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I don’t speak German

My mate Joe recently moved to Berlin and it sounds like he is having a grand time. According to his reports to me via email, vegan food is everywhere.

One store in particular impressed him. Have you all heard of the chain of stores called Vitalia Reformhaus

Joe sent me the following photo of the wine section in his local Vitalia. Can you see all the vegan labels on the shelves? How wonderful! Apparently this chain is a German version of Holland & Barrett and stocks about 99% vegan or vegetarian products.

IMG_2726I was already incredibly excited about a short trip I am taking to Berlin later this year, so cheap vegan wine that is easily accessed only serves to make my smile broader.

Are you a vegan in Germany? Do you shop in Vitalia Reformhaus? What else should I see/eat/drink during my trip?

 

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Written by fatgayvegan

21 Comments
  1. Berlin is ace for Vegans. Have you been to the Veganz store/cafe yet?
    Also, one of my favourite restaurants with quite a few vegan options is called Du Du. So reasonably priced and absolutely delicious!! http://www.dudu-berlin.de . Have fun!

  2. Ah well, so much excitement to look forward to. It’s a fantastic city. I hope you enjoy it. 🙂

  3. Sean, you must go to Berlin, and you must make sure you are there over at least one weekend to visit at least two different all you can eat vegan brunches – there are at least 4 different ones that I can think of! My favourite one was Oh la la, French vegan brunch place in Friedrichshain. You need to be there when they open in the morning (11 I think so not too early!) to be sure you get a seat. You’ll find everything vegan about Berlin here – should be understandable with google translate: http://www.berlin-vegan.de/

    When I lived in Berlin many years ago it was soo veggie unfriendly, feels like a revolution…

  4. Hiya,
    I’m not a big fan of Berlin but in terms of vegan places it’s by far the best city I have ever lived in (sorry London!). I’d be surprised if there was a city in Europe with more places that are 100% vegan, as there are around 30 in Berlin with more popping up pretty much every month. I love Vitalia. My top 3 places are: Let it be (vegan creperie. Their food is named after famous vegans. They have a sandwich called Morrissey. Need I say more????), Goodies (amazing cafe with delicious cakes, bagels, smoothies,.. + shortly before closing in the eve they reduce their food 50%), Dr. Pogo Veganladen (wonderful vegan shop run by a collective). Would love to show you one of these places while you’re here, if you’re free at all.

    • London is so behind the times of other large cities. We need a vegan food revolution! I’m excited about the Morrissey sandwich! xx

  5. Oh, I love Berlin! I’ve just been researching and writing a German Cuisine Guide for a british vegan campaign (not published yet), so if you need material or info, just holler.

    You might like Kopps: http://www.kopps-berlin.de/?lang=en – they serve traditional German food, strictly plant-based. There’s also a vegan gourmet restaurant called La Mano Verde but I hear it’s a little overpriced and the service isn’t all that. Maybe you want to check it out anyway: http://www.lamanoverdeberlin.com/la_mano_verde_kempinski_english.html

    There are a lot more vegan places all over Berlin. The vegan center is Schievelsteiner Straße, the world’s first vegan avenue, according to happycow: http://www.happycow.net/blog/worlds-first-vegan-avenue-veganz-vegan-grocery-store-tour/

    As to the Vitalia Reformhaus: we have many Reformhaus (Health food) chains here and they all sell vegan food and usually label it clearly. Most of the staff is very well-trained so if you ask for vegan food, you can be sure they know what you’re talking about, Reformhäuser have been selling plant-based food since the 1970ies, they know all about it :). Here’s a Reformhaus finder, just type in the city to find the nearest location: http://www.reformhaus.de/filialfinder.html

    A cheaper and even easier way to find vegan food in Germany are the major drugstore chains: dm, Rossmann, Müller, Idea, Budnikowsky. They each have one or more lines of health food products and a lot of it is vegan. My favourite smoked tofu comes from Rossmann, it’s absolutely delicious! So are their Vegetable Crisps (Gemüsechips). Some product lines are registered with the Vegan Society so you can just check for the V-Flower without label reading. You’ll find at least one of these drugstores wherever you go, so you’ll never be hungry 🙂

    • There are a lot more vegan places all over Berlin. The vegan center is Schievelsteiner Straße, the world’s first vegan avenue, according to happycow: http://www.happycow.net/blog/worlds-first-vegan-avenue-veganz-vegan-grocery-store-tour/

      I think that’s exaggerated, at least if you want to eat (though I love Dear Goods for clothes).

      Ricardplatz in Neukölln is certainy a vegan hotspot, if not THE vegan hot spot: You have Dr Pogo Veganladen, Vux for cakes, Ponte Verde for vegan pizza and pasta, and a short walk away you have Sfizy Veg (more vegan pizza – very different from Ponte Verde) and nearby Let It Be (burgers, crepes, drinks).

      If you around Neukölln I’d love to show you around and have a (vegan) German beer with you!

