Munich: Organic supermarkets

Organic supermarkets can be found on almost every second street corner in Munich but density varies from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

• Supermarket chains
• Independent full-retailers
• Zero-waste supermarkets
• Co-operatives with membership schemes
• Sunday-open groceries

Organic supermarket chains

In addition to a local organic supermarket chain, Vollcorner (consisting of about twenty markets in Munich and around), Munich hosts several branches of Germany's biggest organic chains Alnatura and Denns (both with more than 10 markets each within the city boundaries). The decline of the Basic chain (see below) which formerly dominated the city centre lead to the opening of a new centrally located Denns supermarket on the premises of a former Lidl branch in May, 2024 (the first Denns supermarket in the city centre did not survive tucked away in the basement of a mall).

Until mid of 2023 Munich was the home of the Basic supermarket chain with 11 markets – early in 2021 this chain restricted its activities to South Germany and Austria and sold all other nation-wide branches. However, these measures did not stop the decline of the company due to management failures, resulting in an insolvency. The Munich shops were taken over by the conventional supermarket chain teGut. Under the new management only the original Basic shop near Isartor and a second one near Nordbad are surviving as organic supermarkets, at least until the end of 2024. After this grace period the company plans to evaluate whether 100 percent organic supermarkets will be part of their concept.

TeGut was not the first conventional full retailer experimenting with fully organic supermarkets: With the Naturkind supermarket in Harlaching the Edeka co-operative is also running an experimental organic supermarkt in Munich, their first and only in town.

With Basic on the verge, there are two regional full retail chains left in town: Landmann's with branches in several Bavarian towns, but only one within the Munich city boundaries, and Vollcorner which does not have branches outside the Munich S-Bahn network. In addition you'll still find many small independent supermarkets, often using a Biomarkt sign, and even some homely, surviving corner shops.

Vollcorner has been making notable efforts to support zero-waste shopping for a long time, and burried many of them due to low customer acceptance. Shopping here you can however be sure not to (indirectly) support huge, globally operating multinational concerns as Vollcorner consistently delists organic brands sold to such companies. So you will find neither Logocos brands (Logona, Lenz, Sante, Heliotrop, Fitne) anymore since the company was bought by L'Oreal (which is partially owned by Nestle), nor Pukka tea (Unilever). Wine-lovers may also collect the corks made from natural cork and return them for recycling at any Vollcorner shop.

On weekdays most organic supermarkets keep open between 9 am and 8 pm, Vollcorner markets open at 8 am. Saturday opening hours vary, the big retailers and Vollcorner close at 8 pm. All groceries except the Biokultur supermarket in the basement of the central train station are closed on Sundays.

Apart from these full range retailers there is a small local food only chain, not offering any toiletries or detergents: Herrmannsdorfer specialises in meat products, bakery items and beer produced in the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten in Glonn, somewhat outside Munich. The shops close quite early, but if you come during daytime they stock sufficient dry food, dairy products, fruits, veges, sweets and more to spare you the trip to a second shop. Unlike the Basic chain Herrmannsdorfer allows you to buy meat in your own containers.

In 2015 a branch of the hyped Italian Eataly delicatessen chain opened within the architectonically interesting glass and iron construction of Schrannenhalle near Viktualienmarkt. It's true, they offer a good range of organic products, and organic food items are labelled as such on the shelves, but it's nevertheless a disappointing experience: Almost no fresh organic fruit and veges (not even the fresh herbs are organic), only pre-packaged organic meat (forget about the well-assorted meat counter), and the organic wines and spirits in the basement are not marked "bio" on the shelves, so it's very hard to find them.

Independent full-retailers

If you want to support the local economy, both Vollcorner and Herrmannsdorfer shops are all fine, but you may prefer to support independent markets where the owners are actually running the stores and create a homely and personal atmosphere. Often you will find products not on sale by the big chains.

When traditional Grüner Markt chain closed down end of September 2014, their main house in the Altperlach neighbourhood made an exception. Housed in a vault it has a pleasant italophilic, somewhat venerable atmosphere, definitely worth a visit. The perfect surroundings when shopping for delicatessen, and a must-go during the Christmas season. It's now dubbed Mohrhof Perlach.

The other big independent is Schmatz ("smack") in the Glockenbach neighbourhood. Step by if only for the lovely decoration of their bodycare section. Kids are invited to play in an old-fashioned corner shop, and selected items are lovingly set on display. It's the only organic supermarket playing music in the background. By the end of 2018 they issued a ban on fresh herbs in plastics packing, and in 2022 there's a dedicated unpackaged shelf with dry food in deposit glasses.

For the picturesque yet upmarket farmshop feeling in the city aim for Stemmerhof on top of the Sendlinger Berg. Once upon a time a wealthy village farm opposite the village church the nicely restored houses are now the home of an organic supermarket and a range of small owner-run shops. The supermarket's butcher's cum delicatessen disk will happily sell lunch snacks to eat on the spot or to take-away. The same enterprise also runs a second branch in the suburb of Grünwald, just a street crossing opposite of Alter Wirt hotel and restaurant.

In the posh Lehel neighbourhood near the Eisbach river within the Englischer Garten park you'll find an independent organic supermarket with a touch of a spice and greens bazaar, the Bioparadies Biomarkt. Its friendly staff was even willing to open after closing time, to sell me a left-over bread on a Saturday afternoon. The serviced bakery and cheese counter is also the place to refill your spice jars with loose-weight herbs and spices. The supermarket is conveniently located opposite the tram stop "Paradiesstraße".

The former Erdgarten supermarket a ten-minutes walk away from Pasing train station (or two minutes from Pasing Marienplatz square) reopened as a branch of the local Vollcorner chain September, 2019 and continues to serve organic and vegetarian wholefood lunch as well as coffee and cake. They also have a nicely decorated bodycare section. Whether they'll continue to serve knitters with a fine selection of organic wool I am not aware of.

If you by chance happen to strand near the Klinikum Harlaching hospital, don't dispair: two tramstops in North-Eastern direction on the left side (just follow the tram line along Grünwalder Str.) you'll find Biowelt, a crammed independent organic supermarket with a superb selection of both, bodycare and frozen convenience products: All you need if visiting a friend or relative in the hospital in urgent need of a proper meal. Starting with lunch time they offer a helping of organic soup and a small selection of snacks. You may ask for a sandwich made on the spot. The shop also has a zero waste corner with dispensers for legumes and a small selection of other dry food as well as an assortment of dried fruit. Make sure to step by check-out to weigh your containers before you fill them.

Attending a conference at one of the huge Bogenhausen hotels near Effnerplatz? Your lunch break should be sufficient to follow Bülowstraße in Western direction to Herkomerplatz. Here you'll find not only a Herrmannsdorfer butcher's shop cum grocery cum eatery and the Hofpfisterei bakery branch next to it, but also a pleasant family-owned organic supermarket dubbed Biovolet. The Riemensberger family placed some bar tables in the entrance area to have a snack, and there is a second branch in Eching (formerly a Grüner Markt branch). Pay with your EC (VPay) debit card, and they donate a few cent to the BioBoden co-operative which buys farm land in order to lease it to organic farmers. On Thursdays you will receive a 10 percent discount if your shopping cart is worth more than 50 euros.

In the neighbourhood of Schwabing one of the oldest organic groceries in town is located, these days rather boringly dubbed Echt Bio Markt which is the brand of a network of small-scale independent organic supermarkets. The pleasant, traditional shop in Tengstraße offers refill for organic household detergents.

However. not all supermarkets of this brand have been long established: The independent owner-run Echt Bio Markt in Nymphenburg was opened during the lock-down of the covid-19 pandemic: As its name suggests Bio am Romanplatz is the perfect place to shop for provisions at the tram hub at Romanplatz.

There's only one Sunday-open organic supermarket in Munich, the Biokultur in the basement of the main train station. It's sister branch in the newly developed neighbourhood of Riem on the plot of the former Munich airport can be found inside the Riem Arcaden shopping mall, sporting the only organic cafe in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately neither the cafe nor the supermarket are open on Sundays or public holidays.

If you happen to take the S7 urban train in southern direction to the municipality of Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn take the time to visit Roberts Bio-Genussmarkt on the premises of a former farmyard. The spacious, pleasantly refurbished and nicely decorated barn with its dark wooden shelfs makes it easy to spend some time on a coffee and cake in the included cafe area. When the weather is nice sun-shaded outdoor seating is provided. The former village of Höhenkirchen is part of the Mangfall bicycle route from Munich to Rosenheim, and this is a pleasant place for a break.

Waste-free supermarkets

By 2016 the first wrapping free supermarket made it into town: Check the zero-waste post for reviews.

Co-operatives with membership schemes

In the 1970ies and 1980ies many organic neighbourhood shops in Western Germany were co-operatively organised and sold to members only. In the 1990ies most of the surviving shops like the "Abakus" in Bremen opened to the general public, with discount schemes for members. To my knowledge, there's no such surviving shop in Munich, but recently established co-operatives such as "Deine Alternative" in Zorneding continue this inclusive approach.

As community supported agriculture (CSA) has an increasing appeal to city dwellers (the biggest one in Munich is the Kartoffelkombinat), the concept of an organic supermarket for members only came back to town in 2016, with the Ökoesel ("eco donkey"), by now a small, yet full-fledged organic supermarket in Nymphenburg near Leonrodplatz, focussing on package-free food.

When the founders of Munich's oldest organic supermarket, Lebascha in Haidhausen, were to pass over the shop to a younger generation in summer 2022, the Ökoesel folks stepped in. Although both branches focus on a membership scheme, they are neighbourhood groceries open to everyone. As a non-member you'll simply pay non-subsidised (i.e. higher) prices.

In summer 2021, another approach followed with the establishment of the Foodhub co-operative in Giesing, next to the lovely cafe "Shotgun Sister" and an organic bakery shop.

If you live in the vicinity you may consider joining this special organic food co-op which runs on the principle of solidarity: every member works three hours per month for or in the project and what's sold in the supermarket (predominantly regional produce) is decided democratically by its members. The shop concentrates on pre-packaged food, household and toiletry items, with the exception of loose weight fruits and veges, a small number of dry food gravity bins offering grains and nuts, and the self-service bread and rolls section. The household cleaning and bodycare shelves are filled with products in environmentally friendly packaging and focus on re-use (like the bamboo paper kitchen paper which can be washed and thus used several times) or little packaging through bigger volumes. There are plans for a zero-waste station to refill cleaning agents.

When I visited the shop at their open day in autumn 2021 I was surprised to not find a serviced fresh food counter given the fact that Karl Schweisfurt of Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten is one of the three legal heads of the co-operative, most likely due to the fact that such a counter needs to be staffed.

No membership fee is required for becoming a member of the on-line market platform Marktschwärmer. There's a Marktschwärmerei pick-up hub in the neighbourhood of Milbertshofen. If you decide to join, you can order food, beverages, sweets and more from predominantly organic producers in and around Munich.

• Vollcorner, usually Mon–Fri(Sat) 9(8)–20
• Vollcorner Bogenhausen, Warthestr. 1, Mon–Sat 8–20
• Vollcorner Haidhausen, Innere Wiener Str. 52, Mon–Fri(Sat) 9(8)–20
• Vollcorner Westend, Kazmairstr. 26, Mon–Fri(Sat) 9(8)–20
• Basic, Westenrieder Str. 35, Mon–Sat 8–20
• Basic Schleißheimer Str., Schleißheimer Str. 158–162, Mon–Sat 8–20
• Naturkind, St.-Magnus-Str. 34, Mon–Sat 8–20
• Landmanns Biomarkt, Barerstr. 54-56, Mon–Sat 9–20
• Herrmannsdorfer
• Alnatura
• Denns
• Denns Biomarkt, Zweibrückenstr. 8, Mon–Sat 8–20
• Eataly, Schrannenhalle, Viktualienmarkt 15, Mon–Sat 9:30–20
• Mohrhof Perlach, Ottobrunner Str. 133, Mon–Sat 8–20
• Schmatz, Holzstr. 49, Mon–Sat 9–20
• Biomarkt Stemmerhof, Plinganserstr. 6, Mon–Fri(Sat) 8–20(16)
• Biomarkt Grünwald, Südliche Münchner Str. 2a Grünwald, Mon–Fri(Sat) 8:30–19(14)
• Erdgarten, Planeggerstr. 9a reopened as Vollcorner, Mon–Sat 8–20
• Bioparadies, Lerchenfeldstr. 10, Mon–Fri(Sat) 8–19:30(16:30)
• Biowelt, Autharipl. 8, Mon–Sat 8–20, during covid-19 regulations also Sun 12–18
• Herrmannsdorfer Bogenhausen, Bülowstr. 3, Mon–Fri(Sat) 8–18:30(13:30), eatery open Mon–Fri 11–15
• Biovolet München, Herkomerpl. 2, Mon–Fri(Sat) 7:30–20(19)
• Biovolet Eching, Schlesierstr. 2 , Mon–Fri(Sat) 8–20(19)
• Echt Bio Markt, Tengstr. 31, Mon–Fri(Sat) 8–19(14:30)
• Bio am Romanplatz, Notburgastr. 19, Mon–Fri(Sat) 7(8)–20(14)
• Roberts Bio-Genussmarkt, Rosenheimer Str. 4c, Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn, Mon–Fri(Sat) 9(8)–19(14)
• Biokultur Riem-Arcaden, Willy-Brandt-Pl. 5, Mon–Sat 9–20
• Ökoesel, Helene-Weber-Allee 17, Mon,Wed,Fri(Sat) 10–19(15)
• Foodhub München, Deisenhofener Str. 40, Tue–Sat 8–20 (members only)
• Marktschwärmerei Milbertshofen, c/o Gärtnerei am Hart, Rothpletzstr. 57, Thu 16–18 (pre-order required)

Formerly organic supermarkets

As part of the "teGut" chain the following, former "Basic" supermarkets still offer a reduced assortment of organic products:

• teGut Bogenhausen, Richard-Strauss-Str. 48, Mon–Sat 8–20
• teGut Neuhausen, Nymphenburger Str. 82, Mon–Sat 8–20
• teGut Laim, Agnes-Bernauer-Str. 73, Mon–Sat 8–20
• teGut Altstadt, Müllerstr. 45, Mon–Sat 7–20
• teGut Neuperlach, Thomas-Dehler-Str. 45, Mon–Sat 7–20
• teGut Ludwigsvorstadt, Luitpoldstr. 3, Mon–Sat 7–20
• teGut Schwabing, Belgradstr. 59, Mon–Sat 7–20
• teGut Victoriaviertel, Rheinstr. 1, Mon–Sat 8–20

Closed down

The following organic supermarkets do no longer exist although you will still find references to them on the web:

• Alnatura Innenstadt, Sonnenstr. 23
• Alnatura Aschheim, Theodor-Fontane-Str. 10, Aschheim
• Biochicco, Ohlmüllerstr. 19 corner Zeppelinstr.
• Biomarkt CM, Schlüsselbergstr. 13 (Berg am Laim)
• Denns w/in Hofstatt mall, Sendlinger Str. 12a, basement (city centre)
• Die Bio-Bäuerin, Peter-Wolfram-Str. 31 (Gronsdorf)
• Entenbach Naturkost, Schlotthauerstr. 16
• Johannisgarten Naturkost, Johannisplatz 21 (Haidhausen)
• Gut zum Leben, Motorama Ladenstadt, Rosenheimer Str. 30-32 (Haidhausen)
• Tagwerk-Bioladen Hofgut Riem, Isarlandstr. 1 (Riem)
• Marktschwärmerei Werksviertel, c/o Cafe Guatemuc, Atelierstr. 1
• Nicos Naturkost, Kazmairstr. 38
• Veganz, Baldestr. 21 corner Auenstr., including self-service cafe Goodies
• Radix, Thalkirchner Str. 88 (Isarvorstadt)
• Vollcorner Ludwigsvorstadt, Lindwurmstr. 80

Organic Trondheim: Food and Daily Necessities

A university city and a cultural hotspot in Norway it does not come as a surprise that Trondheim has a number of places to source organic and eco-conscious products. However, although the availability of organic products had been increasing in the years before the covid-19 pandemics, the political will to foster planet-friendly consumation is low. As a consequence it requires a lot of individual effort to plan every-day life in the city if you want to restrict yourself to organic and sustainable food and goods.

Many inhabitants get some of their organic groceries (if omnivore also their meat) from market gardens, community-supported agriculture or farm subscription schemes, but since I do not live here this is beyond the focus of this blog.

Organic groceries and general stores

There's only one all-organic grocery left in town, and a farmer's shop offsite the usual tourist tracks, both crammed and pleasant if you like small owner-run shops, with friendly shop assistants who usually have time for a chat. Both of them have been here for many years, with ups and downs, sometimes at the edge of bankruptcy. You may expect to find all types of dry and a good selection of canned food, all you need to fill your store cupboard, sweets, natural body care and sustainable cleaning products. If available fresh fruits and vegetables are not pre-packaged in plastics.

For fresh food head for the city's organic pioneer, the Helios convenience store in Prinsens gate. At the end of 2016 the shop closed down but was taken over by new owners immediately and is now as reliable as before. You will find all daily necessities – food, toiletry, detergents etc. – in organic quality, including frozen pizza, ice-cream, unhomogenised fresh milk and Norwegian caramelized brown cheese. The frozen "lefser", Norwegian "pancakes" topped with butter, cinnamon and sugar and folded together, are not organic but nevertheless worth trying – simply defrost and enjoy.

Outside the city centre, a few minutes from the Rotvoll trainstation, you find a small organic farm shop cum general store, the Rotvoll Landhandel. It's part of the antroposophically driven Camphill village and biodynamic farm, an inclusive project of people with and without disabilities. The shop in a small farm house with light and wooden interior does not only sell products produced on the farm (among others tasty organic juices, cookies, bread and textiles), but also offers all you need of organic dry food, sweets and preserves, both of Nordic, European and international origin as well as detergents and body care. There's a freezer with bread and rolls of the village bakery and a fridge with dairy products, occasionally also meat. During the harvest season there may be fresh organic vegetables, too.

Make sure to have sufficient cash with you as the card reader refuses cards issued by foreign banks (at least none of mine were accepted, an issue often experienced in smaller shops in Norway, probably due to a restricted service subscription).

Farmers' market

At Trondhjem torv a farmers' market, Bondens marked is being held every second week on Saturday. Local small scale farmers sell their produce, but it takes a little effort to find the organic ones.

Bakeries

None of the above mentioned organic groceries are what you would call economic success stories, some of them were even about to shut down in the past. Likely the biggest economic success in the Norwegian organic sector is Godt Brød, a bakery which started here in town, as of today with three cafes cum bread shops in town. There's also a artisanal bakery, Isaks, attached to Sellanraa bar using organic ingredients.

Organic food at conventional food retailers

In conventional supermarkets you cannot expect to find all you need in organic quality, usually you will have to shop in different supermarkets and see what you are able to buy. Moreover organic vegetables are often wrapped in plastics, to separate them from conventual produce.

At the beginning of the century the (now) Meny hypermarket Solsiden offered an impressive range of organically certified food seen with Norwegian eyes. However, there has not been any noteworthy increase for the past years, and there's no effort to guide you towards organic products.

In Coop supermarkets watch out for the Änglamark own brand (see also here), in Rema shops for Kolonihagen, but most supermarkets do not stock more than a very basic selection, with the notable exception of Coop Mega shops like the one in the Sirkus shopping mall at the Strindheim bus hub where I found such exotic products as organic aubergines, cream, not homogenised milk and lime.

To avoid green-washed products and misleading marketing while cherry-picking through supermarkets check for the "økologisk" keyword and organic labelling (mainly Debio, KRAV and the European organic label, but you will also find Soil Association and USDA certificates). Dairy products by Røros meieriet, meat products by Grødstad Gris (though no longer certified organic as this decreased their ability to sell their products), ice-cream and beer from Reins Kloster, "Helios" and "Manna" products as well as "Go green" grains and pulses are all safe. Some of them can also be found in Sunkost or Life healthfood shops.

• Helios, Prinsens gt. 53, Mon–Fri(Sat) 12–17(16)
• Rotvoll Landhandel, Arkitekt Ebbells Veg 1, Ranheim north of Rotvoll train stop, Mon–Thu(Fri–Sat) 11–17(16)
• Bondens marked, in front of Kongens gt. 7, every 2nd Saturday 11–16
• Meny Solsiden, Beddingen 12, Mon–Fri(Sat) 8(9)–22(20)
• Coop Mega Sirkus Shopping, Falkenborgvegen 9, Mon–Fri(Sat) 9–21(20)

Permanently closed

Before the covid-19 pandemics there were two cosy special shops offering organic body care and wool products, but unfortunately none of them survived. Neither did the city's ethical and zero-waste pioneer Etikken, later known as Zana which was run as non-profit association.

