When we booked our trip to Salzburg one of the first things I did was research and write down a list of vegan-friendly eating spots to visit in the city, so today I thought I’d share these with you. None were 100% vegan – the only restaurant in the city that is, GustaV, was sadly closed during our stay – but all had excellent, well-labelled vegan options on their menus.
It helps to look up cafes and restaurants ahead of your trip and make plans around their opening times. I’m a planning gal at heart so my method usually looks like this – a Google search followed by a look at blog recommendations, narrowing down a list of go-to’s then looking on their websites and social media platforms for more insight and recent reviews, and finally when we arrive looking at the Happy Cow app for nearby places when you’re out and about. It’s also useful to remember that: Sunday and Monday are usually when places are closed; it never hurts to call and book ahead or book a table online if possible, you never know how busy somewhere might be; think ahead and see if somewhere only accepts cash, which caught us out on a few occasions.
A few places we found in Salzburg ended up being real hidden gems and although they didn’t give us a flavour of traditional Austrian cuisine, they did inspire us to try new flavours and ingredients.
Here are our favourites –
Organic Pizza delights, look at that balsamic drizzle!
Organic Pizza, Franz-Josef Strasse – small pizza restaurant with wood-fired oven and vegan menu
This was the first place we tried when we arrived in the city as it was so close to our airbnb. They have 4-5 vegan options on their pizza menu and Nige and I tried different ones, both of which were delicious. Freshly made, organic ingredients as the name suggests and a nice, homely atmosphere to enjoy a quick bite. There are only a few tables inside but they also have a garden outside if its warm and a few tables and chairs out the front if you don’t mind being kerbside. They also offer takeout!
Burgers and the best chips @ BioBurgerMeister
BioBurgerMeister, Linzergasse – small burger restaurant with a few good vegan burger and fries options
Another very small restaurant and again all the ingredients are organic – a running theme of a lot of the food we enjoyed, by complete accident, but it’s just a lot more common over there. As the name suggests this is a fun burger and fries place and there are three options on the menu for vegans, plus incredible chips and sweet potato fries. Perfect for a quick dinner and again, they have outdoor seating and do takeaway.
Build-your-own BBQ cauliflower tacos at The Green Garden
The Green Garden, Nonntaler Hauptstrasse – health food restaurant with organic and regional produce
One of our surprise favourites of the trip, we walked to the Green Garden on a Saturday night, not realising this was definitely somewhere you need to book in advance! Luckily they squeezed us onto a table and we enjoyed one of the best dinners we had in Salzburg. There’s lots to choose from – wraps, curry, tacos, pasta, risotto – and promise me you’ll try one of their aperitif spritzers and stay for dessert! I also heard a lot of good things about their weekend brunch platter, so let me know if you try it!
The Heart of Joy breakfast plate
Apple and rhubarb pie for breakfast dessert at The Heart of Joy
The Heart of Joy, Franz-Josef Strasse – vegetarian cafe hosted by the Sri Chinmoy Foundation
So good we visited twice, for breakfast then an early dinner before a concert, this is a gem of an all-veggie cafe in the city. They do great breakfast plates, porridge bowls, sandwiches, salads, hot dishes and have an enticing cake stand – Nige had pie for breakfast pudding! Is that a thing?! – you won’t be able to resist.
Taj Mahal, Bayerhamerstrasse – Indian restaurant with English menu and vegan options for starters and main courses.
Another favourite, we were sensible and booked a table here for Sunday evening when lots of other local restaurants are closed. Nothing outstanding but we always love the choice we have when we eat Indian food, from samosas, poppadoms, chutneys, curries, rice and rotis, all courses (except dessert, when you’re too full anyway) are covered. Delicious and highly recommend.
denn’s Biomarkt, Sterneckstrasse – a German organic market chain with natural and vegan products, as well as bakery.
As well as the local supermarkets like Spar on every corner, we found a nearby organic chain, denn’s, a bit like a Wholefoods or health food shop. We went at the start of our trip to stock up on the basics – milks, yoghurt, fresh fruit, nut butters etc. – and then on a Monday morning for fresh vegan croissants, amazing!
Other places we heard about but didn’t get time to visit include mangoes, Cafe Fingerlos, My Indigo and Uncle Van. If you go, please let me know!
Manner’s flagship store in the heart of Salzburg
As well as cafes and restaurants, we were also able to pick up a few vegan-friendly snacks that were much more Austrian-inspired. Definitely try Manner wafers (available in every supermarket and confectionery store) and go along to the Manner shop in Residenzplatz, one of the main squares, to try to find their special vegan flavours (we got the citrus). On Steph’s recommendation we also had to try the Cola Mix – a mixture of Coca Cola and orange soda – which is again found in most shops, cafes and bars. Just bizarre. There’s a reason we call it Muddy Puddle or Thames Water here in the UK, but you have to try it just for the experience!
