The Hop-On, Hop-Off Open Tour is a simple way to explore Ortigia and Siracusa without driving or worrying about parking. But traveling further from Ortigia and Siracusa’s “tourist zone” that includes Santa Lucia and Borgata can make finding delicious and creative vegan food a bit challenging. To help you stay well-fed throughout your explorations, I have paired up some of my favorite vegan-friendly restaurants and stores with the tour bus stops.
- Bus Stop #9 – Cappuccini
- Bus Stop #10 – Museo Paolo Orsi
Bus Stop #9 – Cappuccini
Located on the seaside, one of my favorite places to walk and bike is the Pista Ciclabile Rossana Maiorca. This 7-kilometer (4⅓ mile) cycling path is a popular way to exercise and enjoy the stunning views of the Ionian Sea and Mt. Etna. It is short, but the beauty is undeniable.
At the trailhead is the gorgeous Piazza Cappuccini. The large plaza offers extraordinary cliffs, coastline, and Ortigia views. There are benches for relaxing, a small cafe during the summer months, and the massive Monumento ai caduti d’Africa. This monument is dedicated to the Italians who perished during the Ethiopian War between 1935 & 1936.
Bar DRAGO Bontà e Tradizioni is one of my favorite cafes in Siracusa. The location is lovely, with a gorgeous seaside view from the large dining patio. And it has a vegan-friendly menu whether you arrive early for breakfast or later for drinks and dinner. The vegan croissants (cornetti vegani), sweet and loaded with pomegranate jam, pair perfectly with the Alpro soy cappuccino. And in addition to cheeseless pizza, which they will load with your favorite vegetables, I love ordering the vegan cutting board. It offers ten or twelve appetizer-sized portions of traditional Sicilian cuisine. If you run into any issues with translation, Roberta handles the cash register, and if you let her know the Americana Vegana sent you, she’ll be thrilled to explain the cafe’s vegan options!
Via Maria Politi Laudien, 1, 96100 Siracusa SR
Bus Stop #10 – Museo Paolo Orsi
Olivia Natural Bistrot is a delicious vegetarian restaurant with a vegan-friendly menu. It is a short 4-minute walk from the museum stop. One of my best meals there was the seitan dish for dinner. They created an amazing pasta dish for brunch, and the raw, vegan chocolate torta is incredible! They are open late into the afternoon until 3 p.m. and then reopen for dinner by 6 p.m.
Viale Teocrito, 118, 96100 Siracusa SR
NaturaSì is the city’s only organic grocery store, and you can walk to it along Viale Tica in less than 10 minutes. It is a good stop if you have an Airbnb with a kitchen and want to stock up on organic, local vegetables. It also offers a small selection of vegan meat, cheese, gelato, and snacks.
Viale Tica, 77, 96100 Siracusa SR
Panificio Astone is just 2 minutes past NaturaSì on Viale Tica. I was pleasantly surprised that this combination pizzeria/bread shop has a vegan menu with tasty rice mozzarella. No more cheeseless pizza for me. The menu includes three vegan pizzas and three vegan arancini. My favorite is the eggplant and pesto. The owners added the veg menu several years ago when their son became vegan!
Viale Tica, 123a, 96100 Siracusa SR
Pasticceria Rizzo /Good n’ Free is a 5-minute walk from the pizza place or 15 minutes from the museum. The coffee shop does not offer vegan cake (yet!); however, just down the same street, Viale Polibio, is their allergen-free Good n’ Free specialty shop. The freezer contains vegan parfaits, including berry, chocolate, hazelnut, and pistachio flavors. The parfait is luscious layers of whipped cream, pudding or fruit, and gluten-free cookies. They are sold frozen, so you will need about two hours for them to be at the best consistency. Be patient! It is worth the wait. If you need your sugar fix before it thaws, the shop also sells delicious housemade vegan chocolates that can be devoured immediately!
Viale Polibio, 78, 96100 Siracusa SR
Belbon Gelataria is two minutes from Pasticceria Rizzo. It offers a delicious vegan-friendly brand called Zero that includes pistachio, dark chocolate (it tastes just like Hershey’s chocolate syrup), and hazelnut flavors. They also offer several sorbet flavors like strawberry, lemon, and melon.
Viale Zecchino, 142, 96100 Siracusa SR
Sama Sushi Lab is a 5-minute walk from Natura Sì or 15 minutes from the museum. It offers a cozy outside dining area with a wonderful, friendly staff and is one of two of my favorite vegan-friendly sushi spots. While no “official” vegan menu exists, the Chef creates an excellent and creative meal. I suggest the Sama Basic, which includes 20 pieces of sushi, veggie tempura, and two glasses of wine. For a larger party of friends or family, the Sama Luxury includes 100 pieces of sushi, two veggie Tempura, two edamame, two wakame, and a bottle of wine. They do not have vegan dessert, but I can promise you will not have any room for it if they do! This restaurant has relocated since my original post. It is now at Via Diodoro Siculo, 4
Hmora Cafè is tucked away behind the Sushi Lab and surrounded by hedges and plants, so you can forget you are in the middle of busy Via Tisia. And to cover up any remaining distractions, they always play an awesome soundtrack. The cafè offers a vegan aperitif “cutting board” loaded with Sicilian bar food like panelle, fries, bruschetta, and more that pairs perfectly with their craft beers, wine, and cocktails. I was pleased with their gin selections, including Bulldog, Roku, and several other options.
Via Tisia, 27/int. 5, 96100 Siracusa SR
Peterland BurgerStore Siracusa is my go-to burger joint in Siracusa. They even have a vegan menu that includes two Peterland veggie burgers and the Beyond Meat burger. I admit it. I have no idea what the veggie burgers taste like. They are probably absolutely delicious, but I always go for the Beyond Meat. While the vegan food movement is growing in Sicily, great-tasting “processed” foods like burgers and cheese are still not mainstream. I love the fries; I eat all the crispy ones from the bottom of the bag. And they offer “Amsterdam’s Original Masterchips” too. I still haven’t talked them into adding the vegan mayo to the menu, but we can change that with enough vegan requests, right?! Sadly Peterland is listed as “closed temporarily” now. The most recent update to its Facebook page is October 2023. As soon as I have news, I will update their new location!
American Bakery “Yankee Candle” is how I choose to end my list. I still find it completely random to find a Yankee Candle store that also offers veggie burgers and waffle fries but…here it is. The burgers have that savory smokey flavor and smell that I like so much and the texture is very good. I am a big fan of the waffle fries though the serving size is too small! Unfortunately, their large selection of delicious-looking baked goods is NOT vegan. Not a single one!
Largo Dicone, 7, 96100 Siracusa SR
*Caveat: I am not affiliated with the Siracusa Open Tour, and their online reviews are not great! The Bus Stop numbers are inconsistent on its website, so pay attention to the stop names – Cappuccini and Museo Paolo Orsi – so you get off at the correct location. Sigh 😮💨 Welcome to Sicily! 🤣
Leave a Reply