Destination Spotlight: Vegan in Hawaii

Vegan in HAWAII HAWAII

By Courtney McCullagh

The days of only having fruit for vegan options in tropical places are over! We had the pleasure of going to all vegan/veg-friendly restaurants in Hilo, Hawaii, and were truly blown away by the variety of foods and how COLORFUL it all was!

Here’s where we went and what we enjoyed:

The Booch Bar (@theboochbar):

Golden mylk latte : Flight of freshly-made in-house Kombucha: unique flavors like root beer, hibiscus, and lilikoi Conscious Culture Burger: house-made with a lentil-walnut-hemp patty, organic greens, tomato, sprouts, roasted garlic aioli, Kombucha ketchup, and lilikoi mustard, on a toasted whole wheat roll with purple sweet potato salad on the side. The Casablanca: sprouted garbanzo hummus, olive tapenade, cucumber, basil-kale-pesto, served over organic greens, sourdough or GF crostini, organic corn chips Raw Cacao Pie and locally made coconut gelato!

Vibe. Café & Bar (@vibe.bigisland):

Vegan loco moco: vegan just egg omelet, plantbased patty, mushroom gravy over white rice Vegan Jackfruit Nachos: gluten-free tortilla chips, spice jackfruit, cashew queso, lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and a spicy mango habanero sauce The Vegan Classic Vibe Burger: beyond meat patty, cashew cheese, vegan mayo, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, sprouts Colorful drinks • Beet latte: fresh beet juice, brown sugar, oat milk • Blue Majik Algae Latte (tasted like cereal milk): blue spiraling, brown sugar, oat milk • Ginger Mint Limeade

Nicoco Hawaiian Gelato (@nicocohawaiiangelato):

Nicoco Hawaiian Gelato serves incredibly unique flavors like Ube Marshmallow (it had such a beautiful purple color), Kyoto Forest, and Strawberry Supreme. They also have in-house-made gluten-free cones!

Sweet Cane Cafe (@sweetcanecafe):

Gluten-free cassava crust pizzas with freshly made cashew cheese Durian smoothies Vegan poke bowls jam-packed with superfoods like purple sweet potato and macadamia nuts

Heart Core Hotels (@heartcorehotels):

An incredible vegan breakfast spreads waiting for us each morning on the lanai (Hawaiian for porch). I have always wanted to try a bubble waffle (which is basically an inverted waffle), but they’re always not vegan, so when Heart Core Hotels made them for us during our recent stay, I was OVERJOYED! This beautiful matcha bubble waffle was only one of the many amazing breakfasts treats that Heart Core Hotels made for us during our stay at their all-vegan boutique hotel! My husband and I were truly blown away by the attention to detail that the owners, Tony and Gaby, took into all of the food they made for their version of the continental breakfast. Now, if only all hotels did a spread like this! In just two day’s worth of breakfasts during our stay, we enjoyed bubble waffles, coconut overnight oats beautifully stuffed in fresh papaya, homemade cocoa oatmeal cookies, banana bread with raspberry chia seed jam, pineapple smoothie in a huge, fresh pineapple, avocado toast, everything bagel with tofu scramble, homemade salsa, and hash browns, date and goji energy bites, guava juice, and of course freshly roasted, and freshly brewed Kona coffee made with beans grown on the island! Breakfast food has always been my all-time favorite type of food, so I definitely felt SPOILED! It helped that we also happened to be in a literal paradise. We were tucked away in the Volcano Eco Resort in Hilo, Hawaii, with perfect weather, the sounds of the birds tweeting, and cozy in our soft robes. We were also in the best company with Tony and Gaby to talk to about world vegan foodie travels, not to mention their super sweet & sassy furry friend Sushi (@sushithetraveler)!

The world would be better off if there were more hotels like Heart Core Hotels! Not only do they provide all-vegan breakfast spreads to ensure a great start to the day’s adventures, but they also take special care of the environment by limiting plastic, recycling, using all cruelty-free and vegan products, and even using fresh rainwater throughout their facility. On top of their commitment to serving plantbased food and staying true to their sustainability practices, Heart Core Hotels also began a program called the Heart Core Fund. Heart Core Hotels dedicates a portion of their profits to creating travel scholarships for those who otherwise would never dream of being able to travel. Their mission is to enable more people to experience the life-changing power of travel! As anyone who has traveled knows, there is nothing more enriching than stepping into another’s culture to experience a whole new worldview. With this fund, people of every age will have a chance to experience the world and grow from the cultural exchange while enjoying a plant-based menu throughout. One thing is for sure, along with the incredible vegan food, I will never forget the black sand beaches, erupting volcanos, deep spooky caves, flowing waterfalls, and mystical, vine-laden trees I got to see first-hand on the beautiful Big Island.