Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Beer/Wine

German-style dishes but with tofu and seitan. Has menu in English. A pizza cost approximately on average 7.50euros. Reported August 2010 to longer serve fish. Reported closed August 2020.


52 Reviews

First Review by atandt

Kyttiara

Points +1160

Vegan
10 Sep 2014

I was surprised... not in a good way

Well... The place is just very unlikely.
It's so dark, the waiter is not polite or friendly, it looks like an old casino or something. Not so many Vegan options and I asked for 3 things he did not have.. Not a really good experience. My friend had a pizza, was okay but not incredible.
I won't return that place

Cons: nothing vegan available to eat, not friendly, dark and creepy place

AndreaVeg

Points +214

Vegan
08 Jan 2014

a great place for a dinner

the staff was very polite and attentive despite the restaurant was completely full, the quality of the food was excellent and the portions were generous, the wine was really good too (and I'm pretty picky about wine) and the atmosphere allowed us to spend a pleasant evening for two despite the local was full. Nothing to say, one of the best places I've eaten in Berlin!

Pros: quality of the food, hummus, wine

anderson_santos

Points +89

Vegan
13 Nov 2013

Are you really sure it's Berlin?

It's supposed to be one of the oldest vegetarian restaurants in Berlin, but seems they didn't followed the development of vegetarian community in the city.

The dinner was ok, not many vegan options (if you can call that vegan options), but after the breakfast experience, it just became my least favourite eatery in Berlin. Even some meat based restaurants have better breakfast options for vegans then Cafe V. Only one option? Not at least one vegan cheese? (smoked tofu, for god's sake, that's what everybody does to be cheap). So, if you end up with no options, maybe it's a place to go, but if you want a proper Berlin vegetarian experience, better to try somewhere else, especially if you are vegan.

audreyjm

Points +39

Vegetarian
31 Jul 2013

Great, Laid-Back veggie restaurant

I really like Cafe V and I like it more and more each time I come. Despite having had it on my radar for a while I had kind of been put off going, in part due to some of the bad reviews on here. However, this summer I went for the first time with a friend and have been back many times since.

The food is really good and tasty. It has a large menu with plenty of choice - from hot & cold appetisers, to salads, pizzas and "main" dishes. As it's a vegetarian restaurant and not a vegan restaurant, the menu has a mix of both types of dishes, although there is definitely more for the non-vegan. But there are at least 3 vegan pizzas on offer and plenty of salads & a good selection of the mains, so it's not difficult if you're vegan. But, you might just feel short-changed due to the huge selection of offer for veggies.

The setting is really nice as well - it's located in the very hip Wrangelkiez, on a nice square - great for people watching if you sit outside. I haven't sat inside yet so can't comment on that but I imagine it to be very cosy in the winter.

I have found the staff to be nice and accommodating but not intrusive. If you're not used to Berlin-style service you might think they are inattentive but I don't think it differs much from any other place in Berlin.

They have a full bar with lots of great wine, beers, teas & juices as well. oh, and the vegan garlic bread before the meal and with the starters is amazing!

Pros: huge choice, friendly, delicious

Cons: fewer vegan choices

Amsterdam+girls

Points +52

Vegan
14 Oct 2012

Not recommended

We had lunch here and this was our only bad restaurant experience in Berlin. The place itself doesn't have a nice atmosphere , it is dark and not too inviting , the service wasn't too friendly either (and it isn't language related). The food was simply not good! it didn't taste fresh , was very greasy and the vegetables looked tired and old. Would never visit there again and wouldn't recommend it.
There are so many other great options in town do not bother to make your way to this one.

hack_man

24 Mar 2013

Cafe V - the darker the better. This is a Kreuzberg institution

Cantona1983

Points +82

Vegetarian
05 Oct 2012

good food

we came here a few months ago and actually quite enjoyed the outside seating area. the food was very nice - altough the tapas teller we had was quite expensive for what was actually on it - also the staff wasnt particularly attentive - then again, they might have been understaffed - it was very quite busy

Anna Vladi

Points +69

Vegetarian
28 May 2012

discover

Just discovered this restaurant in Berlin and very happy to have done it. It has an amazing choice of vegetarian and vegan food. U always have an option almost for each plate to have it either vegan or vegetarian. The prices are alright if u cinsider the size of portion and its quality! I totaly gonna come back to eat in this place again and again.

