Vegan in the City – Munich

1. Siggis in Buttermelcherstrasse and Augustenstrasse, right in the middle of the chilled out Glockenbach neighbourhood. From breakfast to finger food and wraps, you can feast your way through to burgers, gyros, „Anti-Jägerschnitzel“ and many other creatively- labelled main courses and desserts. Founder Sigrid („Siggi“) Lutz’s motto: „Be the change you wish to see in the world.“


2. You should definitely pay a visit to the enchanted backyard of Emmi’s Kitchen in Buttermelcherstrasse and the branch in Giesing and Augsburg. The cinnamon snacks are legendary, as are the bowls, burgers and pancakes for breakfast and lunch until 5 pm.

3. The YAM vegan Deli in Augustenstrasse offers purely plant-based dishes of the day, cakes and fresh juices. And everything is also available to take away.


4. You can already find one or two vegan pizza options at many pizzerias in Munich. But for those who want to draw on the full range of topping options, Doctor Drooly in Häberlstraße is the place to go. Here you will only find vegan pizzas with cashew parmesan and mozzarella substitutes) and one or two original variations, for example kimchi pizza, near Goetheplatz.

5. Fancy a vegan kebab? Then pop into Erbils vegan, which has been in Haidhausen since 2016. Plant-based versions of lasagne, moussaka, schnitzel and much more are also available in the cosy restaurant or as a delivery service.


6. At Schwabinger Gratitude in Türkenstraße, the fun starts with the imaginative starters such as sweet potato tempura, pimientos de padron or summer rolls. Have you ever eaten fried rice in a pineapple, DIY fajitas or a watermelon steak? Then it’s time. A word about Türkenstrasse: This is Munich’s go to place for international foodies, just like the entire Maxvorstadt area.

7. The Max Pett in Pettkofstrasse is already a Munich institution.
The Max Pett modestly calls itself a temple of pleasure. Incidentally,
breakfast is particularly enjoyable at the weekend. Otherwise, you can expect
delicacies such as stuffed aubergines, soya schnitzel and vegan cheese spaetzle
on the upscale menu.


8. As well as classy, Munich can also be casual: for example at the Chakula food truck. Whether falafel, chilli, pulled pork style burger, gyros or curry, Chakula’s vegan range can be found at
various locations such as the university in Freising or at festivals.

9. And fast food has also been vegan in Munich since 2023. Thanks to the Austrian chain Swing Kitchen. The burgers, nuggets and salads taste just as good on site as they do as takeaways.

10. Charly’s Vegan has been serving vegan Turkish and Afghan food and pizza in Adalbertstrasse since 2021. Everything is also available to take away.

You can discover other purely vegan options in the Bavarian capital at pubs, Asian restaurants and cafés.

1. Vegelangelo near the Isar Tor has been serving fine vegetarian cuisine since 2004. The vegan dishes are highlighted on the menu. Vegelangelo can also be booked for vegan catering.


2. The posh Prinz Myshkin can boast even more history. It has been located in the beautiful former brewery premises since 1984 (!).

3. Change of scene: A hip location on Museum Island, mega drinks and good food – you can experience all of this at Blitz Restaurant.We love the vegan and vegetarian Mexican (link story) and Tex-Mex food such as fajitas and burgers. The highlight is the coveted tables on the Isar terrace.

4. Café Ignaz in Schwabing’s Georgenstraße has been serving vegetarian and vegan food for over 30 years. The menu includes plant-based lasagne, gnocchi and vegetable pancakes.


5. The Green Beetle in Schumannstraße, which belongs to the Käfer company, offers vegan and vegetarian fine dining and has even earned itself a star.


6. Deli Kitchen in Giesing and Haidhausen is a very pleasant daytime eatery, somewhere between a café and a snack bar with a wide range of dishes.

7. Turkish delicacies are also typical of Munich. The plant-based speciality Çig Köfte is available in Landwehrstraße at Efsane Çig Köfte. The vegan version uses bulgur instead of beef.


8. Wagners in Fraunhoferstraße emphasises healthy food and drink with a Californian flair, which is why it bears the name „Juicery & Health Food“, which includes smoothies as well as bowls and bagels. This makes it an attractive location in the already interesting Glockenbach district.  

9. Koshari Ahl Kairo takes us to Egypt: Koshari is the substantial Egyptian national dish consisting of rice, noodles, pulses, onions and tomatoes. Also on offer: falafel, baba ghanug etc. Many of the dishes are vegan.

But now let’s cut to the chase: When I think of Munich, what springs to mind? Clearly beer and beer gardens and of course the Wies’n — the annual Oktoberfest at Theresienwiese which is well known to aficionados.

And if you want to read more about vegan yumminess at the Oktoberfest, click on our story. It’s worth telling you that one or two vegan options have „crept“ into most of the tents. Quite simply because a large part of the young audience wants them: vegan pretzels without animal fat, seitan white sausage alternatives and even roasts made from jackfruit instead of knuckle of pork or chicken. Add Bavarian potato salad and your day at the Wies’n is sorted.

And the ultimate good news: Beer according to the Bavarian – and German – purity law is … vegan.

1. Mamma Bao. The Chinese restaurant with its two branches in Augustenstrasse and Adalbertstrasse has triggered a real Instagram hype with its hand-pulled noodles. Much of the menu is vegan.