• Miss Organic, Thomas Angells gt. 13 (natural body care)
• Nstebarn, Fjordgata 28 (wool and knit wear)
• Zana, Olav Tryggvasons gt. 20

Organic Trondheim: Restaurants and Cafes

As a university city Trondheim has had a few places offering fully or partially organic food for almost a generation, of the home-made vegetarian kind as well as fine dining restaurants using ingredients from organic farms in the greater region. Unfortunately, there's little left, and I don't know of any place for an organic meal in the evening. Coffee houses and cafes serving fairly traded coffee drinks with organic milk have been coming and going, but the informal organic self-serving places where you can have a coffee and/or a sandwich break are wildly popular among locals and great places to meet.

For a lunch or breakfast sandwich head for the cafe in the backroom of the organic Godt Brød bakery near Nordre gate, one of the pioneers of organic food in Norway. Choose the filling of your sandwich or savory bread roll (all ingredients except the Italian-style salami cut are organic), have a decent coffee drink (the milk is organic), tea, a sweet organic bread roll ("bolle"), and/or an organic juice (e.g. from the nearby Rotvoll juicery in Ranheim which has its own organic grocery on their premises). About half of the cold drinks are not organic, so check for the "økologisk" keyword. During the warm season, treat yourself with a pre-packaged organic ice-cream from Reins Kloster. Everything is offered to take away, too. Notable fact for vegans: The dough for the sweet bread rolls is dairy-free, the bakery uses porridge made from oat and water and rapeseed oil instead of milk.

The company has expanded vastly in the past few years, with shop openings in Oslo (which by now also hosts the headquarter), Stavanger, Bergen and a few other places and last but not least at its birthplace: If you cannot find a spare seat in the cafe where it all began simply walk a few more steps to Dronningensgate. With its upmarket shop front it's the perfect place for a coffee date. The place has chairs filling every possible space, so especially during the winter it is advisable to find a table, place your jackets there and go to buy your food and drink with hands free and a bit slimmer.

A short stroll over the bridge there's a third branch by the waterfront, inside the Solsiden shopping mall with even longer opening hours. They have a spacious sitting area outdoor, although its use is limited due to the ever changing weather in Trondheim. Good to know: All Godt Brød branches accept anonymous payments without data traces, using cash.

Heartier food like organic egg and bacon for breakfast or lamb burgers for lunch or dinner, together with organic softdrinks can be had at Ramp Pub and Spiseri at Svartlamon. Vegetarian options are available. Service at this shabby-homely place may be a little slow, and not all of the ingredients are organic. Formerly entirely furnished with formica tables and chairs the interior has improved since, but gentrification hasn't replaced the proletarian chic yet. The kitchen closes at 9 pm.

Real organic food, vegan and vegetarian, is served at neighbourhood Cafe Stammen in Kongens gate. Unfortunately their opening hours are rather limited, so I haven't been able to pay a visit yet. Let me know about your experience if you happen to eat there before me.

Simple seasonal lunch with the little extra, home-made predominantly from produce of small-scale organic (though not necessarily certified) farms from the Trøndelag region, sourdough bread of traditional grains from the adjacent bakery, coffee and books, this is Sellanraa next to the city library and Kunsthall museum. Unfortunately they do not serve dinner and are closed on Sundays.

At the airport

Airports generally aren't the place for a conscious lifestyle, but if you cannot avoid to fly from Trondheim Airport Værnes you may at least have an organic coffee past security at Haven next to gate 35.

• Godt Brød, Thomas Angells gt. 16, Mon–Fri 7:30–17, Sat(Sun) 9(10)–17
• Godt Brød Solsiden, Beddingen 10, Mon–Fri 6:30–21, Sat(Sun) 9(10)–18(17)
• Godt Brød, Dronningensgt. 32, Mon–Fri 6:30–19, Sat(Sun) 7(8)–19
• Ramp Pub & Spiseri, Strandveien 25a, Mon–Wed(Thu–Fri) 16–23(1), Sat(Sun) 13–1(23)
• Stammen, Kongens gt. 55, Fri(Sat) 17(13)–23
• Sellanraa bok&bar, Kongens gt. 2, Mon–Fri(Sat) 10(11)–18
• Haven, Trondheim lufthavn Værnes, next to gate 35

Permanently closed or no longer organic

The following places are either closed, with references remaining on the web, or ceased to offer organic items:

