Smaller bites of Berlin

June 11-20, 2012

   

While Germany as a whole doesn't have a particularly veg-friendly reputation, Berlin revealed itself to be just the kind of hip'n'happening city that caters well to veg*ns (though I think it's still got a long way to go for the gluten-averse). Most restaurants tend to include a vegetarian option, though it's likely to feature cheese or cream; Turkish food is abundant and a trusty alternative for vegans. We had very, very few issues interacting in English. 

All that said veg*n restaurants are so dense in the inner city that we barely visited an omni restaurant or discussed our dietary needs directly. Meals are cheap by Aussie standards using Aussie dollars, so we didn't hesitate to eat out thrice daily. We still didn't quite make it to all the kitchens on our wish-list!

To round our Berlin posts out, we'd like to recommend a few more local features that don't quite warrant an entire post each.

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While in Berlin, we stayed at The Circus Hotel. They were well fitted out with friendly staff, prompt cleaning, tour information, free wi-fi, bike rental, ipods, ipads and Berlin-themed movies to borrow and, to Michael's delight, daily viewings of the European championships on a big screen down at the bar. They also run apartments and a hostel close by to suit other needs and budgets.

   

Their breakfast buffet costs extra, but is pretty great. For 8€ (~AU$9.60) you can have your fill of cereal, yoghurt and fruit, a cold savoury spread of bread, cheese, boiled eggs and pickles (and meat), tea, filter coffee, juice and some damn good chocolate milk. They also offer a la carte items like eggs, pastries, pancakes and a vegan breakfast (pictured at back, below). Even so, Kopps down the street is better value still for veg*ns.

   

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Michael found Berlin's coffee to be off-puttingly milky with one exception - Bonanza Coffee. Friendly Melbourne coffee snob Toby insisted Michael check them out and he wasn't disappointed.

   

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The more ubiquitous Berlin beverage is Club-Mate. It's a soft drink, it's a tea, it's a pick-me-up and it's possible to get it topped up with vodka in bars. Apparently it can now be found in Melbourne.

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My thrist-quencher of choice, however, was chocolate milk. The only real rival to the excellent brew at our hotel's breakfast buffet (see above) was the range of hot and cold options at bitterveld. Their chocolate is fair trade, organic and very, very good.

   

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For more general snacking and cooking there's Veganz, an all-vegan supermarket and cafe. Their shelves are stacked with fresh produce, non-perishable groceries, mock meats and dairy, snackables and bake-ables, drinks, ready-made meals and toiletries. Their bread and cakes look great, and I think I even spied vegan croissants!

   

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And next door to Veganz is Avesu - a vegan shoe shop. They've got leather-free Doc Marten imitators, sneakers, stuff for the office and lady-like flats that got my toes tapping and my finger-tips reaching for my credit card.

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Needless to say, we had a blast in Berlin. It's surely Germany's (if not Europe's) veg*n hotspot with plenty else to recommend it too - history, culture, nightlife, cheap beer, cute dogs, ...