Three years ago, at the end of 2013 between Christmas and New Year, I started The Bruges Vegan Blog. I had already been blogging in Dutch on Graswortels (previously called Veggieleven), but decided to start an English blog to share restaurant reviews and other things vegan related with people from around the world.
3 YEAR BLOG OVERVIEW
In those three years, I have published 231 posts on The Bruges Vegan. A lot of those posts are restaurant reviews. But there are also other posts about our garden, homemade meals in our kitchen, reviews from events like vegan festivals or lectures, and some posts about animal rights. The posts about Remembrance day (Armistice day, but not for the animals and The animal do not want our medals and statues) were shared more than thousands of times. I also posted some shop review (30 posts) and posts about vegan products like vegan caviar or Danish pastry.
It is rather a coincidence that the 3 year blog-anniversary coincides with the milestone of 100 restaurant reviews (number 100 is published after this post). That is an average of 33 restaurant reviews a year! It does not seem like we go out for dinner or lunch thàt often, but we do like to try new places and are constantly on the lookout for places that offer vegan options. It is exciting to see that in those three years, our list of places where vegans are welcome in Bruges and around Bruges is steadily growing. Although on that front Belgium still pales in comparison with other places like London, Brighton or even Vienna, which we have visited recently and where veganism is certainly more mainstream.
We had plenty of good experiences, but also some rather sad experiences.
Here’s a gallery of our more enjoyable dining out experiences. Some are real fine gastronomic dining, but we also enjoy the occasional burger or falafel in a fast food place just as much!
Unfortunately we also had some not so good experiences, which I won’t dwell on for too long here. Let’s just say being served raw tofu, or rabbit food is not our idea of an enjoyable dining out experience. And yes, we also had some occasions where we were not quite sure whether what we were served was actually vegan, or even on one occasion, staff bluntly admitted serving us oyster sauce.
We don’t only look at the food, but alo take comfort, service, hygiene, into consideration when writing a review (see A word or two about our restaurant reviews) And yes, even the hygiene of the toilets shape our overall impression!
We try to be fair in our restaurant reviews. if it is good, we will spread the word, but if it is not good, we will surely also say so, even if it is a vegan friendly place. On that respect, see our post A critical note about vegan (friendly) places? Don’t you dare!
GIVEAWAY – 2 X 2 vegan dining at restaurant Hashtag Food
Hashtag Food is a trendy and relaxed bistro in the city center of Bruges (Belgium). They have a seperate vegan menu (it used to be veggie and vegan, but recently, they have made all their vegetarian meals vegan!).
We have visited Hashtag Food twice, and really enjoyed it! Everything is fresh, homemade (even the bread). We have posted two reviews of Hashtag Food, you can see them here Hashtagfood 1, and here Hashtag Food 2. The menu changes every couple of weeks, so a visit to Hashtag Food is always a new discovery!
To celebrate our 3 year blog anniversary, and 100 restaurant reviews, we are giving away 2 vouchers for a vegan lunch/dinner (3course) for two people, at Hashtag Food, in Bruges Belgium. So in total, 4 people (2×2) can go dining at Hashtag Food.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GIVEAWAY
- Write a comment on this blogpost with your best vegan dining out experiences (and what was so good about it). Or if you don’t have any vegan dining out experiences, tell us which (vegan friendly) restaurant you really would like to visit for a vegan meal and why.
Guidelines
- You can write the comment in English or in Dutch.
- Please only one entry per person
- Make sure you write a correct e-mail address in the appropriate field, as I will need that to contact you.
- Deadline to enter the Giveaway is January 2, 2017 (so you have time to tell your friends at the New Year’s parties about this giveaway, and they can also enter 😉
THE PRIZE
- Two winners will be randomly drafted
- Each winner receives a voucher for a vegan 3 course meal for two people, at Hashtag food, Bruges.**
Two winners will be announced on January 3th, 2017 on this blog, and on my (facebook page and twitter) and I will contact them via e-mail.
If you accept the prize, I will need your postal address to send you the voucher.
If a winner does not respond within 5 days, or declines the prize, a new winner will be chosen.
We want to compare your restaurant experiences with ours and it would be great if we get to know more vegan (friendly) places!
We realise that this prize is probably more appealing for those leaving near Bruges, or planning a trip to Bruges. But even if you live further away and not planning a trip to Bruges anytime soon, we would love to hear your restaurant suggestions! And maybe it can tempt you to visit Belgium and Bruges in the New Year 😉
** About the prize:
Voucher is non-refundable or exchangeable for something else.
Voucher is for a vegan 3 course menu for two people: a starter, a main dish, a dessert. Drinks and extras not included.
Voucher is to be used on one visit (so two people going together, not the winner going twice).
Voucher needs to be used before September 1, 2017.
The Bruges Vegan 
Happy Blog Anniversary!
Yes, unfortunately we are too far away to visit for the giveaway. But anytime you are visiting the states, I have several suggestions for the Philadelphia or New York areas.
My all-time favourite is Koffie Ende Koeck in Amsterdam. A tiny coffehouse that serves all kinds of coffees, teas, lattes and delicious lemonades paired with lovingly baked cakes, pies and biscuits as well as fantastic sandwiches. All vegan of course! Owner Maartje is very friendly. The ‘high tea’ is a great option for when you don’t know what to choose, as it gives you a huge stack of a bit of everything (and you can take that literally: you are served one slice of every available pie that day and two sandwiches, with as much tea as you want). Nothing but love for this small and too far away place.
Congratulations, keep up the good work ! Although we prepare often vegan meals at home, I have not a lot of vegan dining-out experiences. One that I really liked was Moonfood in Brussels, more a vegan fast food lunch concept. But they had great cauliflower maki and a lovely all veggie zucchini lasagna.
Congrats! One of my favourite places to order from is “De Lachende Monnik” in Drongen, but that’s not really a restaurant haha. Other than that I also really liked Zukini in Ghent 🙂
Mijn beste vegan uit-eten ervaring was toch echt wel bij ‘Veggies on fire’ in Rotterdam. Ik ging eerst gezellig met een goede vegan vriendin uitwaaien op het strand en daarna daar eten. Zij had kelpnoodles (heel erg lekker, eén dressing was gemaakt van jong kokosvlees en cashews) en ik had een zelfgemaakte burger op een zelfgemaakt broodje met jaa.. ook zelfgemaakte (oil-free) frietjes. En daarna kwam het allerbeste! het toetje ❤ ❤ Het was echt een orgastisch toetje. Ik heb dit natuurlijk allemaal vastgelegd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPvNTqYS_L8&t=400s
How wonderful, Trudi. Congratulations on your three-year anniversary! I can’t tell you how many of your posts I’ve bookmarked for the next time I’m fortunate enough to visit Belgium — or how many more I’ve thoroughly enjoyed as a mini-vacation from daily life. Thank you for making the world a better and more beautiful place through your continued efforts.
Congratulations and THANK YOU ! I followed your recommendation and went with 5 (non vegan) friends to Reliva in Bruges. The meal was fantastic. From my son I learned about the ‘Veggies on fire’ in Rotterdam, he was impressed. By the way, from your ‘own kitchen’ I made the Lemon Mousse recently, it was highly appreciated by the guests (I coloured the topping with Spirulina to add a green Christmas touch). This week I will cook the ‘Carbonade flamande’ and for Christmas the “Wellington” (Jamie Oliver). You are great, I wish you the energy to continue, with vegan greetings.
What a lovely and generous offer. I would love to visit Bruges one day let alone try this wonderful restaurant. And keep up the blogging. I really enjoy it.
Hello hier vegan_kelli
Gelukkige verjaardag.
We zijn al een aantal keer naar de Kleine Keuken geweest en is goed meegevallen. De prijs is niet goedkoop. Jammer. Het beste was natuurlijk in Berlijn in The Bowl. Goedkoop maar super super lekker. 32€ voor drie personen hoofdmaaltijd drank en dessert.
We gaan elkaar ooit nog tegenkomen en hopelijk winnen we een voucher. Ik voel me al gewonnen door vegan te zijn en zoveel vegans te maken. Spread the love.
Groetjes uit Ingelmunster
Ps: heb een vegan kerstbuche besteld bij Liraz.😍
Happy blogiversary to you!
One of my best experiences in Belgium was in Essence, a pop-up raw vegan restaurant, summer 2014. Sadly, it was only open for about 2 months, and despite their success and plans to open elsewhere, they never did. The flavours and combinations of the raw dishes were surprisingly superb. It made me curious about trying more raw food!
For (not so good pictures, since the lights were very dim and I refuse to flash) see:
– https://www.eyeem.com/p/40569499 (drinks)
– https://www.eyeem.com/p/40569451 (first course)
– https://www.eyeem.com/p/40569599 (second course)
– https://www.eyeem.com/p/40570647 (third course)
– https://www.eyeem.com/p/40571869 (fourth course)
– https://www.eyeem.com/p/40572707 (dessert #1)
– https://www.eyeem.com/p/40573582 (dessert #2)
– https://www.eyeem.com/p/40574650 (tea)
And for one experience that one can still enjoy, I have to agree with other people I say: Berlin. In general, I found Berlin a paradise for vegans. First time I’ve eaten a four season pizza in ages! But favourite place in Berlin (we even went twice during our one week stay!), was Kopps (http://www.kopps-berlin.de). They do fine dining (and yeah, they’re not that cheap). The experience itself was fabulous. We could have feasted in their bread basket with vegan egg salad for a whole night, but we also wanted to try other dishes, so we refrained from ordering it twice.
Ik ben onlangs naar Brighton geweest en daar zijn er inderdaad veel meer vegan opties! Mijn vriend en ik hebben allebei supergraag gegeten in koffie- en ontbijttentje Diva. Enorm genoten van de versheid en de vanzelfsprekendheid waarmee de al dan niet veggie/vegan maaltijden werden aangeboden. Ik doe graag mee met de giveaway! Proficiat met je blogaversary en hopelijk blijf je nog vele posts en reviews schrijven. 😀
Proficiat! Mijn favoriet is Frietcultuur in Gent! Lekkere frietjes en redelijk wat veganistische opties! Ook makkelijk voor als je iets goedkoper zoekt of gewoon iets vettiger wil eten!
Congrats on your anniversary!
On your advice, we (1 veggie + 1 vegan) visited ‘Reliva’ in Bruges for the first time last week, even though we have lived around the corner for 2 years!
We had excellent food – dehydrated pumpkin biscuits with hummus and apple and ginger salad to start, followed by veg lasagne and vegan yellow curry and chocolate avocado mousse for dessert! The staff were super friendly and really helpful with discussing vegan wines and local organic delivery services 🙂
After living in Thailand for several years, the curry at ‘Reliva’ was better than 99% of Thai curries I ate in Thailand!
We will definitely go back – it’s our new favourite spot to eat in Bruges.
Thanks for the recommendation and to ‘Reliva’ for such tasty food!
We are planning on opening a veggie / vegan cafe next year so really appreciate your blog 🙂 Thanks
Hi Trui,
Congrats on the anniversary ! And on many more to come.
My best experience with eating out vegan is still Lof in Gent. Delicious food, good service. Cosy setting. I’m writing this today, just a few hours before we get to Lof for Christmas dinner.
Oh, in second place maybe Inspiral Lounge in London, 2008. I had the best vegan cakes ever!
Greetz,
Helga
Keep on going! xxx Merry Christmas to you! x
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Super! Proficiat met het 3-jarige bestaan 🙂 (en zoveel posts!!)
Ik heb nog nergens beter gegeten dan bij Lucky Leek in Berlijn. Het eten was ontzettend lekker, zo lekker zelfs dat we er 2 dagen na elkaar gaan eten zijn. Bovendien was de service ook heel erg vriendelijk. De hele “dinner-experience” was dus aanwezig.
Kiezen is zoooo moeilijk!
Onze all time favourite is toch wel Sassy’s in Oostende! Je voelt je er altijd welgekomen (al van bij het reservatietelefoontje eigenlijk) en op je gemak, het eten is lekker no nonsense, en Marc stelt altijd zelf voor om mijn restje (of zeg maar ‘rest’, ik ben niet zo’n grote eter) mee te geven naar huis.
Vorig jaar leerden we per toeval Hashtag Food kennen… Een dagje Brugge gepland en gezocht waar we ‘s middags terecht konden. We lieten ons verrassen door een veganistisch verrassingsmenu (die kans krijg je niet elke dag!). 1 woord: zalig!! Van hapje tot dessert, geen zorgen moeten maken of het wel vegan zou zijn… En gewoon superlekker! We gaan met plezier nog eens terug! 🙂
Oeoeoe, en Dolma in Brussel! 2 keer geweest en 2 keer zooooo lekker gegeten (buffetvorm maar heel veel variatie!
My best vegan restaurant experience has been at “Den Teepot” in Brussels. I took my father and brother there, the filling factor and the taste amazed my brother so much he radically stopped eating meat and was more open to discussing the effects of animal welfare and the effects of farming on climate change. It was yummy but the Ripley effect was the best thing ever!
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Geen uit-eten ervaring te delen hier want helaas ga ik zelden op restaurantbezoek! Mijn reden om deel te nemen aan deze wedstrijd is van een heel andere orde; ik zou heel graag in ware ‘Graaf van montecristo-stijl’ mijn beste vriend (die vegan is) willen trakteren op een etentje in Hastag Food omwille van zijn steun tijdens het voor mij persoonlijk afgelopen turbulente jaar (problemen van medische aard + echtscheiding). En na het lezen van de reviews ben ik zelf ook wel nieuwsgierig geworden…
Proficiat met de verjaardag! Als pleegmoeder van zeer jonge weeskittens (fleskittens) kan ik meestal niet lang van huis wegblijven. Ze moeten op tijd gevoed en verzorgd worden en dus zit elders uitgebreid dineren er niet in. Maar ik voed mijn ogen en fantasie met jouw posts en reviews! De blog is echt een meerwaarde voor vegans en non-vegans, dus doe er nog maar verschillende jaren bij 😀
Gelukkig woon ik in Leuven, dus tussen het voeden door kan ik al eens gaan smikkelen of uithalen bij de Vegaverso, de Loving Hut, de Loving Hut Veganerie, … . En dankzij mijn kittensittende zus (wanneer ze goed zelf drinken van de fles en al zelfstandig beginnen te eten en op de kattenbak gaan, wil zij al eens een voeding overnemen) ben ik tijdens Bite Back-acties al eens kunnen genieten bij Bites and Wines te Antwerpen en bij de Frietketel te Gent. Maar mijn favoriet blijft toch de Vegaverso. Tilly en Gilberte zijn fantastische mensen en Tilly’s creaties zijn top! Je zal er geen honger lijden en de keuze is enorm!
Momenteel neemt deze pleegmoeder met pijn in het hart even pauze van het plegen, want het jarenlange slaaptekort eiste zijn tol. Dus laat ik deze kans op zo’n give-away niet aan mij voorbijgaan 😉 en tegen het kittenhoogseizoen van 2017 vlieg ik er weer helemaal in 🙂
PS: mijn 2 dochters bloggen ook, maar dan enkel met vegan recepten. Kleinschalig en amateuristisch, maar hier zit toch een trotse moeder. Ze doen het toch maar en gaan er helemaal in op 🙂
Wow, that is amazing 🙂 I actually do not intend to join the competition. Although, I think it is a wonderful idea. But unfortunately, I probably won’t go to Bruges anytime soon
Anyway, congratulations on your three year anniversary and your 100th post 🙂
Congratulations for the great work you’ve done, sharing with us so many culinary experiences.
My most memorable dining experience was at Terre à Terre in Brighton. I had just met my current partner – 14 years ago – and he was a fervorous meat eater back then. It was our first trip together, and I wanted to make sure we’d have nothing but delightful meals when eating out, knowing how important that was for my travel companion. At Terre à Terre we ordered the full menu, with appetizers, soup, main course, dessert, special drinks, all what we could fit in our bellies. Each plate we got looked like a piece of art. We almost did not dare touching it. Each bite was a heavenly experience. Surprising combinations of aromas, textures and flavours filled our mouths. All ingredients flawlessly matched the seasonings. After that gourmet experience, my partner told me that if it was possible to enjoy fabulous plant-based meals as what he just had, he was willing to try to be vegan. Terre à Terre was a turning point in my husband’s life. Today he says that going vegan was the best decision he ever made in his life.
My best vegan dining experience was ‘Terra’ in Lisboa! It’s an all-you-can-eat veggie and mostly vegan buffet. The place was packed, so we were sure we had found a nice spot. (thanks to the owners of our B&B who were so kind to do some research for us!). Everything was so delicious, relatively cheap and they had a nice section of fresh pressed juices! We dined outside on a lovely terras and it was so nice! What I love most about restaurants that are vegan or have vegan options (that are actually stated ‘vegan’ on the menu) is that you’re not ‘the annoying one’ who asks for a special menu! Can’t wait to go back and try the buffet again!
Mijn favoriete vegan adresje is The Mae Deli in Londen. Lekkere opties en het menu wisselt af.
De beste ‘vegan fine dining experience’ hadden we bij de Graanmarkt 13 in Antwerpen en bij Foodstorms in Gent. Maar aangezien dat omwille van de prijs echt wel voor héél speciale gelegenheden is en wij minstens evenveel genieten van ergens snel iets te eten denk ik dat ons favoriete restaurant toch wel de Veggie Grill is. We zijn er op vakantie een paar jaar geleden minstens 5 of 6 keer gaan eten, en alles was even vers en lekker en snel en niet te duur.
Proficiat met derjaardag van jullie blog ! Sinds ik vegan geworden ben ga ik minder uit eten. Het is niet steeds makkelijk om vegan maaltijden te bekomen. Dus het liefst kook ik zelf thuis 🙂 Uiteraard is het een super gevoel om eens van een fantastische vegan maaltijd bediend te worden … Daarom doe ik mee aan jullie wedstrijd.
Dank u wel en gelukkig nieuwjaar!
Proficiat met het 3-jarig bestaan! En ook een fijn 2017 met nog vele artikeltjes!
Hier in de buurt helaas zeer weinig plaatsjes waar standaard vegan op het menu terug te vinden is
Water & Vuur blijft mijn favoriet. Maar ook Sassy’s komen we heel graag en vaak. #food nog maar 1 keertje geweest, moeilijke openingsuren. Ze verkopen er wel nog steeds de Hurraw! lipbalm en grappige kaartjes van in de tijd dat het een winkeltje was!
Congratz! Jullie besprekingen zijn echt de moeite. En ook goed dat jullie niet alleen het eten beschrijven, maar ook de omgeving e.d.. Keep up the good work! 🙂
Het lekkerst heb ik toch vooral in het buitenland gegeten. Aan Tian (München en Wenen) heb ik goede herinneringen.
Thank you everyone for all your lovely comments. Nice to see there are so many positive vegan dining out experiences, and we’ve got to know some new places that we definitely want to visit one day!
THE TWO WINNERS ARE
Stefan*Springhill Stories and Laila Elkellali.
I have sent you both an e-mail. Please let me know if you accept the prize.
Happy New Year! Hope it is filled with joy, love, compassion and lots of yummie vegan food!
xxx
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