Our family of four has made Kelowna, British Columbia, our home town for the past eight years. Giving us plenty of time to check out the local breakfast and brunch scene.

From farm-to-table spots to cozy cafes and trendy downtown diners, there is something for everyone in this vibrant city.

Imagine indulging in locally-sourced ingredients, expertly prepared and plated with care, all while enjoying breathtaking views of the Okanagan Valley. Whether you’re in the mood for a hearty breakfast or a leisurely brunch, Kelowna has it all.

Of course, one person’s list of the best breakfast places in Kelowna is going to be different than another person’s.

For the most part, we focus on places to eat that are open early for breakfast, but we do have a section at the end of the article that goes into the best brunch in Kelowna. Generally, we think of brunch and breakfast as the same thing, but brunch usually starts later, at around 10 or so, and is often an little more fancy (though not always).

We’ll go back and add to this list as we try new brunch and breakfast restaurants that open, and remove ones that close.

Best Breakfast in Kelowna

Breakfast is one of the many fun things to do in Kelowna with the family! Grab your friends, family, significant other, or enjoy a solo break, and head out to explore the many breakfast spots in Kelowna. From classic Canadian fare to international cuisine, you’re sure to find your new favorite spot.

Best Breakfast Places in Kelowna

Do I need breakfast reservations in Kelowna? Yes, you’ll sometimes need to make a reservation, depending on the restaurant, the time of year and whether it’s a Saturday or Sunday (with weekends usually much busier than weekdays). Many of the more popular brunch and breakfast places are also quite busy during the summer tourist season, with July to August especially so.

I use OpenTable Kelowna to make my reservations, as it’s the biggest restaurant reservation booking service in the city. I’ve tried it before to get reservations at busy Vancouver restaurants, and booking was smooth and easy in Kelowna as well.

Porter’s Kelowna

Porter’s is a fairly new, and welcome, addition to Kelowna’s breakfast scene. It’s located next to the Landmark District, in the old MTL building.

There’s a solid breakfast and brunch menu here, packed with classics like fried chicken and waffles, eggs benny, and more. There are also some more adventurous items, like the Japanese style soufflé pancakes, and several vegetarian options.

Charles tried the soufflé pancakes. They’re Japanese style soufflé pancakes, served with vanilla sweet cream, seasonal fruit compote, streusel, and your choice of maple, nut brown syrup or black currant sour syrup.

Charles couldn’t quite decide, so our helpful server brought us four syrups to try which also included a salted maple syrup. Three of those syrups are made in house at the next door Copper Brewing Company however the Black Currant Sour syrup won out as his favorite in the end!

I tried the yogurt bowl, which was delicious with creamy Greek yogurt, house made granola, seeds, seasonal fruit compote (made in house as well), and fresh fruit.

My latte was perfect, made from coffee beans from fair trade local roaster, Craft 42 Roasters.

The Jammery Kelowna

The original The Jammery location was featured on The Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here! The original location is in Lake Country, and just over 20 minutes from Kelowna’s downtown.

They’ve opened a new location in Kelowna proper. While the new Kelowna location (at 2463 Highway 97), has the same great food as the original, the atmosphere couldn’t be more different.

The rambling original Jammery location has a quaint, rustic farmhouse feel, with a large giftshop. The giftshop is overseen by a large, stuffed bear (which children adore!), and has an abundance of jams (made in house), and local foods and gifts.

The new location in Kelowna is modern, with a tiny gift area, so it just doesn’t have that kitschy charm of the Lake Country location however the food’s as good as the original Jammery. That said, for me, it’s worth a few more minutes drive to get to the Lake Country location.

My favorite dish at the Jammery is the All You Can Eat waffles, with their house made topping made from Okanagan fruit. They have six kinds of eggs benedict on the menu, omelets, plus French toast, crepes, a breakfast paella, and traditional breakfasts. There’s even a vegan breakfast hash.

Cora

While Cora is technically a Canada-wide franchise, it has enough personality and originality in the décor and menu that it feels a lot more like a local spot. Cora started in Quebec in 1987, and has since expanded to 125 franchises across Canada.

If you like fruit, Cora is your place.

While there are plenty of traditional omelets, skillets, and egg dishes, there are also crepes, pancakes, and French toast absolutely smothered in fresh fruit.

There’s even a fresh fruit section of the menu (which I order from every time). The Samira wake up is a huge plate of beautifully cut fresh fruit, served with toast, and there’s also a tasty kale-mango smoothie bowl, and a fruit yogurt harvest crunch.

My favorite is The Ode to Oatmeal, with fresh fruit, harvest crunch granola, English cream, maple syrup, and fresh fruit.

The kids always go with a fruit crepe, which is a single gigantic crepe stuffed with your choice for fruit, and either custard or a cocoa-hazelnut spread.

Charles goes for the classic French toast, which comes with your choice of bacon, sausages, turkey sausages, ham, or fresh fruit.

I’ve tried to get a photo of one of the kids’ fruit smoothies on our last three visits to Cora, but it’s inevitably half guzzled down before I can bring out my camera.

The Train Station Pub

Charles and I often end up at the Train Station Pub if we’re looking for something that’s just a little bit more upscale, with good food, but still casual and fun.

True to its name, the Train Station Pub is built inside a historic (now defunct) train station in Kelowna’s Downtown.

The brunch menu has everything from traditional chicken and waffles, breakfast sandwiches, and strawberry French toast, to more adventurous items like the Pakora benny (with curry spice), breakfast poutine, or Boom Toast (with avocado, pear, and butternut squash).

Brunch at the Train Station Pub is served until 2 pm every day.

My Neighbourhood Restaurant

We stop by My Neighbourhood Restaurant at least once a year. It’s the kind of place that delivers solid portions, reasonable prices, and good food. It’s not necessarily the most upscale place on our list, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s reliable and good.

Every time we’ve visited, service has been friendly, casual, quick, and helpful.

We come here when we’re craving breakfast later in the day, since it’s an all day breakfast place. There’s a nice selection of benedicts, if that’s your thing, including a crab cake benny, veggie delight benny, pulled pork benny, and a traditional benny, among others.

There’s a tasty sounding banana stuffed French toast, an apple crisp stuffed French toast, as well as huevos rancheros, and a slow cooked pulled pork burrito.

Charles’ to-go here is the French toast, which is dipped in a vanilla and egg batter and finished with icing sugar. Hash browns here are good, crispy and hot, but they’re the cubed style that feels like a chopped up steak fry. Don’t get me wrong, they’re delicious, but both Charles and I prefer shredded or finely chopped hash browns.

They also serve lunch. I’m a huge fan of the portabello burger (no meat, only the portabello mushroom), which comes stacked to the ceiling with marinated and grilled portabello mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and a tasty Dijon mustard.

OEB Kelowna

If Coras is the place for fruit lovers, then OEB is the place for those who love eggs. Like Coras, OEB is a franchise, with locations in Arizona, California, and a few Canadian cities.

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As expected, the menu leans toward farm fresh eggs, omelets, and eggs benedict. There are also sweet treats, like banana cream pie French toast, Belgian waffles and crepes, as well as nine different breakfast poutines.

There are vegetarian and vegan options as well.

We haven’t tried it (yet), but the mimosa flight (with four different mimosas) gets great reviews.

Gulfstream

We haven’t had a chance to try this one personally yet, but Gulfstream (in the Four Points by Sheraton by the Kelowna Airport) gets pretty good reviews and was recommended by friends so it’s made our to try soon list.

The breakfast menu is pretty solid and traditional, with classic eggs/bacon/hash brown/toast on offer, as well as omelets, traditional eggs benedict, a bacon hash and a pulled pork breakfast poutine. There’s a vegan bowl with coconut yogurt, banana, and an Okanagan Greek yogurt bowl with Okanagan dried cherries and apricots.

Diner Deluxe – The Shore

We haven’t tried Diner Deluxe – it’s just a little too far of a drive for us, given all the great options that are closer. That said, it gets great buzz, so we’ve included it.

Diner Deluxe has three locations in Calgary, and the one location in Kelowna, on Lakeshore Boulevard. It’s open 8am to 3pm.

The menu constantly changes, but it offers a big selection, with standards like avocado toast (with eggs), poached eggs and salmon, and a vegan faux egg wrap, as well as breakfast poutine and a big cinnamon bun.

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There are also several eggs benedict variations on offer, breakfast bowls, omelets and frittatas, pancakes, French toast, and classic breakfast. There’s also a lunch menu, and a kids lunch and breakfast menu.