Pros: big choice, creativity, quality

Raydoggy

Points +357

Vegan
06 Dec 2011

No fish anymore, at last it's safe to eat there.

Now that Cafe V does not have fish, I have started eating there again. The only problem I have with this place is that they don't go Vegan (no vegan cakes). Also, they give too much bread before the meal, and the bread is delicious, but way too filling, I think two slices would be enough. I definitely recommend revisiting Cafe V without the fish. Congratulations to Cafe V.
Updated from previous review on Saturday May 17, 2008
Updated from previous review on Saturday September 10, 2011
Updated from previous review on Saturday September 10, 2011

Pros: Good veg food, No fish now, Big portions

Cons: Too much cream, Not Vegan, Could be friendlier

Merciless666

22 Feb 2013

nice review!!
you wouldn't believe how much you speak my heart!!
i'm traveling a lot for work and always hate finding a good or just decent place. i just reminded my time traveling the states with all it's amazing vegan and veggie restaurant, while writing reviews. want to go back there!
germans are so narrowminded...incredible!
A college of mine told me ones "well i'm mostly vegan now, since i let the dentist repair my teeths...bla,bla" (he's got no teeths in the front), ,while ordering spaghetti bolognese right in front of me...
well prenzlauer berg is not my favorite spot, but maybe i should try your veggie burgers ;-)

Tookl

22 Feb 2013

I love your review, but I don't think we have to get used to it. I think we keep not frequenting restaurants with flesh on the menu, period. Also, I think that we have to work harder to get veggie meat substitutes distributed in this country. Ie a decent tasting veggie sausage, etc. Change from within, i say. But i will never get used to it!

your_ad_here

Points +82

Vegan
05 Sep 2011

Ok but not the best for vegans.

While the menu was all vegetarian, options for vegans were quite limited. I got an eggplant dish and my brother got some sort of seitan curry-stirfry (both dishes were vegan).

The food came with this amazing garlic bread. It was absolutely delicious.

Both dishes were beautifully presented and were quite generous portions, but had the same problem: they were a bit bland. Not so bland I couldn't eat it, but just disappointing. Especially after the garlic bread.

Perhaps Cafe V is good for vegetarians but for vegans, I think it's best to go to Viasko or somewhere else. Which is a shame, because that garlic bread is really good.

Pros: generous portions, friendly staff, amazing garlic bread

Cons: limited vegan options, food is bland

Jujuh

Points +101

Vegetarian
31 Aug 2011

Not a fan

I went there once with a friend,the food was pretty tasteless... I had an eggplant dish with soy, maybe the other dishes were better :-/

XspeedyX

Points +122

Vegan
04 Aug 2011

O my Tofu

Café V is amazing! I had the saitan schnitzel with cream sauce and potatoes TWICE, it was so good!

Pros: excellent food, sweet people

Cons: loads of reserved

estefinparis

Points +881

Vegan
26 Apr 2011

Great spot in Kreuzberg

After arriving in Berlin in an early morning flight, our first stop was Cafe V for breakfast (served from 10 to 15). When the breakfast menu arrived it was difficult to not take a look at the regular menu too and thus we compromised by choosing something from the breakfast menu (which is sadly mostly vegetarian with only one vegan option - albeit a very good one) and two dishes from the regular menu: seasonal asparagus in orange sauce with new potatoes (delicious!) and vegan pizza for take away. We were so glad we also ordered the pizza - best vegan pizza I've ever eaten! The portions are generous, the focaccia served with the main dishes is addictive, the service is good, the atmosphere very cosy... definitely a place to come back to!

nico

Points +33

Vegetarian
07 Mar 2011

a night to forget!

