Ben and I took a trip to Europe in the month of January and spent 2 months there. We were mostly in France because that is where Ben is from but we did travel quite a bit around. In Europe, it is sometimes difficult to find vegetarian restaurants and even good vegetarian food to eat. So before every trip we took, Ben and I would sit down and meticulously check out good vegetarian restaurants around the place we intend to visit. The result was that we stumbled upon some really amazing places and this post is my way of appreciating these restaurants that provided us with such great food and for doing their bit in trying to make the world a better place. Oh, and also, every vegetarian restaurant that we went to, always had a bit of influence from the Indian cuisine 😀

Hiltl

ZURICH

According to “Guinness World Records” Hiltl is the first vegetarian restaurant in the world. In addition to the à la carte restaurant and Hiltl buffet, it includes takeaway, a bar-lounge, a club, a cooking studio and a shop. We enjoyed a sumptuous buffet lunch here with more dishes than we could eat in an entire afternoon and they were delicious.
What we liked best was that you pay as per the weight of your plate. Every plate is weighed and then payed for accordingly at the start of the meal so you end up paying for only what you eat.

Address : Sihlstrasse 28,8001 Zürich, Suisse. Téléphone :+41 44 227 70 00

Max Pett

MUNICH

Max Pett is a vegan restaurant in Munich.
It has a cafe like feel to it and is a small and cozy place. The menu has a lot of choices and we were very happy with the food that we ordered.

Address: Pettenkoferstr 8 – 80335 Munchen, Germany.
Telephone +49 8955869119

Joia

MILAN

Joia is a Michelin star vegetarian restaurant and I’m guessing there aren’t a lot of those. The chef Pietro Leemann is personally present to take your orders and talk to you and this restaurant is a result of his philosophy of a wholesome natural diet. Obviously, being michelin starred, this place doesn’t need our recommendation but I still want to say that we loved everything about this place. The interiors, the food of course, the beautifully crafted and designed menu and even their website. This is not just a restaurant, it is also a very spiritual place and if you visit them, you will know what I’m talking about.

Address: Via Panfilo Castaldi, 18, 20124 Milano, Italy. Telephone +39 22049244

Le Shanti

DIJON

Le Shanti is an Indian vegetarian restaurant
run by a French man who loves India. I found the taste of the food very authentic to the Indian palate which was a pleasant surprise because neither the chef nor anybody else who works there is Indian. The restaurant is very Indian even in its ambience with floor seatings, pictures from India on the walls and classical indian music. The place also has a yoga and meditation studio.

Address: 69 Rue Berbisey, 21000 Dijon, France. Telephone +33 660942720

Le Grenier de Notre Dame

PARIS

Unlike the rest of France where finding vegetarian restaurants is an almost impossible task, the tourist capital of the world, doesn’t let you down even on that front. The Grenier of Notre Dame is the very first vegetarian restaurant in Paris. It has a history dating back to 1978 and has been passed on from father to son since then. They even work with the same local producers since 1978. The restaurant has very pretty interiors and the food is delicious and very healthy.

Address: 18 Rue de la Bucherie, 75005 Paris, France.
Telephone +33 1 43 29 98 29

La Table

CLUSES

Now this is not a vegetarian restaurant
but they deserve a special mention because they are in home territory. Cluses happens to be Ben’s hometown and this is the only organic restaurant around and the only one that has a set vegetarian meal as part of their menu. We enjoyed their food and we appreciate what they are doing in the region of meat lovers. La Table owners also own a large organic shop in Cluses and most of our food ingredients come from there.