Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Italian
Juice bar
Take-out
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Cafe with menu offering wraps, sandwiches, salads, croissants, sorbet, smoothies, coffee, and juices all with vegan options. One of a few outlets in the city by the same name but under different ownership - this one is a 5 minute walk from Santa Maria Novella railway station. Open Mon-Sun 06:00-20:00.


Venue map for Shake Cafe - Santa Maria Novella
© OpenStreetMap contributors

82 Reviews

First Review by HappyGina

Nuuttisyo

Points +33

Vegan
18 Sep 2024

Well fed

I was finally well fed in this cafe after it was troubling to find places to have a lunch at. Though it was not mind blowing taste-wise, it felt like a god sent ! Thank you.. I had sweet potato toast with avocado and a vegan muffin with chai latte (plant milk) and it was great.

Pros: Many choices for big and small hunger, Close location to train station, Quick with orders

Cons: Busy place, Bland taste (muffin and toast), Prices (+0.50 to change norm. milk to plant milk)

MiffyMills

Points +921

Vegan
02 Sep 2024

Good option

Considering there aren't many breakfast locations in florence with vegan options, this is a good choice.

We got the avocado on toast and avocado on sweet potato. They were fine, nothing special.

We saw other reviews where they came with feta but ours didn't. We couldn't see it on the menu and couldn't be bothered asking.

We also got a plain crossaint, a chocolate crossaint and chocolate banana bread. Again, they were definitely good but not mind blowing.

They have a whole heap of vegan options but they're mostly like "healthy" vibes

richandsarah

Points +2026

Vegan
06 Aug 2024

Decent but not as good as other venue

Fewer options here due to the size of the property. They don’t have a full kitchen here so can’t offer the same as the other location.
The food we had was nice; filled vegan croissants & sweet potato avocado “toast”
The filling in the croissant helped keep it sweet and slightly moist.
The “toast” was nice but was more like potato skins.

lolinamunoz

Points +344

Vegan
31 May 2024

Cute spot in the plaza

The espresso I got was just okay. They have one or two vegan options on the menu that have a different type of food than the traditional italian options you find elsewhere.

DeirdreF

Points +372

Vegan
13 May 2024

Healthy vegan food

I got food/drinks in a few different Shake Cafe’s during my few days in Florence. The food/ drinks were good quality and prices ok too. Staff were friendly too, would recommend.

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Casual

goforaj

Points +119

Vegan
01 May 2024

Good Vegan Brunch

Found this later in to our trip to Florence. Great menu with tons of vegan options, it's mostly vegetarian so has egg options for non-vegans which makes the compromise easier. This location is more centrally located than the others and is a bit busier.

Locations all over Florence all with the same menu with a couple of variations. They are all good, but feel a bit disorganize and chaotic at all times.

The food was good. Smoothies were okay, just got them for additional protein. Baked goods they had that were vegan were decent. Coffee was good, stick with espresso dont get the iced coffee.

Reasonably priced and despite the chaotic energy of their small space and kitchen the experience was great. Given that there is not much in Florence for vegans, especially when it comes to breakfast and lunch, this place is a great one to add to your list.

Pros: Amazing pancakes for being vegan and in Europe

Cons: Get the smoothies only out of necessity, Stick with espresso, skip iced coffee

Sianiebanana

Points +36

Vegan
07 Mar 2024

Nice

Lovely croissant and coffee but limited seating, some seating outside but it was raining and wet

Gordon63

Points +99

Vegan
28 Nov 2023

Quick snack

Got some lovely vegan pastries here. So easy to get vegan croissants in Italy. First croissant since becoming vegan 40 years ago.

Pros: Chocolate croissant , Fast, Handy for train station

EatPlantsDaily

Points +324

Vegan
04 Oct 2023

Vegan options but served cheese

I told the server I was looking for a vegan bowl and which did he suggest. He said his is the falafel bowl. So during this really busy time, we ordered it. My tips: make a custom bowl. We went back another day and had the chickpea bowl (good) but the Asian bowl had a funky taste. Just make your own bowl.

Updated from previous review on 2023-10-04

Pros: One of the bowls. With beans, Make your own.

Cons: Asian bowl , made me a Non vegan bowl when I specified vegan

elonicca

Points +143

Vegan
18 Aug 2023

Quick grab

Good place to grab something for on the go, which is/feels a bit more „healthy“. They offer vegan croissants, different types of smoothies, bowls, etc. and milk alternatives. But it is a chain and therefore it is not that cozy or personal.

MariaD

Points +2748

Vegan
05 Aug 2023

Fabulous vegan croissant!

Great location right near Santa Maria Novella with lots of vegan options like smoothies, bowls and hot drinks. It was a rainy day so a matcha latte with oat milk and a vegan croissant was perfect!

raschelle

Points +238

Vegan
05 Jul 2023

Nice cafe with vegan options

Love the smoothie bowls and the fresh salad.

