Today’s post is one I’ve been meaning to put together for aeons, but before I get to that I’d like to take a second and say a very big thank you to everyone who read my last post. Your comments and e-mails were incredibly comforting, touching and heartfelt. I was unsure what the reception might be like, and even worried I’d be met with some criticism for writing something with negative undertones (a rarity on this blog) but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Once again, thank you. I am beyond blessed to have readers that have such open minds and warm hearts.
Now – on to the topic du jour! Being vegan and living in Bahrain, I constantly get asked variants of the following questions:
a) Isn’t it really hard to be vegan here?
And a follow-up of either or both:
b) Where do you buy your food?
c) What do you order at restaurants?
The answer to the first one is, as you might have guessed, not at all. I have a wide variety of options in terms of both grocery shopping as well as dining options. What people fail to realise is that for the most part, vegan food isn’t comprised of hard-to-find specialty ingredients – it’s made up of things that we all eat on a daily basis. Fresh fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and other legumes. Grains like rice, wheat, oats and barley. I buy my food from the same places you do – supermarkets, hypermarkets, greengrocers and when the season allows it, farmers markets. I of course have some preferred supermarkets that sell a selection of imported vegan goods – I’ll get to those later.
As for dining, Middle Eastern cuisine is incredibly forgiving when it comes to vegan options – so anywhere that serves Lebeanese or Arabic food is an automatic win. I’m also lucky that Bahrain’s casual dining scene is peppered with a plethora of Indian and Asian restaurants (due in large part to the large population of South Asian expatriates) – it’s no secret that I’m a sucker for all things Indian, Thai or Japanese – all of which are generally havens for vegan options.
Now – in response to these questions I have put together a Vegan Bahrain Guide – a directory populated with listings of all the vegan-friendly restaurants and stores here in Bahrain, along with recommended dishes for the restaurants mentioned. This directory is nowhere near complete and I plan on populating it as I go along. I should also note that I’m only adding restaurants that I myself have actually dined at and would endorse to others. This is not a paid scheme at all – however I’ve left it open so that anyone can add a listing if they so wish which I can then approve if it seems appropriate.
As for Supermarkets, below are the main supermarkets I frequent, along with a run-down of some of the specialty products that you may want to purchase to supplement your meals.
Vegan Supermarket Guide
|
Supermarket |
Location(s) | Notable Products |
Notable Brands |
| Alosra Supermarket | Najibi Center – Budaiya |
|
|
| Al Jazira Supermarket | Budaiya Road, Zinj |
|
|
| Jawad Supermarket | Budaiya Road |
|
|
| Geant Hypermarket | Bahrain Mall – Seef Area, Enma Mall – Riffa |
|
|
| Carrefour Hypermarket | City Centre Mall – Seef Area |
|
|
| Organic Foods and Cafe | Seef Mall – Seef Area |
|
|
| Nature Valley | Juffair, Near Xerox |
|
|
| Lulu Hypermarket | Ramli Mall – A’ali, Riffa |
|
|
I hope that helps all my Bahrain (and possibly KSA) based readers! If you’re looking for a specific product, please feel free to ask me in the comments or via social media, and I’ll point you in the right direction if I can.
Until next time – and a belated Eid Mubarak to all those who celebrate. Wishing you light and love.
Epic masterlist is epic! This is useful for us Kuwaiti folk as well, thank you so much. Though I’m still reluctant over buying from brands whose parent companies aren’t completely cruelty-free, esp when it comes to beauty products. Please consider a followup post for drugstores and makeup/hygiene products 😀
do you know where i can find freeze dried fruits (powder)?
Hi Sumaya, try BioNatural nutrition in Bahrain Mall or Live Well Foods in AlJazira Zinj.
Hi do u know where I can find sun warrior .. warrior blend .. it’s a vegan protein ?
Thank u
Hi Noor – I order my Sunwarrior on iHerb.com.
You can find freeze dried fruits on lulu outlets ( in the health foods section) I bought blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, banana, pineapple.
This was so helpful I can’t thank you enough!! <3
You’re so welcome!
Hey Nada, do you know where I might find nutritional yeast in Bahrain, tried looking for it in Geant but I came up empty and the Organic foods and cafe has apparently closed down. I also want to add that your blog is a real life safer!! Especially this list 😀
Hello Ash! There seems to be a shortage nowadays but I’ve had luck recently at Geant in Saar and Al Jazeera Zinj so you might try there. Thanks for the kind words 🙂
Hello nada i would like to know where i can get gluten free bread easily these days in bahrain.. I m looking for a wide range of gluten free products like buns bread flour mix and frozen food e.tc help me to find for these days thanks
Hello nada i would like to know where i can get gluten free bread easily these days in bahrain.. I m looking for a wide range of gluten free products like buns bread flour mix and frozen food e.tc
Hi Uzma – try Live Well foods in Aljazeera or Bio Natural Nutrition in Bahrain Mall (opposite Geant).
Can u send me co ordination for al jazeerah becauee i m coming from saudi arabia
Hi Uzma,
If you’ll be coming from KSA I would recommend visiting Bahrain Mall as it is more central (located opposite Seef Mall) You can look in Geant hypermarket and Bio Natural Nutrition for gluten-free items, they have a great range.
Do you know where I can find things like “vegan mozarella” and such dairy products?
Do you get wheat and jwari in baharin to make Indian chappati and roti.
What is price per kg in BHD?
Hi Nada,
I sell vegan-products, from protein balls to vegan ‘snicker cheesecakes’, ‘caramel shortbread’ and ‘chocolate cake’ = 100% vegan friendly!.
What products would you like to see for sale in Bahrain?
My products will soon be launching on the Island but I am always keen to find out what the consumer actually wants!
If you could tell me what you would really like to see for sale in Bahrain, I would be truly greatful!
Kindest regards,
L
Hi , can any one let me know where i can buy buckwhet in bahrain…
Al Osra has Buckwheat and Buckwheat Flour… at the far end with all the ‘bio’ stuff…
Lulu at Dana mall has buckwheat is n the organic foods section.
Hi Nada, thank you for a great article. Very informative. Do you have any idea where to find the cheapest almond milk in Bahrain ? Thanks.
Good morning Nada… cannot believe I found this wonderful site today! Thank you so much… I need Blanched Almond Flour – not ground or meal, but the very fine, soft stuff… I have a recipe for ‘bread’ that works with almond meal, which is all I have, but doesn’t become ‘fluffy’, as I know it can as the meal is too heavy and coarse… can you help? I see Bob’s Mill is everywhere, but I haven’t seen the Almond Flour – plenty of all sorts of ‘flour’, but not that… I can make my own but it is very time-consuming and getting the skins off is a nightmare! I have already posted to a friend who has Vegan friends who may not know of your site… Bless you…
Hi, do know where we can buy sorghum flour in Bahrain? Thnk you.
Hi Vickie, I’ve seen it in some organic aisles – try Lulu hypermarket, Aljazira or Geant
Hi Nada, where can I find gluten free multi grain bread in Bahrain? I’ve tried many places but either they have gluten free or multi grain but couldn’t find what I’m looking for.
Thank you for your time
Finally found Gluten Free Multigrain Bread!!!
It’s available at “Live Well” in Al Jazira zinj branch, 1st floor. The brand is Rustica, Italian. They have loads of other organic stuff. Check it out ✌️
Hi there. Thank you for such a useful site. Where can u buy wakamena (?) Seaweed, ans coconut aminos?
Many thanks
Jane
Hi Nada nice to see the vegan information in Bahrain a great website do you know the best place to buy organic fruit and veg I was going to try the market in budaiya I work in Saudi and eat mainly raw food but not organic many thanks Howard
Hello Howard – unfortunately organic produce isn’t so readily available in Bahrain although you might find some at Alosra Supermarket or Lulu Hypermarkets.
Hi Nada. Hope this finds you well and thank you this website and great information. As a person who is seriously considering going vegan, wanted to ask if you have any plans to update this article? In the meantime I’ll be sure to check out your recommendations. Thank you.
I’ve been looking for (1) ALMOND FLOUR and (2) COCONUT FLOUR in Bahrain but until now I still couldn’t find.
Does anyone know where Can I buy these items here in Bahrain?
Thank you.
Hi nada, do you where i can find vegan icecream in Bahrain?
Thank you.