as the building has a sign high up Vegetarian Lifestyle Restaurant. This restaurant offers an extensive menu of vegetarian options to suit all. Featuring an extensive menu (including English), spectacular bathrooms, an attentive staff and a good atmosphere make this place stand out. The added bonus: you’re meal will include free tea and fruit.

Location: Qingyang District, Qinglong Street No. 27, BoJin City, Building 2, F4 (between Carrefour and Pacific) 青龙街27 号铂金城2 号楼4楼
Opening Hours: 13:00 – 21:30
Tel: 028-86282848, 028-86282855

Mi XUN Teahouse

谧寻茶室·素食(太古里店)

Experience vegan dishes and various teas in a historic courtyard. Situated in Chengdu’s trendy retail hub and within a historical heritage building at No. 7-8 Zhanghuali Lane, the tea house is immersed in an ambience of elegance and tranquility that seems worlds away from the bustling city. Mi XUN is open from 11:00 am -09:30pm and predominantely serves afternoon tea. For something more substantial, there is a Temple Cafe, but this does not offer strictly vegetairan meals。Check out Mi XUN’s website for more information and to view their menu.

Location: No. 81 Bitieshi Street, Jinjiang District, Chengdu

笔帖式街81号博舍酒店旁

Opening hours: 11:00 – 21:30

Tel:+86 28 6297 4193

Baoguang Temple 宝光寺素餐馆

Enjoy a tasty meal after a relaxing stroll around the Baoguang Temple. The restaurant is suitable for vegans and perfect for enjoying a traditional Buddhist vibe. It can close in the afternoon, so an early start is recommended.

Location: No.81 of Baoguang  Rd, Xindu District 新都区宝光街81

Opening hours: Monastery open 08:00 – 17:30

Tel: 028-83067087

Qing Shui He Hua Shi Fang 清水荷花禅茶素食餐厅

Situated at the back of a beautiful monastery, try sampling this vegetarian restaurant after drinking in the sights. If you’re strapped for time and don’t want to view the monastery, then there is a separate entrance to the restaurant. The second floor serves a buffet-style lunch and it is best to arrive earlier to ensure you get the best choice. Alternatively, the ground floor of the restaurant offers a more traditional dining service, though the cost is slightly higher. With reasonable prices and great food, the monastery’s restaurant is worth a try.

Location:

文殊坊店 (Wen Shu Fang)

Building 1, 33 Wuyuegong Street, Wenshu Fang, Qing Yang District 文殊坊五岳宫街33号1栋

Tel: 028-86921839

Water Lotus

清水荷花素食餐厅(武侯祠店)

Location:10-11, Shuhan Street

武侯区蜀汉街10号附11号(近武侯区政府)

Tel：028-85532115

This restaurant serves a variety of main dishes including meat substitutes, soups, and vegtables. Located in the Tibetan area this restaurant offers an English menu and also offers some items to buy that you can take home to cook.

Qing Yang Gong Green Ram Temple  青羊宫

Five yuan will gain you entrance to the Palace of the Green Lamb. Inside the temple you’ll find a teahouse and a vegetarian restaurant to choose from. Yet another great place to get away from the busy streets and reconnect with traditional Chengdu.

Location: Qingyang Temple, 9 West Section 2, First Ring Road, inside of Qingyang Temple 一环路青羊宫里面斋食
Opening Hours: 11:00 – 5:30
Tel: 87766584

Wenshu Monastery

文殊院香心素食馆

Within Wenshu Monastery you’ll find a bustling Teahouse, a buffet-style lunchroom and a restaurant on the first floor. The Teahouse is perfect for a quick thirst-quencher, offering freshly made juices as well as tea. Located within the grounds of the temple, the vegetarian restaurant offers a buffet style dining area downstairs as well as menu dining upstairs. The buffet-style lunchroom has a relaxed atmosphere and allows you to build and create your own meal. However, it is the restaurant that offers the most well-crafted dishes. If you’re a vegetarian starting out in Chengdu, Wenshu Monastery is the perfect place to begin.

If you are visiting the buffet at the monastery we recommend going to the noodle restaurant outside the temple (the one with the queue) and having the Tian Shui Mian, also vegetarian, this is one of the most famous spots in Chengdu.

Location: 66 Wenshuyuan Street, Chengdu

成都市青羊区文殊院街66号
Opening Hours: 10:30 – 19:30
Tel: 028 – 86930017 15110406715

Yusuge Garden Vegan Vegetarian Restaurant

御素阁花园纯素餐厅

Location: Qingnian Road 67, Sichuan Nonga Hotel, 4th floor, Chengdu

成都市锦江区青年路67号4楼

Tel: 028-62433378

Offering lunch time and evening dining this restaurant offers not only a buffet but also hotpot and “health” pot. Quite a difficult spot to find, look up on thebuilding for the sign saying Yusuge Garden Vegan Restaurant. Its located on the fourth floor.

Yi Ye Yi Shijie Tibetan Vegetarian Hotpot  一叶一世界藏茶素食火锅

This popular chain of Tibetan vegetarian hotpots have numerous locations around town (including one very near the American Consulate). They offer light completely meat free hot pot with green and fresh offerings of seasonal vegetables and tofu with the sauces you’re used to seeing at a regular hotpot; sesame, soy, vinegar with garlic, peanuts, and coriander. There are currently 9 locations around Chengdu and should be roughly 50-80RMB per person depending on what you order.

Location:  Chunxi Road –  1st floor, 46 Nán kāng shìjiē  – 大慈寺 南糠市街46号1栋1层

Tel: 028-62499711, 18116592711

Location: American Consulate –    No.27, Poly Center, 7, Consulate Road, Kehua North Road 科华北路 领事馆路7号保利中心1楼附7号

Tel: 028-64279711

Location:Global Centre – 1N3, Room 310, Northern Area, Global Centre, 103 Jin Yue West Road 环球中心北区锦悦西路103号1N3层310室

Tel: 028-65279710

There are also stores in Huayang 华阳， Longhu 龙湖, Diamond Plaza钻石广场 and You pin dao Plaza 优品道广场.

Opening Hours: 11:30 – 00:00

Return to Vegetarianism 归来素食生活馆

This quaint little restaurant, located in Tongzilin, brings a traditional rustic North East Asian aesthetic indoors. Serving gimmick “meats” (tofu made to resemble meat) there are plenty of other dishes to chose from if this doesn’t float your boat.

Location: 12, 3rd Floor, Master, №48, Section 4 of South Renmin Road, Wuhou District 人民南路四段首座48号3栋12楼
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 22:00
Tel: 028-83188366  18180617512

For some more suggestions of vegetarian and vegan spots in the city, we suggest you checkout www.happycow.com which has a great feature allowing you to search pretty much every city in the world for vegetarian and vegan restaurants.

Alternatively, you may also use Wechat scanning the below QR code to access a great mini program. It has almost included all the vegetarian restaurants in the country.