The best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Nijmegen. Where should you go? Cosy Nijmegen, also known as Keizerstad or Nimma, is bursting with vegetarian and vegan eateries. Julie lives in Nijmegen and tips her favourites. Oeh, tips from a local. Nice!
Vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Nijmegen
Whether you are looking for a place for a cup of coffee, an extensive lunch, or a cosy dinner: there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan food options in Nijmegen. Not surprising since the city is known for its green heart. Nijmegen has previously been voted the best cycling city in the Netherlands (2016), and thanks to numerous sustainable entrepreneurs and green parks, it is great to relax and shop consciously in the city. Moreover, the many sustainable shops and vega and vegan eateries make Nijmegen the perfect destination for a sustainable city trip. You can read more about that in this article. And extra nice: because Nijmegen is a student city, there is something tasty out of doors for every budget. Some of those options are also passing by!
The New Shop
Let's start with what might be the most sustainable restaurant in the Netherlands: The New Shop. Chef and owner Emile van der Staak is a pioneer in the culinary world with his ‘botanical gastronomy’, cooking exclusively with local, seasonal vegetables. His choice to use only plants in his dishes stems from his awareness that the current food system is one of the biggest drivers of climate change. The New Shop has been voted twice in a row as the the best vegetable restaurant in the world. In addition, the restaurant has two Michelin stars as well as a green Michelin star. They owe this green star partly to their close cooperation with the nearby Food Forest Ketelbroek. You can read more about this special food forest in this article.
If you want a table at this city-centre restaurant, you will need to be patient, because this sustainable restaurant in Nijmegen is often fully booked months in advance. Via their website, you can sign up for the newsletter, which gives you the chance to get a table prior to each new season. Tip!
Gebroeders van Limburgplein 7, Nijmegen
An evening dinner at De Nieuwe Winkel is an experience. At this Michelin-starred restaurant in Nijmegen, they only cook with vegetables they prefer to harvest from the food forest a few kilometres away. Photos: Wim Demessemaekers.
Bistro Flores
Are you a fan The New Shop or do you find it hard to get there? Then check out Bistro Flores agree. They too show that the future of gastronomy is plant-based. Their Plant menu is full of seasonal ingredients from regenerative gardens and local food forests, enriched with fermentation and koji cultures for deep umami flavours. In doing so, they minimise waste and put vegetables at the forefront. For non-vegans, the Flores menu is a surprising choice with, for example, on the plate: crayfish! This is an invasive species that threatens Dutch waters. Here you not only eat delicious food, but also contribute to a better food system!
Kelfkensbos 43, Nijmegen
Bistro Flores also definitely belongs on your vegan-restaurants-in-Nijmegen list where plants and fermentation play the starring role.
Cali
Slightly hidden in a quiet side street in the centre of Nijmegen you will find Restaurant Cali. This vegetarian address was born from the lack of an alternative to the brown pub. A hip place that moves with the times, full of conviviality, art and music. Cali serves richly filled drinks boards with a choice of vegetarian or vegan for a soft price. They also have all kinds of vegetarian snacks and green hair salons. A lovely place to spend an evening with friends. Rather enjoy one of those creamy hair salons at home on the couch? You can! In fact, you can also take away food at Cali.
Priemstraat 13, Nijmegen
At restaurant Cali, you can eat or take away the most delicious vegetarian dishes and eat them at home. Photos by Lana van Bijsterveldt.
The Warmoes
Across the Waal bridge near Nijmegen-Lent station, there is a green oasis among the urban area where you can pick your own vegetables, fruit and flowers. At the Warmoes they still grow in the traditional way and consider all life on the farm. Apart from the picking garden, you can also enjoy a vegetarian or vegan lunch from their own harvest here at a reasonable price. Or opt for a home-baked tart with apple pear juice straight from the orchard. Combine a visit to the Warmoes with a nice walk and you have found a nice and green way to spend your day off. For near Nijmegen-Lent there is a beautiful wooden shoe path past vast orchards and ancient buildings - extra green tip!
Griftdijk Noord 11, Nijmegen
Café de Plak
On the lively Bloemerstraat in the centre of Nijmegen you will find vegetarian restaurant Café de Plak. A real household name in Nijmegen that has existed since 1976. Special for its time, the restaurant welcomed gays, lesbians, feminists, squatters and internationals with open arms. The café still tries to break down social structures that restrict people's freedom. Six years after its opening, the café was taken over and a democratic collective emerged that still endures. That means there are now around 20 owners who together determine the character and look of the café. The company's profits are donated to various charities through grants. Since 2023, Café de Plak has a fully vegetarian menu with vegan dishes in between for a good price. They also consciously choose fair products such as organic bread brought by a bicycle courier, free-range eggs, Max Havelaar coffee, slave-free chocolate, local honey, organic wine and fruit juices and much more. In short, definitely worth a mention!
Bloemerstraat 90, Nijmegen
Bhalu
Diagonally opposite Café de Plak you will find eatery Bhalu. The cosy living room offers vegan breakfast, lunch and dinner. Highly recommended if you have a tight budget. You can escape the hustle and bustle here and while you are inside, it feels like you are sitting outside on a cosy, green patio. The restaurant is 100% vegan and apart from having a bite to eat, you can also roll out your yoga mat here. Bhalu offers different yoga classes daily to unwind for a while. After your yoga class, you can continue the rest over a cup of green tea, with a good book, a musical instrument or with a game from the games cabinet. Bhalu has it all. Namasté.
Bloemerstraat 95, Nijmegen
Hotel Credible
Do you actually think a day in Nijmegen is too short? We completely understand that! The beautiful city on the river Waal deserves to be discovered at leisure. The choice of vegetarian and vegan restaurants is vast, so those who really want to take their time to discover this city and its sustainable eateries can visit Hotel Credible. This colourful eye-catcher in the Nijmegen street scene is a sustainable pioneer in the tourist industry. The restaurant offers vegan dishes using local, seasonal produce. For the interior spotters: yes, this is (almost) all second-hand furniture.
Hertogstraat 1, Nijmegen
Vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Nijmegen: your favourite?
You read it, Nijmegen is a great place for vegetarian and vegan foodies. And Nijmegen has countless other sustainable eating spots with a sustainable, vegetarian or vegan bent. We can't stop talking about them. At Tati for plant-based breakfast, lunch and dinner. Or slide in at Lunch bar The Viking For a responsible breakfast or midday meal. Bonus: they make homemade cake! That will be a treat. Do you have another fine vega(n) Nijmegen tip that belongs in this list? Let us know! Find the contact buttons at the bottom of this page or share your favourite on Instagram and tag @thegreenlist.nl. Enjoy your meal!
More restaurant tips from thegreenlist.nl
- For on greener-in-Leiden list: the best sustainable restaurants in the key city!
- Nothing beats Groningen! When it comes to sustainable restaurants, they are also well represented there!
- Will you be in Alkmaar soon? Then this sustainable restaurant list is for you!
Sources: Cycling Association, real estatebs.nl. Photo credits: main image: Bistro Flores (left), Wim Demessemaekers (De Nieuwe Winkel) (centre), thegreenlist.nl (right). Other: Wim Demessemaekers (De Nieuwe Winkel), Bistro Flores, Lana van Bijsterveldt (Cali).
