Hungry for vegan

Whether meat-free burgers, vegan cakes or Viennese specialties on a plant basis – meat-free cuisine has long since arrived in Vienna. Vegan restaurants opt for purely vegetarian cuisine or offer a wide range of vegan alternatives. Even non-vegans will adore it.

Cuisine à la vegan

Fine dining can be vegan too: Larissa Andres and Jonathan Wittenbrink have made a name for themselves with their vegan fine dining restaurant, Jola. With Jola’s multi-course, entirely plant-based menus, they prove that giving up animal products does not mean sacrificing flavor. No substitute products are used either; instead, the dishes are prepared with regional and seasonal ingredients. You can enjoy up to ten vegan courses in one evening. For those seeking an alternative to traditional wine pairings, their house-made fermented beverages such as kombucha offer a refreshing new experience. If you prefer a more laid-back atmosphere and à la carte dining, we highly recommend visiting their sister restaurant Lara.The bistro Lara, also run by Andres and Wittenbrink, is likewise a culinary highlight.

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Plate with a vegetarian dish — © Restaurant JOLA

Vegan meal on a plate — © Restaurant JOLA

Chefs in a restaurant — © Restaurant JOLA

Upscale vegan cuisine is served by Tian in Vienna city center. This vegan restaurant is definitely one of Vienna's luxury restaurants: Here, you can enjoy exciting vegan and vegetarian menus that have even been awarded a star by the Michelin Guide. At Wrenkh, you’ll also find a wide variety of vegan dishes on the menu. In the evening, the focus shifts to “vegan fine dining”, offering an exquisite multi-course, entirely vegan menu.

The Vollwertrestaurant Lebenbauer in the 1st district also offers a colorful repertoire of creative dishes, almost all of which can be prepared in a purely vegetarian style. At the vegetarian/vegan restaurant Landia, guests can even eat a vegan version of the Viennese classic "Onion roast with bread dumpling".

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Restaurant — Tian Bistro am Spittelberg – © Hannes Kläger

Outdoor dining area at TIAN Bistro restaurant on Spittelberg — Tian Bistro am Spittelberg – © Hannes Kläger

Restaurant Tian — Tian restaurant in the city center – © Ingo Pertramer

Vegan food on a plate — Vegan fine dining at Wrenkh – © Jennifer Fasching

Vollwertrestaurant Lebenbauer – © Restaurant Lebenbauer

Tian Bistro am Spittelberg – © Hannes Kläger

Tian restaurant in the city center – © Ingo Pertramer

Vegan fine dining at Wrenkh – © Jennifer Fasching

Vollwertrestaurant Lebenbauer – © Restaurant Lebenbauer

It is almost always possible to order purely vegan in the oriental bistros and restaurants on Vienna's Naschmarkt. Delicacies from the Middle East entice alongside meat-free dishes from the Far East. Asian cuisine such as Thai, Indian or Japanese contains many vegan dishes by their very nature, and Vienna's organic restaurants are often vegan and vegetarian.

Vegetasia is a long-standing establishment in Vienna, having first opened in 1988. Here the dishes are prepared with fresh natural ingredients that are free from glutamate and in accordance with the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine. The All You Can Eat Buffet and the Hot Pot Buffet are particularly popular. Atypical is Rupp's, an Irish pub with a vegan touch on the menu.

Spontaneously vegan?

For a quick bite to eat: fast food can also be vegan! Many restaurants in Vienna show that burgers and other fast food favorites also taste really good in the vegan or veggie version. The Swing Kitchen locations serve very popular meat-free fast food, including burgers, bowls, and wraps. And yes, the vegan burgers taste as good as they look. The Loving Hut is an innovative fast-food chain with two outlets in Vienna and offers exclusively vegan meals. The vegan bistro chain Veggiezz is represented with two outlets in Vienna and serves burgers, chickpea pasta, wraps and more with meat substitutes. Lin’s veggie DUMPLIN’ offers authentic, vegan Taiwanese dishes such as dumplings, noodle soups, bao zi (steamed buns), zha jiang noodles and the very popular spicy Volcano Noodle Soup.

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Vegan burger — Swing Kitchen – © Swing Kitchen

Swing Kitchen from inside — Swing Kitchen – © MountainMill

Vegan wrap — Swing Kitchen – © Swing Kitchen

Swing Kitchen – © Swing Kitchen

Swing Kitchen – © MountainMill

Swing Kitchen – © Swing Kitchen

Cafés & bistros

At Süßkind Veganery, quality and an awareness of food come top of the list – that's why the 100% organically certified dishes are only available while stocks last. If you can't make up your mind then opt for "all sorts" for a little bit of everything. At Tian Bistro, vegetarian and vegan dishes are served to share. Everything is placed in the center of the table – just help yourself! Because having a picnic in Vienna is so nice, you can pre-order a vegan picnic basket including blanket from Harvest Bistro on Karmelitermarkt, before you head for a picnic in the nearby Augarten, Prater or on Danube Island. Salzi is a bistro focused on vegan, plant-based cuisine, complemented by specialty coffees and teas that inspire creative drinks.

Café Ausnahmsweise serves up delicious gluten-free, vegan patisserie with ingredients from controlled organic cultivation. Warm dishes such as lentil curry are also served at lunchtime. At Vienna's first fully vegan ice cream parlor, Veganista Ice Cream, you can eat vegan ice cream at several locations: both unusual and "classic" varieties are prepared sustainably and fairly here, completely without animal products.

Tip: A look at the restaurant database of the Vegan Society in Vienna is worthwhile.