Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Vegan in Vienna; Sweets & Mock Meats galore!

Please head over to my new blog at TheUrbanHousewife.com, where you'll find this post & more!

When thinking of vegan friendly places in the world, a location in Austria likely wouldn't come to mind. To my surprise, Vienna or Wien, as it's known in Europe, is chock full of vegan eats, sweets, & treats! Of course, having a fabulous tour guide like Melanie certainly doesn't hurt when it comes to finding these treasures.

Fresh off the plane & ready to roll, we wandered around the streets of Vienna, in awe of the amazing architecture. In the 7th district, you'll find vegetarian Taiwanese spot Vegetasia, home to an all you can eat lunch buffet with everything from Miso Soup & Gyoza to Curry "Chicken" & fried selections galore. The buffet is about 85% vegan, they do use egg, honey, & have creamy dressings, but ask the staff & they'll be happy to tell you what is suitable for vegans. While the flan is not an option, the fried bananas ARE & I was sure to partake in my fair share (& possibly the share of others.)

Vegetasia
is located at Kaiserstrasse 45, 1070.

While you may have thought Copenhagen was the land of vegan croissants, that's not the case after all! Organic bakeries are popping up all over Europe & Vienna has their share as well. At Bäckerei Waldherr you'll be welcomed with a hand written sign titled, "For Our Vegan Friends", letting you know what's available to you. I had to get some of the Chocolate dipped, Raspberry Jam filled Croissants & while they were a heartier wheat pastry & not all that flaky, they still hit the spot! I also acquired a Nougat Heart cookie & an Apple Pie-like pastry, neither of which were a disappointment. I went to the Bäckerei Waldherr located at Naschmarkt, an awesome outdoor market with fruit, veg, & local artisan goods like pickles & sauerkraut. You can also find some of the Bäckerei Waldherr goods in DM drugstores with snack bars called "Gesunde Pause". While you're picking out your Vegan Society labeled skincare items, you can grab a snack as well!

Bäckerei Waldherr is located at Naschmarkt 1040, Marc-Aurel-Straße 4, 1010 or at the "Gesunde Pause" in DM drugstores.

Relatively new kid on the block, Landia opened their very vegan friendly doors just months ago, but are already delighting the locals. The 100% vegetarian menu rotates daily & vegan options are clearly marked. On the night we went to Landia, they just happened to have seitan döner on the menu, which Ryan quickly snatched up! Flavorful house-made seitan, thinly sliced cucumbers, & a tangy vegan yogurt sauce in pita bread all complemented each other in this tasty treat! I went with the traditional dish Schnitzel, which is a breaded & fried cutlet that came with a generous portion of potatoes. Everything we had at Landia was delicious & I could see myself eating there time & time again.

Landia is located at Ahornergasse 4, 1070.

As a major fan of candy, I was thrilled to find out Manner Original Neopolitaner, the pride of Wien & a confection consisting of crisp wafers filled with Hazelnut Cream are vegan! I started stockpiling these babies almost instantly, then found out there was also a Lemon Creme version & a Chocolate dipped version! By the time we hit the Manner store by St. Stephen's Cathedral, I was on overload.. sugar overload, that is! While not all of the confections by Manner are vegan, many are, so check those labels. There's even a German guide to vegan Manner on their site! I've already spied a spot here in San Francisco where I can get Manner bars, so you may be able to find them locally as well.

On a sunny, but cold afternoon, we headed over to Formosa, a restaurant & vegan food shop not too far from a bustling shopping street. As we entered this small shop with two tables & floor to ceiling goods for purchase, we were greeted by the smiling faces of the ladies who work there. Trying to take a break from the mock meats & fried foods, I opted for the Tofu & Vegetables with Rice. The tofu turned out to be fried & a bit cornstarch flavored, but the vegetables & rice in a flavorful sauce were just fine. Ryan opted for a vegan Cordon Bleu, a fried cutlet filled with soy cheese & ham with a side of potato salad he declared the best he's ever had! After dining, I filled up a basket with far too many goodies like vegan gummies, biscuits, white chocolate bars, baked treats by local brand "Vegan Bakery", & No-Muh-Chäs, a vegan cheese by Vegusto. While the food at Formosa was nothing to write home about, the selection of goods was excellent & I would recommend a stop there to check it out.

Formosa is located at Barnabitengasse 6, 1060.

Of course, the best sweets out there are the home baked sort! Imagine my surprise when Melanie revealed that Chocolate Chip Scones had been baked for us to enjoy. I hate to admit it, but it was my first scone experience. Luckily, it was a great one, so I'll have to try these treats again sometime!

By the way, for more vegan Vienna options, check out Tupalo.com. I was surprised that we weren't able to hit all the spots available to vegans, so I suppose I'll have to go back sometime!

36 comments:

melanie said...

what a fantastic entry!! thank you for being such wonderful guests! when are you coming back? :)

Anni said...

