The Vegan Foodie Weekend Guide to Berlin
Last updated: August 9, 2024
I’ll cut to the chase: Berlin is a fantastic city for vegans! There’s vegan options at nearly every restaurant as well as dozens of quality fully plant-based eateries. If you’re visiting Berlin for a few days and are feeling overwhelmed by choices here are some of the best spots for plant-based eats in the city.
And if you’d like to get into the thick of it and learn about as many vegan options in Berlin as you can, then feel free to saunter over to my vegan-friendly in Berlin guide which I regularly update.
This is my long weekend (three day) guide to Berlin’s vegan food. These are spots that I think are especially great and represent Berlin’s food scene well. I mean, it’s basically my dream vegan itinerary in the city. Feel free to use it as a source of inspiration or a full blown guide to your vegan foodie adventures in Berlin.
The eateries tagged with ‘🌱’ are fully plant-based establishments.
Let’s get into it!
Day 1
Hop off your bus/train/car/plane and head on over to Mitte, Berlin’s middle district which is known for monuments, museums, picturesque streets, and now vegan food! Mitte has become a vegan hub in the past few years and it has been so cool to see.
We’re starting the day with a bang with two bakeries.
Breakfast
Frea Bakery
Begin at Frea Bakery. This bakery is locally-sourced and fully vegetarian. They have an emphasis in being low waste; their food scraps and waste are composted and turned into fertilizer that is then returned to their local suppliers. How cool is that?! Get your day started with a fresh pastry: their cardamom buns, Spandauers, and marzipan poppy seed twists are three pastries that aren’t too big but really packed with flavor. You can also start with something simple like a croissant. If you want something a little less sweet go for the marzipan twist. Their baked goods are fully vegan, but their mains are a mix of vegan and vegetarian.
The Sanctuary🌱
After something sweet you might be craving something more savory. The Sanctuary can do both savory and sweet, and is just around the corner from Frea. This plant-based artisanal Italian bakery is especially known for their focaccia, maritozzo, and cornetto pastries. The focaccia is appropriately coated with olive oil and flaky salt, and additionally comes with a variety of toppings including tomato (which just about melt in your mouth), onion, olives, and plant-based salsiccia. I recommend getting a focaccia paired with something sweet. Their main sweet items are cornetto (similar to a croissant) and maritozzo (sweet cream filled Roman buns). I think my perfect pair would be a focaccia with salsiccia and pistachio maritozzo, but can you really go wrong?
Lunch
Curry 61
Currywurst is a type of sausage meal originating from Berlin. It’s a pretty straightforward dish made up of sausage, curry ketchup, and curry powder. On request it’s also served with fries and mayo.
Currywurst 61 serves up a really great vegan alternative, just be sure to request vegan mayo and sausage. The fries are quite crispy and fresh too! It’s a simple snack shop and quite popular among both tourists and locals. Plus, you get to try a bit of German food which is traditionally not the most vegan friendly.
Round & Edgy🌱
Just a short walk from Curry 61 lies dessert. The bakery tour is back! Round & Edgy is a cookie shop aiming to emulate Levain and Magnolia Bakery in NYC. This time made 100% vegan. As far as cookies go, I recommend sea salt chocolate chip or white chocolate macadamia nut, but similar to The Sanctuary, it’s hard to go wrong. If you have enough room their salted caramel banana pudding is next level. Enjoy!
Dinner
Alaska Bar🌱
For dinner head on over to one of my absolute favorite spots in Berlin: Alaska Bar, a tapas restaurant with a lot of heart and even more flavor. They serve Spanish-inspired tapas like Sichuan patatas bravas, Spanish olives, and chorizo with kimchi alongside creative dishes like creamy almond feta served with crackers and vegetables. Since it’s a tapas place you can order as much or as little as you’d like depending on how hungry you are after a day of great vegan food. I’ve only had great food here, but for first timers I’d definitely recommend trying one of their cashew or almond based ‘cheese’ dishes, a Spanish-inspired dish, and a veganized dish that is traditionally made from animal protein. My personal favorites are probably their carrot lox on cream cheese and toast, as well as their almond ricotta served with mushrooms and crunchy Italian bread sticks. Their prices range from €3 to €12 per dish for pretty hearty portions.
Feel free to pair your dish with a bottle of wine for around €15 or optionally head to a neighboring bar in Neukölln if you want to continue your night. I think the speakeasy located in Truffle Pig Bar has really flavorful and unique cocktails.
Day 2
Continue your time in Berlin with plant-based cheese and donuts balanced with a fresh and healthy lunch.
Breakfast
Aera
Aera is home to the best vegan grilled cheese I’ve ever had and therefore I think you have to make time for it. There are two locations in Mitte and Charlottenburg, and I especially like the Mitte location, which is decked out with a stunning royal blue interior. The grilled cheese is made on gluten free bread, and flavored with rosemary, flaky salt, and sun dried tomato oil. It is incredible. If you’d like to balance it with some earthy and tart flavors be sure to also order their vegan galette. The galette’s toppings change every season and their winter variation with pear was quite tasty.
Lunch
Caphe Hoa🌱
Enjoy a fresh lunch at this delicious plant-based Vietnamese spot. I typically visit the original Caphe Hoa located on Stallschreiberstraße at the southeastern edge of Mitte, but their second location in Kreuzberg is closer to more interesting spots so I’d probably recommend that one unless you happen to be closer to the other.
