Friday, 18 February 2022
If there is a European city where it's absolutely unnecessary to compromise on
sustainability when travelling, this is most certainly the Danish capital.
Even if you – like we on our
train travel from Munich to Trondheim, on a one-night stop-over, with too little time for up-front research – are willing to take your usually organic diet with a grain of salt, relax!
It's as simple as keeping in mind the following three brands: Irma when it comes to provisions and daily necessities, Emmerys for a coffee or lunch break and sandwiches, and the Guldsmeden Hotels for a comfortable night in style. All these three chains have sufficient branches within the city that you always will find one.
Where to stay
As long as your budget isn't really tight, thread yourself with a luxury night in one of the owner-run Guldsmeden hotels. The rooms in these design hotels are all carefully designed in a way that makes you feel to have much more space at hand than you actually have: The huge canopy bed is separated from the sitting area with a wall, the bath rooms are all equipped with both, (a small) bathtub, shower and sink, and since everything is decorated in a blend of Balinese and Danish design, with a focus on longevity and sustainability there's always a feel of tropical holiday over it, no matter what the weather is like.
As a guest you are encouraged to take with you your used vanity set, tooth brush, salt deodorant and other small bathroom items for prolonged use; the luxury natural bodycare which is provided in big dispensers at the bathroom can be bought from the hotel reception or from the webshop. Organic coffee and tea is provided on the room, including tiny pyramid packs with organic milk. Unfortunately one-way paper cups are provided instead of re-usable glasses or cups. This is justified as a fire protection measure which I – given the inflammability of paper compared with glass or steel – find hard to reasonably believe.
This time we stayed at the
Babette hotel at Esplanaden, opposite the Kastellet fortress and park, with its beautiful orangery-type entrance area and a branch of the famous Skagen seafood restaurant serving as the hotel's restaurant.Although the restaurant has a focus on sustainability it's not dedicated organic. While the food itself -- the luxury form of fish-based fast food -- was both, tasty and filling, their drinks menu did not include a single organic item, and the wine selection was outrageously disappointing. There's a 10 percent discount for hotel guests.
Breakfast at the Skagen facilities is a different affair: A 100 percent organic, tastefully arranged buffet where every single item is worth a try. Unfortunately they did not serve my favourite muesli from earlier stays in Oslo and Kopenhagen: toasted and caramelised cubes of yesterday's flavour-rich dark-brown bread, blended with seeds and nuts.
Like
other hotel commodities as bicycles and the entrance to the beautiful roof-top spa breakfast is not included in the price for the night.
A few years ago we stayed at the smallest (and eldest) of all Guldsmeden hotels, the
Carlton 66 in the former meat-packing district ("Kødbyen") of Vesterbro. This intimate bourgeois city villa with its narrow stairs is a truly romantic affair, but a word of advise if you come with heavy baggage: Unlike in other countries hotel staff in Scandinavia is treated equal. So -- while you may kindly ask for help if you are of delicate health -- do not expect them to carry your luggage.
The Carlton is only a short walk away from the Guldsmeden's business hotel, Axel. If you stay at the Carlton and fancy a drink at a hotel bar or wish to use their luxury spa, treat yourself with an evening stroll.
Where to eat (and have a coffee)
If the hotel breakfast at one of the Guldsmeden hotels doesn't match your budget, there's no need to dispair: Find one of the numerous branches of Emmerys cafes and bakery shops (There are so many I won't list them here) and treat yourself with their fully organic bakery items, both to have on the spot and to take away. In addition to classic Danish brown sourdough breads and rolls they also make interpretations of Italian and French white breads and rolls. While some places have special breakfast and lunch menus, you may always have different types of Danish smørrebrød and Italo-American-style sandwiches, both with and without meat and/or cheese.
Unfortunately salads and fruit drinks to take away are still prepared and sold in one-way plastic cups, and there's no deposit scheme for cups or bowls.
If you have sufficient time, rather opt to take a seat and be served your drink in glass or earthenware. And be sure to add one of their gorgeous sweets to your coffee order -- if only a piece of their famous white brownies.
