Archive: Vegetarian Tips
Meat-free travel is easier than it used to be in Europe. Still, vegetarians need to exercise a little savvy to eat well. The helpful book "Europe on 10 Salads a Day" by Mary Jane & Greg Edwards was written in 1990 and is hard to find (try amazon.com), so we need your help. Here's what you thought:
Many of the community centers and churches in London have excellent cafes
featuring vegetarian fare. Prices were extremely economical and food was
fresh.
Terri Staffor
Orlando, Fl USA 06/24/01
I've only recently become a vegetarian, so I was dreading finding dinner
in the German countries, with their reputation for meat n' potatoes. I was
very pleasantly surprised to discover at least half the items on any given
menu were meat-free. I had terrific mushroom soup at several restaurants
in Bavaria - apparently its a local specialty - and of course cheese dishes
are a main staple. On the plus side, they're less expensive than meat dishes,
and much lighter fare. For restaurants I'd recommend the Augustiner Braustubl
in Munich; the Gasthof Marktplatz in Rothenburg had a wonderful champignon
semmelknudl (a huge dumpling which tastes a lot like american dressing);
and strangely enough I found a lot of pizza places in Germany which offered
vegetarian pizzas. Now if I could just find a recipe for that mushroom soup....
Cathy
Port Angeles, WA USA 06/17/01
Just back from 2 weeks in Ireland and 3 days in London. Vegetarian
places almost everywhere - particularly in college towns. although I'm not
a vegetarian, I was happy to find lots of vegetable choices (I don't eat
most fruits), unlike previous trips when green veggies were tough to come
by.
Victoria
Cincinnati, OH USA 05/29/01
If in Edinburgh Scotland, try Bann's vegitarian cafe located off the
royal mile. It's great, the foods excellent, not too expensive and there
are lots of cool locals to chat with.
paul
Toronto, Ontario Canada 05/28/01
I'm going to be traveling in 15 European countries, eating vegan all the
way. I have vegan friends all over Europe, so obviously it CAN be done -
but I plan on thriving mostly off of fresh fruit and vegetables, bread,
and pasta I cook myself in hostel kitchens. (When meeting up with my local
vegan friends, though, I'm demanding they take me out for some local vegan
cuisine!)
Ben Quirk
Raleigh, NC USA 03/14/01
In Vienna try out "Wrenkh" for top-quality modern Viennese organic
vegetarian food (near Stephansplatz on a little side street called Bauernmarkt).
Not super cheap but great value. If on a tight budget at least go and try
the Hokkaido kurbis creme suppe (pumpkin).
Richard
Vienna, Austria 02/09/01
For vegetarian options in the Netherlands, look at http://www.dinnersite.nl.
There you click on: uitgebreid zoeken. Then you look for the popup menu:
met als keuken. There you choose: vegetarisch. And click on: zoek
Peter Witteveen
Rosmalen, Netherlands 10/23/00
If you want a great vegetarian holiday in Italy I recommend a hotel in Umbria "Country House Montali." It is hidden deep in the countryside several kilometers away from Perugia.
The owners Alberto and Malu and all of the staff do their utmost to ensure that your stay is enjoyable. The standard of the totally vegetarian cooking is breathtaking. If you do not have a car don't worry, you will probably not want to leave the pool anyway, as the peace and quiet is addictive.
Guests stay in two buildings close to the main building where all meals
are taken, and when we stayed, Alberto joined us outside talking until
about midnight every night. So if you want peace and quiet and excellent
vegetarian food in Italy this just has to be the place.
Nigel Beeken
Wellingborough, Northants UK 10/01/00
I just returned from a 2 week trip in Italy and only had one close call. Vegetarian restaurants seem to be in the bigger cities, but if you find yourself at a restaurant where no one speaks English, simply explain, "Sono vegetariana/o" and confirm that everything you order is "senza carne" (without meat). I found it useful to learn the words for chicken, pork, beef, veal, lobster, sardines, and other things I don't eat, and to say, "Senza vitello, si?" or whatever was appropriate.
Ruth's in Florence is a nice vegetarian restaurant that's best used
when you could take a break from Italian food. Il Margutta in Rome (the
sister restaurant, not the one on Via Margutta) was okay, but don't make
the mistake I did of ordering the price-fixe. Finally, make use of the
mercados and load up on fresh fruit which is much much better than what
we get in the U.S.