Vietnamese food is very popular in Berlin- and for good reason! It’s a reliable and fresh cuisine in the city and Berlin’s biggest East Asian population is Vietnamese so there are plentiful options throughout the city, with many boasting numerous vegan options even if they’re not a fully plant-based eatery. The large Vietnamese population here dates back to recent history in the 1980’s (before the fall of the wall) when the German Democratic Republic contracted many Northern Vietnamese workers in hopes to form a partnership between these two communist nations. At the same time many Southern Vietnamese people were also migrating to flee the country after the Vietnam War.
Although there are many great Vietnamese restaurants in Berlin, Caphe Hoa is a comfort spot for me. Their food is nutritious and flavorful, and always a delight! They also have smaller portions of a lot of their main dishes which are still quite generous which I appreciate, the price to quality ratio is great in general here. I typically opt for a glass noodle and vegetable salad with tofu and seitan, but I hear their duck is really good too!
Brammibal’s🌱
You simply cannot visit Berlin as a vegan and miss Brammibal’s. Brammibal’s Donuts is probably the most well known vegan establishment originating from the city and there are five locations throughout Berlin and now three in Hamburg as well.
I think they’re worth the hype! I tried them for the first time four years ago and I swear they get better and better as the years go on. I’ve tried easily more than a dozen flavors at this point, and can’t remember not liking one.
I for one am a huge fan of their monthly flavors, they always have such creative choices. I think some of the best seasonal ones I’ve tried are matcha, rhubarb crumble, and pecan pie (although I just tried those recently so I know I’m forgetting A TON), but my favorite year round donuts they offer are perhaps white chocolate with strawberries or chocolate peanut fudge. For a more classic donut go for a cinnamon sugar or salted caramel.
I will say, some locations are better than others! The donuts are awesome no matter where you go, but a couple locations don’t have a lot of seating and some don’t have public bathrooms. Conveniently the Kreuzberg location is just a 10 to 15 walk from Caphe Hoa 2, making it a fun after lunch stop. You get to walk along the Maybachufer on your way too which is nice.
Dinner
Vamos Veganos🌱
For dinner give Vamos Veganos in Prenzlauer Berg a try. Here you’ll find some of the best vegan döner in Berlin, and you can’t leave Berlin without trying döner, vegan or not. Whatever you try, their fresh and hearty ingredients are sure to satisfy.
Day 3
Breakfast
Blumental
Blumental is a fully vegetarian café with about a 90% vegan menu. They offer cow’s milk and the option to add an organic egg to dishes as a side, but their main dishes on their own are otherwise fully plant-based.
This is a simply dazzling café filled with natural light, a spacious interior, a well-thought-out color palette, and healthy dishes. Just about any of their entrees will get you halfway to your 5 a Day, and I can particularly recommend their fennel, apricot, olive tapenade, and sourdough plate (trust me it works) or their pea guacamole and carrot on toasted sourdough dish. Plus, they have plenty of scrumptious plant-based cakes to balance out your meal. They also pride themselves in being a low waste joint, and this is made possible through their mighty composting machine Berta which takes care of their organic waste in the back of the café.
From here head towards Holzmarkt to enjoy a drink around this quirky outdoor space before walking along the East Side Gallery until you hit Warschauer Straße. Be sure to check out Boximarkt which offers a food and trinket market on Saturdays and a flea market on Sundays. On Sundays you can also head on over to RAW Gelande’s flea market!
Lunch
Multiple Options:
Although the point of this post is to not overload you with more restaurants than you can visit in one trip I have to give you more options when there are so many great vegan spots in Friedrichshain. Whereas Mitte is the vegan bakery hub in the city, Friedrichshain is perhaps the best place for vegan restaurants in general. Here are a few nice ones within a ten minute walk from one another that you can choose from based off what you’re craving for your last meal in Berlin before heading out after the long weekend.
Emma Pea🌱: Emma Pea is a homey comfort spot that’s been a staple in Berlin’s plant-based food scene for awhile. If you pick this one be sure to order their mac and cheese.
Li.ke Serious Thai Vegan🌱: For Thai food and tapas try Li.ke Thai vegan for dinner. Their crispy fried dumplings filled with seitan and pumpkin (#12) and marinated crunchy tofu balls with peanut sauce (#14) are probably my favorite dishes here, and I almost always order a plate of Pad Thai too.
1990 Vegan Living🌱: If you especially enjoyed your lunch at Caphe Hoa then you might want to keep the flavor going with more plant-based Vietnamese food. This spot specializes in tapas and has a wider menu than Caphe Hoa. Plus, lots of fun drinks!
Yoyo Foodworld🌱: For vegan junk food Yoyo Foodworld is a fun choice. At this hole-in-the-wall spot you’ll find classic Berlin and German dishes like currywurst and schnitzel veganized, as well as treats like chicken nuggets, wraps, and burgers filled with items like kebap, calamari, köfte, and lox. All vegan.
Li.Ke Serious Thai Vegan
Where to next?
I hope you enjoy your foodie adventures in Berlin! If you have any questions feel free to reach out, and if you’d like further plant-based inspo check out these posts next: