Eating vegan in Split: Where to get a good feed in Croatia's second city

As countries go, Croatia has a lot going for it. It's got a beautiful coastline, stunning cities, and rich history. I've been back three times, and when we landed back at Gatwick after our last visit, we were already talking about coming back next summer.

For our most recent holiday, we spent a week in Croatia's second biggest city, Split. The heart of Split is the palace of the Roman emperor Diocletan, which is now a warren of small streets that you can lose yourself in for hours. Split also meets the Adriatic: one of its main streets, known as the Riva, runs long the coastline and it's a great place to grab a drink and watch the world go by.

The vegan scene isn't huge in Croatia, but I found Zagreb delivered some cracking vegan food, while Dubrovnik didn't really rock my world. So how did Split's fare fare?

Here are a few places I stuffed my face in:

Bio and Bio

Bio and Bio is a chain of organic/health food type stores, and I'll be honest with you guys, it was one of my favourite places. It had so much fun stuff, including vegan cakes, ready made vegan sandwiches, spreads, tofu, cookies, pastries, and even vegan choc ices. Every day when we went out, we'd take a lunch with us, mostly from here and it was always fab. We also stocked up on other vegan usefuls, like vegan Nutella and crisps. This place isn't cheap, but it's full of good stuff. I wish we had a Bio&Bio on my high street.

A beautiful biccie from Bio&Bio

Vege Fast Food

Vege Fast Food is an all vegan place that's tucked away in Split's green market. There are a couple of tables, but it's mostly grab and go. The food is not exactly spectacular - it's a bit on the bland side -, and the service can be gruff at best, but we went back a couple of times. Not because we're some sort of traveling masochists, but because it's all vegan, and because it's cheap as chips. A large burrito of rice, fried veg, salad, and smoked tofu was the equivalent of £3.50 (and there's sriracha on the counter to fix the problem of a complete lack of herbs, spices, or seasoning).  It's not fancy dining, but for filling food that's kind to your budget, this is no bad option. It's also nextdoor to a stall called Stixberry, which sells frozen smoothie lollies that are all vegan and all delicious.

Marta's Veggie Fusion

Marta's Veggie Fusion is not only all veggie, but pretty much all vegan too, and so it's another place we went back to a couple of times. First time around, me and Mr Flicking the Vs tried a hummus bowl and a burrito bowl respectively, then second time we got burgers and fries. I enjoyed everything about Marta's Veggie Fusion, apart from the wait - it's in a well trod street in Diocletan's palace, so it's always full. That said, the service is lovely, and there's raw desserts if you need something sweet to finish your meal.

Look at those black beans!

Makrovega

Makrovega is a little further away from the main tourist drag than the other two places I've mentioned, so it's a bit quieter and you're more likely to get yourself a seat. It's not all vegan, but there's a lot of vegan meals to be had. Me and Mr FlickingtheVs both got this plate of rice, tofu, and curried veggies. It was a bit on the bland side, but it was nice to have something that had a little bit of spicing nonetheless. The same people behind Makrovega also have a second veg*n eatery called UpCafe, which is a bit further out of town, but has some good reviews.

Rice, veggies, tofu, and... ketchup?!

Wok Bar

This place is variously known as Wok Bar or That's all Woks!, but it's the same little hole in the wall on the Riva. It's omni, but there are a couple of vegan stir fry options. You get to pick your noodles or rice, veggies, and sauce, and walk out with a massive box of takeaway. There are also vegan spring rolls to be had. I chose this box of coconut-curry noodles, which were a bit on the bland side (are you sensing a theme here?) but cheap and filling (another theme!), so no complaints. And Wok Bar is also next to Gelateria Spalato, which does some vegan ice cream flavours.