Melissa
Chicago, IL USA 09/24/00
It was easy to find vegetarian options in London and Edinburgh. However
it is next to impossible to find veggie food in the Netherlands. If you
(especially teenagers with picky taste buds) find yourself in a situation
where there are only a couple of vegetarian options on a menu and none look
very appetizing, just try ordering a couple of side salads, or ask for a
salad on the normal menu and ask them to leave out the meat. At the Hotel
New York in Rotterdam, they put extra veggies in our meat-free salads to
replace the meat!
Jackie
Oceanside USA 08/08/00
Brussels in Belgium is not easy. However, for a truly spectacular evening
where you can be proud to bring non-veggies too, go to the classy restaurant
The Gazebo. Not your usual scrubbed pine tables and salads, but really high-quality
food, beautifully served in a wonderfully decorated restaurant with all
the personal touches that the owner, Lee, a native New Yorker, has brought
to this dining experience. Don't miss this place if you are in Brussels.
A wonderful evening was had by all!
Rudi Reeves
London, USA 08/04/00
Vegetarian cuisine is now more available throughout meat-loving Germany.
Look for Vegetarische Gerichte (Vegetarian dishes) on the menu before entering
the retaurant. Many eateries in big cities now advertise their vegetarian
fare on placards outside. Vegan is still tough to find over here but doable.
Check out a great web site at www.happycow.net/europe for a listing of places.
If in doubt, find a Moevenpick Restaurant.
Chris and Jene' Courtney
Wuerzburg, Germany, USA 07/24/00
My husband and I stumbled upon Ruth's, a Kosher vegetarian restaurant
in Florence when we were there last September (9/99). Via L.C. Farini, 2A
near Via De Pilastri. It's just down from the Jewish Temple. Very small
place. We got there right when it opened and got the only table that was
not reserved.
Maria Mastrangelo
Redwood City, CA USA 07/15/00
When in Amsterdam, you cannot go wrong with the "Parbo" Indonesian/Indian/Surinamese
restaurant. It's on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal, almost at the foot of the
Oude (Old) Church. Huge vegetarian platter from NLG11.00. It's out of this
world!
Larry Rutzell
St.Louis, , mo USA 07/03/00
Actually I found it much easier to eat vegetarian in Slovenia, Germany and
Italy then in beautiful Cleveland, OH. In Slovenia it was pretty easy, and
actually it was pretty common to get meatless requests there. Gostilnas
(kind of like a tavern inn) are an easy way to eat. The thing is you don't
really have a menu, it's just whatever they're making that day. However,
they're pretty big with students who get discounts at them. All's it took
for me is "Sem vegetaranc prosim" and a nod from the waiter. Try the "soya"
which is like a cross between veggie burgers and falafel and damn good.
Anywhere else you can always get pizza no matter where you are.
Jim Kosem
Cleveland, OH USA 06/17/00
If in London, go to Food for Thought for a hearty lunch. It's near
Covent Garden and backs up to Neal's Yard. It's been there forever, and
has great veggie and vegan food. Go downstairs if you want to stay and sit
down.
Abby
Bloomington, IN USA 06/16/00
Here are a couple of suggestions, but they go back a few years - can't guarantee they are still good, or even open: veg a Roma (san Lorenzo), and Arancia blu, via dei latini, 65, a Via Arunci (06.445.41.05)
In Firenze, try Il vegetariano (cafeteria-style), via delle ruote 30r (vicino piazza independenza), tel. o55.475.030.
In any event, Italy is one of the easier places for vegetarians, but
could be a bit tricky for vegans. Even most 'pizza al taglio' places have
many vegetarian options.
Maria Gatti
Montréal, Québec - Canada 06/14/00
Can't wait to go back to Roma! I eat very, very well there.
My mother and I stayed at the Grand Hotel Plaza in Roma for the 4th time, not cheap in this "Giubileo" year, but well worth it for the great service and people. Most of all it's close to our favorite veggie restaurants. As before, we walked across Via Del Corso to Via Leoncino, 38, to find our favorite veggie pizzeria, "Supernatural Pizzeria," and found it closed for renovation! Aack! (It will reopen soon under the name "Il Leoncino" or "Al Leoncino"--not sure, as there are cards out for both versions of the name. The format is expected to be more like the present Margutta's.) After a few disappointed moments, we tried to make reservations at our other fave, "Margutta Vegetariano," and found that they were closed for that evening for a private party. Aack again!
Then, the lady at Margutta's suggested we go to "Cornacchie", which is in one corner of Piazza Rondannini, also within walking distance of the hotel. We went for it and were very pleased to find that at Cornacchie, they have recreated the relatively quiet atmosphere of the original Margutta's on Via Margutta. (Before the expansion into a fancier format, with music and the works, all was simpler. It is still great now, especially for a celebration, but we liked the quiet version better in 1996 than the more festive party atmosphere that is now there). So...we ended up going to Cornacchie about every other night during our 10 days in Roma. It was heavenly! They make a ricotta-stuffed zuccinni-flower dish that is incredible, fantastic ravioli, etc., etc., etc. I highly recommend it for the good food and quiet back room. The folks are fabulous and everything is fresh and delicious.
Here's a tip about our take-out orders from Cornacchie this year: We didn't want to go out every night, but wanted great veggie food every night, so mom and I asked if they could pack us a take-out at the end of dinner. They were happy to do it, and brought the food in little aluminum trays covered with foil. Next night, in our room, mom got interested in how we could heat the food just enough to take the chill off of it. Between us, we worked out a funny-looking method: we filled the bathtub with the hottest water, and floated(!) our dinners to warm them, turning them once and reheating the water once during the 1/2 hour it took to get them to an attractive temperature. Not quite as hot as at the restaurant, but very acceptable! We shared many hysterical moments as we tended our "stove," keeping the tins from floating under the drippy tap. What a hoot! Next time, I'm packing a small tin just for this purpose, no matter which country we visit.
Then, to reheat the wonderful rolls and bread from "Cornacchie," I heated
my tea water with my immersion-heater in the big mug I carry for the purpose,
and then put a small piece of foil over the top and placed one roll on
that to heat...then placed another roll under the mug to use the heat
from the bottom as well! This looked funny too, but I tell you, it works!
It's great not to have to eat out every single night. Hope anyone who
reads this gives it a try! Buon appetito!
Rosalind Young
Mililani, hi USA 06/07/00
Vegetarians have an easy time of it in Madrid and Barcelona -- both cities support a number of vegetarian restaurants. Even tapas bars offer some respite (though not for vegans) in the form of potato omelettes, cheeses, and bread items such as the tasty Catalonian pan con tomate.
Two recommended Madrid eateries:
Chez Pomme (Calle Pelayo #4, located in the funky Chueca neighborhood; lunch 13:30 - 16:00; dinner 20:30 - 23:30, Mon - Sat, tel. 91-532-1646). We each had a fine menu del dia (1,000 pesetas, appetizer-and-main-course) lunch. I started with the savory lentil soup, followed by a plate of rice and vegetables. Chris enjoyed his starter bowl of refreshing avocado soup.
Rick's recommended Artemisa II (we dined at the branch off Plaza Carmen) made for a tasty dinner. Artemisa also offers three meat dishes (my carnivore friend enjoyed the chicken cutlet).
In Barcelona, try the popular Comme Bio (Via Laietana #28; lunch 13:00 - 16:00; dinner 20:00 - 23:00, daily; tel. 93-319-89-68), which shares space with a health-food store. The dining space is large and stylish. I loved the menu del dia (soup, salad bar, main course, dessert for 1,785 pesetas). The menu also included several inexpensive combo plates.
Homesick for a really good bagel? The Bagel Shop (Carrer de la Canuda #25; open 9:30 - 20:30) will satisfy your hunger. I ordered my sesame bagel Catalan-style: spread with sliced tomato and drizzled with olive oil and salt. Their fresh-squeezed orange juice was fantastic.
I found the "Let's Go," "Lonely Planet," and "Time Out" guidebooks to
be the best resources for information on vegetarian dining options in
Spain. Eating in Europe would be difficult without them.
Tom
Los Angeles, CA USA 06/01/00
Eating vegetarian in Europe is a snap (and I spent a good deal of time in Germany--land of veggie gummi bears). I'm vegan and I even managed that pretty well. My strategy was to print out local guides and take them with me. It's easy to find sites like http://www.vegetarismus.ch/restaura.htm or http://www.vegetarierbund.de/. Just search for the country name and vegan, Vegetarische, etc. The World Guide to Vegetarianism (www.veg.org/veg/Guide) has not been updated since 1996--I don't recommend using it.
It's also important to take some additional guide books (Let's Go, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide); I overheard some other travellers complaining that all of the restaurants in Let's Go are vegetarian (and they practially are for Prague)!
Even regular grocery stores are great--there are several lines of soy
products that are widely available. I even found soy pudding in Hallstatt!
I could still read labels. It's not hard to identify the important words--even
in the Czech Republic. When eating out I did relax my standards a bit
to avoid stressing out all of the time so YMMV if that's not for you.
Holly
Pittsburgh, PA USA 05/20/00
In York, England, there is a great little vegetarian restaurant called
El Piano. It's on a little street off Low Petergate, between Stonegate and
Church St. It has great food, incredibly friendly staff, and is full of
locals who love to chat you up. It also offers lots of vegan dishes and
desserts. They have the best vegan brownies I have even tasted. I cannot
say enough good things about this place. It's also a great place for a late-night
cup of tea, as the earliest it closes is midnight.
AndreaClaire
Victoria, BC Canada 04/16/00
For the most part, the French still think ethically-based vegetarianism
is plain stupid. There are a few 'health-based' (read, lentils!) vego restaurants
such as Rayons de Sante (Rays of Health) in Montmartre, Paris--but after
a few weeks of living off bread & cheese, we discovered that you can always
get a decent vego meal at Italian, Indian and Middle-Eastern restaurants
in just about any country. Even in obscure rural French towns, there is
usually a local Morrocan community & they have many vego dishes.
anya
london, UK 01/19/00
There is a nice, off-the-wall vegetarian place in Paris called Aquarius.
It is located at 40, Rue de Gergovie, 75014 Paris, tel. 01 45 41 36 88,
Metro: Plaisance.
Barbara Tracy
Arlington, TX USA 01/17/00
Here are two other veg addresses in Italy--other than the gastronomic 'Margutta Vegeterania' (via Margutta in Central Rome) which has a website:
L'Arancia blu, in San Lorenzo, the university district (a part of Rome I am very fond of), via dei Latini, 65, corner Via Arunci (06.445.4105).
A veg cafeteria in Florence: Il vegetariano, via delle Ruote 30r, near
Piazza Indipendenza, north of the centre (055.475.030) buon appetito!
Maria
Montréal, Québec - Canada 01/16/00
In Germany, go for käsespatzle. It's little pasta balls covered with melted
cheese and usually served with fried onions on top. It's pretty good and
one of the few meatless dishes.
Paige
Munich, DE 12/15/99
There's an excellent vegetarian/vegan restaurant called ESCAPE in Bray,
County Wicklow, Ireland (http://escapeinfo.cjb.net). It's not only a restaurant,
it's also: coffee shop, tarot centre, handmade cream chocolate shop, art
gallery and gift & greeting card shop. A real experience! It's also very
handy to visit escape from Dublin--just take the DART (local train) from
city centre to Bray, about 30 minutes away.
Stella
Bray, County Wicklow, ww Ireland 11/29/99
Visit Mövenpick restaurants. See www.moevenpick.ch for vegetarian selections.
(The ö is displayed by pressing Alt 148 using the keypad with NumLock on.)
Harvey
Detroit, MI USA 10/25/99
Just back from 2 weeks in England with our vegetarian daughter. We
had no trouble anywhere. Jacket potatoes were available everywhere and she
swore they were better than any we could get stateside. But our favorite
was Rick's suggested Bann's Vegetarian Cafe in Edinburgh. We all loved it--great
food at a great price!
janet
cincinnati, OH USA 10/13/99
My daughter and I just returned from a month in Europe. As she is a vegetarian, we found out firsthand the big and the small of vegetarianism and Europe. France was a bit difficult. Waiters often looked at us like we were worse than tourists and often brought even salads back loaded with ham (often with a smirk, I might add), even after our asking politely what particular dishes were meatless!
We had the fewest problems in Scotland and England. Even the pubs often
have at least one advertised vegetarian special. She was in heaven in
Edinburgh as they have a small baked potato carry-out place that will
put anything in a potato as long as it is not dead. Looks disgusting but
it was really lip-smacking good! Bon Appetit!
Tina Salgado
Romeo, MI USA 09/07/99
At first I thought I wouldn't be able to find any food in Europe but
I eventually did...maybe not at restaurants--especially in Germany, because
Germans eat a lot of meat--but I'd go to the local market and find fruits,
vegetables, bread and many other great foods for vegetarians. If you're
in Vienna, Austria go to the Nachemart and outdoor market. In Austria you'll
usually find something to eat in restaurants. But don't let being a vegetarian
stop you from having a great time in Europe
Cher
Maybrook, NY USA 08/24/99
The "Aroma" chain may be known for their beverages, but they also have
a well stocked selection of delicious cold noodle, rice and green salads.
