Where to Try Vegan German Food in Berlin
Last updated: August 28, 2024
Sure, there’s plenty of vegan food in Berlin. . . and believe it or not there’s quite a bit of German food in Berlin too. But can you get vegan German food here? Of course! Just about every German restaurant will at minimum have beer and pretzels, however, there are quite a few places in Berlin with even more to offer. So if you’re interested in ordering off the main menu rather than just relying on side salads and drinks, read on for the best vegan German food in Berlin.
Ketels Curry
This stand serves up some tasty Currywurst and Bratwurst and offers a mix of vegan and non-vegan options. What I like about them is they have a few vegan sauces and sides so you’re not stuck with just ketchup! They’re one of the only places I’ve found that serves vegan Bratwurst im Brötchen (in a bread roll) and at just €3.80 it works out to be a pretty thrifty snack. When I visited I was recommended to add Sauerkraut because “the vegan sausage is dry,” but I disagree, it was crispy on the outside and reasonably soft/moist within, very comparable to their non-vegan sausage. However, get the Sauerkraut anyway — and add vegan aioli, green onion, and fried onions while you’re at it.
Kottbusser Damm 1 | Kreuzberg
Försters
Försters is a pleasant sit-down 100% vegan eatery that focuses on regional and seasonal cuisine. Their Schnitzel dish is a stand-out item and although it’s labeled as Wiener (Viennese) Schnitzel, these differences aren’t as significant since we’re dealing with vegan ingredients. FYI, Austrian Schnitzels are the OG and are made with veal, while German Schnitzels can be made with veal, pork, chicken, or beef.
They also serve Knödeln, which are a type of boiled dumpling usually served with cooked vegetables and a creamy sauce. These dumplings are popular throughout Central and Eastern Europe, and there are many regional takes on these dumplings in Germany alone. Försters’ version makes for a hearty comfort meal. They also sometimes offer Käsespatzle, a type of creamy cheesy pasta dish similar to American-style mac n’ cheese. This restaurant primarily serves a mix of German, Austrian, and Italian food and offers a mix of regular dishes, as well as seasonal creations. Keep up with their Instagram to see what specials they currently offer.
Dunckerstraße 2A | Prenzlauer Berg
Want more Berlin vegan food recs? Read: The Ultimate Berlin Vegan Food Guide next.
Curry 61
Currywurst is about as local and German as it gets in Berlin, this particular dish came to be in 1949. Berlin housewife Herta Heuwer traded with British soldiers alcohol for ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and curry powder, then proceeded to create a dish that is still quite popular today for its simplicity, affordability, and protein content. A dash of curry flavor doesn’t hurt either.
You’ll find classic and plant-based options at Curry 61. I recommend ordering their Vegan Currywurst, which consists of seitan and tofu sausage sliced and topped with homemade curry ketchup sauce. For the full experience be sure to order it with fries and vegan mayo.
Oranienburger Straße 6 | Mitte
Alexanderplatz 2 | Mitte
Tribeca
Tribeca offers a creative rotating menu of 100% vegan ice cream in the pretty micro-neighborhood Kollwitzkiez. They sell classic scoops, sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, and Spaghettieis. The latter is a German creation invented by an Italian immigrant. It involves ice cream made to look like spaghetti with tomato sauce on it, plus it might have a bit of crumbled white chocolate to imitate Parmesan or a sprinkle of pistachio to act as basil. Some places go as far as having Lasagnaeis, which is the same concept, but this time forming ice cream into a lasagna-looking dish. Spaghettieis might be a silly dish, but it’s surprisingly tasty and fun to eat. It’s also hard to find vegan, so there ya go!
I know P’Berg serves Spaghettieis, but I’m not sure if the Xberg location does.
