The Organic Traveller
Saturday, 02 September 2023

Bremen: Organic coffee and tea houses

A hotspot for the coffee and tea trade the Hanseatic city of Bremen has a tradition for exotic beverages, and has always been a place with room for a subtler and more sophisticated approach to these beverages than the conventional mass-market. Organic and ecological projects have been blooming here for much longer than elsewhere, and so you can expect to find long established organic places blossoming alongside recent start-ups. What you will rarely find however are shiny, polished hipster cafes.

Radieschen

Neustadt

If you have to describe this neighbourhood in a sentence you'd probably point to the omnipresence of flee market-purchased furniture and objects in its lovingly and individually decorated independent shops and cafes. The beer tables on the pleasant garden terrace of Cafe Radieschen ("radish") as well as its indoor walls are all painted pink! If you come hungry first have a predominantly organic vegetarian or vegan pasta dish or sandwich before you turn to their impressive choice of home-made, predominantly organic cakes. Most drinks as well as the milk are organic, you can have an organic vegan ice-cream in the summer, and ingredients are sourced locally as far as possible. Lunch is usually offered between 12 am and 3 pm, and instead of the weekend the place is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The cafe plays host to a lot of neighbourhood activities, among them home-cooking events with young refugees from the house across the street. They always take a summer vacation.

Cafe Frida

Closer to Wilhelm Kaisen bridge and a few steps from the Kaemena ice-cream parlour you'll find a sweet art cafe dubbed Cafe Frida. They serve organic tea, soft drinks and soy milk for your coffee drink alongside home-made cakes, but neither the cakes nor the coffee, milk and oat milk are organic. You may however buy organic fairly traded Slokoffie coffee sailed from Honduras and distributed by bicycle to have at home. Due to covid-19 restrictions you can not have breakfast here for the time being.

Sylvette

Viertel

Whether you visit the Kunsthalle museum of art or just come by on your way into the alternative neighbourhood of the Viertel climb the stairs to the museum's self-service Cafe Sylvette inside the art museum. It's run by the crew of the Canova restaurant behind the museum and offers home-made cakes, organic soft drinks or tea, coffee drinks with organic milk and partially organic savoury snacks at upmarket prices, but in stylish surroundings. When the weather is nice opt for the outdoor seating for the views (and corona safety).

Whether you want to spend some time reading with a delicious coffee drink aside or simply feel for a short espresso in between, the Contigo shop in Ostertorsteinweg is definitely worth a try. The shops of this small chain of fair-trade shops resemble each other, both, when it comes to the interior design as well as in the assortments of goods (predominantly coffee, tea, chocolate, jewellery, bags and colourful accessoiries). The Bremen branch moved lately, and, on its new premises, has quite a large area with chairs and tables so that the shop (other than the ones in Dresden or Göttingen) has more of a coffeehouse atmosphere. Although you have to place your order at the till you will be served. They use sparingly roasted high quality coffee beans which result in a "greener", tangy taste even of the milk-based drinks like a flat white.

Usually it's not crowded, and hence a place to go when you feel for a less noisy spot. Surrounded by a gorgeous fair fashion and another fair-trade shop on one side, a health food store on the other and an organic cosmetics shop (almost) opposite you may however feel tempted to spend more money than initially planned.

Another cosy and serene place for an Italian-style coffee drink is just a few steps away: the Noras reviewed in the restaurant post.

Teestübchen (backside)

Schnoor

The city's narrowest lanes are to be found in tourist hotspot Schnoor at the other, Northern shore of the river Weser. To enjoy the atmosphere of this oldest part of town dating back to the 15th and 16th century, follow the Wüstestätte ("waste site") alleyway until the end and have a tea in a beautiful yet narrow two-storey tea house and shop dubbed Teestübchen ("little tea parlour"). Nice weather provided you can also sit outdoor and enjoy breakfast or tea time with a home-made cake, or a high tea with a pasta, typical local dishes, or Alsatian "pizza" (Flammkuchen). Many ingredients are organic, but you might want to be picky when choosing the tea since not all of them are.

Mind you: if you approach the Schnoor from the water front you'll approach the place from behind: The outdoor tables you see in the picture above do not belong to Teestübchen, and a surprised waiter from the adjacent restaurant won't be able to meet your requests. Simply move around the house!

City centre

Starting in the summer of 2020 the coffee bicycle of Coffee Bike has been offering Italian-style organic coffee drinks to city dwellers. Looks environment-friendly? Well, the bicycle is only make believe, and they serve their fare in one-way cups. You can easily top this – with a fairly traded organic coffee transported to Bremen without climate emissions by sailship and bicycle, in an earthenware cup, at the Biten food truck on the Domshof market.

On Mondays and Fridays you may also find the Bremer Straßencafé here.

Haferkater

For a filling (vegan) porridge and coffee drink on the go or on the spot the Haferkater cafe in the passage of the main train station is an option on weekday mornings. While all pre-packaged products of the Haferkater brand and the cow milk are organic, it remains unclear whether the freshly rolled oats, and the toppings are so. The coffee is not organically certified, but fairly traded, and the oat drink unfortunately is conventional fare. They also have a decent assortment of bowls, wraps and sweets, and the shop assistant told me that some of the ingredients used here were organic, but was hesitant to specify what. You may come with your own box or cup; if not you may get a returnable bowl or cup as long as you trust (and are willing to install) the Vytal app. Insist on an earthenware cup if you intend to drink your coffee on the spot.

At the university campus

University refectories usually are no gourmet temples, but it is nevertheless a pity that the Mensa refectory on the campus stopped to offer organic side dishes. In 2023 they increased their efforts again, and now make a commitment to use only organic dairy products (they also offer organic home-made pasta at the "Pastawerk" booth Tuesday through Thursday). So you still can have an organic and fairly traded coffee drinks with locally sourced organic milk from the coffee vending machines at Cafe Central. It's not a delight, though – the coffee tastes bitter from too high a temperature inside the machine, but it's cheap and ethical.

Tasty speciality coffee can be had from the mobile street vendor Bremer Straßencafé on Tuesdays and hursdays around lunch. (The other working days it is supposed to be found at the Domshof in the inner city (on Mondays and Fridays), and on Saturday at the Pappelstraße in the Neustadt (supposedly at the neighbourhood market place) – if you can confirm this please let me know.)

The coffee isn't certified organic, but the cow milk used for coffee drinks is. Unfortunately the lovingly decorated coffee car (a former small scale butcher's market car which the owner refurbished and staffed with both, a barista coffee machine and a dish washer) is likely to be retired soon and replaced by a car trailer. On Thursdays the vendor may sometimes still be there after 2pm.

If you want to invest into regular supermarket prices, the new branch of the local Aleco organic supermarket chain on the campus of the economics (Wirtschaftswissenschaften) school of the university has a self-service cafe where you can get organic snacks and coffee drinks. Their coffee machine however is a fully automatic one, so do not expect serious barista fare here neither. Due to covid-19 restrictions the self-service cafe is closed for the time being, but you can get coffee and cake to take away, simply don't forget to bring your own mug and lunch box to avoid waste.

Habenhausen

Obervieland is probably not the part of Bremen you will visit as a tourist, but if you happen to come here and are in the mood to mingle with natives step by the Gartencafé of the protestant St. Paul's parish in the former village of Habenhausen to have a coffee. There's fairly traded organic coffee, organic milk, organic soft drinks and drinking water bottled by a social business of the not-for-profit organisation Viva con Agua. The American cookies are of course home-made, and there are no fixed prices: You pay what you can, but please, be honest. The cafe is closed on Mondays and during the school holidays in summer.

Closed since the covid-19 pandemics

Closed

2023-09-02 10:00:00 [Bremen, Neustadt, Schnoor, Worpswede, organic, fair, vegan, vegetarian, coffee, tea, lunch, cafe, breakfast] Link

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Thursday, 20 July 2023

Munich: Shopping organic stuff late and on Sundays

Bavarian opening hour regulations are far from liberal, hence your shopping options on Sundays and after 8 pm are limited to, uhmmm, petrol stations, more or less. Not the kind of place you'll expect to find organic food, toiletries or other necessities in eco-conscious quality.

But the times, they are changing, and for the organic Munich traveller or inhabitant, there's no reason to despair anymore. Your best bet are railway stations, namely Hauptbahnhof (main station) and Ostbahnhof.

Biokultur

At the Hauptbahnhof enter the basement from Elisenhof in Western direction, following the S-Bahn signs (if you come from the trains head straight ahead to the Eastern exit to enter the basement). Opposite the entry to S-Bahn (urban trains) you'll find Biokultur, a full-fledged organic supermarket. It's your only choice for fresh organic fruit and veges on Sundays and offers everything you'll expect from a full retailer (including wine, household cleaning items, toiletries, ...) as well as a pleasant shopping atmosphere. Before the covid-19 pandemics, this organic supermarket kept open after 8 pm, but shortage of staff applies here as well, so in 2023 the shop still keeps open on Sundays, but without extended opening hours.

There's a second branch in the neighbourhood of Riem, without a permit to keep open on Sundays.

Next to the Biokultur at Hauptbahnhof you'll find a branch of the local organic Hofpfisterei bakery chain, the only one open on Sundays. As all of their branches it also stocks a small range of organic drinks, dry and dairy products as well as organic cold cuts. On weekdays they offer a selection of yummy organic sandwiches to take with you, both, vegetarian and omnivore, most of them with gorgeous German sourdough bread – perfect provisions for train travellers. On weekends only buttered prezls ("Butterbrezn") are available for take out.

Unfortunately the Hofpfisterei branch at Ostbahnhof train station does no longer keep open on Sunday mornings, but a five minutes brisk walk from the station you'll find one of those family-owned bakeries that are becoming so rare these days. Leave the station at Orleansplatz exit, cross the square and follow the tram tracks along Wörthstraße. At the end of Bordeauxplatz square, corner Metzstraße, you'll find Cafe Reichshof run by the Neulinger family, a lovely coffeehouse cum pastry shop. Treat yourself with their delicious organic cakes, icecream or a savory organic snack like the traditional Bavarian Weißwurst (sausage) breakfast. If you don't feel intrigued to stay shop from a huge range of organic bread, rolls, and cakes. You can also buy a small selection of prepackaged cheese and meat cuts, butter, milk and jams from the fridge opposite the coffee machine.

Starting in 2022, the other Neulinger branches in Neuhausen, the meat-packing district of Ludwigsvorstadt and the wholesale market area in Sendling have been keeping open on Sundays and public holidays, too, though some only for breakfast.

Fritz Mühlenbäckerei Haidhausen

Everything you need for a sumptious breakfast or cold snack (except fresh fruit and veges) can be bought from Fritz Mühlenbäckerei near Rosenheimer Platz. Between 1987 and 2010 this cosy artisanal baker's shop was the headquarter of one of Munich's eldest organic bakeries. Now the scent of warm bread fresh from the oven is gone – all the production takes place in modern facilities in the outskirts of Aying. The shop however is still here and open on Sunday mornings, including a small grocery section equipped with a large fridge.

About ten years after the Fritz bakery moved their bakery from the Haidhausen backyard to Aying the bakers came back to town with a bread bakery in Glockenbachviertel. The former cafe re-opened in June 2020 – buy your daily artisanal bread and watch the bakers at work.

If you happen to be in Grünwald on a Sunday morning (or another day of the week during working hours) make sure to buy the best German sourdough bread in the entire Munich area from Lokalbäckerei Brotzeit. Their bread workshop is located on the premises of the Alter Wirt hotel, with a separate entrance and a small lunch cum cafe counter where you can choose a roll and from a range of all organic spreads, coldmeat, cheeses and more to get your customised sandwich.

Regiomat Johanneskirchen

Back at Ostbahnhof trainstation, directly at the southern exit of the U-Bahn station into the Ostbahnhof building you'll find the place that will save your life after 8pm: This branch of the DM-Drogeriemarkt chain does not only stock the usual excellent range of natural bodycare, organic dry products, vegan alternatives and eco-friendly household helpers, but boosts a capable selection of dairy products, eggs and even a freezer stocked with organic pizza, berries, icecream, ... Unfortunately – and unlike other DM branches – organic choices and certified natural cosmetics aren't clearly marked on the shelves, so watch out for organic and natural cosmetics labels, and brands.

Vending machines

A few steps from the urban train stop Johanneskirchen, directly located at the bus stop "Johanneskirchen Bhf" there's an 24x7 open vending machine selling Bavarian produce: Not everything from the so-called Regiomat is organic, but you can buy organic eggs, UHT milk, cheese, chocolate pudding, cream and ready-made tomato sauce.

Erntebox Bergam Laim

By the summer 2020 the concept of vending machines for products of smaller local farms finally had made it into Munich town, too: The Erntebox vending machines offer eggs and chicken meat, sausages, cheese, pasta and fruit jam, not everything organic, but most likely from farmers around Munich with a focus on sustainability. There's one at the Grünspitz in Giesing, a hotspot for urban agricultural and greening projects, and another at busy Berg-am-Laim-Straße in the Eastern neighbourhood of Baumkirchen. To find the latter isn't easy: Follow the shop windows of the (conventional) Aumüller bakery in in city (Western) direction and stop when the house turns at an angle. Unfortunately the number of certified organic products has been decreasing here: When I re-checked in summer 2023, the organic sausages were gone, but there's again a good selection of organic cheeses.

2023-07-20 22:00:00 [Munich, Gruenwald, Johanneskirchen, Haidhausen, Sendling, organic, coffee, gifts, snacks, lunch, breakfast, bakeries, grocery, supermarkets, trainstation, Regiomat, covid, corona] Link

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Sunday, 05 March 2023

Vienna: Hotels serving organic breakfast

To find a hotel serving at least partially organic breakfast is nowhere easier than in the Austrian capital – a simple search on the web, and off you go. To book a room in the impressive ivy-covered zero energy building of the Boutiquehotel Stadthalle however, may prove more difficult during holiday seasons. The certified Bio-Hotel serves 100 percent organic breakfast and offers rooms both, in a renovated villa and a modern recently build passive house, right in the vicinity of the Westbahn train station.

With family-run hotel Gilbert (formerly known as "ViennArt") there's a second hotel with a green plant-covered facade next to the Museumsquartier art district. They not only offer organic breakfast but also sport a fashionable restaurant using organic produce.

Henriette City Hotel

Eco-consciousness isn't enough to make the world a better place – so why not stay at a place which actively works on the transformation of the economy? Henriette Stadthotel in the city center, located on busy Praterstraße boulevard, is the first Austrian hotel certified as Economy for the Common Good (ECG) company. The family-run boutique hotel formerly known as "Hotel Capri" offers predominantly organic breakfast, and the staff is genuinely, not only professionally friendly and helpful – looks like they really enjoy their workplace. All rooms are decorated individiously, with each floor sporting a different aspect of Viennese culture – and a bench or two seats illustrating the theme, e.g. with nicely restored historic seats from Viennese teatres or garden chairs from the beginning of the 20th century. There's complimentary organic tea and instant coffee on the room.

Even the standard rooms are spacious and un-perfumed, decorated with dried flowers. All bedclothes are made from natural, organically certified materials, and the rooms are eco-friendly cleaned with steam-cleaners. Liquid soap and shampoo are certified eco-friendly, but neither certified natural nor organic. Defininitely a place to recommend.

Social responsibility combined with eco-consciousness are also the pillars of another centrally located hotel: Magdas. The name of this place, opened in 2022, is a pun: "mag das" means "I like this", and Magda is a common female name. If you love being surrounded by people and furniture of all colours, this is the place for you: The hotel offers work and qualification for refugees, and the entire place is equipped with upcycled furniture. There's a garden instead of a parking lot, and organic, partially fairly traded food and drinks at the restaurant where you, in a positive sense, can "eat the world". Needless to say that locally generated renewable energy is part of the concept. Do not be confused if you find sources stating Laufbergergasse as the (no longer valid) address: The place was located in the Prater until it re-opened at its present location near the University of Music and Performing Arts.

Traditional Viennese hotel luxury certified against the eco standards of the Austrian Eco label for Tourism can be found at the hotels of the Schick family, Viennese hoteliers of the fourth generation and owners of Vienna's oldest hotel "Stefanie". Use of organic and fairly traded as well as local agricultural products in the kitchen are part of the requirements, but don't expect too much. Three of the five hotels have restaurants on premise: At Stefanie only the courses from the separate menu based on pork of the Labonca farm are guaranteed to include certified organic meat. In addition the wine menu offers a few organic ones. For other organic ingredients or drinks you have to ask the waiter/waitress. The gourmet restaurant Das Schick does not mark anything organic on its menu, but being a 3-toque restaurant one may expect frequent use of organic ingredients. The menu of the third restaurant, Wiener Wirtschaft marks an assortment of wines and a beer as organic, and use of Zotter chocolates hints a few more organic ingredients in the kitchen, but here you are on your own, too.

Zeitgeist

A carefully yet sparingly decorated, not over-designed semi-eco conscious modern business hotel a few steps from the main train station (Hauptbahnhof), the Zeitgeist is for you if you prefer a professional, suitably semi-anonymous design hotel with a small outdoor workout space and garden in the backyard (the green lawn however is artifical). The breakfast here offers organic bread, eggs, milk, coffee, tea and cheese (not the slices though, only the Austrian "bio" cheeses served in cubes) – neither organic yogurt nor fruit nor preserves. The Pergola hotel bar (open to the public between 12 and 23) allows you to combine four different gins and four different tonics, among them the Austrian O gin and the Red Bull Organics tonic which make for a 100 percent organic lightly herbal and refreshing combination. If you buy refreshments at the vending machines you'll find organic soft drinks of the Höllinger and Vöslauer brands. There are free bicycles, but check the brakes before setting out for a ride as the staff does not seem to.

Ruby Lissi inside of the postoffice building

For single travellers the three Ruby design hotels Sofie in the Weißgerber neighbourhood, Lissi in the inner city and Marie in Neubau offer zeitgeist-compliant luxury and probably still partially organic breakfast (the keyword "organic" disappeared from their self-descriptions somewhen between 2018 and 2022). Rooms can be booked on-line only, with credit cards as the only payment option, and even at the bar they won't accept cash. There are no family rooms available.

If you prefer to stay away from the urban buzz in quiet surroundings head for the family-friendly Umwelthotel Gallitzinberg about 40 minutes from Stephansplatz if using public transport. Take tube no. 3 to Ottakring and change to bus no. 46b in direction Wilhelminenberg to Hansl-Schmid-Weg. The European ecolabel certified hotel's organic breakfast buffet is open not only for hotel guests but also for those heading out for a walk in the Wienerwald, from 6:30 on weekdays and 7:30 on weekends and public holidays.

Map of all places listed in this article

Temporarily closed

The bike-friendly hotel "Am Praterstern" is currently being transformed into an environment-friendly apartment house. It is expected to reopen as the Urban Jungle in June 2023, including a vegan-friendly vegetarian cafe which is expected to be using herbs and greens from vertical farming on premise.

2023-03-05 13:00:00 [Vienna, Wien, organic, hotel, accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, bar, restaurant] Link

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Sunday, 13 November 2022

Salzburg: Hotels serving organic breakfast

Organic luxury combined with responsible corporate culture: My favourite hotel is Bio Austria certified, family-driven, family-friendly Hotel & Villa Auersperg in the old town. Before covid-19 almost all items on their breakfast buffet were organic, but in 2022 it seems that this has decreased. It's still possible to have a fully certified organic breakfast though.

Hotel Auersperg

When it comes to the contents of the mini-bar and the complimentary selection of tea and herbal tea on the room I was delighted to discover that some sweet and savoury snacks still are organic (though not as many as about five years ago), the same applies to tea bags and refreshments. The organic shampoo and liquid soap are produced by a manufactury in town, the towels are washed with ecological detergents, and the complimentary good-night chocolate on the bed is organic and fairly traded.

The hotel also has a gastro bar cum cafe dubbed A* bar where you can have a hearty meal or cake, organic coffee and organic wines, teas and juices. Its small, yet carefully selected daily menu caters for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike, with generous servings, until around 22:30 pm. With the relaxed atmosphere of a mundane hotel bar the place is also worth a visit when you're not staying at the hotel. Their assortment of spirits for a relaxed drink at the bar includes organic Gin Bien, a gin made by Salzburg-based organic bee keepers, and the O gin and vodka, both of Austrian origin. Speaking of bee-keeping: The hotel has its own bee cubes located in its pleasant garden.

The hotel which consists of two spacious adjacent houses (the "hotel" and the "villa") is driven in accordance with the Economy for the Common Good principles. What could have been a pleasant park in the backyard of the villa is unfortunately an embarassing parking lot for the guests' obese cars. Much more pleasant: Next to the Tesla charging stations you may fetch a bicycle for a city ride. Unlike the parking fee bicycle rental is however not included in the (by now honestly quite hefty) price for the night.

If you are inclined to spend a luxury night in the old town, but cannot afford Auersperg prices you may check out Hotel Stein: The hotel with its view on the river Salzach provides organic body care products, but since its beautiful (but independent) Rosencafe breakfast restaurant gave up in May 2022, I don't know whether you may expect a 100 percent organic start of the day.

Smaller purses should have a look at the budget self-check in hotel The Keep just a few steps from the main train station. It has colourful eco-conscious basic rooms, family rooms and appartments with upcycled furniture at very affordable prices. Their vending machine offers organic snacks, bamboo toothbrushes and vegan condoms, there's a community kitchen and a focus on reducing waste.

In 2022 they had a partially organic vegan Italian pop-up restaurant on their premises, the Vegitalian, but this is moving to another location. The hotel's website still promises a daily open restaurant serving breakfast and lunch, and dinner Wednesday through Saturday. Since it is announcing X-Mas opening hours, they probably found a new operator, but I cannot say who/what it is and whether it is organic.

Grünes Hotel zur Post

About ten minutes away from the city centre, in the neighbourhood of Maxglan, you will find another family-driven Bio Austria certified retreat, the Green Hotels member Hotel Zur Post. It consists of three houses which are less luxuriously designed, but clean and comfortable, and the Villa Ceconi a little down the road. All rooms and apartments are equipped with organic cotton towels, organic soap from the local manufacturer mentioned above and organic tea bags. The hotel uses carbon neutral heating and produces its own photovoltaic electricity. You will be served fully organic breakfast, including yummy cakes and home-made vegan and vegetarian spreads (try the pumpkin seed oil one!).

Unfortunately the hotel does not have a bar, and although it is listed as a bicyle-friendly bett-und-bike hotel there's no bike shelter for guests.