There are plenty of vegan egg and vegan meat options as well.

Best Affordable Breakfast in Kelowna

Are you a foodie on a budget, looking for delicious and satisfying breakfast options in Kelowna that won’t break the bank? Look no further!

Kelowna has many hidden gems that offer mouth-watering breakfast dishes at affordable prices.

Join us as we explore some of the best cheap eats for breakfast in Kelowna, and discover a whole new world of breakfast delights that are easy on the budget.

Specialty Bakery & Bistro

Specialty Bakery has a few locations in Kelowna, but most are bakery only, and don’t offer breakfast.

To get your breakfast fix, make sure you go to the Specialty Bakery location on Finns Rd, in the industrial section of Kelowna.

We were introduced to Specialty Bakery by Charles’ 80 year old uncle, so that tells you it’s definitely a Kelowna fixture.

The food here is fresh, not fussy, and filling.

On offer are classic breakfasts of bacon and eggs, omelets and eggs benedict, or you can buy something from the attached bakery and eat it in the bistro.

I’m a big fan of the cinnamon buns, and black forest donut.

Don’t come here expecting a cappuccino – the coffee bar has five blends of freshly brewed Van Houtte coffee. There are also soups, sandwiches, and burgers on offer for lunch.

I don’t think there’s anything on the menu that’s specifically designed for vegans, but vegetarians should be able to sort something out.

The Kelowna Farmer’s Market

Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market is a great place to browse, and grab a simple, affordable breakfast.

The summer Market is open April to October, from 8 am to 1 pm on Saturdays and Wednesdays at the corner of Dilworth and Springfield.

There’s a winter market on Saturdays in the Parkinson Rec Center, but food options are a lot more limited.

One of my favorites at the summer Farmer’s Market is the Crepe Bistro, which has a fantastic variety of delicious crepes, including the zesty lemon and sugar, and banana chocolate.

There are always several fresh squeezed lemonade stalls to wash down your crepe.

All four of us are huge fans of the spiral potatoes on a stick – a must try!

There are also several outstanding coffee places in the market, including Anarchy Coffee.

Beet’N Boo’s

Beet’N Boo’s is a great value. It’s a comfortable place, with homestyle food that almost feels as if you’re being served in someone’s farmhouse kitchen.

There’s a big breakfast menu, with breakfast wraps and burritos, egg sandwiches, French toast, and plenty of different eggs benny options. There’s also oatmeal with berries, and breakfast bowls.

For lunch, you can get a sandwich panini, wraps, a good selection of salads, a burger, or even mac and cheese.

It’s all homemade, fresh, and with good sized portions.

Somehow, we haven’t been here for a couple of years, but I think it’s time to go back!

We made it back, and I’m happy to report that Beet’N Boo’s is the same ol’ homestyle, unfussy place, with generous portions. The food’s pretty good too.

On our last visit, we were both craving potatoes, so we got two of the regular size breakfast bowls, a chorizo breakfast bowl for Charles, and a veggie bowl (minus the egg) for me. There’s a lot of food here! It’s definitely homestyle, with a hair too much oil for my taste, but that didn’t stop me from eating, and enjoying, the entire bowl.

Dosa Crepe Café

Dosa Crepe Café doesn’t open until 11 am, but I’ve included it here in case you’re running a bit late and looking for something really unusual.

They opened just before the pandemic started, but we’re thrilled to say they’re thriving, and have opened a second location downtown. We’ve only been to the original Rutland location, but the menu’s similar at both locations, and the downtown location gets great feedback too.

Dosa Crepe Café offers two kids of crepes: French crepes, or south Indian dosa. An Indian dosa is a thin pancake made of a fermented batter of rice and ground black lentils. The dosa itself is vegan.

The Indian dosas are tasty, with a slight savory tang, and a delicious crispy edges. It’s served with your choice of curries, with vegetable, paneer, chicken or beef curries available.

If their giant savory dosas aren’t your thing, you can try their French crepes, served plain, or with banana chocolate, mixed berry, or mango maple, and topped with a scoop of ice cream.

Our kids always go for the sweet crepes, while Charles and I get a dosa. Both are fantastic – it’s just a matter of choice. The kids also like to load up on a milkshake or lassi.

Dosa Crepe Cafe also offers biriyani (veg, chicken or beef), and kothu roti (veg, chicken or beef), appetizers, and a couple of soup options.

Bliss Bakery

There are plenty of great bakeries in Kelowna, but I included Bliss because 1) it’s fantastic, and 2) it has seating so you can sit down and enjoy your breakfast.

Kelowna’s Bliss Bakery has one location in Kelowna proper, on Ellis Street in the Downtown Arts and Culture District.

The bakery has a funky, industrial feel that somehow manages to be warm and inviting.

In addition to all of the delicious home baked goods, there’s a small all day breakfast menu, with breakfast wraps, a spinach and feta quiche, a Bennywich, and a chipotle sausage biscuit. You can also get lunchtime sandwiches (including a vegan grilled cheese), soups, wraps, and salads.

Every baked item I’ve tried here has been fantastic. There’s a reason that Bliss keeps winning the best bakery in Kelowna award with local publications. My current favorites are the almond croissants, and my son adores their individual-sized lemon merengue pies.

I’d come here just for the food, but it’s an added bonus that their coffee is made from my very favorite organic locally roasted Cherry Hill coffee beans.

The Bread Company

The Bread Company has two downtown locations – one on Pandosy and one on Bernard. I’ve been to both, and I think I slightly favor the Bernard location, if just for the downtown vibe.

It’s a busy place, with a lot of small tables, and I’ve always been able to find seating. They have plenty of pastries on offer, plus traditional breakfasts, frittatas, huevos rancheros, pancakes, plus sandwiches, salads, and soups for breakfast.

My daughter loves their chocolate filled croissant, and I’m a fan of the pesto spinach croissant.

Try the fresh squeezed orange juice!

Best Vegan Breakfast and Best Vegetarian Breakfast in Kelowna

Are you a vegetarian or vegan looking for a delicious and satisfying breakfast in Kelowna? Look no further!

Kelowna is home to a growing number of vegetarian and vegan-friendly breakfast spots, where you can enjoy a range of plant-based dishes. From hearty vegan breakfast burritos to gluten-free avocado toast, these restaurants have something for everyone.

Join us as we explore some of the best vegetarian and vegan breakfast restaurants in Kelowna, and get ready to start your day off on a healthy and tasty note!

Naked Café

The Naked Café is an unfussy place, with café style décor, and wooden benches for some seating.

It’s an affordable vegan breakfast option located downtown on Lawrence Avenue.

There’s a wide selection of vegan breakfasts here, with vegan versions of an English breakfast, a vegan bacon benny, a breakfast sandwich and a couple of vegan Just Egg hash options. The food is colorful, tasty, and comes in good portion sizes.

They’re also open for lunch and early suppers, serving vegan bowls, sandwiches and burgers.

Frankie We Salute You

Well rated Frankie’s offers both vegetarian and vegan options. Menu items are clearly marked as vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free.

I asked to go to Frankie’s for my birthday dinner last year, and was impressed with the food.

This is a local restaurant, owned by Chef Brian Skinner and Christina Skinner, located in the Landmark District.

There’s an industrial vibe here, but it still manages to feel comfortable and welcoming.

The menu is fun and inventive, and they have plenty of interesting cocktails and desserts. There’s also a good kids menu, and we had several families, with well-behaved kids, sharing the restaurant.

Weekend brunch is on Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 3. It’s pretty popular, so a reservation is a good idea. The brunch menu offers a fairly small selection, with items like a Florentine benny bowl, cinnamon toast waffles, and a plant based chorizo ranchera bowl. There are also fun brunch cocktails like a rum and fig leaf mimosa, or a Pimm’s punch.

Chain Breakfast Places in Kelowna

I’m not going into too much detail for chain breakfast restaurants here, other than to list a few. For the most part, a Denny’s in Kelowna is going to be the same as a Denny’s anywhere else.

Here are a few serviceable chain options:

• iHOP
• Dennys
• The White Spot

The White Spot

Of all the chain breakfast places in the city (Cora’s not counting), The White Spot is probably our favorite. It’s kid friendly, has a nice relaxed vibe and the food is consistently decent.

Best Brunch in Kelowna

Of course, you can visit any breakfast place from our list above for brunch however, if you’re looking for a fancy, more upscale brunch, try one of these options below.

