4 vegetarian places in Vienna that even meat eaters love

Since 2011, this small and cosy restaurant in the second district has unashamedly owned the phrase: ‘size doesn’t matter.’ This vegetarian place (except on Fridays when it becomes a sanctuary for that vegan friend of yours who changed their name to eucalyptus ’cause Antonia sounded too much like A TUNA) changes its menu every day, depending on what regional and seasonal products are available. Like any good vegetarian place, they respect their ingredients at Cuchina.
The place itself is comfy, chilled and gives smokes a feel-good atmosphere. Trust us, you’ll want to stay a while and read one of the books they have on display. The chef and owner, Alexandra, makes a daily menu which includes a vegan soup and a main dish. We enjoyed a warm, earthy and flavourful potato soup which had us licking the bowl. For the main dish, we had a colorful and creamy renaissance veggie-art dish –beetroot risotto (Leonardo da veggie, indeed). We give this dish our official meat-eater ‘Best Veggie Dish We’ve Ever Had’ award ( it’s longed for throughout the land). But seriously, if there was ever a group of vegetarians and vegans trying to show us the light, this would be the perfect way to convert anyone into the vegetarian lifestyle. This is pure veggie awesomeness.

Be sure to try… one of their daily alternating homemade desserts, with a cup of coffee made from beans from Lower Austria.

The Michelin star gourmet vegetarian restaurant, Tian, is in all seriousness one of the best dining experiences we’ve had. Yes, it’s fancy and more opulent than bleaching your you-know-what, but whether you dig the luxurious lifestyle or not, every bite at Tian was worth the price. After the delicious 10-course-menu, you will likely not be able to move an inch anymore (be prepared to pay for a cab home!). The menu consists of either vegan or vegetarian dishes from which you can choose. At around the 6th portion, while you’re indulging in yet another exquisite bite, you’ll probably say to your dining partner something along the lines of – ‘I can’t go any further…go on without me!.’ But then Tian’s waiting staff will lay another sensationally looking dish in front of you, and you miraculously have the strength to push on. For us, it was the shimmering gold flakes on our food that did it for us. Our stamina was then given a second and third (and so on…) life by the sensation of our taste buds being touched by flavours and experiences we’ve never encountered before. Tian have earned its Michelin stars thanks to the chefs that are inventors in the kitchen. Expect the unexpected when dining here.

Expected result from this dining experience: Taste bud explosion, no sex with your date afterwards, and beautiful food photos to show off on the ‘gram.

The Wrenkh brothers opened the doors to their restaurant in 2009 with a concept to serve up a menu that would satisfy not only vegetarians, but also diehard meat-eaters, as well. The two brothers who are the backbone (vegetarian bone) of Wrenkh, were inspired by their parents who ran one of the first vegetarian restaurants in Vienna. The connection to their family tradition is reflected in where they source their ingredeients – regional farmers that they personally know, their beer is sourced by small local breweries.
As one of the brothers told us: “ the food and the experience our customers have is much more important than making money.”
Each dish not only comes full of flavour, but screams of the restaurants personality. Most of the internationally-inspired veggie dishes are actually house creations thought up by the Wrenkh chefs. The dishes that are served here is soul food and not only is Wrench’s soul beautiful, its dishes are also very pretty. The presentation of each dish definenetly contributes to making your eating experience more personal.

Be sure to try … the Wrenkh salad and the quinoa curry risotto

Good to know… they serve up a very reasonably priced 3 course lunch menu which changes daily

Also good to know…they run cooking classes at Wrench. For details, check out our article about the courses, here.

In the homey setting of Hollerei, convincing vegetarian dishes are served up that will have you forgetting meat ever existed in your diet. The menu spans Asian & Mediterranean vegetarian & vegan cuisine and changes every week. It’s inspired by whatever is going ingredient-wise seasonally. They like to keep things fresh. The garden out front – which looks likes a residential garden – attracts many to the place alone. While service can be slow, it’s always friendly and the ambience of the place will make you want to slow down anyway. This is a neighbourhood secret hidden away in the 15th, whose fame that has leaked across the city over the last few years.

Good to know… there’s a art gallery attached

Also good to know… they also host vegetarian cooking class. Check out the details, here.