Gary
Hanford, CA USA 08/18/99
In Copenhagen, Rick's recommended Riz-Raz 49kr all-you-can-eat Mediterranean/vegetarian
lunch buffet was so good we went back a second time. Riz-Raz is located
at Kompagnistraede 20. Lunch buffet is from 1130-1700 and their larger 59kr
dinner buffet goes 'til 2400.
Lynne
Union, WA USA 08/14/99
There is a fairly good web site which lists vegan, veg and veg-friendly
restaurants. It covers most of the planet and even includes health food
stores. I use it all the time when traveling in the U.S. It will be interesting
to see how it works for my wife and I in Europe. The site is www.veg.org/veg/Guide
(case sensitive).
Kerry Chinn
Seattle, WA USA 07/26/99
Looking for a break from both "heavy-duty" Italian food and the big Italian tourist spots? Country House Montali is an "agriturismo" (farm where tourists can stay) in Umbria that can provide both. The builder/architect owners have rebuilt a stone farmhourse and added separate guest accommodations on a ridge with views east toward Perugia and north to Lake Trasimeno. It is a quiet, restful, beautiful spot, about an hour's drive from Assisi, Orvieto, and Siena, and two hours or so from Rome or Florence. The owners are wonderful and friendly, and Montali is a great place to unwind after touring the big cities. You do need a car to get here, but you can pick one up in one city and drop it off in another and continue your trip by train.
The prices are 98,000-108,000 Italian lire per person, per day, including both breakfast and dinner. The meals are wonderful, unlike any "vegetarian" food we have ever eaten. (If you are a "meat and potatoes" person, don't be put off--they will come up with non-meat dishes to satisfy even the most hearty eater or steak-lover.).
The owners say that May 15-June 15 is an ideal time to visit - pleasant weather, lots of wildflowers, and few tourists.
Alberto Musacchio, Az. Agrituristica Montali, Via Montali, 23, 06068
- Tavernelle di Panicale (Perguia), Italy. Tel. and Fax 0039 75 8350680.
E-mail: montali@edisons.it. Web site: http://www.edisons.it/montali.
Richard jordan
San Anselmo, CA USA 04/04/99
The Best vegetarian restaurant that I have ever eaten in was Stone
Soup in Avebury, England. I bought the cookbook. Take the Mad Max day tour from
Bath and eat at Stone Soup for lunch. Yummy!
Beverly Oldknow
Atlanta, ga USA 03/16/99
an acquaintance tells that when he told his israeli host family that he
was a vegetarian, the father simply reached over and transferred the slice
of beef to his own plate and said, "there! now you've just the vegetables
to deal with!" in some households, accomodating a vegetarian is limited
to not putting that night's portion of meat onto the veggie's plate!
carol
ca USA 02/19/99
If vising London, Food for Thought is a must, at 31 Neal St. WC2 in
Covent Garden. The restaurant is small and informal with great food at great
prices. Another vegetarian restaurant which is just as good is in Brighton
at 17 Prince Albert St. It is called Food for Friends and is a bit difficult
to find, so ask locals for directions. Bon appetit.
Lisa
San Francisco, CA USA 02/18/99
We're the authors of "Europe on 10 Salads a Day" mentioned above in the Introduction. You can order used copies of the book
on Amazon.com (you may need to do an Advanced Search). The book was first printed in 1990, but from reader's mail,
we know that most of the restaurants mentioned are still there and going
strong. We still haven't seen any other guide, and as always, we look forward
to your comments and any new places you find that you'd like to see in the
book. E-mail us at mjedwards@dakotacom.net and enjoy Europe!
Mary Jane & Greg Edwards
Tucson, AZ USA 01/18/99
If you are wanting a veggie vacation, you might want to look at my
page of tour operators which specialise in vegetarian cuisine, at www.kc3.co.uk/~bicycle/veggie/index.html
Rob Green
Builth Wells, UK 01/16/99
In Windsor: The Viceroy of Windsor, an Indian place, was the highlight of my trip. The food was so good, and there were plenty of veg options. (I'm still dreaming of their garlic naan.)