You’ll need to make the drive over the bridge to visit our first two picks: Old Vines Restaurant and Terrace Restaurant.

Quails Gate Old Vines Sunday Brunch

Located in West Kelowna, Old Vines Restaurant is nestled on the edge of the Quails Gate Winery. The restaurant faces Okanagan Lake, with stunning views over a gently sloping vineyard to the water below.

Quails Gate family owned winery is one of my personal favorites in Kelowna, and regarded as one of Kelowna’s best wineries.

Given the view and the menu, Quails Gate’s Old Vines brunch is fairly well priced. Sure, it’s a pricier choice than many, with higher end appetizers like oysters on the half shell, and mains like croque Madame. Prices change regularly, but in early 2023, the eggs benny was $24, the brioche French toast was $18, and the artisan charcuterie ran $26. Not a fortune, but the bill can go up significantly with wine, as you may want to try the wine pairings suggested by your server.

Make reservations in advance, since it’s a busy place, especially in summer, and brunch hours are short, running every Sunday 11 am to 2:30 pm.

Terrace Restaurant at Mission Hill Winery

Terrace Restaurant at Mission Hill has one of the best restaurant views in Kelowna. It’s definitely a show stopper, and a fantastic place to bring someone you want to impress.

However, since it’s an outdoor restaurant, it’s only open seasonally from May to October.

This is a farm-to-table experience with produce grown in the estate garden, or locally sourced from farming partners.

Prices can be a bit steep, but this is one of Kelowna’s best restaurants, with excellent service and panoramic views to boot.

We’ve only eaten here once, at lunch, and it was a fantastic experience, with wines paired perfectly to the food. Charles still raves over the duck fat fries three years later!

We’ve never had a issue, but we have heard from a few people that they found the atmosphere at Mission Hill to be a bit cold and exclusive. Our personal experience with everyone, including sommeliers, servers and gift shop personnel has been excellent – they’ve been friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

Lakeside Dining Room at the el Dorado Hotel

The food is good here, and service is solid, but sometimes slow, however, the real draw is the location. Located directly on the waterfront, it offers a stunning view of the lake. If you go in the summer, try to get a patio seat for an even more amazing view.

The buffet brunch is only available on select Sundays. Breakfast is available Monday to Sunday, early.

The breakfast menu is fairly small, with favorites like a traditional breakfast, fruit salad, eggs benny, avocado toast, waffles, omelets, and oatmeal.

Krafty Kitchen + Bar

I hesitate to call anything hip or cool (my teenagers would immediately cringe and reflexively mock me), but there’s no getting around it: Krafty Kitchen + Bar is a pretty hip place.

I mean, they have a Hip Hop Brunch every Friday to Sunday, with items like benedicts named Tupac, Baller Mushroom, and Easy-E. They also offer a Notorious BLT, and a Drop it Like it’s Hotcake.

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This is a local place, run by Chef Chris Shaften. It’s a fun, funky, casual farm-to-table restaurant located beside the historic firehall in Downtown Kelowna.

Brunch is only on Saturday and Sunday 9 to 2, but regular hours are Monday to Friday noon to late.
There’s also a Fondue Sunday.

The Curious Café and Bar Norcino

The Curious Café is another cool downtown eatery, but with limited hours.

If you’re looking for brunch, it’s closed Sundays and statutory holidays however it’s open Friday and Saturday at 11 am.

The brunch menu includes vegan field mushrooms on toast, chick and waffles, a breakfast sandwich, eggs benny, French toast, and a veggie power bowl.

There’s also a brunch party that serves four, with classic eggs benny, French toast, bacon, fruit, and coffee.

As someone who loves a good breakfast, I can honestly say that Kelowna does not disappoint when it comes to morning dining. Whether you’re in the mood for classic Canadian breakfast fare or something more innovative and international, Kelowna has plenty of options to load up before hitting one of the best hikes in Kelowna or taking off on one of the best road trips in British Columbia.

Do you have a breakfast spot in Kelowna that we missed? Let us know in the comments!

Road tripping can be fun and adventurous however, as a vegan traveler, it pays to be prepared, especially in more rural areas.

Having snacks prepped before you go can make vegan travel so much easier, but it’s also possible to get great vegan food on the go, from both restaurants and convenience stores.

Some of the best vegan food for traveling is simple, healthy and delicious. After all, who doesn’t love a tasty vegan snack on the road!

The Best Vegan Road Trip Snacks

Here are some of our favorite vegan foods on the go.

Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruit is perfect for a road trip, and one of the easiest and healthiest options for vegans on the go. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can cut up bite-size pieces of fruit and store them in a cooler, or just grab a few pieces of whole fruit to go.

Here are a few ideas for fruit to take on a road trip that don’t require being cutting up:

• blueberries
• apples
• oranges
• plums

Some fruits are more delicate and bruise easily, so they may require storing them carefully in a container, or they need to be cut up into bite size pieces. Here are a few ideas:

• watermelon
• peaches
• strawberries

This vegan chocolate almond butter is perfect for dipping your cut up fruit and makes your snacks even tastier.

Granola Bars and Protein Bars

Granola bars, protein bars, and nut bars are perfect for road trips. They come pre-wrapped, and can last a long time in the car. They’re also some of the best meal replacement products for vegans.

Veggies

Just like tasty fruit, vegetables make for a great snack on the road. Here are a few of our road trip veggie favorites:

• mini carrots
• snap peas
• sliced green peppers
• radishes
• cherry tomatoes

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are an easy option for road trips. They’re portable, last a long time, and they don’t require refrigeration.

While we always keep various nuts and seeds in our house, on the road we usually like to make mixes of our favorites so they’re easier to enjoy. You can throw them into small containers or even just throw them into a ziploc style bag for easier storage.

Drinks

For drinks, water is always a perfect fit. You can even bring your own bottle, and refill it at stops on the road. If you have kids, juice boxes are always a hit with them and they pack well.

Here are a few of our picks for the best vegan road trip drinks:

• bottles of water
• juice boxes
• carbonated water with splashes of fruit juice
• iced coffee or iced tea in the summer time

Vegan Cheese and Yogurt

You’ll need a cooler if you want to bring vegan cheese or yogurt on the road, but it’s well worth the hassle for a creamy, delicious dairy-free treat. Here are a few ideas:

• vegan cheese sticks
• vegan yogurt

Sandwiches and Wraps

If you have a cooler, then on-the-go sandwiches and wraps are an easy, filling option for on the road.

Big, sloppy burritos are probably not a good choice, but smaller burritos and wraps are great in the car. Sandwiches are also great road trip food, as long as they’re not overstuffed with fillings that easily fall out and the bonus is you can customize them to everyone’s tastes.

Hummus

I love hummus and dippers on the road. If you have the time and inclination, you can prep your own homemade hummus and baby carrots. If you’re short on time, just grab a shelf stable hummus and pretzels pack or some tasty vegan pita chips and you’re good to go.

Candy

We try to eat healthy on a road trip, but we also try to be flexible and have fun as we go.

Here are a few of our kids favorite vegan candies for road trips:

• Twizzlers
• Swedish Fish
• Sour Patch Kids
• Airheads

Salty, Crispy Snacks

I have to confess a true love for salty and crispy snacks. Here are a few of my salty vegan favorite snacks for on the road:

• pretzels
• potato chips
• popcorn

While being vegan often means giving up on certain foods, thankfully some of the most common snacks are still available to you. Just watch your caloric intake (especially salt) with things like potato chips and popcorn while on the road.

Vegan Road Trip Meal Prep

If you have some time before you leave, doing vegan meal trip prep can mean for much healthier and varied choices.

We like to bring a soft sided cooler, which folds down for easier storage when not in use. A cooler also gives you many more food options, including cut up veggies and fruit, sandwiches and wraps, and vegan yogurt and cheese.

Vegan Food On The Go at Restaurants and Convenience Stores

Sometimes it’s just not possible to meal prep for a road trip, which means picking up quick snacks at convenience stores, and often eating at restaurants with vegan options.

Vegan Road Trip Restaurants

Eating vegan is more of a challenge on the road. Meal prep is a great way to ensure you have options, but sometimes you just crave a hot meal, or eating in a sit down restaurant.

One of my must-haves for any road trip is the Happy Cow app. The app will list vegan friendly restaurants around the world.