Where to buy provisions and daily necessities
Whether you are shopping for provisions or plan a picnic in a park, a branch of the nation-wide operating supermarket co-operative
Irma is usually just around the corner. While
other supermarket chains lately have started to advertise with their
small selection of organic and fairly-traded goods as a cover-up for their generelly unfair and planet-threatening practises, this chain has truly been working towards a more sustainable lifestyle in Denmark for years: Although most items sold here still is conventional produce, you have clearly marked organic alternatives for almost all products at hand, placed in a way that makes it easy to choose the more sustainable alternative in the first place, without much reading. Still, also shopping here requires attention to organic labels and some abstinence if you want to reduce one-way plastic.
What to do
If you love tea and fancy a short travel in time, pay a visit to A. C. Perch's Thehandel from 1835. In the tiny shop of the royal warrant holder shop assistants with dark-green aprons measure high quality loose-weight tea into paper bags, needless to say using shiny brass mechanical scales. The bags are lettered by hand and closed with rubber bands. Not all of the teas are organic, but you have a great assortment to choose from, and you will also find organic ginger snaps.
If you have sufficient time and are in the mood for having tea of your choice (or organic fruit juice) in style enter A. C. Perch's Tea Room next door (it is advisable to book a table in advance). The food is not dedicated organic but do not hesitate to enquire about organic ingredients on the menu.
The entire venture is a small Scandinavian chain, with two more tea rooms in Aarhus and the Norwegian capital of Oslo, and
tea shops at CPH Airport, in Aarhus, and in Oslo.
The Danish love sausages and hotdogs, and if you do, too, there's no reason to spend your money on mediocre conventional fare: Amid the pedestrian zone of Strøget, in front of Holy Ghost Church, you'll find a fully organic hotdog stall:
Den økologiske pølsemand ("The organic sausage man"),
offers vegetarian and beef or pork sausages with organic veges and condiments, in an organic roll, as well as organic soft drinks. You should find a second stall in Christianshavn, in front of the Round Tower, but I hadn't time to check this out.
2022-02-18 11:00:00
[Copenhagen, Kobenhavn, Kopenhagen, Oslo, Aarhus, organic, fair, vegetarian, vegan, cafe, takeaway, coffee, tea, snacks, breakfast, lunch, hotel, accommodation]
[direct link · table of contents]
Friday, 31 December 2021
One of the oldest cities in Germany, with roots back in Roman history, a rich medieval history – including the world's oldest intact social housing project, the Fuggerei –, and the birthplace of Bertolt Brecht, one of the most influential writers in modern theatre, Augsburg is without doubt worth a visit. Conveniently located on the railway tracks between Munich and Nuremberg, urban trains ("Regionalbahn"/"Regionalexpress") from Munich central station depart twice an hour (at day time) and can be used with the Bayernticket flat-rate ticket for Bavaria which is the budget option if you plan to travel from and to Munich on one day (one way takes about 45 minutes). Augsburg is also an ICE/IC train stop: These high velocity trains will save you about a quarter of an hour on this route, but tickets usually come at a significantly higher price.
If you plan to stay overnight there's a pleasant fully organic hotel about three kilometers from the main train station, the
Bayerischer Wirt, a certified Bio Hotel
in the suburb of Lechhausen, yet easily accessible by tram and bus or bike.
Although the hotel is located directly at a noisy main road, the outdoor seating area in the backyard is a peaceful oasis. The hotel restaurant serves Bavarian meat and fish dishes as well as internationally inspired vegetarian ones – with varying results: While the roasted meat was perfectly done (rare as requested, caramelized yet melting), and served with the most delicate onion crisps I've ever tasted, the strips of veal in mustard cream were quite bland and uninspired – health food with boringly blanched veges and saltless (though home-made) spaetzle. Instead of ordering bottled mineral water you may fetch tap water from the water dispenser at no cost. Needless to say that all drinks are organic, too, and the aperitifs were a pleasant refreshment in the summer heat. The dessert menu is quite limited – prefab organic ice-cream, home-made cakes and a parfait when I visited.
If a healthy local kitchen with liberal opening hours does not satisfy your expectations of a city vacation, there are two promising day cafes easily reachable for cyclists on the way from the main station to Lechhausen:
Café Himmelgrün near the
banks of the river Lech in Berliner Allee serves fully organic breakfast, lunch, coffee and cakes, and you can also find sustainable gifts and nice things. The cafe is run by Augsburg-based organic bakery Schubert – you may have come across the name at the bakery counters of organic supermarkets, both in Munich, Nuremberg and elsewhere in Bavaria.
