I graduated last weekend. It has been a crazy year and I have already recounted of how my year was in 2016. I am officially now an Alumnus of IIM-Bangalore and it definitely feels great. I also booked my first international trip for March. Can anyone guess where I am going? I am thinking of going somewhere close by in February. Any suggestions for a place close to Bangalore? I also realized that I never finished my ‘Vegetarian Foodie in Europe’ series. So, that is what I will write about this time. This is my final vegetarian foodie post from my European trip this time around. So, any guesses on which places I am going to be covering this time? In the last piece of this vegetarian foodie series, I will cover my adventures about finding vegetarian food in Belgium, Austria, and Germany.
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| Belgium Chocolates |
Vegetarian in Belgium:
What did I eat in Belgium? Belgium is a paradise for chocolate lovers and I did most of my chocolate shopping for friends and family back in India here. You walk around Brussels or Bruges and you can find a chocolate shop at every corner. Godiva, Marcolini, Guylian and Mary are some of the ones I bought. Check out some chocolate making tours below.
You cannot go to Belgium and not have the Belgian waffles. They are so delicious and it is a pity that I do not even have a single photo of the same. I was too busy eating them, rather than taking pictures of them. They come up with all sorts of toppings and it is difficult to resist them.
Want to make your own waffles? Find out more and book your waffle making tour here.
Something very funny happened in Brussels. I had just reached Brussels and I headed out to have lunch. Since I was staying at the Dominican, which is very close to the Grand Place, there were many options to choose from. I chose a place called Drug Opera and was sitting outside, while people watching from a distance. There was an elderly couple sitting next to me.
Recommended Read – Where to Stay in Brussels
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| Just before I got scolded |
My food came and I immediately started clicking pictures with my camera. That is when the grandfather next to me lost it. He was very annoyed and he was scolding me in French. Since I do not understand French other than some customary greeting words, I assumed he was annoyed at me for disrespecting the food, by clicking pictures of it. I immediately put down my camera and started eating my Lasagne. I wish I knew enough French to tell him that it was part of my job to click pictures of food.
I had a disastrous lunch in Bruges and it was definitely the worst foodie experience this time around. It was a vegetarian pancake. However, it was just a dry crepe stuffed with uncooked vegetables. I did not finish it and I went looking for Belgium waffles in Bruges too.
My hotel, The Dominican in Brussels had an excellent breakfast buffet.
I don’t drink beer but for all beer lovers, Belgium is a must visit.
Vegetarian in Austria:
If you want to have coffee in Europe, then Vienna, Austria is the place for you. I had a lot of street food in Vienna and there were falafel shops almost everywhere here. Another thing I loved having here is the Apple Strudel and it is a must to have if you are in Vienna. They serve it with delicious cream or ice cream.
Find recommendations for recipes for some of the dishes mentioned in this post
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| Wine Spritzer |
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| Apple Strudel |
I even tried a Wine Spritzer here. The conclusion is that I still do not like wine.
Find out more and book your Vienna food tour with a local here.
Vegetarian in Germany:
I did not spend much time in Germany since I was in Frankfurt and Nuremberg only as a transit passenger.
I had taken an overnight bus from Strasbourg to Vienna through Germany. All bus services in Europe stop every couple of hours for bathroom and cigarette breaks. It doesn’t matter even if it is in the middle of the night. I am a light sleeper and I had had dinner quite early that day. At one of these stops, I decided to go buy something to eat from the store since I was hungry. There were not too many options. So, I bought a packet of potato chips. I ate a couple of chips and then I felt that the chips tasted a little weird. That is when I decided to check the packaging and realized that it was flavoured with Ham.
Accidents like these tend to happen when we are traveling and I usually do not bother too much about it. But if you are a pure vegetarian who would love to avoid such scenarios, always check the packaging of the stuff you are buying, even if they are potato chips. It doesn’t matter if it is at 2 in the night and you are a zombie who is deprived of sleep.
Other than that, my food experiences in Germany were quite inconsequential. I did not get much time to explore much of the foodie scene here and would love to go back one day.
So, we have finally finished the vegetarian foodie series in Europe and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. So long till next week and another blog post.