• Credo, Ørjaveita 4 (partially organic gourmet restaurant, re-opened on new location)
• Credo, Ladeveien 9
• Jossa, Ladeveien 9 (part of the Credo restaurant family)
• Edoramen, Ladeveien 9c (part of the Credo restaurant family)
• Kafé Soil, Nedre Bakklandet 20d
• Makro Buffet og Restaurant, Prinsens gt. 4c (partially organic macrobiotic eatery)
• Trondheim Mathall, Prinsens gt. 30 (partially organic restaurant and delicatessen)
• Persilleriet, Erling Skakkes gt. 39 (one of the pioneers of organic vegetarian food in Trondheim, replaced by a vegan lunch bar, Erlings, where you perhaps also will find some organic items if you ask)
• Persilleriet St. Olavs Hospital, Olav Kyrres gt. 13
• Selma, TMV kaia 13 (pizza)
• Dromedar Kaffebar (various places, do no longer have anything organic)

Milan: Organic restaurants and pizzerie

Milan isn't the birth place of Italian pizza, but an easy place to find the world's arguably most sought-after fast food the way it should be: with long leavening of the dough, made with organic ingredients. Pizza is not only served by dedicated no-frills pizza restaurants – it is also an ubiquitous item on the menu of organic restaurants serving the classical sequence of Italian food, with starters, first and second courses.

At all places reviewed here the service staff is approaching international guests in English, and the younger the waiters the less patient they seem when approached in broken Italian.

The best food we had in Milano was served at Bioesseri restaurant in Brera which seems to get most of its ingredients and wines from Sicily. Not only the food was delicious, also the casual ambiente – the restaurant is more or less a wide slope from one side of the building to the other, with serveral zones, all decorated differently but consistent as a whole. This place was also the only one with trained, professional service, but there's of course a price tag to it. As in any better restaurant, the menu is restricted to four/five items per course, both vegetarian, fish and meat. In addition there's a slightly longer pizza menu. The pizza oven is visible from the guest room in the back, the pizza itself was of the softer, less crisp type, with carefully selected toppings making it to more than just a filling meal. If you want to try the Milan signature dish, risotto Milanese with Ossobucco, I'd fullheartedly recommend this place. The pasta we had was nicely amalgamated, and the antipasti of very different styles, but all nicely done. Starters and first course were sufficiently filling, so we left out the second course and enjoyed all desserts – sufficiently refined for a casual restaurant, except for the (very palatable) tiramisu all came with a little surprising note on top.

This place is also a nice option for an aperitivo, cocktail in the evening or simply a very good wine, with more quiet outdoor tables at the Via Fiori Oscusi. There's a second restaurant in Palermo.

Bioesseri isn't the only fully organic restaurant in town: At the hotel restaurant Bio Riso in Affori you have another chance to try risotto milanese – even without meat. The place in the basement of Eco Hotel Milano is located a short walk from the M3 metro station Affori Centro, but that's off any of the usual tourist tracks. So better call to book a table in advance. The place also offers gluten-free dinner, as the name suggests they consider rice a key ingredient.

If you are more into beer, and less into food, Organic may be a place of your fancy. This is a stylish pub without trained staff, all the food – pizza, fries (with different cores, not only potatoes), pasta, avocado toast and bowls – goes perfectly with beer. The kitchen uses a selection of organic ingredients but is careless towards the taste. There's no printed menu, but unlike the menu cum ordering app suggests you may order from the waiter and pay in person. Given the fact that their former website on organicpizzaandfood.com was defaced I'd strongly advise to do so.

The marketing on the paper table clothes suggests that the place belongs together with the pizzeria Pizzeria naturale near Porta Garibaldi, but since I did not come here I cannot say to which extend they use organic ingredients. If you don't want to find out yourself (I'm appreciating first-hand accounts), here are two other organic pizza restaurants:

The multinationality of the service staff at Pizza Bio near the Duomo reminds of the fact that pizza may have its origin in Italy but truly is a world heritage: When you book a table or order your food here, don't try to use your handful of Italian vocabulary: Most of the service staff barely speaks Italian themselves, so you may switch to English at once.

There's a huge assortment of pizze – alongside classic ones you'll find those celebrating special Italian ingredients like the burata or the provola cheeses, and there are interesting modernised combinations, but everything with the Italian heritage in mind. Unfortunately there's only one red wine by the glass (a montepulciano) and it remains unclear whether the wines are organic as are most of the pizza ingredients.