In front of the cafe's outdoor area the bakery has installed a mobile sales booth for bread, snacks and cakes of yesterday's production, from the quality control desks, with short best-before date or small blemishes, all sold at low fixed prices: A kilogram of bread for example comes at 3 EUR, yesterday's savoury snacks at 1 EUR the piece, and six pieces of cake at 7 EUR. Customers are encouraged to reduce waste and take home their purchase in their own bags or boxes. Unfortunately the booth dubbed Grünfux deluxe is closed in the afternoon as well as on Mondays and on weekends.
Augsburg's long history of textile fabric production, print and trade is reflected in the Bavarian State Textile and Industry Museum, less than 10 minutes from the inner city hotspot Königsplatz by tram no. 6. The museum's cafe dubbed
nunó (from the Japanese word for "cloth") is not only a charming spot in an impressive industrial building of a former spinning mill, but also predominantly and certified organic, serving light and internationally inspired lunch, breakfast and Sunday brunch, and of course a recreational coffee. Meat, bread, veges, and eggs are reliably organic and of regional origin if possible while drinks at the bar are still predominantly conventional. As most museums the place is closed on Mondays and – except for special occasions – in the evenings.
If you are so unfortunate to strand before closed doors the next organic supermarket with a small bistro – a branch of the Denn's Biomarkt chain – is located in walking distance.
Inner city
My absolute favourite for meeting friends or family is the cosy day cafe and bar
Dreizehn within the
Kresslesmühle cultural centre. The food is
100 percent
vegan, properly seasoned and absolutely delicious. There's a daily changing special meal (a marvellously filling mushroom-spiced polenta with ratatouille, fried organic tofu crumbles and salad when I was there) in addition to the small standard menu. Unfortunately it's not possible to have breakfast yet, and when you cannot sit outside next to the old mill stream due to weather conditions it's advisable to book a table.
In the backyard of St. Anne's church, the Annahof next to the fenced city market, the church parish gives host to a lively all-day cafe restaurant cum bar dubbed Anna with a great outdoor area, which is open in the evenings, too. The place serves lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch inspired by international kitchens. Once it was certified organic, but since it no longer is the restaurant is not allowed to advertise with organic ingredients. Nevertheless the managing director assured me that they were still using as much organic produce as before: both eggs, milk and most fruit come from organic
farms and distributors in the vicinity. On the menu
you'll find organic beer (Lammsbräu), on occasions organic wine (ask for it), lemonade (charitea) and ice-tea. For breakfast you can have
organic crunchy cereals, and
the bread comes from the Schubert bakery. Unfortunately meat products usually aren't organic. During the warm season the cafe sells organic ice-cream to take away in a biscuit cone, delivered by the Cramer's confectioner's. Only plain flavours like vanilla, chocolate, plan hazelnut and lemon were available in July 2019, the scoop at 1.50 EUR.
For a light vegan lunch bowl or a smoothie stop by 100 percent organic ice-cream shop Juice 'n Cream in the
Ulrichsviertel neighbourhood.
If you are in the mood for a pizza there's a branch of the partially organic NineOFive chain at
Fuggerplatz.
For a no-frills coffee, snack or lunch you may also head for the self-service cafe at the city branch of the Basic organic supermarket chain
between the state theatre and the cathedral.
Want a liquid give-a-away or treat yourself with a good bottle of organic wine or high-quality juice?
Uli Scheffler Weinhandel in the Bismarckviertel is one of those small owner-run shops that create the soul of a city: Describe your occasion, and Uli will come up with a suggestion for you
that (as to my taste and knowledge) will work (and taste) perfectly. While the shop keeps open on Saturdays you'll have to go without his advice as you'll find Uli at the Mariahilf farmers' market in Munich on that day of the week.
Around the main train station – bakeries and package-free
For last minute travel provisions you can buy an organic snack or sandwich at the Hofpfisterei bakery branch five minutes from the main train station. Unfortunately it's closed both on Saturdays and Sundays.