2. Another 100% and really cool place: purely plant-based sushi at Secret Garden in the centre of Munich’s old town. Sushi can also be made with vegetables and fish alternatives (as Velivery fans have long known). Our tip is the lunch specials.


3. But we can also 100% find what we are looking for in Neuhausen: at the Vegan Chay, Volkartstrasse, the speciality is the meat alternatives such as vegan duck, vegan chicken, vegan beef, vegan prawns and sushi with a huge menu. A great new addition since 2019!

4. Padme Hum is another purely vegan restaurant run by Vietnamese restaurateur Huven Do and her family. Padme Hum is a new vegan food hotspot named after the Buddhist mantra for compassion. On Adlzreiterstrasse since 2023.


5. The purely vegan Vietnamese restaurant Soy in Theresienstrasse is an absolute tip for vegans. The food is at least as flavourful as the interior and boasts rice platters, noodle dishes, hot pot and lunch menus.

6. Kansha. Since 2018, this first purely vegan Japanese restaurant has been delighting the gastronomy scene right next to Münchner Freiheit. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?

7. Another 100% plant-based highlight is the Ahimsa with its Asian fusion cuisine: curry, ramen, sushi and bowls. Ahimsa, by the way, is the Buddhist precept of non-violence. You can find out what it’s all about and how the Buddhist way of life relates to animal welfare and veganism here.

What would Munich be without its magnificent car manufacturer? BMW has also recognised the signs of the times. In culinary terms, this has been expressed for employees since 2022 in the canteen campaign „Mahlzeit ist Wahlzeit“ (Meal time is choice time), which the BMW Group catering department has been running. In the BMW company restaurants, employees can choose from vegetarian and vegan dishes every day, supplemented by salads and bowls. The website advertises that the kitchen emphasises the regionality and seasonality of the food used. No one is forced to go vegan, but there is a choice. What is really creative is that you can choose meat as a „side dish“ for some dishes. Perhaps doing things backwards will help you to rethink your priorities when eating?

BMW fans should not miss out on exploring BMW Welt and/or the BMW Museum (not the same thing!) on their tour of Munich. In addition to lots of amazing design and technology, there are also several restaurants, a futuristic café and three bistros. At the two-star „EssZimmer by Käfer“, we discover a vegetarian menu. The Bavarie restaurant’s menu overview somewhat modestly includes a beetroot tartare and a vegan cordon bleu tartlet.

Munich is a popular city for shopping. So what are our top tips for the vegan lifestyle? Well, Veganista is our tip for fashion lovers: this cosy little shop run by Rahel Goldner on Barer Strasse sells vegan fashion, shoes and jewellery from many innovative labels. Everything is made from cotton, hemp, lyocell etc. and the shoes are made from cork or even the trendy pineapple „leather“. In other words, guaranteed cruelty-free and, on top of that, by and large fair trade. And speaking of vegan fashion labels: Thokk Thokk is a Munich-based fashion company with a vegan concept that has become known far beyond Germany. You can take a look inside the Thokk Thokk store in Baaderstrasse. There are four DearGoods stores in Munich with their multi-brand fashion concept. The highlight: everything here is 100% vegan! And also mostly fair & organic-certified (animal, humane and eco-friendly is what they call it at DearGoods). And when it comes to beauty, NKM impresses us. Naturkosmetik München is another success story. The cosmetics line by founder Mareike Peters, who first became known via Instagram, is purely vegan. Today, her shop in Müllerstrasse is booming. Vegan cosmetics, at least in part, can also be found in the heart of Munich’s historic city centre in the pretty shop of MiiN Korean Cosmetics. Fans of the Korean online shop literally flock to this shop. At least everything on offer here is cruelty-free.

Admittedly: „fesch sans“, the lads and lasses dressed in dirndls and lederhosen that you see at the Oktoberfest. Here, whether young or young at heart, native or newcomer, everyone wears traditional costume – or what they think it is. But our hearts bleed when we think of the animals when we see the original lederhosen (i.e. trousers made from deerskin). In any case, the leather has long since been imported from Asia. In our opinion, tradition is no longer really an option. Good news: a vegan remedy has been around for a while. In fact, there are already several suppliers of vegan traditional trousers made from imitation leather. The staghorn buttons on the jacket can also be easily replaced with animal-free materials. Other accessories, including knee-high socks and traditional costume bags, can also be replaced. The women are usually dressed up anyway (and not just dressed down): unless silk is used for the apron or blouse or sheep’s wool for the rustic jacket, the dirndl outfit is vegan anyway. It’s only the shoes that need to be vegan. Even Haferl shoes are already vegan. Just take a look at Alpenwelt Versand, the Austrian tattoo artist André Zechmann, Oipnglügg, ByJohanna or even H&M. And you can do without the chamois beard on your hat, can’t you? That makes things authentic without your conscience suffering.

Without lederhosen and liverwurst, but in a really good mood, full and satisfied. As we have seen, life and city strolls in Munich are definitely vegan-friendly. Especially in Maxvorstadt, Schwabing and the Glockenbach neighbourhood. What is on offer is so extensive that even the local tour provider „Stadtvogel“ offers vegan tasting tours. Anyway, have fun exploring the city and, of course, cooking Bavarian specialities!