If you want to book a table, call in. The place is much bigger than you may think as there is a second guest room in the basement. Despite this size and although the place tries to put eco-friendly measures into action they do not have a printed (or handwritten on a chalk board) menu. Instead you must access the menu on on-line – which given the sheer number of guests is likely to produce more climate emissions than a re-usable rarely changing printed menu.

The pizze were palatable, especially as this was the first restaurant after arrival from abroad. While we were eating a bunch of local policemen on duty stepped by to order food which I'd take for a sign of quality. However, the pizzaiolo killed the sophisticated taste of his high quality ingredients by drowning everything in oil.

Most confusingly there is another pizzeria dubbed Bio Pizza not too far away, on Corso Italia.

All places mentioned above offer vegan options, but if you are looking for a dedicated vegan organic restaurant, try Radice Tonda in the beautiful Jugend neighbourhood around Porta Venezia which has been here for more than 12 years. There is a second restaurant of the same name near Porta Romana which wasn't open for dinner most of the week when I was there. However, as the restaurant owners warn about regular changes of opening hours it may be advisable to call in in advance.

• Bioesseri, Via Fatebenefratelli, 2 , daily 8–24
• Bio Riso, Via Vittorio Scialoia, 3, daily 19–21:30
• Organic Pizza and Food, Via Morigi, 8, daily 12–14:30,19–23
• Pizza Bio Gigi & Peppe, Via degli Arcimboldi, 5, Tue–Fri(Sat–Sun) 12–15(16), Tue–Fri,Sun(Sat) 19–22:30(23)
• Radice Tonda, Via Lazzaro Spallanzani, 16, Mon–Fri(Sat–Sun) 8:30(9:30)—23

More to try

I found the following places in the course of my research upfront. But since I haven't come nearby I can neither confirm their existance nor how committed they actually are to organic ingredients.

• Pizzeria Naturale, Via Gaetano De Castillia, 24 , daily 12–15, 19–23:30
• Pizzeria naturale Sant' Ambrogio, Via Edmondo de Amicis, 24, daily 12–15,20–23
• Bio Pizza, Corso Italia, 14 , Mon–Fri 12–15, daily 19–23:30
• Radice Tonda, Piazza Bruno Buozzi, 5, Mon–Thu(Fri) 8:30—15:30(23), Sat(Sun) 9:30–23(15:30)

Closed

• Pizzeria Naturale Navigli, Ripa di Porta Ticinese, 79 (unknown whether its successor "Easy Pizza" is using organic ingredients)
• Bioesseri Porta Garibaldi, Via Amerigo Vespucci, 11 (likely a former location of Bioesseri)

Milan: Organic ice-cream

Given how easy it was to find organic pizza in Milan it required noteworthy effort to find an ice-cream parlour using organic ingredients. But although the Gelateria km zero isn't necessarily located along usual tourist tracks, I full-heartedly recommend to take the detour to have an ice-cream there, especially if you are near the Darsena.

When I was there the weather wasn't nice, and the place empty, but the gorgeous ice-cream made up for the rain and the cold. In addition to the ice-cream you can also buy ice-cream cakes and lollies, but also artisanal chocolates, cookies, cheese cake and pralines. If you feel extravagant have a brioche or a Belgian-style waffle filled with ice-cream.

Most ingredients are organic, and as the name "kilometer 0" suggests, there's a focus on Italian, if possible local produce. Needless to say that vegan flavours are available.

The globally operating French ice-cream franchise Amorino has four shops in Milan by now, usually offering one or two organic flavours nicely shaped in the form of a rose. Here I only list the branch I came across in person, in the entrance area of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle Secondo at the Duomo.

• Gelateria Km Zero, Piazzale di Porta Lodovica, 6, Tue—Sat(Mon) 12(15)—23, Sun 12—22:30
• Amorino Duomo, w/in Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle Secondo, daily 12–20:30

More to try

During my stay I learned about the following fully vegan artisanal ice-cream parlour likely to use organic ingredients near the Cadorna train station) but unfortunately I did not have time to visit. I'd appreciate to hear about your experience if you get there.

• Nosh, Via Luigi Canonica, 81 , Tue–Sun(Mon) 12(9)–23(17)

Closed

• Puro&Bio, Viale Umbria 27 (organic ice-cream franchise in Porta Romana)
• Dolce bio, Via della Moscova, 13 (artisanal organic ice-cream parlour in San Marco)