We recently spent 30 days criss-crossing Europe. One of my concerns was how to feed myself. I know Amsterdam is full of weirdo hippies like me who avoid meat and dairy - but what about Frankfurt? What about Prague? What about Ljubljana? What about the trains themselves? Nightmare, right?
I packed a bunch of snack bars, stocked up Google translate with suitable phrases, and resigned myself to having to pick the ham out of a salad while my wife dined on local specialities. Ah well, I can survive on bread and olives, I guess.
As it happens, I was wrong. Totally and utterly wrong. From Bratislava to Zagreb, I had my fill of tasty veggie treats without fuss. Even the trains weren't too bad.
Here's a quick run-down of what worked and what went (slightly) awry. Or skip to the photos.
On-Train Dining
This was the most variable experience.
The Deutsche Bahn trains had an web site which let you order to your seat! I tried the vegan currywurst which was excellent for train-food. Similarly, the tofu-curry was better than I expected, and was washed down with a lovely radler.
Some of the Czech trains had a selection of sandwiches and salads which were veggie and vegan.
Breakfast on the sleepers was pastry (with dairy) and some fruit. The train from Germany to Paris had a single vegan dish - grated carrot!
The Eurostar back to the UK served up a perfectly fine salad, with yoghurt on the side. They were very good at getting me some non-dairy spread for my bread.
Some trains had no dining car, or only took cash, or nothing veggie. So it is always worth stocking up before travelling. Which leads me on to…
Supermarkets
While other countries don't have the same pre-packed sandwich culture as the UK, you can always find crisps, snack bars, instant noodles, and - sometimes - pre-packed salads.
The Ⓥ symbol is pretty universal - but it's handy to know what the local word is for "Milk". Across Europe, labelling rules are pretty strict, which is good because…
Allergens
The EU has a list of common food allergens. I think nearly every restaurant menu we saw had prominent labelling under each dish. Even if you can't translate exactly what you're eating, it is easy to spot a dish with dairy, eggs, etc.
Say, how do you find good restaurants to eat at?
Happy Cow to the Rescue!
I've spent 12 very happy years using Happy Cow - it list restaurants which are either pure veggie, or have decent veggie options. So before getting to a city, we found restaurants that looked promising.
In fairness, nearly every restaurant we passed had at least something vegetarian on the menu. Usually something cheesey or a side dish of vegetables. But Happy Cow showed us restaurants which had a good selection of omni dishes and veggie dishes. As Liz is an omni, we ate at a mix of places and, to be honest, some of the mixed restaurants were better than the veggie only ones!
You can read all my reviews on my profile.
Local Cuisine
It's no fun going to a brand new European country and only eating veggie sushi and Quorn sausages. Thankfully, we had a great range of local cuisine done in the veggie style.
In Frankfurt I had a vegan Sausage with cabbage salad and home fried potatoes, paired with some lovely apfelwein. I had various simulacrums of local dumplings in sauce, the traditional sandwich with a veggie twist, and the world famous cake make without dairy. Lush!
Of course, it isn't all local dishes for local people. We also went to a very strange influencer restaurant in Slovenia who were happy to chat about which dishes were suitable.
Cultural Hegemony
Despite Brexit, English is still widely spoken. When we tried speaking in the local language we were immediately handed an English menu! And, on the few occasions that didn't happen, Google Translate is basically magic.
Lots of the dishes may be strange to you. That's OK, it is all part of the adventure. But, if you do freak out…
In An Emergency
In every city in Europe, I guarantee you'll find one of the following:
- A falafel stand which claims to cook the only authentic falafel in town.
- A Chinese takeaway with an excellent selection of tofu dishes.
- An Indian restaurant who can do a range of "pure vegetarian" meals.
- A big chain fast-food place,
Luckily, I didn't have to resort to a veggie whopper or a KFC vegetable wrap, but it was nice to know I could fall back on them if needed.
Where it went wrong
There were only a few hiccoughs. Some of the restaurants had slow service or rude staff - but you get that in any restaurant.
One veggie place we went to served the worst vegan schnitzel I've ever tried. Tasted like flattened cardboard coated with crumbled disappointment.
I was pretty sure one of the packet of crisps I bought was milk free, but on closer inspection I was mistaken. Off to vegan jail for me!
Should I Do This?
Yes! If you follow a veggie or vegan diet, Europe is very accommodating. We found kebab shops which only did plant-based dishes, high class restaurants with a couple of incredibly inventive dishes, and everything in between.
Sure, the options on trains can be a bit dicey sometimes, and there's always the suspicion that the waiter has mistaken your order, but it is basically fine.
Nearly every restaurant has a website where you can check the menu in advance, and most of them support online reservations.
Honestly, there's never been a better time to be a veggie in Europe.
Photos
Please enjoy these various shots of delicious food from across Europe.