In the Eastern neighbourhood of Parsch you may try the Heffterhof, another Salzburg hotel emphasizing on local, predominantly organic supplies in their kitchen. It has a focus as a conference hotel and offers fully organic breakfast. Let me know about your experience when you stay there.

If you prefer to spend your nights in the quiet of a natural park, far from the city's noise and yet only 20 minutes by bus from Salzburg's main train station, Stadthotel St. Virgil in the neighbourhood of Aigen is the place to stay. The hotel is part of a modern, sustainably driven conference and educational complex and as such serves Bio Austria certified organic breakfast and lunch, preferably with seasonal Austrian ingredients. Its Parkcafe also offers breakfast and lunch to passers-by, a nice and comparatively cheap option if you're out for a walk in the surroundings of the Salzburg hills. Unfortunately there's no lunch on Sundays, and on little frequented days the cafe may be closed.

If you plan a visit to Hellbrunn castle or the adjacent zoo, the Kaiserhof Anif is nearby. Their organic breakfast restaurant is open to the public, after pre-order by 8 pm the day before. Children up to five years won't be charged.

And for the sake of completeness: The Motel One design hotel chain runs two houses in Salzburg (one centrally located near the main train station, one on the way south to Hellbrunn castle) and promises at least partially organic breakfast and fairly traded coffee. They are not an option when travelling as a family.

Map of all places listed in this article

Not or no longer organic

I felt in love with Salzburg during a stay at Altstadthotel Wolf Dietrich which once upon a time was Salzburg's first organic hotel with a lovely organic restaurant. Unfortunately they turned into a conventional hotel almost ten years ago. You will likely find a few organic items on their breakfast buffet, but I haven't questioned them for the past eight years.

If you read my post on eating out in Salzburg you might be wondering whether the Hotel Stadtkrug in Linzergasse was offering (partially) organic breakfast. Unfortunately this is not so.

2022-11-13 19:00:00 [Salzburg, Hellbrunn, Anif, organic, hotel, accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, bar] Link

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Wednesday, 31 August 2022

Verona: Organic cafes, restaurants and eateries

Meat-lovers, be brave in Verona: All the places I found serving organic food are vegetarian or even vegan.

Piu Gusto Bio

Piu Gusto Bio offers organic breakfast, health food for lunch as well as coffee and cake. They have outdoor seating on the main street, so unless the corona virus forces you to avoid closed rooms it's nicer to sit inside in the pleasantly decorated air-conditioned cafe. For lunch there are tasty sandwiches and daily changing plates with wholefood preparations inspired by the suggestions of the Havard School of Public Health for a healthy eating plate. Around 2pm choice was limited, but the broiled zucchini and fennel, the aubergine-bean mixture and the falafel-style bean balls were very nice and not as bland as health food often uses to be. All food is vegetarian, most of it vegan. While the coffee was nice (well, it's Italy after all), the chocolate cake was dry and crumbly.

More to try

Satisfied there was no need to proceed to the Ziga bar north of the Adige river, in the neighbourhood of Borgo Trento which promises a little more elaborated vegetarian, though only partially organic lunch and dinner, natural wines and organic beer.

For vegan sweets, coffee, a soup or savoury snack I have Dulcamara bakery cum self-service day cafe on my list, but my time between two trains did not allow for more than one lunch and an ice-cream.

For vegan organic pizza and pasta try La Laterna. Their signature dish is bigoli (thick "spaghetti-like" pasta) alla carbonara, and I'm curious how they interpret this rather un-vegan recipe in a vegan style.

Map of all places listed in this article

Probably closed

Some years ago I found the following pizzeria in Borgo Trento on the web, but all references to opening hours have been gone, so I suppose that the place shut down:

2022-08-31 18:00:00 [Verona, organic, biologico, vegan, vegetarian, breakfast, lunch, dinner, restaurant, eatery, cafe, coffee, bakeries] Link

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