Vegan in the City – BERLIN

Once a sensation, today it is simply a classic: Yoyos is Berlin’s oldest purely vegan restaurant. Wait, Berlin’s?! It’s actually the oldest vegan restaurant in Germany, founded in 2008. You can find it near Boxhagener Platz. Founder Nihat Karayel: “I still have the images in my head of how guests ran away at the word vegan, but also how enthusiastic meat eaters brought their friends or family to us – as an exclusive shop.” It’s unique feature? The queue at the door! And the wait in this special self-service restaurant is worth it: vegan burgers, wraps (from Köfte to Bavarian wraps), alternatives to currywurst, schnitzel, pizza, etc. and of course, salads and snacks.”

1) You like Thai? Then Li.ke Thai Vegan should probably be your first stop in Berlin. The first purely vegan Thai restaurant, Li.ke Thai Vegan has been enlivening the gastro scene near Boxhagener Platz since 2018 with colourful furnishings and vibrant aromas. A little trip to Thailand in the midst of the day-to-day!

2) People in Berlin are usually friendly anyway. But it doesn’t get any more vegan-friendly than Froindlichst in Prenzlauer Berg. It serves quality, plant-based comfort food: bowls, pizza and burger creations, mezze, taco and street food platters. The Stracciatella cake beckons to us from the dessert menu.

3) Fancy a Temura Tiger or an Angry Samurai? The Secret Garden on Warschauer Straße, Berlin’s first vegan sushi restaurant, has been serving these up since 2019. By the way, if you order an “Angry Samurai”, you’ll get a delicious platter of plucked soy strips, mango, avocado, Asian coleslaw and black rice.

4) Zero waste meets vegan: FREA – Berlin’s first waste-conscious restaurant. David and Jasmin and their Norwegian chef launched this venture with a consistent focus on sustainability: zero plastic and seasonal and regional products. But of course they also care about taste, hence their motto: full taste, zero waste. And the crunchy vegetable-centric dishes have it all. Since everything is so fresh, they limit themselves to three starters and three main courses or even one set meal. And why not top it all off with a delicious black rice cheesecake, right? And the highlight? The in-house composting machine!

5) Head to Lia’s Kitchen on Kollwitzstraße for exceptional homemade burgers. Whether quinoa lentil, chilli bean or smoky BBQ mushroom, Lia’s burgers are creations are packed with love as they are good quality. Would you like sweet potato fries and salt with that? And… the icing on the cake, even the mayo, ketchup and hot sauce are vegan and there is as much of it as you want.

6) In the mood for something Vietnamese? Maybe something fresh and naturally vegan… without any flavour enhancers? Then head over to Hum vegan in Prenzlauer Berg. The family-run restaurant has been impressing since 2016 with fresh dishes, using regional and seasonal vegetables and fruit wherever possible, cleverly veganising traditional Vietnamese recipes in the process.

7) And, on the subject of exotic-Asian cuisine… Vegan or vegetarian Chinese food is somewhat of a rarity, But, of course, Berlin’s got just the thing: Tianfuzius on Regensburger Straße. The owner, Wen Wang, comes from a family of restaurateurs and opened Tianfuzius in 2015. With the exception of the wontons and spring rolls, she only serves meat-free dishes. Some dishes are with egg, so are only vegetarian, but there’s a rich selection for vegan fans, too. From water spinach on glass noodles and smoked duck-style Wuxiang tofu to HongYouJiaoZi in hot chilli oil sauce.

8) Vegan fine dining and a sophisticated, atmospherically lit bar awaits you at Kopps, Berlin-Mitte. Chef de cuisine Zita Sándor’s refined dinner menus showcase vegetables in a deliciously new way, a real discovery for the discerning taste and budget. The weekend brunch is particularly popular.

9) At Lucky Leek, Kollwitzstraße, you can enjoy a touch of class with asparagus ceviche, then some braised chicory, working your way up to sesame tofu on shiitake sticky rice rolls with pineapple, before finishing in style with poppy seed strudel and tangerine ice cream. Lucky Leek refers to its menu and à la carte offerings as natural fine dining.

10) Let’s finish with something a little more down to earth with the endless burger variety on offer at Neue Republik Reger. How about a Magic Mushroom Burger? And what does an Angry Crowd Burger look like when it’s at home?

And worth mentioning here on the subject of acting and sustainability is the “Green Actors Lounge” by Kerstin Schilly. It is dedicated to “green” film production, sustainable lifestyle and social issues.

With the extensive variety of plant-based delicacies on offer, veganism is far from being a flash in the pan in Berlin. You’ll find vegan hairdressers and beauty salons, a vegan tattoo shop on Erich-Weinert-Straße as well as vegan clothing and shoes. Speaking of which, we discovered some chic vegan sneakers at Wertvoll on Marienburger Straße. One very special treasure trove for all things sustainable, vegan and beautiful is DearGoods which, admittedly, you’ll also find in several locations across Bavaria.
For the latest hairstyle, you can go to the Weinhönig hair studio on Kopenhagenerstraße or to Matthias from MAT MY DAY, who describes himself as an organic hairdresser. So you can step out beautifully dressed and beautified from head to toe on a animal-friendly shopping spree across Berlin.