MelaniePearson

Points +471

Vegan
06 Jun 2023

Good quick lunch

This place is good for a quick healthy vegan lunch, particularly if you’ve been eating too much pasta. Lower rating from me because there’s hardly any seating inside and outside is run by pigeon mafia so it’s not very pleasant.

ylil93

Points +69

Vegan
27 Apr 2023

Good for food. Would go elsewhere for coffee

Lots of vegan options. I opted for a muffin as croissants were sold out by 10am (maybe worth going earlier if you want one!). My Americano was disappointing, especially compared to all the others I had on my trip.

Pros: Vegan options , Chocolate raspberry muffin was good

Cons: Americano was poor

louvella

Points +68

Vegan
21 Mar 2023

Quick and convenient vegan friendly place

This place was right near my hotel in Florence and was a nice place to get an oat milk cappuccino and a quick breakfast (they had overnight oats, chia pudding, granola bowl with vegan yogurt, probably a few other things). No vegan croissants when I was there unfortunately! Only vegan baked goods I saw were muffins.

smileykylie

Points +344

Vegan
01 Mar 2023

Great for a fast vegan breakfast

Shake Cafe was very busy when we went early in the morning, but the service was fast and we got our food in no time. Because they were so busy seating was limited. We got the vegan croissants, one was chocolate filled and one was apricot jelly filled. Both were good. The filling was very much concentrated in the middle, but I think that happens with any filled croissants. I also got a smoothie which was good. It is not a place I would actively seek out if visiting Florence again, but it is very convenient if you need a quick bite before heading to the train station.

Pros: Very fast service

Cons: Limited seating

ElaineCB

Points +70

Vegan
04 Nov 2022

Fantastic food and wonderful service

Great atmosphere. I recommend sitting. The take away service was crowded and a bit disorganised. Table service was great.

Pros: Vegan options clearly marked, Staff was very helpful and courteous , Prices are reasonable

Cons: Take away service seemed very unorganised

shhftb

Points +41

Vegetarian
19 Oct 2022

Inedible

I had the sweet potato “toast” with nut butter and fruit on top. Now I expected it to be bread or toast made from it (which is variety of gf bread)
It was literally just slices of sweet potatoes covered with nut butter and fruit. Weird combo and not tasty at all. Lol. Waste of money and time (tool ages to make) not sure who came up with this hair-brain idea.

Updated from previous review on 2022-10-19

Pros: Other possible options that might be better , Nice location

Cons: Weird combination bakedsweet potato’s with fruit

jofiskare

Points +660

Vegan
17 Sep 2022

Good place for vegan breakfast

I had the granola bowl with coconut yoghurt which was very delicious. They offer oat, almond and coconut milk as their plant-based options. They also had vegan croissants.

dazpiration

Points +34

Vegan
13 Sep 2022

BEST VEGAN FOOD EVER

i got their brunch meal and it was amazing! the pancakes with chocolate chips, whip cream and fruit was too good for me to get a photo, also loved their chickpea omlette

Pros: delicious

AIM

Points +157

Vegetarian
27 Aug 2022

QUICK BREAKFAST

Decent pastries (not vegan), quick service in the mornings for breakfast. Lunch menu looks vegan friendly.

AF98

Points +34

Vegan
13 Aug 2022

Wenige und sich ändernde Optionen, aber lecker

Nette Verkäufer

Pros: Gute Optionen, Nette Verkäufer

Cons: Optionen ändern sich, Wenig komplett vegan

julssss

Points +861

Vegan
05 Jul 2022

Tasty

Good chocolate croissant. They also had berry apricot and plain.
Came back and had the berry.

Updated from previous review on 2022-07-04

Michael_Seraph

Points +254

Vegan
26 Apr 2022

Good service and food

A bit crowded, but can recommend the place.

Updated from previous review on 2021-04-28

madimafi000

Points +244

Vegan
22 Apr 2022

Scrummy!

Really convenient and healthy with extensive vegan options, including: smashed avocado, baked sweet potato “toast,” varieties of chickpea/falafel bowls and wraps, juices, smoothies, specialty drinks inc vegan milk options, and vegan pastries.

They make many things in house. The green açaí bowl was really good, particularly the homemade granola topping. I loved my rose latte with fresh almond milk, but my partner thought the chai was a bit bland. The vegan croissant was super cheap (1.50 Euros) and really tasty.

It was also incredibly incredibly quick to come out. Would give 5 stars if happy cow let me. Would go back!!

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Very fast service , Many things made in house

lettix

Points +1487

Vegan
20 Apr 2022

Little options but good

Could have more variety of vegan food but the chocolate filled croissant was really good

Pros: Not expensive

Cons: Little vegan options

Pinkcattletrain

Points +1198

Vegan
27 Mar 2022

Delicious breakfast

We came here for breakfast and it was really good!! They don't have that many vegan options but the ones they have are really delicious. I can definitely recommend the avocado sweet potato toast and the banana bread. The pricing was appropriate.

Pros: Vegan options, Nice atmosphere

Cons: Not many seats inside




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