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Want to know where to find the best vegan food in Geneva? Look no further!
I’ll be giving you my take on the vegan food available in this beautiful city, along with my top 3 vegan eats.
Keep reading to find out which restaurant tops the list and where you can find some of these cracking dishes amongst many others:
- Marinated tofu and quinoa Norwegian bowl with creamy avocado, sweet mango, crispy fried onions and a ginger and soy sauce dressing.
- Tempeh, wild mushroom and asparagus stir fry in a rich teriyaki sauce; with incredible flavours and a stunning presentation to match.
- The most perfect avocado toast you will ever come across – it’s on another level!
For our third wedding anniversary I decided to book a 4 day trip to Geneva with my HB, Rob. It was one of those put a pin in a map kind-of-scenarios and Geneva was the winning destination. WOW is all I can say!
The city is simply stunning and not like any I have come across before. It is set around the glistening crystal clear waters of Lake Geneva and overlooked by dramatic snow-topped mountains.
Beautiful old buildings are scattered amongst modern structures and there are many perfectly manicured and established parks in which to enjoy a picnic or an afternoon reading a book in the sun.
It may not be known for its vegan-scene but it’s quality over quantity in Geneva with some fantastic vegan treats on offer.
I’ve eaten my way around the city and so, without further ado, I’m bringing you my review of all of the restaurants that I was lucky enough to eat at, along with a summary of my Top 3 Vegan Eats and my recipe re-creations of the most incredible dishes sampled along the way:
Alive
Alive is a health conscious vegan cafe which offers a small but perfectly formed menu with around 10 options for mains and 5 for dessert, along with breakfast pots and snack bars.
It is easy to locate, it’s next to the English Gardens which are elegant and peaceful. If you are visiting on a sunny day I highly recommend getting take-out from Alive and strolling back to the gardens, which are just a minute away.
The cafe itself is clean, crisp and modern and has a fast-casual/take-away set up with a few tables for those wishing to eat in. The meals are served on paper plates which was perhaps the most disappointing part but I suspect the majority of their business is take away and everything is recyclable so it’s not a massive issue.
The breakfast menu had a range of sweet and savoury items such as soya yoghurt with granola, chia puddings, nut butter toast and scrambled tofu ranging from 6-16Fr.
Lunch options included buddha bowls, salads, cauliflower tabouli, burgers and vegan quiche.
Desserts such as apple tart, vrookie (vegan cookie), svickers bars (vegan snickers), cheesecake and banana bread were available to accompany Alive’s range of coffees with at least four different plant-based milks on offer. Other drinks included matcha lattes, juices, kombucha, tea and flavoured nut-milks.
I visited Alive twice whilst I was in Geneva and sampled the following delicious dishes:
- A blueberry breakfast pot with soya yoghurt, granola, dried fruit and nuts. A tasty and quick breakfast on the go.
- A buddha bowl which had Indian spiced veg (slaw style) with chickpeas and spinach on a bed of mixed rice. It was a generous size and very filling. The flavours mainly came from the slaw which was subtly curried yet tangy at the same time. It was rich, flavoursome and delicious whilst feeling nutritious and healthy.
- Vanilla layered cheesecake – a beautifully presented dessert with delicate pastel layers and edible flowers sprinkled on top. The texture was perfect with a thin biscuit base and a perfectly smooth cheesecake – much like a cream cheese cheesecake but slightly firmer. The flavour was a delicate vanilla and this is the only thing I would have changed – it would have been nice if it was berry or another more prominent flavour.
- Oat milk matcha latte – deliciously sweet and refreshing.
- Svickers bar – My first try of a veganised version of one of the popular UK chocolate bars; it was incredible! A crisp, light biscuit base, not too crunchy and not too soft, topped with a thick and gooey caramel, packed with peanuts and covered in a generous coating of chocolate. An absolute must try if you are going to Geneva.