Read other posts from my Vegetarian series:
- Vegetarian Food in Portugal
- Vegetarian Food in Spain
- Vegetarian Food in France
- Vegetarian Food in Amsterdam
- Vegetarian Food in Mexico
- Vegetarian Food in Israel
- Vegetarian Food in Prague
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Find my recommendations for guide books on Austria
Guidebooks for Austria
Traveling to Austria and need more guidance on which books to read? These are our recommendations for you to read before you go.
Recommended: Austria travel tips
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Wow, congratulations! Did you do full time MBA from there?
Btw, I am an IIFT pass out (in 2009). When I was in Bangalore, I admired IIMB a lot…been there a couple of times too!
No, I was doing a part time weekend MBA there. It is designed for working professionals with at least 8 years of work experience. 🙂 Nice to know that you are an IIFT pass out.
Ok, good to know ?
As a German I must tell you, that you definitely need to come back and try the local food 🙂
The good thing is, it is pretty diverse, region related. But you also have to look a bit closer, since nowadays you do not find so many classic recipes because of fast food everywhere. But nevertheless – your impressions here from Belgium with all these delicious sweets make me a bit envy, how much I would love now to try such good waffles.
Last time I was in Germany, I was a non-vegetarian. So I definitely need to explore Germany more soon.
Falafal was a savior for us in Berlin. Otherwise, we mostly survived with Pizza, Cheese tomato sandwich, or bakery products. If you are in France, you should try their items emerging from french colonies (mostly from Indian ocean islands) and making part of French cuisine. They have an indian touch to their food revolving around rice.
I had written a veg foodie in France post as well.. You should definitely check it out. I try to find things I usually do not find here in India.
I love the desserts…oh..they are so you! Did you try the Scaher Torte in Vienna? The apfel struddel is so awesome..and the ice cream looks so yum! Your post has made me feel hungry!
I did try the Sacher Torte and it was delicious. I will have to add it to the post.
I always wonder if it’s difficult to find food when you have restrictions. Especially with a language barrier in a foreign country. What is in the glass with all the whipped cream? It looks so good!
It is much more easier in Europe. That is ice cream with a touch of Baileys. 🙂
I too don’t drink beer! It can be a bit awkward in Europe when people find you don’t drink wine. I did get a giggle at the Frenchie yelling at you. Now you’ve had a true tourist experience in France!
I really have no idea why he yelled at me. But I think it was because I was clicking too many pictures of my food, rather than eating it. 🙂 Btw this was in Belgium.
Sounds like a mixed bag of experiences! The lasagne looked delicious and I am surprised that you would be blasted for taking pictures. It is the new trend nowadays not to mention important for bloggers. The pancake sounded awful! uncooked veggies? Thanks for the tips. Everything else sounded beautiful.
I think that is why he yelled. He was perfectly fine and smiling till then.
Reading this post before I had my breakfast was a bad idea! All of these food shots had me craving for a Belgian waffle or any sweet breakfast treat (oh that breakfast buffet looks tempting). I knew that Belgium is famous for their chocolates, but a choco shop at nearly every corner? I need to book a trip to Belgium asap!!
I had had a lot of Belgium chocolates but I did not know that you would find a chocolate shop at every corner till I went there.
We are not strictly vegetarians, though our son is, but we do try to avoid meat when we get the chance. When traveling I love trying new dishes especially and like to bring home a ‘recipe’ as a souvenir. I’ve found some really lovely lentil dishes that way from Morocco and Turkey. Whenever I cook them I think of our wonderful adventures! I have not been able to master the Belgian Waffle though…but I will keep working on it!
It is so sweet that you try to prepare recipes from around the world. I wish I was that much interested in cooking.
I am bookmarking all your vegetarian guide series for my own Europe trip. being a vegetarian, food is already getting on to my nerves as I near my Europe trip. But your posts are calming me down 🙂
When are you scheduled to be flying, Neha? Don’t worry. Europe is definitely a great place for vegetarians.
Its good to know there are enough options to survive for a vegetarian in these parts of the world. I am usually concerned about these things. I too am a pure vegetarian and i know things like ham potato chips tend to happen sometimes. The best thing is to just forget it and move on.
Yes forgetting such incidents is the best part.
Just reading this post while having my breakfast…..made me give an ugly look to my bread and butter. Germany is always on my list. I dont have much idea about European food as I have never been there, but who would want to miss those scoops.
They were definitely delicious.
Oof, I would be so uncomfortable being yelled at in French like that! But I do love how your food photos turned out! Really scrumptious looking, all of it!
