Vegetarian Food in Belgium, Austria and Germany in 2024 (What to eat, Vegan Tips, Survival Guide)

Vegetarian Food in Belgium, Austria and Germany. Read on to find about the various vegetarian meals I ate in these three countries.

Written by: Soumya Nambiar

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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 β€˜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.

Outside a chocolate shop in Brussels, Belgium
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.

Outside a chocolate shop in Brussels, Belgium

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 A delicious Lasagne in Brussels

An icecream with alcohol and cream
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.

Pastry shop in Bruges with lots of delicious looking pastries

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

Picture of my wine spritzer
Wine Spritzer
Apple Strudel in Vienna served with fresh cream and delicious homemade vanilla icecream
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:

Liked it, then pin it

What To Eat In Belgium As A Vegetarian | Vegan in Belgium | Vegan Friendly | Vegetarian Foodie | Vegetarian in Belgium | Vegetarian food in Belgium #Belgium #Vegetarian   What To Eat In Belgium As A Vegetarian | Vegan in Belgium | Vegan Friendly | Vegetarian Foodie | Vegetarian in Belgium | Vegetarian food in Belgium #Belgium #Vegetarian .

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About Soumya Nambiar

Soumya Nambiar here. I am an avid traveler, travel blogger, vegetarian foodie and entrepreneur from Bangalore, India who grew up in Tanzania, Africa. I have been to more than 60 countries and in this blog, I write about my personal experiences as an Indian traveller around the world as well as my struggles as a vegetarian. I can be reached at [email protected].

58 thoughts on “Vegetarian Food in Belgium, Austria and Germany in 2024 (What to eat, Vegan Tips, Survival Guide)”

  1. 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!

    Reply
  2. As a German I must tell you, that you definitely need to come back and try the local food πŸ™‚
    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.

    Reply
  3. 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.

    Reply
  4. 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!

    Reply
  5. 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!

    Reply
  6. 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!

    Reply
  7. 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.

    Reply
  8. 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!!

    Reply
  9. 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!

    Reply
  10. 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 πŸ™‚

    Reply
  11. 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.

    Reply
  12. 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.

    Reply
  13. 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!

    Reply
  14. If you can afford the calories, just live on desserts when in Europe! How can anything even come close to those? Great pictures.

    Reply
  15. 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.)

    Reply
  16. 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. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  17. 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

    Reply
  18. 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 πŸ˜›

    Reply
  19. 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.

    Reply
  20. 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!

    Reply
  21. 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

    Reply
  22. 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.

    Reply
  23. 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

    Reply
  24. 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. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  25. 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!

    Reply
  26. 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!

    Reply
  27. Congratulations! πŸ™‚ You pictures and story make me hungry πŸ™‚ Apple Strudel is such a delicious dessert. I’ve tried it in Vienna too.

    Reply
  28. 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.

    Reply
  29. 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

    Reply
  30. 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

    Reply
  31. 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!

    Reply
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