  6. I agree about Dr. Pogo Veganladen – that’s an absolute must for stocking up on supplies. Veganz is at the opposite end (upmarket vegan supermarket chain).

    You should definitely check out Vux (http://www.vux-berlin.com/) near Dr Pogo, which definitely makes the best vegan cake in either Berlin or London.

    Check out this for some options: http://www.berlin-vegan.de/essen-und-trinken/karte/

    Here is the Berlin vegan app: http://www.berlin-vegan.de/essen-und-trinken/berlin-vegan-app/

  7. I sense a vegan meet-up in Berlin on the horizon, how cool would that be!

  8. Berlin has so many great vegan places that it’s impossible to list them all (let alone sample them on a short trip). It’s vegan paradise! (Sorry, London!)

    For something a little more upmarket (but not quite as fancy as Kopps or Mano Verde), check out “Lucky Leek” (Prenzlauerberg), “Viasko” (Kreuzberg) or “Mio Matto” (Friedrichshain, upstairs from another Veganz branch and a vegan shoe shop).

    For a vegan fast food experience, “Yellow Sunshine” (burgers, currywurst, etc. in Kreuzberg) and “Vöner” (vegan döner in Friedrichshain) are good.

    As others have said, “Vux” is an absolute must! Neukölln in general has quite a few cute vegan cafes – and more seem to be opening every week. (Plus it’s the coolest Kiez in Berlin, so you should definitely check it out!)

    Most non-vegan places will also offer a vegan option, so you definitely won’t be starving in Berlin.

  9. Before I forget: one of my new favourites is Ban Ban Kitchen, which serves amazing Korean food and has some great vegan options: http://www.stilinberlin.de/2014/03/food-in-berlin-ban-ban-kitchen.html

    Burrito Baby is also quite good: http://www.stilinberlin.de/2014/06/mexican-berlin-burrito-baby.html

  10. Lucky Leek, Voener and Fast Rabbit – dirty wraps, other stuff, opposite Mauerpark. You’ll love it all.

  11. Berlin is great, wipes the floor with london for veggie & vegan. It’s seriously worth paying to go there just for a day trip to go to Veganz, that place is hands down the best place I’ve seen anywhere in the world. They have vast amounts of great german veggie stuff, and also import all the best stuff from the USA too. Really incredible. This photo shows probably about 1/5 of their fridge/freezer section. https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8062/8210827852_59953d0532_z.jpg

    I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am at the news that they are going to open a store in London.

  12. seriously you haven’t lived until you’ve walked into a 100% vegan store that has about 50 different types of sausage on offer.

  13. We were there for a week and ate at a different vegan place for lunch and dinner every day. Loved Mano Verde. While you are there will you ask Veganz what happened to their plan of opening a vegan supermarket in London?

    • They have put it off for a while, I’ve heard.

      • Oh that is a shame, I’m sure it would do well.

  14. I was supposed to leave a comment DAYS ago – I’m sorry for the delay!

    Hmmm I haven’t been to too many vegan places, but the ones I’ve to (and liked) are:

    1. Vego-foodworld (in Prenzlauer Berg): Vegan/Vegetarian restaurant specialized in burgers and sanwiches (they have both types of burgers, veggie and vegan, and everything’s marked as such in the menu). I think it’s the one I like the most of all the places I’ve been to.

    2. Rootz (in Kreuzberg): Same as Vego-foodworld. They have shakes, bagels, sandwiches, wraps, cakes, etc. Though the other day we wanted to order from there for lunch at the office and they said they do not prepare food to go anymore at lunch time. And closes at 8pm (not entirely sure if this still applies for summer?)

    3. Yellow Sunshine (in Kreuzberg): Not my fav, I must say…

    4. Two tiny places in Kreuzberg that are not vegan specifically, but they have lots of vegan options:
    – Tanneb Eissalon: they have vegan waffles, sometimes cupcakes, soy yoghurt with muesli, vegan bagels (totally recommend the hummus one), etc.
    – Lanzano Eiscafe: they offer some vegan flavours (approved by the lactose intolerant office colleague)
    – Coffee- and Teahouse Quitte: If I remember correctly, they also have vegan ice-cream in summer.

    5. There’s a place around Schlesisches Tor (Kreuzberg), but I don’t even remember the name, it wasn’t really worth it.

    6. Trattoria Ponte Verde (in Neukölln): Italian place – pizzas and pasta. I just went last night with a friend. They have both veggie and vegan options, everything clearly marked. The pizzas that have “meats” have it clearly marked, that it is vegan options that resemble salamis, ham, etc. Some dishes are prepared with seitan.

    7. Vux (just opposite Trattoria Ponte Verde): they are a tiny cafe that offers a gorgeous brunch on Sundays. They even offer oat milk instead of soy milk in case someone’s allergic to it or just don’t like it.

    6. A lot of vietnamese places and thai places offer vegan versions of their dishes.

  15. Oh, yeah.

    There’s a tiny bio store just next to where I work (in Kreuzberg, too) that sells delicious vegan cookies (individually packed).

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