Ok, maybe I'm not a huge fan of german food, but what happend in "V" cafe wasn't as pleasant as I expected.
In fact the place that was suggested as best Vegetarian restaurant in town, ended up to be a place to forget! We ordered a "seitan stew with mushrooms and potatoes in a curry sauce".....well,it was the worst dish I've had in years! Over spicy,(and I absolutely love good spicy food in general, but this wasn't the case)...salty gravy in which 2 half cutted boiled potatoes and a mountain "berg" of shredded seitan were literally floating, the few "common" mushrooms in it had absorbed the excessive salt as sponges and were inedible.....a tiny portion of white rice would have helped...but no trace (it was curry at the end, no?!)....well we just coped by drinking all the liter and a half jug of mineral water!!!
They have a wine list, but if you ask info you'll get lost, they do not know anything about wine types...we got the organic one....better avoid it ;) !

It's not cheap, one plate goes from 9 till 12 €, but portions are huge...that it wasn't so fortunate in our case!

Apart from the food...the place it's quite cosy and with some atmosphere, the service it's good, the waitress was really kind, and oh! They give you a nice sort of focaccia as a free starter meanwhile waiting for your food. And salads looked good....

Maybe we just have been unlucky, if I'll be brave enough to try it again I'll let you know! ;)

Pros: friendly staff, big portions

dagny70

Points +320

Vegan
12 Oct 2010

Yummy!

We went to Cafe V after a LONG day sight-seeing, and also suffering from stinking colds. It was great to just sit and relax and not feel rushed, although it was a Friday night. Our server was really nice and although she didn't speak much English, the menu was in German & English so it wasn't a problem. I had the most delicious lentil soup to start, which was amazing on my sore throat. We were also given a basket of bread with some sort of tomato tapanade, which was yummy. My main course was veggie schnitzel in a mushroom cream sause with potatoes. My partner had a courgette, tomato, cheese & basil bake, also with potatoes. The portions were HUGE, and I don't think I would have a starter again, I was so full. We used the very good directions posted by another reviewer and it was quite easy to find. Cash only, so be prepared for that, fairly inexpensive, and really delicious food. Took us a while to get the bill, but they were busy (only 2 staff I think), and at the end of the day, it wasn't a major hassle. Highly recommend.

Pros: Excellent food, Good value, Friendly staff

·X·

Points +28381

Vegan
10 Oct 2010

I loved the vegan pizza!

Oh my goodness the vegan pizza was REALLY good! I'll admit I was skeptical when I went there. I reluctantly settled on the vegan pizza too, but seriously, I'm glad I did!!! I can't remember the name of the pizza, but I have the pizza #50 written down in my notes, so that's what I got. The vegan cheese was very good and it also melted (and wasn't Daiya - nice for a change). Admittedly this pizza was so good that I ate the whole this myself (wait until you see the picture), good thing I had walked the thing off the entire day! If you're craving a pizza, I say give this place a shot.

My waitress did not speak English (I think she spoke Turkish and German), so I ordered in German - but I don't think it would be a problem if you pointed to things on the menu.

aisawesome

Points +215

Vegan
28 Sep 2010

favorite meal in berlin!

I went here last week and got the Chickpea polenta in curry sauce with spinach and raisins and almonds and it was my most favorite meal that I've had in Berlin. it was sooo good!!! I wish I had gone back to get it again. next time! bread comes with the meal and the waitress didn't speak much English but she was nice. Quick service.
Updated from previous review on Tuesday September 28, 2010

Pros: yummy food, quick service

Cons: not a ton of vegan options

Lauria

Points +29

Vegetarian
26 Nov 2009

not as good

Cafe like place, The woman that served us was friendly. The food was a bit boring. The lentil soup I had was good, but the pizza was a toast like thing, with to much salt. The menu said it was with seitan, I did not taste that.
My friend said he had the same sauce twice. In his salad and in his main dish.
Its the stuff you cook at home, at a restaurant I expect better