There’s an App for That

Get it on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Vegan restaurants for road trip

As a start, these vegan-only chain restaurants may be an option on your trip:

• Native Foods
• Next Level Burger
• Slutty Vegan
• PLNT Burger
• Burgerlords
• HipCityVeg
• Flower Burger
• Loving Hut

There are also many non-vegan restaurants that have vegan options. Here are a few to get you started:

• Taco Bell
• Olive Garden
• Burger King
• TGI Fridays
• The Cheesecake Factory
• Del Taco
• Starbucks
• White Castle
• Carl’s Jr
• Subway
• Chipotle
• Qdoba
• Fatburger
• Panera Express
• Panda Express
• McDonalds

Vegan Snacks at the Convenience Store

The average convenience store or gas station is packed with salty, sugary, caffeine-infused concoctions. It can be a challenge to find something to eat in a gas station that isn’t packed with calories and bad fats.

Here are a few ideas for healthier convenience store snacks while you’re in your car while listening to the best audiobooks for road trips.

• Raisins and dried fruit, including apple chips
• Nuts (unsalted, preferably)
• Vegan protein bars
• Vegan SkinnyPop popcorn
• Hummus and pretzels
• Whole fruit (usually limited to apples, oranges, and bananas)
• Applesauce
• Pretzels
• Vegan yogurt
• Vegan cheese
• Vegan Jerky (watch out for high salt content)
• Frozen fruit popsicles (watch out for added sugar)
• Water
• Milk
• No sugar added juice

While eating vegan on the road is sometimes difficult, the good news is that it’s much more common today then it’s ever been in many countries. Luckily there are also healthier options for anyone who’s trying to forgo the usual chips and greasy foods that go hand in hand with classic road trips.

That said, don’t be afraid to travel just because you’re on a certain diet or have to stay away from certain foods. Likely you’ll be able to find something that will get you by until you get to your destination, and if there isn’t, just make sure to pack appropriately before you go and you’ll be fine.

Looking for More Road Trip Tips?

Check out our business trip travel checklist and packing list, our essential summer road trip packing list, and our summer beach vacation checklist, or how to eat healthy while traveling.

Finding authentic Japanese snacks and sweet treats outside of Japan can be really difficult, especially in our area of Canada. That’s a huge shame, since food gives us a unique insight into the culture of a country, and snacks are an easy, fun, and accessible treat.

We tried the Sakuraco Japanese subscription box, and here’s what we thought.

Our Sakuraco Box Review

Our Sakuraco box came securely wrapped in a thick layer of bubble wrap. All the contents inside were in perfect shape.

I really loved the muted earth tone of the box, accented with gold. The elegant packaging really fits with the upscale snacks inside as well.

See Sakuraco box pricing here.

What’s inside the Sukuraco box?

The Sakuraco box is filled with locally sourced Japanese teas, sweets and snacks. There are 20 new, seasonal snack treats in each box and each box often includes treats from different Japanese prefectures.

Each box includes traditional Japanese teas such as matcha, hojicha or other seasonal teas, as well as Japanese home goods like ceramics, chopsticks or furoshiki. You’ll also find traditional Japanese cakes, and sweets like mochi, manju and yokan. There are also seasonal treats like momiji, and sakura, along with senbei and konpeito from local makers.

Each box comes with a gorgeously detailed snack and culture discovery guide. The guide describes each snack in English, along with its origin and often information about the area the snack derived from. Boxes also come with complete allergen information for each item.

We reviewed the December Hokkaido Winter Festival box.

With three vegetarians out of the four of us, we were thrilled to see that Sakuraco notes in the guide whether or not each treat is vegetarian.

While most of the treats in our box were vegetarian friendly, there were a few that weren’t exactly to our tastes however that’s to be expected when given an assortment and why these types of boxes are great for families or groups of people. Being able to share an experience, good or bad, is always a great bonding experience.

That said, there were definitely a few that stood out for each of us.

Our Favorite Sakuraco treats

My daughter’s favorite snack was the Hokkaido milk karinto. It’s a lightly fried wheat batter made with Hokkaido milk, and coated with a sweet, sugary coating.

One of Charles’ top picks was the Yubari melon chocolate sandwich cookie. It’s made with Yubari melon, which is a classic Hokkaido flavor, coupled with white chocolate and two layers of crisp butter cookies.

Our son really liked the banana baumkuchen. It has thin layers of sweet egg batter with a light, banana flavor. It’s meant to be enjoyed with tea or coffee, but we ate them plain.

My two favorites were the Kobukoro mochi and the walnut mochi.

I’m usually not a fan of seaweed, but I absolutely loved the Kobukoro mochi, which are flavored with the umami Hokkaido kobu, which is type of seaweed. Delicious!

The walnut mochi is made with red sweet bean and mochi rice, with chunks of roasted walnut. The guide said it has a hint of soy sauce flavor (which I couldn’t pick up on, honestly). It comes wrapped in a thin layer of edible rice paper.

Just don’t make our initial mistake, and assume the outer white cardboard is the edible rice paper. (Hint: It’s not!)

The edible rice paper is, of course, the thin, translucent wrapping around the sticky walnut mochi and dissolves quickly in your mouth.

How much does Sakuraco cost?

The cost for Sakuraco is $37.50 for a one month box.

That cost drops to $35.50 per month if you get a three month subscription, and drops again to $33.50 for a six month subscription.

The most affordable option is $32.50 per month for a 12 month subscription. You’re charged the full amount of each subscription when you sign up.

Sakuraco delivery

You can get your Sakuraco box delivered worldwide.

Boxes are sent by trackable or express delivery. If your country doesn’t support express shipping, Sakuraco will deliver your box with Japan Post Priority Shipping and Tracking.

Sakuraco vs Tokyo Treat

We tried the Tokyo Treat box earlier this year (see our Tokyo Treat review here).

Overall, the Sakuraco box is smaller than Tokyo Treat however they do include different things in them which will appeal to different groups.

Once you look inside, the Sakuraco snacks are much more adult focused than Tokyo Treat. They’re both fantastic boxes, but I’d say that Sakuraco would be a better box for adults and older children, while Tokyo Treat’s larger box with more brightly colored popular snacks is a great fit for young families, especially those with younger children.

Is Sakuraco Box worth getting?

Both the box, the English guide and the snacks within, while not all to our taste, are well presented and a fun way to explore both the culture and flavor of a distant land for a fraction of what the airfare alone would cost.

Whether you’ve already been to Japan and have a fondness for the snacks or have never been and are curious what kinds of things they call tasty, these subscription boxes offer us a glimpse of travel without ever having to leave our home and for that they get a thumbs up.

We look forward to trying out more of these services in the future.

As any seasoned traveler can tell you, local food and cuisine often plays an integral role in experiencing a new area. While an authentic and delicious full course meal has made us fall in love with a country more often than we’d admit, we find it’s the snacks that often define a people and their culture.

So what happens when the world is a little more shut down and you can’t just jump on a plane and fly somewhere to sample things? Well, sometimes the easiest answer is to just get food shipped to you.

Unfortunately, it can be really hard to find authentic Japanese snacks and candy outside of Japan. That’s where Tokyo Treat come in.

Japanese snacks and candy are thought to be some of the most unusual and fun treats in the world.

Right now, travel’s still a bit expensive and difficult, so a trip to Japan, though solidly on our bucket list, isn’t in our immediate future. As much as I want to visit Japan as a family, and travel Japan by train, we’re going to wait until travel is less complicated for us.

Luckily, trying Japan’s fun snacks is a nice way to experience a bit of the culture, even if we can’t be there in person right now.

So, we were really excited to try the Tokyo Treat box.

What is Tokyo Treat?

Tokyo Treat is a monthly subscription box that’s shipped directly from Japan.

A typical Tokyo Treat box includes:

• a drink exclusive to Japan
• a rare KitKat Party Pack
• assorted Japanese snacks (2.7 plus pounds / 1.2 kg)
• a full sized Japanese crazy candy, crunchy chips, and more
• an illustrated English guide describing each snack in the box
• a special contest or rewards for Tokyo Treat members

Our Tokyo Treat Review

Let’s start with the question that almost everyone asks first: How much does Tokyo Treat cost?

The cost is $35/month for a monthly subscription.

If you get a 12 month subscription, the cost drops to $31.50/month. It’s $32.00/month for a six month subscription, or $33.50/month for a three month subscription.

The cost for Tokyo Treat is in USD, and you can cancel anytime.

What’s inside the Tokyo Treat candy box?