In Portrush: The Wine Bar down by the water (it's listed in Rick's book and Let's Go) - delish! Caution: if you ask for the potato side they will give you TWO HUGE baked potatos - along with your entree (which for vegs, is pasta). Eating all of that would put you into a starch coma - even if you could get it all down. Most people I saw got about 1/2 way through the first potato, so it seemed like an odd waste of food.
In Wales: I ordered a good tomato-cheese-and-pickle sandwich from a shop outside the castle. It was a bit of a surprise to realize that "pickle" to them means pickled beets!
In the rest of the UK and Ireland: most pubs had a veg option - usually
Lasagne and heavy on the cheese. Every place in town has baked potatoes
and can pile something on top. If I was in a hurry, I'd stop a the grocery
store for some crusty bread, some Brie and an apple.
Karen
SF Bay Area, CA USA 01/10/99
A couple of years ago, I spent 3 months traveling all over Western Europe
and had no problems eating vegetarian food. The Lonely Planet guide helped
me search out veggie restaurants in major cities like Madrid, London, Barcelona,
Paris, etc. However, when in smaller villages or places where there was
no vegetarian restaurants, I would go to the local market and buy veggies,
bread, olives, cheese, yogurt, etc. and have picnic style meals.
Jodi
Salem, OR USA 12/20/98
Four months of European travel as a 20 year 95% vegetarian:
1) do as you do at home:patronize veg-friendly restaurants: Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese or any oriental, Italian/Pizza, Macrobiotic, Kosher Dairy
2) orient yourself near University towns or big cities for best choices
3)in small towns, find the omnipresent Chinese restaurant (in Britain, Indian also).
4)When that gets old, "do as the Romans": Chips w/curry sauce in British Isles, crepes Fr/Belg, pancake houses (not IHOP) in Neth (Ristafel too)
5) Let's Go is the best guide for the vegetarians
6) Go where vegetarians go and ask (health food store, youth hostels, Hari Krishna temple etc.)
7) push your usual snack envelope: stock up in health food stores (whole grain crackers, dried fruit) or on fresh produce: all fruit and any vegetables you can conceive of eating raw: try peas in the pod as well as carrots etc.
We found England to have excellent Vegetarian/Health food restaurants, better than any other meals here (except Indian restaurants in London-heaven on earth). Western Ireland: Inn/restaurant on the main road near Castlemaine called Phoenix House run by charming ex hippie-types The proprietress is an awesome cook.
Germany was the most difficult for me--save your fall-backs for here:
the occasional fish or poultry meal for those that are willing to soil
their Karma, cheese, fasting) and head into France a few days early as
I did! It's at least as easy as USA, generally speaking; Bon Appetit!
April Breen
San Clemente, CA USA 12/14/98
I find that one of the best, cheapest and most informative ways to
eat in Europe or any country - especially as a vegetarian, is to go to the
local supermarket and look around. That way you can see what the locals
are buying, get bargains (buy olives in Spain and Italy, wine in France,
Marmite in England etc). You can't beat the prices either and being in the
supermarket helps you to feel more at home and like you are living in that
country. You can also get a real good taste (sorry) for the local people
by watching the interactions etc.
petcare@sgi.net
USA 12/05/98
If ever in England, make sure to try the Indian restaurants for veggie meals.
They have vegetarian dishes along with the regular meat ones for virtually
every kind, including Tandoori, Bangladeshi, etc. The Indians are mostly
vegetarian because of Hindu beliefs. And even if you are not vegetarian,
Indian food adds some spice to otherwise bland British grub!
Andrew
Plover, WI USA 11/15/98
In April '98 my family spent 3 weeks in England. We found veggie food not in great quantity but available. There are bagette sandwich shops and pub which always have cheddar cheese sandwiches. However, this got quite tiresome. We spent a week on a marrowboat on a canal and enjoyed shopping the the local markets. The British have wonderful produce markets stuffed full of every kind of fresh vegetable and fruit.
Our last few days were spent in London. To our great surprise we found
wonderful veggie faire at McDonalds and Burger King! Our group voted
Burger King's the best. Not everyone in our group was vegetarian and this
was a great way to everyone a quick lunch at the same place. This was
a great advantage as we spent a lot less time hunting for a place to eat.
Wish McDonalds and Burger King would have those options available here.
As always, Italian restaurants are plentiful and always have veggie options.
Breakfast was no problem anywhere. The B&Bs we stayed in seemed to relish
cooking whatever we wanted. We had a good breakfast, walked miles & miles,
and were never starving...and we even had a 15 year old boy with us!!
