The steam rises from a bowl of Grüne Sosse in a traditional Frankfurt tavern, the green sauce speckled with fresh herbs and surrounded by boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs, a dish so simple and so perfect that it has been the lunch of Frankfurters for centuries. The Frankfurt Green Sauce is the essential vegetarian dish of the city, and it points to a larger truth: Frankfurt is one of the best cities in Germany for vegetarian dining, with fifteen Michelin green-starred restaurants, thriving farmers’ markets, and a food scene that takes plant-based eating seriously.
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The Grüne Sosse: Frankfurt’s Signature Dish
The Grüne Sosse, or Green Sauce, is made from seven herbs: borage, chervil, cress, parsley, burnet, sorrel, and chives. These are mixed with sour cream, yoghurt, and hard-boiled egg yolks to create a sauce that is served with boiled potatoes and more hard-boiled eggs. The dish has been a Frankfurt staple since the nineteenth century, and it is naturally vegetarian. In spring and summer, every Frankfurt tavern serves its own version, and the quality varies from sublime to pedestrian. The best versions use fresh herbs from local farms and high-quality dairy. The sauce is also served with schnitzel for non-vegetarians, but the vegetarian version is the original and the best. The Kleinmarkthalle market sells fresh herb bundles so you can make your own.
Seven Swans: Germany’s Finest Vegan Restaurant
Seven Swans, on the waterfront near the Friedensbrücke, is the most elevated vegetarian restaurant in Germany. It holds one Michelin star and a Michelin green star for sustainability. Chef Ricky Saward creates a tasting menu that changes with the seasons, using vegetables, fruits, and grains sourced from the restaurant’s own kitchen garden and local producers. The meal costs 165 euros for the tasting menu, and booking requires two to three months of advance planning. The restaurant is entirely vegan, and the creativity on display is extraordinary. Dishes might include fermented vegetables with wild herbs, or a main course built around a single vegetable prepared in five different ways. Seven Swans has changed the conversation about what vegetarian fine dining can be in Germany.
Im Herzen Afrikas: Ethiopian vegetarian Heaven
Im Herzen Afrikas, in the Bahnhofsviertel, is an Ethiopian restaurant that offers some of the best-value vegetarian food in Frankfurt. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church mandates 250 fasting days per year during which no animal products are consumed, and the cuisine has developed an extraordinary repertoire of vegan and vegetarian dishes as a result. The Mixed vegetarian Platter costs 12.50 euros and includes six different dishes served on injera, the spongy sourdough flatbread that is the foundation of Ethiopian cuisine. The lentils, chickpeas, greens, and root vegetables are spiced with berbere, a complex blend of chilies and aromatic spices. The restaurant is small, busy, and authentic, and the platter is easily the best-value meal in the city.
Vevay and the Vegan Cafe Scene
Vevay, also in the Bahnhofsviertel, is the best vegan cafe in Frankfurt. The menu includes bowls, burgers, and salads, all plant-based and all priced between 12 and 15 euros. The space is bright, modern, and welcoming, and the coffee is excellent. Frankfurt’s vegan scene has grown significantly in recent years, with Vevay at its centre. The city also has several vegan bakeries, including ones that specialise in German classics like vegan Bienenstich and vegan Apfelstrudel. The farmers’ markets in the city, particularly the Saturday market at the Kleinmarkthalle, are excellent sources of fresh produce, artisanal bread, and locally made cheese.
Essential German Phrases for vegetarian Dining
Navigating a German menu as a vegetarian requires a few key phrases. “Ich bin Vegetarier” (if you are male) or “Ich bin Vegetarierin” (if you are female) is the essential declaration. “Ohne Fleisch, bitte” means “without meat, please.” “Ist das vegetarisch?” asks weather a dish is vegetarian. The most important question is “Hat das Speck oder Wurststuckchen?” which asks weather the dish contains bacon or small sausage pieces. In Germany, a “vegetarian” salad often arrives with bacon bits, so this question is essential. The word “vegetarisch” on a menu generally means no meat and no fish, but may include eggs and dairy. “Vegan” is unambiguous and increasingly common on Frankfurt menus.
Frankfurt’s Farmers Markets: Seasonal Eating at Its Best
The Kleinmarkthalle is Frankfurt’s premier indoor food market, and it is a paradise for vegetarians. The 156 stalls sell fresh fruit and vegetables, artisan cheeses, bread, olives, nuts, and dried herbs. The market is busiest on Saturdays, when local farmers bring their seasonal produce directly from the fields surrounding Frankfurt. The upstairs cafe serves soup and salad for about 8 euros, making it the best light lunch in the city. The market also sells the seven fresh herbs needed for proper Grüne Sosse, bundled together by the farmers who know exactly which varieties work best. Visiting the Kleinmarkthalle is not just about buying food. It is about experiencing the food culture of Frankfurt in its most authentic form, surrounded by Frankfurters who have been shopping at these same stalls for generations.
Have you eaten the Grüne Sosse in spring, ordered ohne Speck at an Apfelwein tavern, or discovered the vegan star at Seven Swans?
Published in: Germany. Updated June 11 2026.
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