Our October 2021 Tokyo Treat box was Halloween themed. So much fun!

Throughout the year, Tokyo Treat offers several themed boxes, including Halloween and Christmas.

Our Halloween box came with:

• Grape Calpis Soda
• Cinnamon Apple KitKats
• Red and Black Magic Gum
• Pokemon Halloween Choco Corn
• Umaibo cheese
• Tongari Corn Halloween Butter Toast
• Pocky Crushed Strawberry
• Mini Monster Fruit Candy
• Spooky Water DIY Kit
• Halloween New Mochi Taro
• Happy Halloween Fugachi
• Holland Senbai
• Maple Butter Beer Ramune Candy
• Mini Strawberry Milk Coco Balls
• Umaiwa Mentai flavour
• Full Moon Pon
• Halloween Pizza snacks
• A snack guide with photos of each snack, and an English explanation of each snack
• A member only contest for a chance to win Japanese KitKats

I was impressed by the number of snacks in the Tokyo Treat box. There were 17 different treats and snacks for us to try.

Luckily, there was a really helpful snack guide, with photos of each snack, and a short description.

The Umaibo cheese was one of my personal favorites. It’s about a four inch long hollow tube that tastes a lot like a fluffy, sweeter cheese Cheeto. So good!

The Pocky Crushed Strawberry was probably my son’s favorite. It’s a thin, sweet stick that’s a lot like a chocolate wafer, dipped in a sweet strawberry glaze (like a strawberry chocolate flavor).

My husband’s favorite was the mini monster fruit candy. It’s a lot like a fruit rollup, but he loved how each color was a different, distinct flavor.

The Mini Strawberry Milk Coco Balls were a hit with everyone. They had a nice white chocolate and strawberry flavor inside of a crunchy candy coating. Yum!

My daughter was especially excited to try the drink, which was a refreshing Calpis soda with a unique sweet grape fizzy and milky goodness.

The anime style cartoon on the front of the snack guide was really beautifully drawn. It was a custom cartoon designed for this specific box, with details about what was inside the box in the cartoon. Very cool!

Where does Tokyo Treat come from?

The Tokyo Treat box ships worldwide from Tokyo every month.

Want to try some tasty Japanese candy and savory snacks?

Get your own TokyoTreat box and try Japanese snacks at home for yourself!

These days we try our best our best to eat better while on the road however I’ll be the first to admit that our road trip snacks used to look like we let our unsupervised kids loose in a candy store with a $50 bill.

Over our years of travel, those bad eating habits have started to take a toll, so now we’re trying to eat well on our trips.

Eating healthy while on the road can be a real challenge. When you travel, your routine is uprooted, you eat out more, and you have less time to plan healthy meals. There’s also less time to ensure you get proper nutrition, and avoid junk foods.

Of course, eating healthy means something different for everyone. When you’re following these tips, decide what healthy means for you, and focus your eating plan to your individual needs. For you, eating healthy may mean keeping on your keto diet, eating vegan or vegetarian, or simply avoiding overeating or indulging in high calorie or sugary or fatty foods.

How to Eat Healthy on Vacation

Eating healthy on vacation essentially comes down to planning and a little will power. It’s also a heck of a lot easier to stick to a healthy diet when you make food choices, or at least narrow down food options, before you leave.

Planning ahead with healthy travel tips makes it easier to make healthier food choices at restaurants, when you’re at your accommodation, or even during a road trip.

Make a meal plan before you leave

Before you leave on your trip, make an eating plan. Think about where you’ll be staying, what meals and snacks you’ll need, how long you’ll be there, and the types of foods you’ll have available.

Will you have access to a fridge or microwave, or even a full kitchen? Will you have a lot of restaurants nearby, or is the selection really limited? Will you need food for an airplane ride, or perhaps a lengthy road trip?

Your eating plan doesn’t necessarily need to be a minute-by-minute menu (though you could make one), but having a rough idea of the types of food, and where you’ll get them, goes a long way to healthier eating.

How to Eat Healthy While Traveling: At your Accommodation

Your choice of accommodation has a huge impact on your eating habits. For example, you’ll have a hard time eating well if you’re stuck in a small hotel room without a microwave or fridge, or if you’re far from restaurants and food stores with healthy options.

Ideally, we love to get an Airbnb or hotel with a kitchen. Having a kitchen to prepare food lets us control what we eat, and it also saves us a lot of money on eating out.

I like to cook, and I absolutely love to wander through local grocery stores when we travel. It’s a fun way to find local fruits and veggies, and see local ingredients first hand. I choose the healthiest options I can find, and often pick some locally-inspired recipes to cook.

If you’re a little short of time, and don’t want to bother shopping or planning a menu, order a meal delivery service like HelloFresh to your rental condo. It’s a fantastic way to balance convenience, and healthy eating.

Even if you don’t have a full kitchen at your disposal, a microwave and/or fridge can make eating healthier a lot easier. Just stop by a supermarket or well stocked convenience store, and load up your fridge with healthy goodies.

Breakfasts are especially easy, as you can grab fruits, yogurts, and oatmeal almost anywhere in the world. To make life even easier and depending on where you are in the world, you could even order Amazon Fresh or another grocery delivery to your hotel room or condo.

Cooking and preparing meals while on vacation may not be your cup of tea. I get it! In that case, maybe keep a few healthy snacks on hand for late night nibbles, and focus more on how to find healthier food in restaurants rather than just hitting all the fast food chains.

Restaurants

Eating at restaurants can be a real challenge when you’re trying to figure out how to eat healthy on the go. Restaurant portions are usually large, and dishes are often packed with salt, fats, sugar, and calories.

The first step to eating healthier at restaurants is to pre-plan what restaurants you visit, and try to choose restaurants with a range of healthy options.

Once you’ve picked out the restaurants, take a look at the menu (online if possible), and then choose the healthier options ahead of your visit. If you read the menu before you go, and pick out your food ahead of time, you’re less likely to impulsively order a less healthy dish.

If you’re already out and about, lots of restaurants around the world have large placards out front or just in the lobby with their menu. If they don’t, ask to see a menu before they sit you down and see if healthier options exist. If there’s nothing healthy for you there, it’s probably best to keep searching for a restaurant that does.

By pre-selecting what you want to eat, or having a few options pre-selected before you even sit down, it will help avoid those impulse orders which are often the bane of healthy eating.

Tips for eating healthier at a restaurant:

• Having a healthy snack before you dine out can reduce the chance that you’ll impulsively order something unhealthy out of hunger.
• Start your meal with a glass of water to make yourself a bit more full, which may reduce the amount you eat.
• Don’t be afraid to (politely) ask your server for substitutions. Most restaurants will gladly swap out French fries for a salad, or put dressing on the side.
• You can also split dessert to cut calories, avoid supersizing your portions, ask for a half portion, and skip sweet drinks and alcohol.

Road trip snacks

Some healthy foods are better suited to road trips than others. We try to avoid anything overly stinky or messy, and focus on foods that are easy to eat by hand. Unfortunately, that means sloppy burritos are out, unless you can stop and eat them at a picnic table somewhere.

Tip! You can bring a much bigger selection of healthy foods if you take along a cooler filled with ice. We like to use ice packs rather than ice cubes in our cooler, since it cuts down on mess and hassle. Frozen water bottles work well too, but make sure they’re not totally full when you freeze them, or they may burst in the freezer.

A soft sided cooler is easier to fit in the car, and it’s also more comfortable when you’re sitting beside it. It also folds down when empty, so it’s a snap to store out of the way.

Snacks for a road trip generally fall into two categories: snacks you can prepare at home, and snacks that you pick up at convenience stores, or gas stations along the way.

Prep at home road trip snacks

If your road trip is short enough, and you have some time before you leave, preparing snacks, and even meals, ahead of time can mean for much healthier choices. Here are some of our top picks from our summer road trip packing list:

• Bottles of water
• Juice boxes (great for kids!)
• Washed and pre-cut fruit and veggies like snap peas, carrots, celery, watermelon, and blueberries.
• Apples and oranges. We keep these whole and in the cooler.
• Cheese sticks (in the cooler)
• Nuts or trail mix
• Dried fruit or fruit roll ups
• Granola or protein bars
• Pretzels
• Hummus. You can buy fresh hummus in the deli section, or get long shelf-life hummus in the pantry section of the supermarket.

One thing we never do is take bananas on a road trip. Let’s just say that once you’ve driven 1,000 miles in a hot car that stinks like overripe banana peel, you’ll never, ever, do it again.