I've only spent one day in Vienna a while back and this post really makes me want to revisit soon! It was a day trip from Budapest I took with a friend, and we mostly subsisted on mulled wine... Good to know there are options for the more mature me!

Anonymous said...

I am loving all the sweets =) YUMMY!

Macie said...

Awesome! You've really opened my eyes about vegan travel!

Anonymous said...

Try not to stay up too late blogging just for us! I loved this post though. Vienna looks great, I never thought that they'd be so vegan friendly. Coolies!

KitteeBee said...

Nice! I was in Vienna in '90, guided by a book called Europe on Ten Salads a Day. You did a lot better than we did. I don't remember finding much besides KFC french fries in the train station...

xo
kittee

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

LOOOVE Vienna!!

Rose said...

I can't wait to be able to travel on my own! Who knew Vienna was that vegan friendly??

Tami said...

Your travel posts are always so exciting! I can't believe how vegan friendly all these places are.

All the food looks amazing, but those croissants make me weak in the news. And "For Our Vegan Friends"! How cool is that?

Meg said...

Haha, love the picture of you in front of the Easter display!

Amey said...

wow!
these travel posts are really make me feel land-locked! What's up with you not having a scone before now? That's crazy, Melisser!

Also, all these vegan pastries are really making the Bay Area look bad. Isn't it surprising that it's easier to find a vegan croissant in Vienna and Copenhagen than in San Francisco!?

Yum. Now I really, really, really want to travel!

sara said...

just a heads up, i believe the dark chocolate dipped hazelnut manner contain lactose, and i think the lemon have whey. we sell them where i work and the only vegan ones we carry are the plain hazelnut. but those are so delicious!

Bianca said...

That vegan Cordon Bleu is blowing my mind. I've never even considered visiting Austria, but now its on my list...

JENNA said...

I love reading your travel posts.

Belle Svelte said...

I have been really scared of venturing into Austria because as a vegetarian/borderline vegan...I thought the only few things I could have had were pastries and sauerkraut. It's good to know that there is a vegan revolution going on. I like your writing, and look forward to reading more!

bSve

dreaminitvegan said...

It's great that you are traveling and sharing all of your vegan treats and restaurants you went to. It's nice to know that now a days we can travel and there are place more vegan friendly. It's also nice to know that veganism is spreading over the whole world!

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

Although it's been about 13 years since I took a trip there, I remember Vienna as being a gorgeous city and one that I wanted to explore further. I hope to get back someday and now I have my own vegan guidebook (aka your post) to take with me when I do!

allularpunk said...

sounds like a fun and filling adventure!

DJ said...

The last time Vienna was recommended to me, it was on the merit of Wiener Schnitzel so it's refreshing to hear about all these vegan goodies!

No More Sad Geraniums said...

oh wow, I had no idea that Wien was so vegan friendly! I can't wait until I can go for a vegan visit.

Carlota said...

All this look so cool! Maybe I'll add Wien to my december trip. I'm going to Germany..Austria is so near..
Love your pictures!

aTxVegn said...

All the food sounds so wonderful. I wasn't vegan the last time I was in Europe - now I wanna go back!

melanie said...

hi sara up there, here is a (german) list for vegan manner products:

http://www.manner.com/index.php?idp=276

lemon and mignon (chocolate covered) are listed!

Anonymous said...

I love the photo of you at the candy store window!!!! I love candy! And, take me with you on your next trip! You get to go to such beautiful places!!!!!

dreaminitvegan said...

Let me know when you are passing through Solvang next time. We could have lunch or something that would be cool! You can e-mail me at dreaminitvegan@yahoo.com.
Solvang isn't very vegan friendly although there is a pizza place that actually has a vegan pizza and if you want you can order a spelt crust too! We also have a New Frontiers health food store that has a section that you can eat at.

Anonymous said...

You know, I still haven't made it to Vienna...but this post is making me feel very sadfaced about it! How wonderful that you had Melaine to show you around - it's so different when you've got a guide!

Foodeater said...

That picture of you pawing at the window is cracking me up :) I totally know the feeling!

Anonymous said...

hello... hapi blogging... have a nice day! just visiting here....

julie hasson said...

It looks like an amazing trip Melisser! What a fun adventure.

Vegan_Noodle said...

Oh I love Vienna!! Looks like you found some fabulous food. Did you happen to find a vegan version of the sachertorte? Your posts are making me really want a European vacation... but I'll settle for my trip to NYC next week :-)

Chelsea said...

Wow, what a trip! I had no idea Vienna is so vegan friendly, or that it's the same place as Wein! Jeez, I'm such an American! haha

Anonymous said...

i visited Vienna a few years ago and found some incredible vegan food there. it surprised me! would love to go back and try these other restaurants. mmm.

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postpony said...

i came here via melanie. this entry is a perfect summary of vegan vienna!

Hannah said...

Oh, there's a very small possibility that I might be going to Vienna this summer- Now I really hope it can happen!

urban vegan said...

Looks like you had a great time.

Anonymous said...

I would like to have that nougat heart cookie now please.