If you’re a surfer—especially if you’re a longboarder—there’s a good chance a trip to La Saladita, Mexico is on your bucket list. This left point break provides long rides in mellow conditions with incredible views. And if you’re a vegan surfer, you’re probably wondering about the plant-based food scene in the area.
As is the case in many remote areas, there isn’t a lot of obvious vegan food available in La Saladita. While this is a bit of a bummer, it’s totally possible to travel to La Saladita as a herbivore and have a great trip. It just takes a little bit of preparation!
Preparing Your Own Meals
The best way to guarantee you’ll be well-nourished is to plan to prepare some of your own meals. If you’re vegan or have other dietary restrictions, I absolutely recommend booking a place where you’ll have access to a kitchen. Fortunately, this includes most accommodation options in La Saladita.
Getting Groceries
Keep in mind there isn’t a grocery store in La Saladita so you’ll want to bring groceries in with you. While there are some small shops in Los Llanos (15 minutes drive) and Troncones (30 minutes drive), you’ll find the most selection at the Mega Soriano in Zihuatanejo (1 hour drive). It’s a full sized grocery store with all the usual stuff including a small selection of vegan meats, vegan cheeses, and non-dairy milk. Plan to do one big shop on your way from the airport to La Saladita and then top up things like produce in the shops close to town when needed.
Private Chef
Private chefs are a common optional add-on with accommodations in Mexico. If the place you’re staying offers this, it doesn’t hurt to ask if they can do vegan food. It’s typically a lot more affordable than you might think, especially if you have a big group. We had a private chef when we stayed at Casa Pacifica in Saladita and not only did she easily accommodate everyone’s dietary restrictions—including dairy-free cheese for us vegans—the food was absolutely incredible.
Prepared Foods
You may not want to do a lot of cooking while you’re traveling and that’s where prepared foods can be really helpful. There’s a vegan restaurant in Zihuatanejo called EntreZankas that also sells prepared foods like soy chorizo, cashew cheese, etc. I placed an order via WhatsApp a few days before my arrival and picked up a couple types of vegan protein, vegan cheese, and tortillas to make into a taco kit with the addition of cilantro, onions, tomatoes, lime, and avocado from the grocery store. Everything was in the fridge already prepped so it was easy to throw together tacos for lunch or dinner throughout the week.
You could also take a look at the restaurant's menu for more ideas. Tortillas weren’t explicitly on the catering list but since they were on the restaurant’s menu, I figured it would be possible to order them too.
Eating Out
As for restaurant meals, here are six options for vegan meals in and around La Saladita.
- Marajeda
- Mareta
- Present Moment Retreat
- Amor Tropical Cocktail Bar & Kitchen
- La Raíz de la Tierra
- VeganEntreZanks
1. Marajeda (Saladita)
Marajeda has an extensive smoothie and smoothie bowl menu with many vegan options. The ingredients are listed for each so it’s not hard to figure out what’s vegan or how to modify the dish you want. Their patio is also very cute but be aware there isn't a lot of shade.
2. Mareta (Saladita)
Mareta is located right on the beach in front of the point. While they don’t list any vegan options I was able to chat with the server about what’s in the veggie chilaquiles and it turns out they are vegan if you omit the sour cream and cheese. These were surprisingly good and I went back multiple times. They also have non-dairy milk available for coffee.
3. Present Moment Retreat (Troncones)
Present Moment Retreat is about a 30 minute drive away, right on the beach in Troncones. They have marked vegan options on the menu including a cheeseless pizza and a raw vegan menu. Be warned, their website makes it look like you can order from the entire raw vegan menu but in reality it’s limited to a couple dishes that are available each day of the week. This fresh and tangy beet salad was one of the dishes available the day we went.
4. Amor Tropical Cocktail Bar & Kitchen (Troncones)
Amor Tropical has a patio located a 30 minutes drive away on the beach at Punta Majahua in Troncones. They have vegan tacos and a vegan bowl on the menu (roughly the same ingredients in different formats) which were filling and good enough.
5. La Raíz de la Tierra (Ixtapa)
Located about 45 minutes away in Ixtapa, La Raíz de la Tierra is a true vegan restaurant with lots of yummy options. I had the caesar salad and Brooklyn-style hotdog and both were excellent. The space is also beautiful (both indoor and outdoor seating) and filled with books, plants, and art. It’s a bit of a drive from Saladita but it’s quite good and if you decide to Surf Playa Linda it’s not very far out of the way.
6. Vegano EntreZankas (Zihuatanejo)
Vegano EntreZankas is about an hour away in Zihuatanejo so it's a good option on arrival/departure. EntreZankas is actually a vegan concept inside another restaurant called Mito. Be sure to ask for the vegan menu and then you can order freely. I’ve tried the falafel, caesar salad, and al pastor tacos, with the tacos being my favorite.
What Else?
There are likely a few other options out there if you ask around! If you do discover any, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear about them!