If you have some more time the city's package-free supermarket Ruta Natur is located no more than 10 minutes from the train station, directly on the way to the Stadtmarkt market place.
Alternatively you may proceed to the
Schubert branch at the tram hub of
Königsplatz. There used to be a serviced day cafe but after some reconstruction work the area of the bakery shop has diminished to the sales counter and a small self-service area where you may sit down with a sandwich or snack. When the weather is nice there are also chairs and tables outside. The coffee drinks from the automatic machine could taste better, but everything is organic.
There's another Schubert branch inside the city market, around the corner from St. Anne's church (and you'll find another Hofpfisterei branch there, too).
Sunday-open in Hochzoll
To buy fresh bread, rolls or cake on a Sunday morning you have to commute to 12-Apostel-Platz in Augsburg-Hochzoll where the only Sunday-open
Schubert branch is located. It also sports a cafe, most suitable on weekdays, though.
More on Augsburg
Closed
- Lokalhelden,
Bleigässchen 2,
(vegetarian and vegan restaurant)
- Mom's Table, Maximilianstr. 77 (vegan restaurant)
- Schwarze Kiste,
Gögginger Str. 26
- Sowieso, Schießgrabenstr. 4
(organic
restaurant and cafe, social enterprise)
-
Färberei,
Färbergäßchen 5 (restaurant), replaced by partially organic winery and bar Tante Frizzante und Herr Brand,
Tue–Thu(Fri) 17(16)–23(1),Sat 12–1
2021-12-31 20:45:01
[Augsburg, Augusta, organic, vegan, vegetarian, breakfast, lunch, dinner, Franconian, German, restaurant, eatery, hotel, accommodation, ice-cream, cafe, coffee, supermarkets, grocery, bakeries, zero_waste, unverpackt, wine]
[direct link · table of contents]
Sunday, 26 December 2021
The following reviews origin from my last visit to Kerala in 2016 and all updates since have their source in remote contacts.
Near Kochi (Cochin)
South of Kochi, directly situated at the backwaters in the village of Kumbalangi you'll find Gramam Homestay, a quiet, eco-friendly homestay which allows you to escape busy Indian city life. Its sustainably kept coconut garden by the water makes the surroundings for an old, nicely restored spacious farmhouse equipped with two twin beds and fans. The openness of the house allows you to experience all the noises of a tropical night. An outdoor bathroom attached to the cottage provides you with a roofed Western toilet and handwash as well as two showers under open sky. You'll stand on natural stones within some small bushes, and the used water from the shower percolates through the sand beneath the stones. Warm water is heated by the sun on the rooftop.
Breakfast (homemade Kerala food and/or prefab toast/"cereals") is complimentary, and lunch or dinner in the eating room next to the kitchen of the main house where your hosts, Jos and Lyma, live can be arranged on request. Some of the veges used in cooking may be "nadan" (i.e. from home gardens kept the traditional way without use of industrial chemicals), but there is no emphasis on organic food or drinks. Staying in the cottage you however have a kitchen at your disposal. An off season cottage night for two is Rs. 4000 (the two extra beds Rs. 800 each), but if you are on budget there are also two cheaper rooms in the main house.
Jos will happily arrange a tour on a punted boat, a visit to a shrimps farm, or a car with driver for you. For our trip to Abhayaranyam wildlife shelter with its elephant camp and well-kept botanical gardens he arranged an organic breakfast (Rs. 600) at a friendly brahmin family's of teachers who showed us around their traditional house, well and organic garden where we learnt about nutmeg, macis, Indian basil, curry leaves and other spices (as well as some useful Malayalam phrases).
Near Thodupuzha
Far bigger than the aforementioned ones – almost a simple hotel with 11 single and double rooms – is the farmstay of Dewalokam Organic Farm, run by a friendly family of teachers and their staff from neighbouring villages. The farm has been a family estate for about hunded years, and after serving as a rubber plantation for the last generation, todays owners Jose and Sinta have been reconverting it into an almost self-sustaining organic farm following circular principles. While the entrance to the modern, though traditionally built main house is opposed by a spacious park, the land around the houses are now being used as spice, coffee, cocoa, vegetable and fruit gardens interspaced by some fish ponds. Chickens, ducks and turkeys range freely in the Souther-Eastern part of the gardens next to the cow, buffalo and sheep sheds. The cows' mock is collected and fermented in an underground tank producing fertilizer and the gas burnt in the kitchen stoves.