Rykestraße 40 | Prenzlauer Berg
Graefestraße 9 | Kreuzberg
Curry & Chili
Okay, I promise this post isn’t just Currywurst recommendations, but I thought I’d pass along one more rec. Located in Gesundbrunnen, Curry & Chili serves likely the most unique Currywurst in the city. They’ve been around since the early 2000s and are experts in all things spice and sausage. You can choose to enjoy your Currywurst the classic way or with chili powder, but to get the full experience pick from one of their ten hot sauces, which range on a Scoville scale from 11,000 to 7,000,000+. I’ve tried their Level 2 (Habanero BBQ) and Level 4 (Garlic Bomb). Both were really tasty and the spice is fantastic! Garlic Bomb ranks at 180,000 on the Scoville scale, so I can’t imagine what Level 10 tastes like! I don’t think I could comfortably go past Level 5 (even that might be pushing it a little). If you try all of their hot sauces within six months you can end up on their Wall of Fame. Someone (not me) needs to film a Berlin version of Hot Ones with these hot sauces — Currywurst edition! I would watch the heck out of that. They’ve also got really crispy fries!
Prinzenallee/Osloer Straße (At M13/50 tram stop) | Wedding/Gesundbrunnen
Puffer Imbiss
At Puffer Imbiss you’ll find yummy Kartoffelpuffer and Eierkuchen. While the Eierkuchen (literally egg cake) is only vegetarian, their Kartoffelpuffer is vegan if you order it plain or with Apfelmus (apple sauce). Kartoffelpuffer is a truly scrumptious German treat that is traditionally enjoyed with sugar, apple sauce, or a sort of herb yogurt sauce called Kräuterquark (not normally vegan).
I recommend ordering it with apple sauce, the savoriness of the fried potato pancake paired with sweet regional apple sauce is a stellar combo. You’ll find that the ones served here are quite filling and make for a hearty, quick, and cost-friendly meal you can enjoy when passing through Hermannplatz.
Hermannplatz/Hasenheide | Neukölln
Frea Bakery
Frea is a bakery I’ve hyped up on my blog for ages! Not only do they operate as a modern German bakery, but they’re also fully vegetarian and low-waste. They serve all sorts of great pastries, which as of writing this are fully vegan (their main dishes are a mix of vegan and vegetarian though). Their marzipan poppy seed pastry is excellent and not too sweet, plus it features two ingredients that are very popular in Germany. Their sandwiches also incorporate traditional German baking style and are served on a variety of bread rolls, also known as Brötchen.
They also serve non-German baked goods! For something sweeter go for a Spandauer which are filled with either a vanilla custard or fruit mixture. If I’m craving something savory I might go for a Tomato Tasche and their Cardamom Croissant Bun is also lovely.
Gartenstraße 9 | Mitte
Yoyo Foodworld
Yoyo Foodworld is a fully vegan independent fast food joint in Berlin’s Friedrichshain neighborhood. Their German bites aren’t necessarily served the way you might find them in a classic German joint, but that’s part of their charm. And hey, tasty’s tasty.
Here you’ll find a couple variations of Currywurst made with either Beyond Sausage or Seitan. They also serve Schnitzel (German-Austrian breaded fried meat dish) with fries and salad or in burger form. They even have a Bavarian burger which includes some southern Germany-inspired ingredients, like Leberkäse (literally cheese liver) which is similar to a thick bologna sausage. Don’t worry, it’s really all vegan here. You can enjoy your meal with fries and a variety of homemade dips including Remoulade, a French dip similar to tartar sauce that is popular throughout Germany, especially in seaside cities.
Gärtnerstraße 27 | Friedrichshain
Vamos Veganos
This fully vegan eatery is known for its superior take on vegan Döner, or Fiöner as they call it here. There are many variations of Döner, but the kind popular in Berlin was refined by a Turkish immigrant living in Berlin. This version is typically served on toasted bread with sliced roasted meat, a few types of fresh vegetables, herbs, a mix of garlic, herb yogurt, and spicy sauce, and sometimes crumbly cheese. At Vamos Veganos you can find a vegan take on that, as well as a Dürüm variation which is larger and served in a wrap form, instead of bread. However, I do recommend just going for the Döner version which comes on seriously crispy and tasty sesame bread.
