I currently live in Paris but I am originally from Austria. For me, it is always exciting to come back home and visit my favorite places or even discover new ones: from enjoying some organic ice cream to the best veggie buffet. Here are 9 conscious hot spots you must visit when in Austria.
Mangolds (Veggie Restaurants and Eco-Lifestyle Shop)
I spent most of my teenage years in the regional capital of Styria, Graz. One thing hasn’t changed ever since: Mangolds is still my favorite restaurant there. I used to go to their vegetarian-vegan buffet that offers a huge selection of fresh salads and organic best quality food. From Mediterranean to Oriental to Austrian “Hausmannskost”: everything is homemade. At the cooking station, a fresh daily special is waiting for you. You will find delicious cakes and other sweet treats from their own wholefood bakery (available to-go) at their Café bar. The Mangolds restaurant also has an eco-lifestyle shop which all yogis love: Here are our top 10 yoga products curated by Mangolds. Vis-a-vis is the second restaurant which is a casual à la carte restaurant with drinks, organic coffee, and locally-sourced food from morning to night in the middle of the bustling university district! Mangolds Vis-a-vis is offering vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free dishes. Check their event calendar for special highlights and gatherings.
Website: mangolds.com
Instagram: @mangolds_wow
Eis Greissler (Icecream)
This ice cream will make your heart melt: ranging from classics like chocolate or vanilla to local treasures such as pumpkin seed oil (a must-try!), Styrian kiwis or elderflower – free of any artificial additives and full of high-quality ingredients, each flavor tastes like it should actually taste like. The fresh milk comes from their own organic dairy farm in Upper Austria where the Eis Greissler-team considers their 50 cow family (they even have their own names!). As a plant-based eater, I still go for their vegan fruit sorbets and flavors that are made with soy or oat milk. My personal favorite: Almond Chai. PS. Sugar-free options sweetened with Stevia will make you feel super healthy. They have several shops all over Austria.
Website: eis-greissler.at
Instagram: @eisgreissler
Amour Fou (Dessous Shop)
A good bra is more than just a bra: believing that everybody is beautiful, the passionate mother and feminist Astrid opened her own boutique that offers sustainable and ethical lingerie and swimwear from various brands. All pieces are both comfortable and sensual. For eco-conscious women with joie de vivre who accept and enjoy their individual beauty. If that’s not sexy, I don’t know what is.
Website: amour-fou.at
Instagram: @amourfoudessous
Habibi & Hawara (Oriental Restaurant)
“Habibi” means friend in Arabic and “Hawara” means friend in Viennese: here you can find the one and only Austrian Oriental all-you-can-eat buffet in the heart of Vienna. Huge portions of various delicious Viennese-Oriental treats according to regional and seasonal availability will make your visit an unforgettable experience. Amazing: the socially, ecologically and economically responsible restaurant gives refugees with asylum status a chance to work in the kitchen and service so they can get their foot back on the ground. A must-go!
Website: habibi.at
Instagram: @habibi.at
Crème de la Crème (Café)
A beautiful café in Vienna let you eat organic homemade avocado toast – and more: the small family-run café patisserie charms with French-inspired sweets and other small dishes. Great for breakfast and brunch. The use of high quality and regional ingredients are just as important as their stylish ambiance: we love their golden interiors! P.S. Booking a table in advance can be of advantage 😉
Website: cremedelacreme.at
Instagram: @cremedelacremevienna
Joseph Brot (Organic Bakery)
No offense French bakers, but this is probably the best bread in Vienna I have ever tasted: baked by hand and using best ingredients from organic Austrian farms and traditional recipes, the soft center, and crunchy crust make this bread so special. Besides bread, you can also enjoy delicious pastries and excellent meals including salads, snacks, granola, sandwiches, all handmade in their kitchen, using selected organic ingredients of the highest quality.
Website: joseph.co.at
Instagram: @josephbrot
Superfood Deli
Get your daily dose of superpower: supporters of the #changestartshere movement and passionate about sustainable, fresh, plant-based, organic and cruelty-free products, the two friends Filip and Peter founded Vienna’s first organic smoothie bowl store. Porridge bowls, coffee and tea, juices, protein soups, snacks, vegan sweets and fancy drinks are awaiting you. Tip: get addicted to their infamous Brazilian Açaí Bowl. Açaí (“ah-sigh-eee”) is a superfood full of antioxidants, vitamins, nutrients and omega 3, 6 & 9 and known for its anti-aging and fat-burning benefits. It tastes like heaven and makes you feel super powerful! All served in plastic-free and biodegradable packaging – we are fans.
Website: juicedeli.at
Instagram: @superfooddeli
Hotel Waldklause (Eco Hotel)
A relaxing holiday for both body and soul: the innovative spa and wellness eco-hotel Waldklause is located in the beautiful forest area of Ötztal, surrounded by the Tyrolean Alps. Enjoy an impressive panorama, even from your bed! All rooms are light-flooded and provide plenty of space. To create a positive, warm atmosphere, the building has a modern design and is entirely made of natural materials like wood, glass, and stone. A celebration of the senses is the breakfast buffet and the 5-course gourmet menu where you can choose local (with ingredients coming from the region) and international dishes. A sauna, vapor-bath, herb sweating chamber as well as a thermal spa that is just a walk away will make your spa-holiday in the Austrian mountains a memorable one!
Website: waldklause.at
Instagram: @naturhotel_waldklause
Wiener Seife (Soap Manufacturer)
In the third district of Vienna, you should just follow your nose: at Wiener Seife, all soaps are handmade after a careful cold-stirring process, according to a secret recipe by the legendary Viennese soap boiler Friedrich Weiss. Free of chemical additives, mineral oils or preservatives and based on natural ingredients preferably organic, each soap is gentle and nourishing to your sensitive skin and hair – you can use their organic salt soap even for your teeth. More than 70 soap types such as alpine rose, apricot kernel oil or orange with edelweiss extracts are developed and composed by the Wiener Seife-team. Packaged in recycled paper.
Website: wienerseife.at
Instagram: @wienderseife
This Austria Guide is sponsored by Mangolds.