As we were lucky to observe during our stay newborn lambs are kept together with and fed by their mothers. All the cows were born on the farm itself, and none of the animals was deprived of their horns.
The double rooms in the first floor of the main house are simple, but spacious, clean and light, with an adjacent dressing room next to (Western) toilet and shower. There are more rooms in the adjacent older house. A night for two comes at Rs. 10,000 (8,000 off season) including four meals a day and activities like yoga in the morning, walks in the garden and in the vicinity, or cooking demonstrations. The house and the rooms are always adorned with fresh flowers.
The swimming pool is filled by fresh (rain) water, and you can also have a swim in the river. Jose and Sinta will also provide you with well-maintained bicycles for a village tour.
Most ingredients in the home-cooked meals (North and South Indian, with a continental style soup without spices to start lunch and dinner with) come from the farm itself (if you travel with children: The french fries are prefab and not organic). Guests usually are served seafish instead of fish from the ponds as the bones of the latter may be an obstacle, but if you insist you will be served a truly locally sourced fish curry. You may also purchase spices grown on the farm.
A side note: Before you start criticising any of the aforementioned places for burning paper and plastic waste on their land hesitate a minute and think about what you were going to do without communal waste collecting and separating facilities which generally are not available in rural areas.
Confirmed closed as of 2022
(Temporarily?) closed
Their website was gone, their phone number no longer operating, and they did neither answer e-mails nor Skype messages. Finally I got an automated answer that they were closed due to monsoon repair and would reopen in August. We tried to call again from India mid of August 2016, and still the phone was gone. So some doubts may be raised whether the following eco retreat in Varkala is still operating:
- Bohemian Masala,
drive in entrance from Thiruvambadi Beach Road
near Black Beach, Kurakkanni, Varkala
Mind you, there's a place with a similar name, the "Eco Bohemian Masala" which tries to fool tourists into believing it was the aforementioned eco stay. Don't fall for it – according to Tripadvisor posts it seems to be a place to be avoided. If you happen to actually stay at the real Bohemian Masala, let me know.
2021-12-26 18:00:00
[Kerala, Alleppey, Alappuzha, Kochi, Cochin, Thodupuzha, Varkala, organic, accommodation, farms, cycling, covid, corona]
[direct link · table of contents]
Thursday, 04 November 2021
Each year Nuremberg plays host to what probably is the world's most important organic trade fair, Biofach, and the city has been wisely using the publicity that comes with the event. If you happen to be in Nuremberg around fair time you will see several communal events around organic food and agriculture. In 2016 the city organized an organic gourmet week during which participating restaurants and eateries offered fully organic gourmet meals at fixed prices even when they otherwise do so only partially. Visitors and citizens could download communally sponsored discount vouchers for these meals.
Thanks to efforts like this Nuremberg has become a city where the extra effort to find organic lunch or dinner is comparatively small.
Asian
Love Asian food? Although there's an abundance of Asian kitchens in Bavaria, it's hard to find the few that are using organic ingredients. So take your chance and dine at Engelhardts located in a beautiful lane of St. Sebald. The hotel restaurant of the family-run boutique Hotel Elch it serves 100 percent organic
Thai and Laotic-style food, naturally also as a
room service. Note that the place is
closed on Sun- and holidays.
French
The first address in town is a cosy, almost 40 years old organic creperie, Ye'chet mad in the Südstadt neighbourhood. The audience is dominated by students, artists, theatre and cinema goers, professionals in art and culture and those interested in the resulting atmosphere. Many combine a visit with a movie in the adjacent arthouse cinema. You will be served a huge variety of fully organic whole-meal crepes, pleasantly thin, both sweet and savoury, as a main course and/or dessert. French salads, soups and appetizers round up the menu.
Franconian
A five minutes brisk walk from tube station Friedrich-Ebert-Platz you will find an organic pub of old, the Frankenstube. As you might expect they serve rustic local dishes, but there's a long list of vegan and vegetarian versions. Indeed, the vegan cabbage roll served with a hearty tomato sauce and pasta was very tasty, and not bland at all. All organic dishes are clearly marked as such on the menu but you should be aware (especially when it comes to meat dishes) that the ones without the bio keyword are conventional fare.
The beer isn't organic (nor are the cakes), but the wine is. The place seems to be a favourite among locals, crowded even on a weekday evening.
Ever wanted to try the Franconian speciality of Schäufele? When I discovered the newly established fully organic restaurant
Engelhardts 2.0 at the Hauptmarkt the day after its opening I did not notice at first that they also offered this and other meat-based dishes. Italian-inspired vegetarian sandwiches and yummy vegan Austrian "Mehlspeisen" (sweet and filling flour-based desserts which also can be eaten as a course of its own) like the Kaiserschmarrn and the Dampfnudel yeast dumpling were visible and welcome after the guided walk around the monstrosities of the Nazi party rally grounds at that cold October afternoon in 2021.
The new sister of the Engelhardts hotel restaurant with its open kitchen and clean bistrot appearance (to know that this location had been a McDonald's before explains a lot of the interior design) felt very new that day, indeed: The service was friendly but still a little slow and unconfident, and we were forced to have our vegan latte in one-way paper cups as the glasses got broken in transport.
Since the latte was made with oat drink without asking I got the impression of a vegan restaurant which the place is not. A closer look at the menu showed a happy mix of regional and international soulfood, preferably made with local ingredients, and I'll most certainly give it a second try during my next stay in the city.
Burgers
Shabby chic with cartoon and neon elements make the environment for Auguste (formerly "Klein-August") in Sankt Peter south of the railway tracks. Unusually for a burger grill it's not self-service but a family-friendly pub popular with women. The kitchen closes at 10 pm (on Sundays at 9 pm).
Some beer and soft drinks are organic as are the burger buns which are made from spelt, the meat and the currywurst sausage. They have a good selection of vegan and vegetarian burgers, too.
The name of the place changed from Klein-August to Auguste when the bigger Auguste restaurant in the Künstlerhaus K4 next to the main train station had to close due to ongoing reconstruction work.
Vegan
If you prefer pizza or a totally vegan place (also serving burgers) head for the Veganel pizzeria and eatery in the Gostenhof neighbourhood. Aside the pizze (with plant-based cheese substitute) and burgers you can also have stews, pasta, bowls, cake and more in pleasant no-frills surroundings. The ingredients are all organic and to a great extend grown in the greater region and seasonal.
There'a also choice of wheat and soy-free dishes. Unlike other eateries this one is open for dinner.
Ceased to exist
The following places shut down and where replaced by other, not organic ones. So don't be confused when you find references to them on the web:
2021-11-04 19:00:00
[Nuremberg, organic, vegan, vegetarian, lunch, dinner, French, Franconian, German, fastfood, burgers, pizza, restaurant, trainstation, hotel, accommodation, covid, corona]
[direct link · table of contents]
Tuesday, 07 September 2021
Leaving the train at Altona station does not bring you to the heart of the city but to the vibrant neighbourhoods of Altona (to the East) and Ottensen (to the West) offering a great choice of lively (partially) organic places. None of them are very posh as the distinguished bourgeouis citizens usually live and roam elsewhere, and there's a good chance to mingle with locals.
Where to stay
As long as you are satisfied with a basic yet clean and well-kept hotel room head for
the Schanzenstern. The name derives from its original location in the Sternschanze neighbourhood, but even though the hostel moved to its current location surely fifteen years ago references to its old address haven't vanished from the net completely. Most rooms are
equipped with bunk beds, and you are well advised to book in advance especially if not travelling alone.
The entire building is painted in clear basic colors, orange and blue the rooms, yellow the hallway. Since rain water is used
for flushing the toilets its colour can be explained easily, and the soap dispensers in the bathroom are filled with liquid organic hand wash.
If you're travelling by bicycle there's a locked shed where you can store it safely overnight. The hostel also has a handful basic three-gear bikes to rent, at a price tag of 10 EUR per day, not to go fast, but well suited for the sett surface streets around.
The hostel's 100% organic breakfast buffet keeps open daily from 7:30 to 10:30, but is not included in the price for the night. For additional 9.50 Euro you can order it until late the evening before. The restaurant also serves organic lunch on weekdays, and there are board games and journals to spend the time with.
