The oldest vegetarian restaurant was within our vicinity and weren’t going to go? Impossible! Hiltl is officially the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant dating back to 1898. Not only do they offer wonderful and delicious vegetarian takes on world classics, but the whole vibe and concept of the restaurant is so unique too. If you’re in Zurich Switzerland, you cannot miss this place. It is most definitely worth a visit for the experience and the novelty of it all. In this post, we’ll discuss who they are and the intriguing concept they offer as well as our experience dining there too. So, let’s goooo!
Check out their website here.
The novelty
Hiltl is the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world. 1898 to be precise. It is a fully vegetarian restaurant that takes humble vegetables and converts them into fascinating and delicious dishes. They turn world renowned famous classic dishes from all over the world and turn it vegetarian. I mean the options available is fascinating, intriguing and mind-blowing. It is like one of those bucket list item restaurants to be fair. If you’re in Zurich Switzerland, how can you not visit? Not only for the novelty, but also for the experience as what you’ll encounter is uniqueness and creativity.
The experience
I mean if the concept wasn’t unique enough already especially for this part of the world (before the Indian food lovers coming attacking – because they also exclusive vegetarian restaurants too). The different between this vegetarian restaurant and the Indian ones is that they take dishes from all over the world and make them vegetarian. And it’s not a specific cuisine that they are representing or presenting to their audience. What makes them even more unique is the experience. The restaurant is essentially a big fat self-service buffet. At the door you pick your plates and then you head towards the beautifully displayed buffet. You stack up your plates with whatever you fancy (be careful as there is a lot to be tempted by and the price depends on the weight). Once you’re finished, you head to the till to get your plate weighed and then you pay. It is pretty expensive as we paid about £36 for our plate of food, but considering the amount, the novelty and the fact that it is Switzerland, I think we can accept it.
