If you´re vegetarian and have, or will be traveling to Mexico or other Latin countries, you´ll quickly realize that the diets of these cultures are heavily meat-based.  In Mexico City, while searching for vegetarian restaurants you will undoubtedly discover Yug Vegetariano.

Yug Vegetariano was the first vegetarian restaurant in Mexico. Opened in 1963, Yug was a pioneer, not only in offering vegetarian food, but in promoting the vegetarian diet and lifestyle. Even though the diet of the indigenous Pre-Hispanic Indians was largely vegetarian, many people saw the Yug restaurant as a freak.

Now, over 50 years later, Yug is still serving healthy vegetarian meals based on traditional Mexican recipes. Popular without trying to be trendy, Yug has the look and feel of; well imagine a 70´s coffee shop diner having lunch with Buddha in Mexico.

Yug is located just a block from the Angel of Independence on Varsovia at the corner of Paseo de la Reforma. The restaurant is humbly furnished with wooden tables and chairs and a staff of sometimes slow but attentive waiters, several of whom have worked there for over 30 years. A complete breakfast at Yug will cost around $4.00 USD and a complete lunch around $5.50, that’s hard to beat even here in Mexico. Besides the regular menu items, Yug serves a daily lunch buffet and a Sunday breakfast buffet. Yug also boasts at having their own bakery.

Remember, don´t go expecting fancy lights or gourmet food, but rather go and feel assured that your beans were cooked without lard and that your soup was made without chicken broth. Eat at Yug and relish in the fact that as a vegetarian you can experience the culture and enjoy the classic tastes of Mexican food without having to eat meat. Adios…