Healthy convenience store snacks

The average convenience store or gas station is packed with salty, sugary, caffeine-infused concoctions. It can be a challenge to find something to eat in a gas station that isn’t packed with calories and bad fats.

Here are a few ideas for healthier convenience store snacks while you’re in your car while listening to the best audiobooks for road trips.

• Raisins
• Nuts (unsalted, preferably)
• Protein bars (but watch out for added sugars)
• Pretzels
• Apple chips and other dried fruit
• SkinnyPop popcorn
• Hummus and pretzels
• Whole fruit (usually limited to apples, oranges, and bananas)
• Applesauce
• Greek yogurt
• String cheese
• Turkey Jerky (watch out for high salt content)
• Frozen fruit popsicles (watch out for added sugar)
• Water
• Milk
• No sugar added juice

Healthy airline snack foods

In regards to airline travel, the truth is we often bring our own snacks, and even small meals, on our flights.

With pandemic protocols, on top of cost saving measures, there’s no guarantee your flight will serve snacks, or even offer meal service during the flight, so it’s a good idea to carry some snacks to get you through.

Generally, our airplane snacks are almost identical to our road trip snacks (see the list above). I’m especially careful not to pack anything with a strong smell for airline flights. Tuna sandwiches and airplanes do not mix well, at least if you want to stay on speaking terms with the crew and other passengers.

Here’s one important tip: Gel based or creamy snacks like applesauce count as liquids or gels when you go through airport security. Make sure you pack them in containers under 100 ml (or 3.4 ounces) in size, or leave them at home. They also count towards your 1 quart bag limit. See the TSA’s 3-1-1 rule here. See Canada’s liquid and gel rules here.

You may also want to be careful when traveling with fresh veggies and fruit, as many countries have import restrictions on bringing in outside vegetables, fruit and even dairy.

Eating healthy while traveling is definitely within your power

Eating healthy while you travel for work, business or play doesn’t have to leave you dreading stepping on the scale when you get back home or feeling that you missed out on something amazing to keep to a healthier diet.

The truth is, that while each country has their own take on healthier food, usually the most authentic local cuisine also happens to be the healthiest for you. If you stay away from the overly processed foods you find in fast food joints and don’t overindulge your quantities, eating fresh locally grown meals will not only keep you healthier and give you more energy to explore, but you will also have the opportunity to taste some of the best authentic foods that country has to offer.

In our mind, that’s a win-win situation that anyone should be able to get behind.

So, how do you eat healthy when you travel? Let us know in the comments!

So much of the culture of a country is reflected in its food. Mexican cuisine is considered the second most varied and vast in the world (after Chinese), and just as varied as the culture of Mexico, including the Yucatan, which goes well beyond the famous Maya and Aztecs, to include civilizations that were just as grand – Zapotecos and Teotihuacanos to just name a couple.

Sure, I am Italian and I will have to disagree with any statement that claims Mexican or Chinese food to be more varied than Italian, but I do admit that there are some very interesting dishes and that there is a lot of variety, with each state having its traditional dish.

It is not by chance that Mexican Cuisine is considered Intangible Heritage by UNESCO, and that many cities offer a street food walking tour that will include a stop to a proper Mexican market, where visitors will have the opportunity to see, smell and, most importantly, taste the delicious food.

One curious fact about authentic Mexican cuisine is that there are no such things as burritos and nachos. Tourists may be crushed to find out that those are popular tex-mex dishes nowhere to be found in Mexico. So, give up on your breakfast burrito and opt for huevos rancheros (eggs in a tomato sauce) instead.

You may also worry that Mexican food is very spicy. Guess what? It isn’t really. Well, it can be if you add the sauces that are served with the meal, but since they are served separately, you can really make a dish as spicy as you wish. In fact, most of the food I ate was on the bland side.

You should also be warned that when in Mexico, you are better off sticking to Mexican food. I made the mistake of ordering spaghetti alla bolognese once (Which, by the way, do not exist in Italy! We call those spaghetti al ragù) as I was so homesick, but the pasta was seriously overcooked, and the sauce had the odd green peppers that is never an ingredient in the original recipe.

If you are travelling to Mexico soon, you should make sure to try at least some of the national dishes. I won’t promise you will like all of them, but hey, when in Rome…

Here is a list of some must-try Mexican dishes, divided by category.

The aperitifs

Mani oaxaqueño: Peanuts fried with chillis and garlic. They are usually eaten as an aperitif, while drinking Mezcal.

Chapulines: Fried grasshoppers, typical of Oaxaca, they are considered a snack or they are mixed in the guacamole. Best eaten when drinking Mezcal! Ok, I confess that just the smell made me gag, but it was a local specialty and I had to try it.

The appetizers

Guacamole: Avocado mashed with green tomatoes, chili, onion, garlic, coriander and other seasonings. It is normally served with totopos (known in other countries as tortillas, which in Mexico are just the basic soft ones), which are either corn or flour tortillas, cut in pieces and either fried or toasted. 

The soups

Pozole: My favorite Mexican soup, served all over the country but typical of the Distrito Federal, Guerrero, Jalisco and Morelos. This is a very hearty soup that has lots of corn, lettuce, sliced radish, chopped onion, and is served with dry oregano or chili peppers. It can be white or red and can be served with shredded pork or chicken. The vegetarian option is the one I enjoy the most, and has plenty of zucchini flowers and mushrooms.

The sandwiches

Torta: This sandwich got me confused one too many times. Torta is a word that in Italy means cake. In Mexico, it is a bread roll, filled with meat, cheese, sliced tomato and onion, avocado, or any number of other items and it is usually served warm. Very filling! 

The side dishes

Delicious side dishes are an important part of Mexican cuisine.

Nopales: Cactus leaves, usually served cooked in salads or grilled. I loved this. It is the perfect topping to tacos and very tasty in salads. The Mexican saying is that nopales give you a lot of strength.

The sauces

Mole: This sauce still remains a mystery to me. I am not 100% sure I actually like it; the texture and the taste are very different! This is a truly Mexican sauce composed of ground chilis, many different spices and herbs, and a bit of cocoa. It is usually poured over chicken or turkey. There are two main types: mole poblano (a deep red-black in color), and mole oaxaqueño (which on the other hand is brown).

The main courses

Tamales: Banana tree leaves or corn husks which are filled with corn meal (dough) and sometimes pieces of chicken or pork. Sweet tamales often have sugar and raisins, and are served as dessert.

Tostadas: Toasted corn tortillas covered with shredded chicken or beef, tomatoes, lettuce, cream, and some white queso. Delicious!

Enchiladas: A semi-fried corn tortilla filled usually filled with with chicken and covered with cheese, sauce, and often cream and onion slices. Enchilada suisas are the most popular ones.

Quesadillas: Grilled tortillas filled with cheese and a variety of other items. My favorite enchiladas are filled with mushrooms or flor de calabaza (zucchini flowers).

Chile Relleno: A chili pepper, stuffed with beef, cheese, or another filling, dipped in beaten egg and fried, then served in a thin tomato broth. Don’t think of it as a stuffed pepper – it is prepared with dry ones, so it actually is very bland even in taste.

Tlayudas: Typical of Oaxaca and known as “Oaxacan Pizza”, they are huge corn tortillas, spread with refried beans, guacamole or avocado, cheese and topped with meat (usually grilled pork chops). I enjoyed them at Cenaduria de Lupita, known in town as Tlayudas de San Jacinto, where I took my boyfriend Justin who had just arrived in town and who had to admit that yes, they are delicious. Tlayudas are usually served with sliced radish, cooked and sliced green peppers and they are big, filling and tasty, you must eat them with your hands!  

The sweets

Churros: Tubes of fried dough, sugar is sprinkled on them, and if you want, chocolate sauce too. Needless to say, they are best enjoyed if bought from a little cart in the street and eaten while walking.

My (former) favorite

My favorite dish in Mexico was (and you will soon learn why they are not anymore) tacos. These are usually soft corn tortilla topped with meat – chorizo, beef, pork, chicken, to which you can add tomatoes, chili, nopales, cabbage, guacamole and spicy sauces. Some tacos are rolled and fried, but they lose so much flavor that I never eat them like that. Tacos al pastor are topped with thin slices of marinated pork cooked on spits, much like a doner kebab.

I found the perfect little taco place in Tulum, right next to my hostel. It was no more than a small cart right outside a home, with some plastic tables and chairs placed on the pavement at night. I saw so many people eating outside this place, that I thought it had to be good. And it was. At 12 pesos each (less than a dollar!), I ate four (OK, I do have a big appetite) because they were really delicious. And I can assure you, I have never had tacos as delicious as those again. In fact, after I left I kept thinking about those tacos, and I was looking forward to going back to Tulum to enjoy them again.

And finally… the warning

However, enjoy them again I would not. Indeed, for as much as I did enjoy food in the months I have spent in Mexico, I confess that the thought of some of the dishes does make me sick now. While food is good, and street food excellent, Mexican vendors are not always champions at hygiene, at properly preserving their food (e.g., storing meat in the fridge properly) and cooking pork or chicken through, so that foreigners that are not used to all the germs and bacteria won’t catch an infection.

What leaves me wondering is why, in a country where relaxing and taking your time is a national motto, restaurants rush so much to serve food quickly, to the point that meat is dangerously not cooked through at times. And the poor cooking and preserving applies to all sorts of restaurants – from expensive and exclusive ones, to smaller local places.

My first bad spout of food poisoning was due to a poorly cooked very international chicken on a Caesar salad eaten at the restaurant of a posh hotel in Campeche. If there is something that ought to be cooked through, that is chicken. This one wasn’t, and I ended up spending two full days in bed, with nausea, tremendous pain and high fever that forced me to call a doctor, have an injection to stop the vomiting, and even take antibiotics. I was so sick that I basically did not eat anything for three days.

My second case of food poisoning in a month was, however, due to my favorite tacos al pastor: the pork meat was not cooked through. I took a bite, noticed immediately that once again a meat that shall always be cooked through was not, and knew that the day after I would be in trouble all over again. And indeed, I was. So, the next time around in Tulum, whenever I passed by my beloved tacos cart, I had to turn my head as just the thought of it would make me nauseous.

All in all, I do encourage anybody going to Mexico to try its amazing food. But I also warn them that they look at the food before trying it – check that pork and chicken are cooked through, so that you avoid any bad experience like the ones I had.

Buen probecho!

Claudia Tavani

Claudia is from Cagliari (Sardinia) and is obsessed with travelling. A former human rights lawyer and academic, after devoting her life to the protection of cultural identity, in November 2013 Claudia decided to give in to her biggest passion and started travelling around Latin America, and she has hardly stopped since. Blogging came as a natural consequence, for Claudia wanted to let her family and friends be updated with her adventures. You can find more of Claudia on her blog, My Adventures Across the World, Facebook and Twitter.

It sometimes seems like there’s a gelato or ice cream store or a bakery around every corner. Especially in Europe. My sweet tooth loves Europe.

And they’re so good, and such an important part of experiencing the local culture, you just HAVE to try them, right?

After a few weeks on the road, though, it starts to show.

So we started a few simple rules: we have a salad with every meal (whenever we can), and we’ve embraced the power of the smoothie.

Because I’m a vegetarian, we’ve always been pretty health conscious, so we’ve tried everything in our smoothies from soy milk to almond and coconut milk, and really like the variety in flavors.

So, I was interested when Silk Canada reached out to us to try new Silk Creamy Cashew Milk.

The four of us got busy in the kitchen whipping up a few yummy smoothies made with cashew milk.

The Power of Purple Cashew Milk Smoothie

The kiddos love this smoothie because of the bright purple color, which comes from a whopping big bunch of fresh blueberries and blackberries.

Ingredients

2 cups Silk Creamy Cashew Milk

1 cup ice cubes

1 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries

1/2 cup fresh (or frozen) blackberres

1 banana

Instructions

Add ingredients to blender, cover and mix.

Matcha Green Tea Cashew Milk Berry Smoothie

This is the smoothie for you if you’re looking for a mega dose of anti-oxidants.

Matcha green tea powder is said to have over a hundred times the antioxidants in regular green tea. It’s made from green tea leaves ground into a fine powder, and instead of seeping the leaves in water, you just use the entire ground-up leaf in powder form.

Matcha smells a lot like warm hay to me. It’s a bit of an acquired taste, with a slight bitter aftertaste. Matcha powder does contain caffeine, so you may want to keep this one for the grown ups.

Ingredients

1 tsp matcha green tea powder

1 large banana

2 large strawberries

1 cup Silk Creamy Cashew Milk

1/2 cup ice cubes

Instructions

Add ingredients to blender, cover and mix.

Silk Creamy Cashew Smoothie with Avocado

I haven’t tried this Silk Creamy Cashew Smoothie recipe from Silk Canada yet, but I’m really looking forward to trying the combination of cashew and avocado.

Ingredients

1 cup Silk Creamy Cashew Milk

1/2 banana, fresh or frozen

1/4 ripe avocado

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup ice

Instructions

Blend and enjoy.

More about Silk Creamy Cashew Milk

Silk Creamy Cashew has fewer calories than skim milk, but as much calcium as dairy milk with only 60 calories per serving.

Cashew milk is especially good in your creamier recipes, such as ice cream or mashed potatoes.

Silk Creamy Cashew is Non-Gmo Project Verified, gluten free, dairy free and soy free.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

We packed everything we thought we’d need in two backpacks and set out for a year across Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Before we left, I thought that we’d bring back lifelong memories of bustling cities, beautiful beaches and ancient temples.

And we did. However the memories that have lasted the longest, and had the deepest impact, are those where we connected most deeply with the local people, food and culture.

What are some of the things I remember most from our first trip?

I remember watching, literally for hours, as local women in Chiang Mai, Thailand painstakingly made beautiful paper umbrellas, and chatting with them about their work and their lives as we sat. So many of our good memories are about the hidden gems we found by asking locals where to shop, swim and play. Like the quiet, hidden beach in busy Phuket, Thailand, where we snorkeled in the shallow waters as local kids played beside us.

A lot of my best memories are based around food as well, like wandering local street markets in Krabi, Thailand and being served homemade coffee from a grandma in her home in rural Sumatra, or snacking on traditional baby finger cookies at a wedding in the Philippines.

To be honest, though, it can be difficult to connect with locals on your own. Often, there’s a language barrier to overcome, and many travelers just don’t have the time needed to make a real connection. That can occur almost anywhere in the world from treks in Nepal, to time spent in New York City, to exploring a Caribbean island.

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley

Travel Withlocals.com

I was intrigued when the folks at a new travel startup called Withlocals reached out to us.

What Withlocals does is a very a simple concept, and one that I think offers some wonderful experiences for travelers. Simply put, Withlocals connects travelers with local people and cultures through food as well as activities and tours with locals.

It’s a website that helps you experience the real local traditions and culture of the country you’re visiting, and gives locals a chance to earn a little money.

Withlocals offers experiences in Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Sri Lanka.

I spent a while browsing the site and found some fantastic choices for eating with locals, as well as some really interesting tours and activities.

Here’s a peek at some of the activities that caught my eye offered by Withlocals in Thailand and in Vietnam.

Secret Beaches Tour of Phuket

“Discover the untouched and hidden beaches of Phuket. Avoid throngs of tourists and dirty overrun areas. See the places only the locals know, not on any tourist maps. Small intimate beaches, or miles of sandy coastline, its up to you. 

Where there is food, drink or service available, you will be treated like a VIP as a guest of mine. I can speak Thai and have a long history of friendship and business relationships across the island.”

Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market Food Tour

“The Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market is also called foodie paradise for local people. If you love food, then you should not miss this market.

Even though this market is quite small and more riverside eating areas than floating market however it offers more relaxed and local atmosphere compared to other floating markets.”

Tangy Thai Home Cooking

“Just one of our many main Thai home cooking dishes is a chicken specialty known as kai betong (named after the town of Betong on the Thai-Malaysian border) that consists of steamed chicken seasoned with soy sauce and then stir-fried with green vegetables. Milder flavor we offer a creamy coconut milk soup made with chicken called Tom kha kai.”

Cook Like a Local!

“Instead of simply sitting down and munching your food away, you are offered the opportunity of cooking your own real Thai dishes! All ingredients will be prepared in a professional manner – healthy and clean. You can learn by watching me cook, or you can help and get to know the basics of local food styles and ingredients.

Ps. This is not a cooking class, we will just simply cook a couple dishes together. Other dishes will be prepared in advance.”

Eat with Hanoian family

“Eating dinner with us and you’ll not only enjoy the Vietnamese fresh & Healthy foods but also explore more about history, lifestyle, economy, social issues… in Vietnam. I cook Veg and Non-veg.”