Schönfließer Straße 16 | Prenzlauer Berg
Good Morning Monday
Now Good Morning Monday doesn’t have too many vegan options, but I think they’re worth visiting for their stellar vegan breakfast platter, which consists of a plant-based take on the kind of breakfast spread that’s typically served on weekends in German households. If you didn’t know, a typical German breakfast spread tends to include bread rolls, fruit, fresh vegetables, sliced meat, sliced cheese, jams, savory spreads, and maybe another item or two like a pastry or boiled egg. Good Morning Monday totally nails this and their vegan take on Typisches Deutsches Frühstück is one that I think even Oma would approve of.
Falckensteinstraße 18 | Kreuzberg
Scheers Schnitzel
If you’re looking to try vegan German (or German-Austrian) food while in town, Scheers is a great choice! They offer vegan versions of their Schnitzel which — yes, may look like hockey pucks, but — are downright tasty. Their flavor is quite similar to proper Schnitzel, and the Schniposa plate is naturally vegan so long as you ask for the vegan Schnitzel, which is free of additional charge. The Schniposa plate comes with salad and fries so you’re in for a filling meal. Be sure to ask for a few of their sauces when you order, their curry and chili sauces are both homemade, plant-based, and complimentary. They add a nice flavor to the Schnitzel plate. I think their prices are pretty reasonable too, making this spot a bit of a novelty — delicious German food that is affordable and vegan?! Sign me up!
Warschauer Pl. 18 | Friedrichshain
Vöner
Vöner can be a bit hit or miss for me, but I think they’re still totally worth a visit to try plant-based Döner. They additionally have a Dürüm and Teller (plate) version. They have tahini garlic, yogurt herb, chili tomato, and peanut sauces on offer to further flavor your meal even more. They also have a Currywurst and fries plate! This place is fully vegan, FYI.
Boxhagener Straße 56 | Friedrichshain
Café Velicious
Heard of Kaffee und Kuchen? This popular German pastime consists of simply catching up with friends and family, over coffee and cake. Not hard to get behind! If you want to visit a café with fully homemade and plant-based cakes look no further than Velicious. They’re a typical German café and cake shop, simply minus animal products. I believe they’re also fully gluten-free (and if not then they’re mostly gluten-free).
You’ll find plenty of German cakes on offer sold by the whole cake and by the slice. Naturally, Tortes are their specialty. These rich multi-layered cakes originate from Germany and feature a vast range of creamy and fruity ingredients (depending on the season) including rhubarb, strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, marzipan, apple, cream, yogurt, lemon, hazelnut, and more. Sometimes they’ll also serve other German cakes like Käsekuchen (cheesecake made with quark) and different types of Streuselkuchen (strudel cake), including apple and rhubarb strudel. Now that’s deli- velicious!
Lenbachstraße 13B | Friedrichshain
Vaust
For a fully vegan, fanciful date night complete with several courses, a homely setting, and some German fare, give Vaust a try. Their set menu can be ordered in three, four, or five courses, and starts at around €40, jumping €8 for each additional course. If you’re not as interested in their set menu, you can order from their regular menu which might offer items like Currywurst, marzipan sponge cake served with amaretto, and chickpea fries. It seems like sometimes they serve dishes like Käsespatzle as well. I have not yet visited this spot, but it’s been personally recommended to me a bunch so it’s very high on my list for a special occasion night out.
Pestalozzistraße 8 | Charlottenburg
Gasthof Falkenhorst
If you’re feeling especially adventurous, a vegan friend of mine recommends a place called Gasthof Falkenhorst. It’s a hotel and restaurant located in Gosen-Neu Zittau, a small town in Brandenburg that borders Berlin on the southeast end. This quaint inn is run by New Zealanders and their hotel restaurant serves primarily German food that is all 100% vegan. You might find dishes like Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes) with herb cream and salad, Schnitzel served with leek cream sauce and baked potatoes, German cheesecake, Apfelkuchen (apple cake) with cream, and German snack plates consisting of spreads, sausage, cheese, and salad (all vegan of course).
From Berlin Central Station it takes 1 to 1.5 hours to get to and requires just a single transfer. There are also a few nice lakes in the area you can cycle or take a bus to. Be sure to check in with their website or Instagram to ensure their restaurant is open when you plan to visit. They say they update their upcoming menu on social media each week. I have not visited here myself, but it’s on my list!
Walther-Rathenau-Straße 17 | Gosen-Neu Zittau