Pros: friendly staff

Cons: boring food, quite expensive for what it is

sbl

Points +17

Vegetarian
30 Aug 2009

Good food generally with some setbacks on some day

Been to cafe V many times. Generally customer service is good but in summer the smoke drifts in and you can't get away from smoking (with the waiters smoking near the door as well). On the food side, love the weekly menus, they are generally a meatfree reatsurant, with a couple of fish dishes, otherwise vegetarian & vegan. What's great: they amend menus if possible to make them vegan. On the food side, generally never had a bad meal but as portions are quite large, you tend to overeat (plus there's free Turkish bread, filled with a tomato oinion sauce). One other critisicm: the food's sometime too salty and often very rich. So if you're in for a treat perfect but if you'e on a diet, you might find yourself happy with one of the salad options ... shame it's not organic though...

Pros: very tasty, vast menu, especially also a weekly one, free (delicious) bread

Cons: salty food at times, too rich at times, smoke drifting in

KateMc

Points +33

Vegetarian
23 Sep 2008

Wonderful food and atmosphere

It took a little wandering to find the restaurant but when we did it was totally worth the search. Cozy and comfortable atmosphere inside with delicious comforting food. The creamy rosemary potatoes are not to be missed. The seitan was delicious too.

Pros: excellent food, inviting atmosphere, large portions

Truly

Points +136

Vegetarian
06 Mar 2008

A Berlin Lifesaver!

I came here twice on a short trip to Berlin last year.

The first time was for dinner. I sat outside. I speak almost no German but my waiter made a huge effort to communicate, even asking neighboring patrons if they knew the English word for 'Fenchel' (fennel).

I Ordered "Polenta auf Indischer CurrySauce mit gerüsteten, Mandel-Rosinen-Spinat (vegan) for 9,50 and Fenchel-Nuss-Sarlat mit Jogurt-Balsamicodressing for 4,70. The bread arrived after my salad and main, oops. It was sort of a crusty flat round sliced open with an intense tomato garlic spread inside. They have good cheap draft beer of course!

The fennel salad, with balsamic yogurt dressing and walnuts, was main course-sized and arrived at the same time as my actual main, curry polenta with spinach and sliced almonds. All the veggies tasted really fresh and flavorful. The polenta was just a little bit soft and the walnuts were not at all rancid. The polenta was more like seitan in its texture, infused with Indian spices. The spinach came in a cute mound mixed with onions and raisins; I expected to pick the raisins out but they were delicious - not at all hard or old, and had been cooked in the sauce so they were like little curry flavor bombs. All served in a nice curry sauce (3 slabs of polenta, nicely layered next to the mound of spinach, all sitting in a pool of sauce).

I went back for lunch and sat inside because there were no seats in the shade and it was hot. Inside, "Frosty the Snowman" was playing (odd choice for summer!) but it was soon replaced by generic jazz. Quite busy for a Monday afternoon. I was the only tourist and no one spoke English.

The interior decor is kind of haphazard but charming - one room has an exposed brick wall, one has deep red painted walls with a high ceiling and showy ceiling mouldings painted gold, reminiscent of an old sitting room. The back room has big old exposed beams, with a fabulous, huge old wood door leading back to the bathrooms.

I ordered practically at random the Maultaschen (Hausgemacht) - gefüllt mit Saitangemüse auf Knoblach - Jogurt und Tomaten-Kraüterragout for 9,20.

It turned out to be 4 large, beautifully presented raviolis sitting in a thin yogurt sauce, topped with a thick, chunky tomato sauce with fresh parsley. Definitely home-made which might explain why it took so long! (it took over 30mn to bring my one entree.)

I was actually sad to leave this food and go back to Paris - that's how good it was!