*** Recipe re-creation ***
How to Make the PERFECT Matcha Latte – delicious, antioxidant-rich matcha in a naturally sweet and soothing drink.
Cafe Mutin
Cafe Mutin is located around 15 minutes out of town by tram. We visited one afternoon and arrived at around 3.30pm so unfortunately missed the main cooked service but they still had cakes and some cold dishes available.
I opted to have the Mediterranean vegetable polenta cake, a slice of blueberry pie and a cookie to take away. Rob had the chocolate Guiness cake. Everything we tried was ok or nice but nothing was special or notably good.
The service was friendly but they didn’t have any menus printed up, although they had only been open a few weeks so I suspect they were still recipe testing and setting things up.
Green Gorilla
Green Gorilla is a quirky little cafe on one of the main shopping streets in Geneva. It serves salads, avocado toast, smoothies, acai bowls and coffees.
I opted for the avocado toast, an acai bowl and a matcha latte (#healthw**ker as the HB affectionately called me). The acai bowl was tangy and delicious, topped with fresh fruit and desiccated coconut. The matcha latte was made with oat milk and was as pretty as it was tasty.
The best bit was the avocado toast, which was topped with cherry tomatoes, chilli flakes, paper thin radish slices, a drizzle of olive oil and a generous helping of balsamic glaze on a seeded round of toast. It was as good as any avocado toast can get. Expensive, as per everything in Geneva, but really very delicious. The flavour combinations were so perfect, I just had to recreate it!
The cafe itself is the place of Instagram dreams with rustic wooden benches adorned with succulent plants. It was clean, tidy and the staff were friendly. They also have a big fridge filled with vegan and non-vegan sandwiches, salads, wraps and acai bowls ready to take away if you so fancy.
*** Recipe re-creation ***
The Best Ever Avocado Toast – topped with cherry tomatoes, wafer thin radish slices, sprouts, chilli flakes and balsamic glaze. Pure perfection!
Mu-Food
Mu-Food is located up the foodie Lausanne Street near to the main train station and has an all-vegan menu. Their menu has around 5-7 dishes available to choose from per course.
We opted to share a starter of sweet potato salad with carrot tagliatelle, a cream of squash dressing and topped with a sprinkling of seeds. Thank goodness we shared, it was HUGE! The potato salad tasted wonderful – it was both tangy and creamy with perfectly cooked sweet potato and punchy spring onions; the flavours were perfect.
For the main course Rob decided on the Japanese tempeh, wild mushroom and asparagus stir fry. It was served in a rich teriyaki style sauce and was beautifully presented with little piped nuggets of mash potato around the side.
It was an absolutely cracking stir fry; the wild mushrooms so flavoursome, the asparagus perfectly al dente and the mash creamy and smooth. Who would have thought to put mash potato with stir fry?! It worked beautifully and just had to be one of my recipe re-creations!
I opted for the veggie burger with purple and white sweet potato wedges and a side of homemade tomato sauce and mayo. The presentation wasn’t quite as wonderful as the other dishes but it was wholesome and enjoyable!
For dessert Rob had the chocolate mousse and I went for the lemon tart. The chocolate mousse was very rich and probably too large a portion for just how rich it was. It was more a thick chocolate yoghurt than a mousse.
The lemon tart had a chunky biscuit style base, which I suspect was made from raw, pressed dates and nuts, filled with a tangy lemon filling that was liquid as opposed to set. The lemon filling was delicious (I love anything tangy) but the base was just a little bit too thick and hard to cut (I had to use my hands to break it rather than the cutlery) but it still tasted wonderful.
All in all Mu-Food provided us with an excellent meal and you’d be mad to miss this restaurant if you are going to Geneva any time soon!
*** Recipe re-creation ***
Rich and delicious Teriyaki Tempeh and Wild Mushroom Stir Fry – served with asparagus, silky smooth mash potato and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Qibi
Qibi is a tiny little take-away health cafe that serves both meat and vegan options but doesn’t use dairy.