Bakeries
Breakfast and lunch alternatives are located within five-minutes walking distance:
For one there's the Zeit für Brot ("time for bread") artisanal show bakery next to a branch of the Denn’s organic supermarket chain in Ottenser Hauptstraße (The chain has a second supermarket nearby which also serves snacks at their self-service cafe.) Through a window you can watch the Zeit-für-Brot bakers at work while buying German bread, fresh from the oven. If stepping by for a coffee or another non-alcoholic drink, a pastry, cake, savoury snack, or a light lunch (all organic) queue with the other customers and place your order at the till. When the pandemic restrictions are over you may again find a place at one of the tables inside and enjoy the gorgeous smell of real bread together with your snack.
For the time being you have to be lucky to find a spare seat outside under a sunshade also sheltering from the occasional rain shower.
The place serves El Rojito coffee, and this is always an excuse to come here.
Cafes and lunch restaurants
Another organic breakfast alternative is cosy cafe Lillisu offering 100% organic food and drinks. In addition to breakfast the women owners also serve sandwiches, filled pasta, spaghetti, soup and salads for lunch, both vegetarian and omnivore, prepared in the tiny kitchen in view of their guests.
Place your order at the counter
and add a home-made cake from the display.
You'll be served but are expected to return to the counter for payment.
Set breakfast plates are served on weekends only.
Decorated in pastel colours this is also the place to buy nostalgic presents and some organic delicatessen (chocolates, olive oil, coffee, ...) as well as "Glück in Gläsern" ("happiness in jars"), (in)famous 100% non-organic nostalgic sweets many Germans will remember from their childhood, sold by the piece.
As in the Schanzenstern restaurant a selection of magazines from Hamburg-based publishers are there to be read by the guests.
For a coffee break my tip is the cafe of a local coffee importer specializing in the coffee of South-American co-operatives,
El Rojito. Not all of them are organically certified, but the driving force behind is a registered society which has been supporting fair and social working and trading conditions for more than 30 years.
While pandemic restrictions apply you can have your coffee outside only: There's outdoor seating in the backyard, though not in the morning and on Sundays, and some space in front of the cafe. Their coffee is also served by the Schanzenstern hostel, and the shop sells the full range of their coffee beans as well as some other items such as organic honey.
Ice-cream
For a sweet threat head back to Altona train station (where you by the way will find another organic supermarket, this time an Alnatura branch).
Since 1913 there has been an Italian ice-cream parlour in Ottenser Hauptstaße, which, after world war II became Eiscafe Venezia. Today, the owners are no longer of Italian origin, but use
organic milk for all of their about 20 flavours. Unfortunately the ice-cream isn't fully organic itself; the scoop goes for 1.40 EUR in 2021. Usually the cafe closes at midnight, but you may find it closing earlier on bad weather.
The place also serves Italian-style coffee drinks with organic milk from a proper Cimbali pressure machine, but I'd rather advise to take the extra meters to Zeit für Brot as their coffee is far better.
Zero waste
Package-free organic self-service supermarkets are also on the rise in Hamburg, and given the subcultural context of the neighbourhood you won't be surprised to find one here as well: Stückgut recently moved from its old address Am Felde 91 to a beautiful corner shop at Alma-Wartenberg-Platz. Apart from the usual product range common to all these groceries this one offers organic tea, fresh fruits and veges, antipasti and cheeses and a colourful range of liquid body care and household chemicals which make the shop a proper full-range retailer. There's a second branch in St. Pauli with a smaller product range, among others missing fresh greens.
More to try
Here's another organic cafe and a bakery I found during my research but did not have time to visit. I'll be happy if you'd share your impressions with me!
Closed during covid-19 pandemic
Closed
The following places do no longer exist although you might find them referenced on the web:
- Alohachérie, Weidenallee 2a (vegan)
- 2 B Bio-Kiosk, Juliusstrasse 2 b (late-open convenience store)
2021-09-07 11:00:01
[Hamburg, Altona, Ottensen, St_Pauli, organic, coffee, ice-cream, zero_waste, unverpackt, supermarkets, grocery, eatery, lunch, breakfast, cafe, hotel, accommodation, bakeries, covid, corona]
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