Pros: Fresh vibrant ingredients, Creative mix of foods

Cons: No English (menu or speakers)

Merciless666

Points +195

Vegan
03 Jan 2008

Best choice in Berlin!!!!

Since i now live right arround the corner i happened to be there quite often. But i definitely think this is the best vegetarian place to go in Berlin. Decent food and many weekly changing choices. Go for a lovely breakfast with all you want or cozy diner with homemade seitan. Not that cheap, but worth the money.
Bring some time, since the staff is always busy!
Highly recommended by
Merciless526

ps: it's a shame they still have the fish!

Pros: cosy, friendly staff, good location

Cons: not 2 cheap

nien

Points +38

Vegan
16 Nov 2007

Yummy and Cheap

Because whe could not read the menu that well we just ordered a starter and main dish.
We where very pleasantly suprised.
Everything tasted really good and there was so much food on the plates that we could never eat it all. The bread was fine too..
The waiter was really friendly but a litlle to busy because the restaurant was crowded.
We both had starter, main and dessert, with wine and beer for drinks and it costed about 50 euro's..very cheap for what you get..
We took the dessert home ( pancakes) because whe simply good not eat anymore..
When we are in Berlin again i will visit cafe V again

Pros: Friendly staff, cheap food, also vegan

Cons: no english menu, 1 waiter

beatlebum

Points +56

Vegan
14 Aug 2007

Different and Delicious

My mom and I weren't sure at first if we wanted to eat here once we arrived, but after trying to figure out the menu we decided to stay. The English menu was very helpful, but it didn't list everything that the German menu had, so we ended up having to ask the English-speaking bartender what some of the dishes were. He was very patient and helpful. We also kept moving from inside to outside and back inside because of the smoking and then the rain. That was just us being fussy though. It was actually quite nice inside, with red walls and a real old-fashioned feel to the place.

We could tell this was a popular restaurant because it was very crowded, but unfortunately there was only one waiter! This was a problem because he was way too busy for the number of customers. We eventually got our food, which was accompanied by focaccia and was beautifully presented. We had no idea what to expect when we ordered because we never had anything similar to it before. My mom got seitan and vegetable balls and she asked for the cream sauce on the side so that I could try it. They complied so I had a taste and they were delicious. They came with wonderful roasted potatoes, too. I ordered eggplant stuffed with seitan and served with tomato sauce and rice. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who goes there, but you have to look at the German menu to find it because it was not on the English menu. I thought the food at Cafe V was supposed to be German-style, but it certainly wasn't what I think of as German food. It was truly scrumptious though, whatever it was.

If you go here, which you should, you MUST go to the eiscafe on the corner next to Cafe V for dessert. I went there thinking I would get some sorbet, but then I saw that they had VEGAN SOY ICECREAM! I had chocolate and hazelnut and it was sooo yummy. I wish we had soy hazelnut here in Boston! If you go early enough, also try to make a trip to Veni Vedi Vegi, which is really nearby too.

Pros: original, creative dishes, flavorful food, great atmosphere indoors or out

Cons: understaffed, not all menu items listed in english, smoking

ampallang

Points +365

Vegan
05 Aug 2007

fancy

This was a nice place. No issues with smokers. Great Hummus and garlic bread. I had the stuff eggplant and rice and my friend had curry dish with tofu and a spinach and nut pattie? it was quite nice... not my usual choice of a place to eat. But the price was 25 euro for 3 dishes and 2 beers. Not bad. They have veagn clearly marked on dishes that are vegan. Staff speak excellent english.

Pros: good quality food , nice staff, hummus

Cons: the layout of the food

atandt

Points +141

Mostly Veg
30 Jan 2007

lots of choice

i must have ordered the wrong thing somehow-- not all of the food on the menu is light or healthy-- more like proper gourmet meals, but veg-style. glad to see the english menu, as the selections were eclectic & unusually-combined. the staff was also very friendly & helpful.

Pros: blingual menu & staff, cosy atmosphere

Cons: smokers




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