I opted for the marinated tofu wrap which had shredded curried veg and tofu in a soft white wheat wrap, with a side of kale salad.
For lunch-dessert (why not?!) I had a cinnamon rice pudding pot and Rob had the chocolate pudding made with a rich almond milk and cacao base.
Everything was flavoursome and a great option for lunch on the go if you are passing, although I wouldn’t make a special trip to go there. Unfortunately almost everything came in plastic and there were no other options unless you had tupperware with you, which we did not.
Slup
We happened to be waiting for the bus back to the airport when I spotted Slup across the street. I’m known for being late everywhere and much to Rob’s distress I dashed across the street whilst mouthing ‘Vegan Food! I’ll just be a minute!’ (aka we’ll probably miss our plane).
Slup had only just opened their doors for the day and I asked if I could grab a take away to which they happily obliged. I ordered a rather Genevan-priced salad (Fr19) of tempeh, lentils and mango from the friendly waiter and 5 minutes later I was dashing back across the road to mop Rob’s brow and tell him it would all be ok, we wouldn’t miss our flight.
Eating the salad in the airport, along with a side of French fries (as you do), it was surprisingly delicious. Don’t get me wrong, Genevan prices are a bit of a joke but if you take price out of the equation the salad was really very tasty.
Slup also served vegan crepes and a great selection of vegan desserts including tiramisu and creme brûlée. I haven’t had crepes since going vegan so I was itching to have a nutella and banana one but thought it was best not to put the HB through the wait, it was our anniversary after all.
Toasted
We spotted Toasted by chance when we were walking past the University of Geneva and dashed across the street with the view that it sounded like the kind of place ‘my type’ would go. They had a small menu of toasts and salad bowls; both vegan and non-vegan.
Toasted had an urban music brunch on that afternoon, which was clearly too cool for us, but given that I was hangry by that point we braved it and asked if there was any chance of the Norwegian Tofu Bowl. They were friendly and whipped me up the bowl straight away.
The bowl contained marinated tofu on a base of quinoa, avocado, mango, and white cabbage and was topped with pea shoots, crispy fried onions and a generous helping of ginger and soy dressing.
The flavours were punchy but perfectly complimenting and it was an enjoyable dish. I’ve never really eaten quinoa before (I know, who even am I) but it’s definitely going to be something I use after this.
The tofu itself was relatively plain but this was necessary because the dressing was vivacious. This was offset perfectly by the creamy avocado and sweet mango; just delicious! The crispy fried onions took my lunch to the next level and were the perfect crunchy addition – YUM!
*** Recipe re-creation ***
Norwegian Tofu Bowl with Crispy Fried Onions and served with creamy avocado, sweet mango and a punchy ginger and soy sauce dressing. This bowl is going straight into my healthy lunch repertoire at home!
Top 3 Vegan Eats in Geneva :
- Mu-Food – A must visit if you are in Geneva with many incredible tasting and beautifully presented dishes.
- Alive – Vegan snickers bar. Need I say more?
- Green Gorilla – The most incredibly delicious avocado toast in a cafe made for IG!
Recipe re-creations :
- Rich and delicious Teriyaki Tempeh, Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Stir Fry – served with silky smooth mash potato and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
- The Best Ever Avocado Toast – topped with cherry tomatoes, wafer thin radish slices, sprouts, chilli flakes and balsamic glaze. Pure perfection!
- Norwegian Tofu Bowl with Crispy Fried Onions and served with creamy avocado, sweet mango and a punchy ginger and soy sauce dressing.
- How to Make the PERFECT Matcha Latte – delicious, antioxidant-rich matcha in a naturally sweet and soothing drink.
If you’re heading to Geneva soon, don’t miss the blog and vlog ‘Geneva – The Perfect 4 Day Itinerary’, which is available on the blog and on YouTube.
A Vegan Visit to Geneva – The Best Vegan Restaurants vlog :
Tara
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