The problem we had anticipated of finding veggie food just didn't happen.
Mary Champlin
Brookdale, CA USA 11/04/98
I thought the street food was great in Paris. The street vendors make
all sorts of crepes while you wait. They'll even do an egg one where they
break an egg and spread it around the cooking crepe until it is done. I
fouund it a cheap and enjoyable way to get some protein.
Carol
WI USA 11/04/98
I try to carry a few portable snacks (PowerBars, dried fruit) to ward
off hunger & McDonald's while I check out my options in a new place. Anyone
have any suggestions for western Ireland?
USA 11/03/98
If you go to Koeln (Cologne) be aware that the Churrasco restaurant was
offering a SUPER salad bar when I visited in early October. All you can
eat for DM9.50 (about $5.75 at the moment). Pasta, potatoes, green beans,
brussels sprouts, fruit in additionto the usual greens. It took me 3 plates
to get a decent sampling of almost everything. Politely decline to order
anything else alacarte. I think a Koelsch will set you back about $2.50
and there you are. The Churrasco is about one block from the Hauptbahnhof
along An der Dominikaner (I think--turn right when leaving the Hbf & walk
under & to the left of the Churrasco sign to reach the entrance).
Cosmo
Baltimore, MD USA 10/22/98
For those vegetarians out there who may be considering an ETBD tour....
I recently participated in the fully guided "Best of Europe" tour which
includes many of the meals. The guides were very good about arranging vegetarian
meals for me. With the exception of a French restaurant where they wanted
to serve me fish, all of the food was very good. If anything, the chefs
overcompensated for the lack of meat by serving me portions large enough
to feed a horse!
Lorraine Himber
Butler, PA USA 08/20/98
While not a strict vegetarian, I often just get a good salad for a
meal. After two months in Europe I've had great luck ordering any salad
with the restaurant's name on it...the house specialty.
Rick Steves
Edmonds, WA USA 08/05/98
After living and traveling in Europe (Denmark, Germany, and France) for six months, you usually have no problem in big cities. For Mexican food (like bean burritos) make sure they don't cook with bacon or lard.
Some of the best food I've had is from walking in and talking with the
owners of small but wonderful restaurants. They want your business and
will usually bend over backwards to help. Some of the nicest people I've
met were restaurant owners!
Robert Towne
Kolding, Denmark 07/30/98
I recently visited Brugge, Belgium and Amsterdam and found very good
veggie food in both places. De Bretoen Pankoekken in Brugge serves tasty
crepes with terrifically powerful "cidre." I'd suggest any of the three
Gary's Muffins shops in Amsterdam for tasty baked goods and friendly service.
Tom T.
West Hollywood, CA USA 06/16/98
Best vegetarian restaurant we found in Switzerland was Restaurant Hiltl
Vegi in Zurich (at Sihlstrasse 28, 8001 Zurich, tel. 01 221 38 70). The
menu was an entire book, with one page devoted just to the seasonal dishes.
They also serve an Indian vegetarian buffet in the evenings. The waitresses
were helpful in describing dishes and spoke English willingly, and it was
reasonably priced for Zurich, which can be expensive.
Kandy Bartlett
San Diego, CA USA 06/07/98
I have traveled around the world and only had a problem in Russia.
I find that all large cities have ethnic restaurants (Indian, Middle Eastern,
etc.) which offer lots of vegetarian entrees. Just don't expect the Mexican
food anywhere else to taste like it does here in the US!
Judi Abbott
USA 05/15/98
I traveled two weeks in France with a vegetarian friend, and it didn't
turn out to be the problem we had anticipated. All the restaurants, even
the stuffy ones, were able to accommodate vegetarian needs. In the one three-star
restaurant where we splurged, we phoned ahead and were pleased to discover
they actually had a vegetarian menu! She often ordered vegetable plates
in restaurants, and frequently her meal was better than mine. While it is
true that the French love their meat, they excel at vegetables, always fresh
and in season. Potatoes were fixed every way, and there was usually a vegetarian
soup on the menu. Pasta was almost everywhere, and always inexpensive and
good. Provence was especially good for vegetarian food. We loved La Vitamine
in Arles, a suggestion from the "Rick Steves' France" guidebook. Just wash
down whatever you order with the local wine and you'll be fine.
Betsy Mosteller
USA 05/11/98