Blue cabbage kimchi, truffle pizza or raw cakes to go? More and more creative concepts are sprouting up that provide vegan, vegetarian and often gluten-free food at your fingertips. Here are eight addresses in Munich's city centre that offer sound quality.
Plant-based sandwiches to die for? You can get them at Plänty, a little place between Sendlinger Tor and Marienplatz. The delicious sandwiches have names that are as comical as they are telling, such as Dirty Härry (fiery pulled, vegan cheese with BBQ sauce), Bängkok Crunch (sunflower mince, blue cabbage kimchi and pesto) or Uuuhh Cäptain (Tu-Nah cream and home-pickled radishes). Fancy, fresh – and entirely vegan! In addition to sandwiches, Plänty also has pastries such as pretzels and brownies on offer, and you can get drinks and coffee there too, of course – all served in reusable cups and bowls.
Altheimer Eck 9 | www.plantysandwich.de
Café Frischhut – better known to many locals by its nickname Schmalznudel – is located directly by Viktualienmarkt. Established in 1973, the café serves the eponymous Schmalznudel, referred to in local dialect as Auszogne: it consists of a pastry made of a yeast dough that is fried in hot lard until crispy – if you’re looking for a traditional snack, this is the place! The coffee comes in cups bearing old-style German lettering, so you’ll be sure to feel like you’re sitting in Grandma’s kitchen. Inside there are inviting wooden tables where you can take a nice break, but there’s also seating outside in the sunshine, either in front of the café or in the courtyard – perfect if you want to catch your breath after a walk through Viktualienmarkt.
Prälat-Zistl-Strasse 8
An all-round concept that has something for everyone! The various outlets of Coucou Food Market offer sweet boulangerie temptations such as galettes and croissants along with delicious specialty coffee from the Munich roastery Man vs Machine. Plus there are fresh salads and bowls, as well as authentic Pinsa Romana to take away! Whether sweet or savoury, the vegetarian and vegan options served here provide fortification, warmth or refreshment between a neighbourhood stroll and a city tour. There are Coucou Food Market outlets in several neighbourhoods, the most central being the one in Altstadt and another that recently opened in Glockenbachviertel.
Sankt-Jakobs-Platz 16 or Holzstrasse 21 | www.coucou-food.de
Where’s the best falafel in town? The more locals you ask, the more opinions you get. But there’s one place that’s mentioned particularly frequently – the charmingly named Sababa (“cool, great”). Drop into this little restaurant on Viktualienmarkt and you’ll immediately see evidence of the old saying that people vote with their feet: it’s always bursting at the seams here at lunchtime. The vegan falafel balls are simply heavenly – perfect for a hot snack between meals: four of them to take away and you’re done. Feeling that little bit more peckish? If so, order a fresh pita bread filled with salad, hummus and the delicious garlic balls to go. Mhhmm, sababa!
Westenriederstrasse 9 | www.sababa-munich.com
The brachiosaurus was probably the largest herbivore on the planet, always on the lookout for the next vegan feast. Inspired by the name of the dinosaur, a cool deli has opened in the popular Fraunhoferstraße in 2023. The Asian-inspired concept includes Japanese donburi (a bowl of rice with various ingredients), various sandwiches (also with vegan cheese) and delicious side dishes such as pickled vegetables, homemade kimchi or purple coleslaw. A great way to finish off your meal at the table or to take with you on your way to the Isar in summer: Fantastic popcorn with chilli/lime or miso/caramel sauce topping. True to the motto: good flavour will never die out (unlike the brachiosaurus).
Brachio Bros, Fraunhoferstraße 17
If there are non-vegans queuing up at a vegan pizza place, it must be pretty good! And that’s exactly what it is. This place has its very own recipe for the dough, which is kneaded by hand every morning. The toppings add that final touch of perfection because they’re so creative: blue cheese or Parmesan (vegan, melts perfectly – and tastes really good), San Marzano tomatoes, truffles or vegan sausage (crunchy and spicy). Since food waste is avoided here, some pizzas tend to be sold out by the evening, so it’s worthwhile calling ahead to place your order. But if you drop by during the day at weekends, you stand a good chance of getting what you want. Incidentally: Theresienwiese (Oktoberfest fairground) is just around the corner with the Bavaria statue – a perfect spot to sit and swap pizza slices with friends or family!
Häberlstrasse 7 | www.doctordrooly.de
The fast food chain Swing Kitchen now also has a branch in Munich's Maxvorstadt district since 2023. With the completely vegan and environmentally friendly concept, the operators want to rethink fast food and they succeed! Tasty burgers with unusual toppings such as cranberry mayo or vegan bacon taste particularly delicious in combination with garlic fries or Greek fries (chips with basil lemon dip, chives and feta). The Golden Nuggets made from soya, which taste deceptively like the original chicken, or the deep-fried cheese wedges with spicy jalapeños are best for take-away. On the website and in the shop, you can read how much water, CO2 and forest areas are saved by ordering from Swing Kitchen - great concept!
Swing Kitchen, Gabelsbergerstraße 63
SIGGIS is well-known for nutritious, no-frills cuisine that is exclusively vegan. The range here includes lasagne, the Anti-Jägerschnitzel and sweet potato soup, as well as some delicious finger-food options – all the better that everything is available to take away. And there are home-made sandwiches and wraps to go, too: from falafel and soy cutlets to gyros made from seitan – all rolled up for easy handling. Vegan cakes and coffee specialities made from fair-trade beans are available across the counter as well, of course.
And there’s more good news: SIGGIS recently went into franchise and is opening a new take-away outlet in December 2022 – not in the city centre but in the attractive town of Freising, which is always worth a trip.
Buttermelcherstrasse 17 | www.siggis.jetzt
Anyone taking a stroll through Lehel should definitely stop off at the plant based Café Loui. This owner-run place is designed more for take-away than for hanging out, so it’s great for a quick in-between stopover. There are delicious coffee options and a Blue Spirulina drink that looks as if it was made for Instagram. They also sell gluten-free raw cakes that are not just amazing to look at but taste fantastic, too. Banana bread and croissants (topped with vegan cheese at the weekend) are available while stocks last. You can also pick up wonderful little take-aways such as date chocolates which are great for tucking into at home later.
Christophstrasse 3 | www.louiplantbased.de