Have you ever spent time with locals when traveling abroad? Would you love to try some of the Withlocals experiences?

This post was written in collaboration with the great folks at Withlocals, but they didn’t tell us what to write, and definitely didn’t ask me to sit for half an hour drooling over the gorgeous photos of Thai food on their site.

But at the bottom of the mountain (more of a large hill, really) is a small town that’s easy to overlook.

When we first researched Pamukkale, almost every comment we read dismissed the town as simply a dusty tourist trap that should be avoided if possible.

And it may be true that Pamukkale isn’t overwhelmingly pretty, or very charming or even packed with a ton of things to do.

But that doesn’t mean that you should disregard the town completely.

So, what is there to do in Pamukkale once you’ve exhausted the cotton castle hot spring terraces and are done visiting the ancient Roman Hierapolis?

Well, food is a good place to start.

We love Turkish food in general and Pamukkale town itself has some amazing food. Don’t let the loud, half-hearted restaurant touts turn you off – a lot of the food here is really fresh and delicious.

One of our very favorites was homemade borek at the Yildiz Restaurant. The dough is made by hand, and the borek is cooked on a wood-heated skillet in front of the restaurant. In truth, it reminded us of a Mexican quesadilla.

For the sweet lovers, there are a few competing dondurma (Turkish ice cream) vendors at the foot of the path leading up to the hot springs. Like everywhere we sampled in turkey, the dondurma was cold and delicious, but most of the fun was in the entertainment provided by the dondurma vendor.

Watch below as our friendly dondurma vendor plays a few tricks on Cole. Just a quick note, by the time we had taken this video we had already eaten more than a few cones in Turkey so we pretty much knew what to expect. This was also the second time we had a cone at this particular vendor.

We also found a couple of great places to just hang out. If you disregard the tacky indoor outdoor carpeting, we loved the beanbag chairs and relaxed vibe at Konak Sade Restaurant. Like pretty much anywhere in Turkey, we were never rushed to finish our dinner and leave. The Turkish pizza (pide) was especially tasty here. And yes, that’s a little swimming pool in the middle of the restaurant.

We also tried the perennial backpacker favorite, Kayas Restaurant and Bar the first night we got to town. We really liked it as well. It was everything the Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor claimed: cheap, good amounts of food and relaxed. That said, for authentic Turkish food in town I think you can do better but they did have a good selection of international style food.

For those looking to take a break from the heat and the travertines, there’s a nice set of swimming pools in town next to the lagoon right under the hot pools. We didn’t have time to check them out personally however they did look inviting from the hillside and would be a great way to while away a hot afternoon.

And then on to the biggest attraction in Pamukkale town itself (other than the travertines and the Hierapolis of course), the Pamukkale Natural Park.

The park itself isn’t very big, with a man made lake full of ducks and geese that the kids loved watching.

There are also pedal boats you can take out for a small fee.

A word to the wise though, the swan doesn’t steer very well in the wind. We spent almost half our allotted time trying to get this guy turned around in the far corner of the lake.

There’s a small restaurant on site at the Natural Park, with surprisingly affordable prices. They make a pretty decent plate of fries, and are a great place to sit in the shade out of the heat.

But the best part of the park is watching people snake their way up the hill along the hot water pools. See that line above the flower of what looks like trees about 3/4 of the way up the hill on the right? Those are people walking along the white travertines.

All in all, we had a great time in Pamukkale town. Sure, the hotels are a little rundown, the roads are a little dusty, the touts are a little loud and besides for the travertine calcium pools and the ancient Hierapolis at the top there aren’t that many things to do but it does make a great stop for a few nights.

It also lets you enjoy the hot pools before and after the upper day tripping crowds have left and seeing the white glow of the travertines from your balcony in the early morning light or late at night is a sight to remember.

Based on what we read, Pamukkale surprised us in a good way. Has a tourist town ever surprised you?

There is something incredible about going to Southeast Asian countries.

Apart from their stunning landscapes, smiley local faces and beautiful UNESCO heritage sites you can explore, there is also the food – unique, flavored with various herbs and spices, healthy and extremely delicious! What is more, you can enjoy a great variety of Cambodian, Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian dishes at a very affordable prices, so if you are a budget foodie, you will find these travel destinations your food paradise on Earth.

If you are not familiar with the local cuisine, let me introduce you to 10 cheap and delicious South-East Asian dishes you must try when there:

1. Vietnamese Pho.

Description: Pho is one of the most famous Vietnamese treats. It’s healthy, served hot with any kind of thin sliced meat of your choice (chicken, duck or beef) and flat rice noodles. If you are a big fan of veggies, you will simply fall in love with this soup as you can find plenty of fresh veggies there (sliced carrot, onion, parsley) and herbs such as chili peppers, mint, basil or bean. Pho can be found anywhere, from budget local restaurants to street vendors. Vietnamese often have it as a breakfast meal.

Price: 20.000 dong – 40.000 ($1 – $1.90)

2. Vietnamese Bugs.

Description: Although Thailand is the most famous country for eating bugs, worms, scorpions and snakes, Vietnamese locals are also adventurous eaters. They often indulge themselves in oily and nutritious fetal duck eggs or bugs.

Price: 8.000 dong ($0.28) per one scoop of bugs.

3. Vietnamese spring rolls (Cha Gio).

Description: 5.000 dong ($0.24) each.

Price: Vietnamese rolls are very crispy and oily, yet extremely yummy. They are usually stuffed with pork or shrimps, shredded carrots and mung bean noodles. You can have it as your snack on the go or a lunch or dinner meal.

4. Cambodian pineapple filled with fried rice and veggies.

Description: It does not only look charming and lovely, but it also tastes amazingly good. It will give you a boost of energy and make your day! The pineapple is usually filled with fried egg, rice and a mixture of local vegetables such as carrot, onion and green peas.

Price:$2 per dish, but it’s definitely too much for one person so you can share it with a fellow traveler and still have a room for a great Cambodian dessert for less than $1.

5. Cambodian fried rice with soy and chili sauce.

Description: Heart-shaped fried rice with egg is a very mild and simple dish served all over Cambodia (not always heart-shaped). You can either have it mild or hot if you add some chili sauce. You can also ask for more raw veggies such as tomatoes, cucumber or carrot.

Price: $2.

6. Laotian curry.

Description: Lao curry and sticky rice is what we found to be the most delicious dish in Don Det (4,000 Islands). It is a perfect meal for those who like spicy food, but not to the point of burning. The dish is definitely a great composition of onion, green beans and tomato sauce.

Price: $2.

7. Laotian egg with rice.

Description: There is nothing better than having a nice and refreshing egg and rice meal. Whether you feel like craving something simple, you can order one of these. If you want to be more adventurous, top it with some spicy sauce and prawns!

Price: 8,000 and 10,000 Kip ($1-$1.25)

8. Thai papaya salad.

Description: Papaya salad is an extremely refreshing meal. It is often served with sticky rice and grilled chicken, but it can also be eaten with fresh rice noodles. It is all about the amazing taste and smell of herbs and spices!

Price: $1 – $2.

9. Thai spring rolls.

Description: Thai spring rolls are usually vegetarian, but you can find them with meat too. Brimming with vegetables and lots of flavor, these spring rolls make a great appetizer! You should definitely add them to your must-east food list on your culinary journey in Bangkok for $10.

Price: A set of 3 big or 4 small costs $1.

10. Thai pancakes.

Description: Thai pancakes are one of the most popular street foods. Served with banana or mango poured with Nutella or peanut butter, one of these will definitely make your day sweet! It’s a great breakfast or snack idea when strolling down the streets of Bangkok. Be careful, though, you can also find another type of pancakes, which are tough and crispy and often served with meat.

Price: $1 per pancake.

As you can see, South-East Asia has a lot to offer in terms of food. If you are a travel foodie as us, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand will be your best friends! There is a great variety of lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and flavors. The dishes prepared by local vendors are stunning, with their affordable prices you can eat a lot and pay a little!

What’s your favorite South-East Asian meal so far? Have you ever tried to make one at home?

About our guest author:

Agness is a Polish tramp who has left her comfort zone in 2011 to travel the world on the cheap, spending less than $25 a day. Together with her best friend Cez, she shares her budget travel tips and adventures on eTramping.com. She is also a food lover, life enthusiast, yoga manic and photography passionate.