A Gluten-Free and Vegan Festival? In Berlin, Options Abound
By Alene Dawson
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Flying into Berlin’s Tegel Airport, visitors spy solar-paneled rooftops and wind turbines. It’s a tipoff to the eco-conscious lifestyle many are committed to in the city below. This includes ethically produced fashion, sustainably produced fabrics, urban gardens, green tech, clean energy, zero waste and more. Vegans play a big role in this wider community. GreenMe Berlin is a good source to experience it more intimately. They offer both a Vegan Foodie Tour and Ethical Fashion & Design Tour. Europe’s biggest Vegan Summer Festival takes place in Berlin. VeggieWorld Berlin, the vegan trade fair, happens in March. Have a craving? The vegan supermarket chain Veganz has stores in Berlin. After the festival, you can amp up your culinary skills at Germany´s first vegan cooking school, Kurkuma, in Hamburg.
Back in Berlin, Simply Keto is a cafe for the low-carb, gluten-free, Bulletproof crowd. You can satiate your superfood smoothie cravings at chic Liquid Garden.
In Berlin, Kaffee Ingwer offers a vegan croissants and other morning staples, while Goodies Deli offers mouthwatering sugar-free, raw, vegan and gluten-free cakes. Brammibal’s Handmade Vegan Donuts has two locations in the city and serves flavors such as maple smoked coconut and blackberry whiskey.
Berlin’s large immigrant population makes big contributions to local cuisine, including the Turkish, Greek, Italian and diverse Asian communities. Hotspot 1990 Vegan Living, for example, specializes in Vietnamese cuisine. Then there are fine dining vegan destinations such as Lucky Leeks, which earned a place in the Michelin Guide, is a gourmet vegetarian restaurant.
Almodóvar Hotel Berlin
A four-star hotel designed on sustainability and ecologically minded values, it’s often referred to as the “vegetarian” hotel. Its restaurant, Bistro Bardot, offers a vegetarian, vegan and organic breakfast buffet. There are plenty of gluten-free and some raw options. The hotel is a member of Veggie Hotels and Sleep Green .
Address: Boxhagener Strasse 83, 10245 Berlin, Germany
Web: almodovarhotel.de/en
AtayaCaffe
This cozy vegan cafe serves Italian-Senegalese fare. It’s run by a charismatic husband and wife, whose brunch is a local favorite, a popular pastime in Berlin and tables fill up fast so schedule accordingly. Second, try the hummus. It’s nutty, savory goodness.
Address: Zelterstrasse 6 10439 Berlin, Germany
Web: atayacaffe.de
Cookies Cream
Michelin-starred, trendy vegetarian cuisine is creatively presented here. The entrance is tucked away off the service alley of the Westin Grand Hotel. Expect organic wine pairings and multi-course tasting menus. But book ahead, there are only about 15 tables.
Address: Behrenstrasse 55
10117 Berlin, Germany
Jute Bäckerei
The gluten-free bakery’s organic seeded breads, specialty pastries, and flaky croissant-like offerings are an indulgence. They also offer breads, rolls and Sunday treats, but make sure to get there early, as they sell out to hungry locals.
Address: Schönhauser Allee 52A, 10437 Berlin, Germany
Web: jute-bäckerei.de/en
Lück’s
An intimate, mid-range vegan dinner destination with tightly packed, family-style seating and a few stand-alone small tables. Gluten-free and raw dishes are also on the menu. The restaurant emphasizes local and seasonal ingredients as well. Try the house-made, tri-color gnocchi, and for cold Berlin days and nights, soups are a standout.
Address: Sonntagstrasse 26 10245 Berlin, Germany
Web: luecks-berlin.de
Restaurant Kopps
Offering vegan fine dining artistically presented with an optional wine pairing, Resturant Kopps focuses on locally sourced ingredients. Sit down and chat with owner Ilhami Terzi, a former actor who was in the thick of the 1990s Berlin techno scene with a rich knowledge of the neighborhood’s history.
Address: Linienstrasse 94 10115 Berlin, Germany
Web: kopps-berlin.de/en