Thank you so much.
You had some very delicious travels. I love Belgium too. I could spend entire days eating their world class chocolates.
I would do anything for their chocolates.
If you can afford the calories, just live on desserts when in Europe! How can anything even come close to those? Great pictures.
No one can afford the calories. I am still on a detox even after 6 months.
Congrats on graduating! Also, I’m heading to Belgium in a few months, so this gives me a great preview. Definitely need to try some of those Belgian waffles and chocolate (obviously.)
Hope you have fun in Belgium.
I can only assume that it is easier to find vegetarian food in some countries compared to others. As I’m not a vegetarian, I was quite happy with my meat portions in Serbia. Considering the view of vegetables in one of the restaurants there was that one piece of lettuce was enough, I can only assume that it would have been hard tell them not to serve you meat. 🙂
It is getting much easier in the cities. But in the smaller towns, it is still difficult.
I love Belgium for its food! Trying their chocolate is definitely a must! Germany might be more difficult for vegetarians I guess… especially smaller town with more old fashioned restaurants… It’s such a meat loving country
It is difficult in most small towns but it is getting better.
I love eating my way through any country! Especially this with multiple countries! Which one was your absolute favorite?
I loved my foodie experiences in Prague and whole of Spain.
I’m going to Belguim this spring and I plan on eating SO many waffles! I’m also not a wine drinker, so I get you there. Though I may try to make myself like it while in Italy 😛
I can’t get myself to like wine in spite of trying it so many times.
You made my mouth water!
Anyway, I know several persons from Germany, and I noticed that, despite the fact that their cuisine is basically pork based, there are many people gone vegetarian or vegan. Probably is also a sort of outburst toward that fact.
I definitely should go back to Germany to try their vegetarian dishes.
Ah you make being a vegetarian painless! If this is what one can indulge in as a vegetarian, then I”m in!
It’s great to see that there are plenty of vegetarian options here and there in Europe. It’s though when traveling, because in some countries vegetarian food is hard to find. Thanks for this useful info!
You are so right about Belgium and waffles. I remember I almost missed my bus while relishing those, right next to the Statue of Pis. The warm waffles in the cold weather were just perfect. Yet to do Vienna and Germany…will keep you suggestions in mind
Belgian chocolates! Oh my god, I feel the temptation on the rise! You have posted the most amazing article ever for vegans like me. The Belgian waffle though, is it available without eggs? You just made me hungry.
I hope you come back to Germany! It’s hard sometimes to be a vegetarian in Munich as sometimes the traditional beer houses think vegetarian = pasta and cheese. However there are a lot of up and coming restaurants that are amazing and I even have a vegetarian supermarket and cafe by my house. I have yet to try Belgium waffles, I need to get over there and get some. Also, you’re killing me with not knowing where you’re going next! haha
You have hit it! Lovely guide for vegetarians. Also, you are right about Belgium and waffles. I used to love it in the cold weather, it was just perfect.
Well, I still love waffles. 🙂
Berlin has absolutely amazing vegan food! Definitely recommend getting back to Germany if you have the chance! The first time I was in Germany it was also in transit, as you were, but finally just made it back and absolutely loved it!
Wow reading your post and thinking of our time there makes me realize how difficult it must be to eat vegetarian in Europe. The desserts and treats are delicious, but you can’t live on that. I’m glad you managed to find enough great things to eat!
Congratulations! 🙂 You pictures and story make me hungry 🙂 Apple Strudel is such a delicious dessert. I’ve tried it in Vienna too.
I know how you feel trying to find something suitable to eat. We usually use the help of the website happy cow which helps you find vegan and veggie food anywhere and they have an app. We’ve found so many grewat places using happy cow in Europe.
Just have my breakfast and even if I am not vegetarian it was a bad idea huauahhua!! Ice cream looks really gooddd, I would like to try it, maybe just booking a flight and getting there as soon as possible!! Nice post, easy reading! thanks for sharing
ah i wish i read this before i went to vienna this winter. Finding healthy vegan/vegetarian food in europe is so difficult sometimes! I just ended up eating meat and potatoes along with my austrian friends haha
This is awesome. I also had part of my MA program in Europe and my favorite city would be Vienna. Glad you enjoyed the apfel strudel. Have you also tried the Sacher Torte? As a vegetarian, try to go to Hiltl in Switzerland!
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